Featured Books for Women’s History Month
Tough Choices: A Memoir
Location: Pardee Stacks HD6054.4.U6 F56 2006
The New York Times bestseller by the most talked about woman in American business. For five and a half years, Carly Fiorina led Hewlett-Packard through major internal changes, the worst technology slump in decades, and the most controversial merger in high-tech history. Yet just as things were about to turn around, she was abruptly fired, making front-page news around the world. Fiorina has been the subject of endless debate and speculation. But she has never spoken publicly about crucial details of her time at HP, about the mysterious circumstances of her firing, or about many other aspects of her landmark career. Until now.
Ladies of the Ticker : Women and Wall Street from the Gilded Age to the Great Depression
Location: Online
Long overlooked in histories of finance, women played an essential role in areas such as banking and the stock market during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Yet their presence sparked ongoing controversy. es the financial methods, accomplishments, and careers of three generations of women. Entertaining and vivid with details, Ladies of the Ticker sheds light on the trailblazers who transformed Wall Street into a place for women's work.
Democracy, Race, and Justice: The Speeches and Writings of Sadie T. M. Alexander
Location: Online
The first book to bring together the key writings and speeches of civil rights activist Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander--the first Black American economist. Although her historical significance has been relatively ignored, Alexander was a pioneering civil rights activist who used both the law and economic analysis to challenge racial inequities and deprivations. This volume--a recovery of Sadie Alexander's economic thought--provides a comprehensive account of her thought-provoking speeches and writings on the relationship between democracy, race, and justice.
eBooks for Women’s History Month
Road to Power : How GM's Mary Barra Shattered the Glass Ceiling by
Follow a pioneer's journey from factory floor to CEO Road to Power is the story of how Mary Barra drove herself to the pinnacle of a company that steers the nation's wealth. Beginning as a rare female electrical engineer and daughter of a General Motors die maker, Barra spent more than thirty years building her career before becoming the first woman to ever lead a global automaker. With $155 billion in sales and 200,000 employees, GM is widely considered to be a proxy for the U.S. economy, making Barra's position arguably the most important corporate role a woman has ever held. This book describes the personal character, choices, and leadership style that enabled her to break through the glass ceiling. When 52-year-old Mary Barra was named CEO of General Motors in 2013, only people outside of the company were surprised. She had done everything from working on the factory floor to overseeing manufacturing, from improving union relations to paring down bureaucracy, and from running human resources to helping drag the company back from its 2009 bankruptcy. This book details each step of her career, and the lessons she learned along the way. Learn how Mary Barra's willingness to take on diverse assignments helped steer her career trajectory Examine the fine details of Barra's management style and her ability to relate to colleagues Discover the qualities and experiences Barra had that drove her to lead this male-dominated profession Study the valuable lessons Barra learned at each stage in her professional life, and why they stuck with her throughout her journey to the top Barra is most certainly a pioneer for women in business, but she's also a living lesson as to how far the right outlook, skills, and drive can take you in your career. Road to Power explores the talent and the mindset that got her all the way to the top.
Location: Online
Capital Intentions : Female Proprietors in San Francisco, 1850-1920 by
Late nineteenth-century San Francisco was an ethnically diverse but male-dominated society bustling from a rowdy gold rush, earthquakes, and explosive economic growth. Within this booming marketplace, some women stepped beyond their roles as wives, caregivers, and homemakers to start businesses that combined family concerns with money-making activities. Edith Sparks traces the experiences of these women entrepreneurs, exploring who they were, why they started businesses, how they attracted customers and managed finances, and how they dealt with failure. Using a unique sample of bankruptcy records, credit reports, advertisements, city directories, census reports, and other sources, Sparks argues that women were competitive, economic actors, strategizing how best to capitalize on their skills in the marketplace. Their boardinghouses, restaurants, saloons, beauty shops, laundries, and clothing stores dotted the city's landscape. By the early twentieth century, however, technological advances, new preferences for name-brand goods, and competition from large-scale retailers constricted opportunities for women entrepreneurs at the same time that new opportunities for women with families drew them into other occupations. Sparks's analysis demonstrates that these businesswomen were intimately tied to the fortunes of the city over its first seventy years.
Location: Online
My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future by
A New York Times Bestseller An intimate and powerful memoir by the trailblazing former CEO of PepsiCo For a dozen years as one of the world's most admired CEOs, Indra Nooyi redefined what it means to be an exceptional leader. The first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company -- and one of the foremost strategic thinkers of our time -- she transformed PepsiCo with a unique vision, a vigorous pursuit of excellence, and a deep sense of purpose. Now, in a rich memoir brimming with grace, grit, and good humor, My Life in Full offers a firsthand view of Nooyi's legendary career and the sacrifices it so often demanded. Nooyi takes us through the events that shaped her, from her childhood and early education in 1960s India, to the Yale School of Management, to her rise as a corporate consultant and strategist who soon ascended into the most senior executive ranks. The book offers an inside look at PepsiCo, and Nooyi's thinking as she steered the iconic American company toward healthier products and reinvented its environmental profile, despite resistance at every turn. For the first time and in raw detail, Nooyi also lays bare the difficulties that came with managing her demanding job with a growing family, and what she learned along the way. She makes a clear, actionable, urgent call for business and government to prioritize the care ecosystem, paid leave and work flexibility, and a convincing argument for how improving company and community support for young family builders will unleash the economy's full potential. Generous, authoritative, and grounded in lived experience, My Life in Full is the story of an extraordinary leader's life, a moving tribute to the relationships that created it, and a blueprint for 21st century prosperity.
Location: OnlinePublication Date: 2021
Boss Lady : How Three Women Entrepreneurs Built Successful Big Businesses in the Mid-Twentieth Century by
Too often, depictions of women's rise in corporate America leave out the first generation of breakthrough women entrepreneurs. Here, Edith Sparks restores the careers of three pioneering businesswomen--Tillie Lewis (founder of Flotill Products), Olive Ann Beech (cofounder of Beech Aircraft), and Margaret Rudkin (founder of Pepperidge Farm)--who started their own manufacturing companies in the 1930s, sold them to major corporations in the 1960s and 1970s, and became members of their corporate boards. These leaders began their ascent to the highest echelons of the business world before women had widespread access to higher education and before there were federal programs to incentivize women entrepreneurs or laws to prohibit credit discrimination. In telling their stories, Sparks demonstrates how these women at once rejected cultural prescriptions and manipulated them to their advantage, leveraged familial connections, and seized government opportunities, all while advocating for themselves in business environments that were not designed for women, let alone for women leaders. By contextualizing the careers of these hugely successful yet largely forgotten entrepreneurs, Sparks adds a vital dimension to the history of twentieth-century corporate America and provides a powerful lesson on what it took for women to succeed in this male-dominated business world.
Location: Online
Women's Work : Stories from Pioneering Women Shaping Our Workforce by
"A beautiful book that provides genuine encouragement and inspiration. Vivid portrait photography and accompanying essays declare that all work is women's work." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) In this stunning collection, award-winning photographer Chris Crisman documents the women who pioneered work in fields that have long been considered the provinces of men--with accompanying interviews on how these inspiring women have always paved their own ways. Today, young girls are told they can do--and be--anything they want when they grow up. Yet the unique challenges that women face in the workplace, whether in the boardroom or the barnyard, have never been more publicly discussed and scrutinized. With Women's Work, Crisman pairs his award-winning, striking portrait photography of women on the job with poignant, powerful interviews of his subjects: women who have carved out unique places for themselves in a workforce often dominated by men, and often dominated by men who have told them no. Through their stories, we see not only the ins and outs of their daily work, but the emotional and physical labors of the jobs they love. Women's Work is a necessary snapshot of how far we've come and where we're heading next--their stories are an inspiration as well as a call to action for future generations of women at work. Women's Work features more than sixty beautiful photographs, including Alison Goldblum, contractor; Anna Valer Clark, ranch owner; Ayah Bdeir, CEO of littleBits; Beth Beverly, taxidermist; Carla Hall, blacksmith; Cherise Van Hooser, funeral director; Jordan Ainsworth, gold miner; Magen Lowe, correctional officer; Mindy Gabriel, firefighter; Nancy Poli, pig farmer; Katherine Kallinis Berman and Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, Founders of Georgetown Cupcake; Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential biographer; Sophi Davis, cowgirl; Abingdon Welch, pilot; Christy Wilhelmi, beekeeper; Connie Chang, chemical engineer; Danielle Perez, comedienne; Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo; Lisa Calvo, oyster farmer; Mia Anstine, outdoor guide; Meejin Yoon, architect; Yoky Matsuoka, a tech VP at Google; and many more.
Location: Online
The Women of Berkshire Hathaway : Lessons from Warren Buffett's Female CEOs and Directors by
A fascinating look at the top women at Berkshire Hathaway and how they got there Although proportionally women continue to lag far behind men as CEOs and board members at major institutions, there has been a marked uptick in the number of female business leaders in recent years. Looking at the changes that have happened at Berkshire Hathaway--Warren Buffett's holding company, The Women of Berkshire Hathaway: Lessons from Warren Buffett's Female CEOs and Directors provides a unique look at the gradual shattering of the glass ceiling at one of America's top firms. An influx of female leadership over the past few years--today there are four female CEOs, up from just one a decade ago--has invigorated Berkshire Hathaway with energy and unique female insight. Profiling these remarkable women, the book provides motivational and management information for a wide range of readers, from business students to Buffett fans. Looks closely at the female board members of Berkshire Hathaway and the female managers who run Berkshire Hathaway companies Follows the paths that brought these women to their current positions Explores their working relationship with their employees and Warren Buffett, and how they balance work and their private lives The only book focusing on eight of the most powerful women at Berkshire Hathaway, The Women of Berkshire Hathaway is an inspirational read about the triumph of a group of remarkable women within a company once dominated by men.
Location: Online
Print Books for Women’s History Month
Lean In For Graduates by
The perfect graduation gift: the iconic #1 best seller, expanded and updated exclusively for graduates entering the workforce This extraordinary edition of Lean In includes a letter to graduates and six additional chapters from experts offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; résumé writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men. The original edition of Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In became a massive cultural phenomenon and its title became an instant catchphrase for empowering women. The book soared to the top of best-seller lists both nationally and internationally, igniting global conversations about women and ambition. This enhanced edition provides the entire text of the original book updated with more recent statistics and features a passionate letter from Sandberg encouraging graduates to find and commit to work they love. A combination of inspiration and practical advice, this new edition will speak directly to graduates and, like the original, change lives. New Material for the Graduates Edition: · A Letter to Graduates from Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Meta (previously called Facebook) from 2008-2022 · Find Your First Job, by Mindy Levy (Levy has more than twenty years of experience in all phases of organizational management and holds degrees from Wharton and Penn) · Negotiate Your Salary, by Kim Keating (Keating is the founder and managing director of Keating Advisors) · Man Up: Millennial Men and Equality, by Kunal Modi (Modi is a consultant at McKinsey & Company and a recent graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School) · Let's Lean In Together, by Rachel Thomas (Thomas is the president of The Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation)· Own Who You Are, by Mellody Hobson (Hobson is the president of Ariel Investments) · Listen to Your Inner Voice, by Rachel Simmons (Simmons is cofounder of the Girls Leadership Institute) · 12 Lean In stories, short essays by readers around the world who have been inspired by Sandberg
Location: Pardee Stacks HD6054.3 .S264 2014
The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by
"Narrative history that fizzes with life and feeling." -- Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire's Vinegar The New York Times bestselling biography of the visionary young woman who built a champagne empire, became a legend, and showed the world how to live with style Veuve Clicquot champagne epitomizes glamour, style, and luxury. In The Widow Clicquot, Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life--for the first time--the fascinating woman behind the iconic yellow label: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who, after her husband's death, defied convention by assuming the reins of the fledgling wine business they had nurtured together. Steering the company through dizzying political and financial reversals, she became one of the world's first great businesswomen and one of the richest women of her time. As much a fascinating journey through the process of making this temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered woman, The Widow Clicquot is the captivating true story of a legend and a visionary.
Location: Pardee Stacks TP547.C55 M39 2009
Her Dream of Dreams: The Rise and Triumph of Madam C. J. Walker by
“I am a woman that came from the cotton fields of the South; I was promoted from there to the wash-tub; then I was promoted to the cook kitchen, and from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations.” --Madam C. J. Walker, National Negro Business League Convention, 1912 Now, from a writer acclaimed for her novels and the memoir Crossed Over, a remarkable biography of a truly heroic figure. Madam C. J. Walker created a cosmetics empire and became known as the first female self-made millionaire in this nation’s history, a noted philanthropist and champion of women’s rights and economic freedom. These achievements seem nothing less than miraculous given that she was born, in 1867, to former slaves in a hamlet on the Mississippi River. How she came to live on another river, the Hudson, in a Westchester County mansion, and in a New York City town house, is at once inspirational and mysterious, because for all that is known about the famous entrepreneur, much that occurred before her magnificent transformation—years that trace a circuitous route across the country—remains obscure. By breathing life into scattered clues and dry facts, and with a deep understanding of the times and places through which Madam Walker moved, Beverly Lowry tells a story that stretches from the antebellum South to the Harlem Renaissance and bridges nearly a century of our history in her search for the distant truths of a woman who defied all odds and redefined conventional expectations. “Wherever there was one colored person, whether it was a city, a town, or a puddle by the railroad tracks, everybody knew her name.” --Violet Davis Reynolds, Stenographer, Madam C. J. Walker Co
Location: Pardee Stacks HD9970.5.C672 W3558 2003
Wall Street Women by
Wall Street Women tells the story of the first generation of women to establish themselves as professionals on Wall Street. Since these women, who began their careers in the 1960s, faced blatant discrimination and barriers to advancement, they created formal and informal associations to bolster one another's careers. In this important historical ethnography, Melissa S. Fisher draws on fieldwork, archival research, and extensive interviews with a very successful cohort of first-generation Wall Street women. She describes their professional and political associations, most notably the Financial Women's Association of New York City and the Women's Campaign Fund, a bipartisan group formed to promote the election of pro-choice women. Fisher charts the evolution of the women's careers, the growth of their political and economic clout, changes in their perspectives and the cultural climate on Wall Street, and their experiences of the 2008 financial collapse. While most of the pioneering subjects of Wall Street Women did not participate in the women's movement as it was happening in the 1960s and 1970s, Fisher argues that they did produce a "market feminism" which aligned liberal feminist ideals about meritocracy and gender equity with the logic of the market.
Location: Pardee Stacks HD6060.6 .F57 2012
Market Women: Black Women Entrepreneurs: Past, Present, and Future by
In stark contrast to popular belief, women of the African Diaspora have engaged in economic and leadership activities throughout the course of history. Black women around the world draw from a tradition of thousands of years of strategies that have enabled them to face and conquer the challenges of life as women of color. And yet today, black women are marginalized by an economic and financial community still dominated by white men. In Market Women, educator, activist, and entrepreneur Cheryl Smith sets the record straight, applying insights from a variety of fields to trace the roots of black women's entrepreneurship, as it is currently practiced in the United States. Featuring in-depth interviews with 19 present-day entrepreneurs (in ventures as diverse as catering, bookselling, millinery, and construction), Smith reveals an approach to business that is based on personal relationships, pooling of resources, a sense of humor, apprenticeship and mentoring, and strong mother-daughter bonds that defy traditional definitions of business success, wealth creation, and power. In the process she gives voice to a long-disenfranchised group whose struggles and triumphs in business illuminate universal themes that transcend race and gender. The result is a rich and unique study of business from a fresh and eye-opening perspective and an inspiring account of achieving success against tremendous odds.
Location: Pardee Stacks HD6054.4.U6 S65 2005
Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs: How Eleven Women Escaped Poverty And Became Their Own Bosses by
Over the last five years, the number of women-owned businesses has grown at twice the rate of all U.S. firms; in 2002, the number is expected to surpass the six million mark. Kitchen Table Entrepreneurs tells the inspirational stories of eleven low-income women who have marshaled the creative energy, confidence, and capital necessary to start their own small businesses. These women, who have used their entrepreneurial skills as a route out of poverty, give an American face to an economic empowerment tool that has enjoyed great success in developing countries. And by becoming their own bosses, they are not only providing for their children but also inspiring them. Though each of their businesses is unique, all eleven of these women have discovered previously unknown strengths as they’ve struggled to overcome personal and bureaucratic obstacles. All received important assistance from nonprofit organizations supported by the Ms. Foundation for Women, a pioneer funding entity of microenterprise programs in the U.S. Accompanying each profile are photographs by documentary photographer Earl Dotter, which capture the unique, hardworking American spirit of the entrepreneur and her family.
Location: Pardee Stacks HD6072.6.U5 S557 2002
Petticoats and Pinstripes: Portraits of Women in Wall Street's History by
This fascinating work presents biographical essays about women from the colonial period to modern times, chronicling the previously untold story of the female financial experience in the United States. Petticoats and Pinstripes: Portraits of Women in Wall Street's History provides a fascinating chronological account of the contributions of women on Wall Street through profiles of selected individuals that set their achievements in the context of the prevailing times. The book documents how women frequently assumed financial roles as a temporary palliative to the nation's ills, only to be cast aside once conditions improved, and how they were often restrained from financial endeavors by various factors, including American legal, political, economic, and cultural norms. Author Sheri J. Caplan describes the accomplishments of women in the financial world against the backdrop of the general advancement of women's rights and the evolution of gender-based roles in society, and identifies the primary factors in the development of a greater female role in finance: wartime urgency, personal necessity, technological change, and financial education. Explores the female financial experience in the United States from the colonial period to modern times Presents the history of women on Wall Street by placing personalities in the context of both Wall Street's development and prevailing political and cultural times Identifies common themes and issues confronted by women in finance Provides two quick-reference appendices, one describing the significance of particular women and a second that provides a chronology of milestones
Location: Pardee Stacks HG2463.A2 C3697 2013
Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia by
Martha Stewart has generated an enormous following by establishing herself as the leading authority for all things domestic and in the process created a multimillion-dollar enterprise and a personal net worth of nearly $2 billion. As one of the most successful self-made female business owners in American history, Martha Stewart is a topic of interest for fans, business professionals and would-be entrepreneurs alike. Martha Inc. tells the compelling story of how this complex woman created an empire on domesticity and examines her business inside and out. Through an engaging narrative by popular columnist Christopher Byron, this book chronicles how the business was built, what it took to take it public, and the personal and professional transformation Martha has undergone to make it all work. To get a true portrait of the woman whose work ethic is her personal life, Byron delves into the underreported facets of Martha's past, such as the effects her challenging childhood and years on Wall Street have had on her uncompromising business acumen. From Martha Stewart Living magazine and marthastewart.com to a K-Mart line of houseware products, a line of house paints, and a television show, this book details how a former caterer from Connecticut has created a media and merchandising empire, pulling off what large media corporations with vast resources struggle to accomplish. Martha Stewart has sold America on good taste and now readers can learn exactly how she did it and what drives her to keep conquering new vistas. A corporate biography as well as a success story worthy of Horatio Alger, Martha Inc. also delves into how a cult of personality is created and how Martha Stewart capitalized on the zeitgeist that characterized the last half of the twentieth century. This book is a must read for anyone who has been touched by Martha's marketing savvy or who dreams of making it big.
Location: Pardee Stacks TX140.S74 B97 2002
Women of the Street: Making It on Wall Street -- The World's Toughest Business by
A PROVOCATIVE, UP-CLOSE LOOK AT SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL WOMEN OF THE STREET "Herera describes . . . key players with a touch that is both sympathetic and exacting; each speaker has her own voice, yet Herera links common obstacles and victories. Interspersed with the engrossing narratives are lively and informative glimpses into strategy and technique. An absorbing and entertaining book with a substantial bite." --Financial Trader. ". . . Herera smartly keeps the focus on the personal factors that enabled [these women] to enter a male preserve and thrive. . . . Through Herera's diligent presentation, they . . . provide inspiring role models for those who would enter the field." --Publishers Weekly. "A provocative title about 14 top Wall Street professional women who--no surprise--find it difficult to balance work, marriage, and family. Underneath the friendly noise . . . lies hard, reality-based choice making." --Booklist. "If you are a woman, you must read this book to see how to succeed in the world of finance. If you are a man, you should read this book to learn what the competition is doing!" --L. William Seidman, Former Chairman, FDIC. ". . . a roadmap to success for any woman who wants to succeed in what has become the world's most exciting business. Herera's stories of the tough, savvy women who have made it on the Street are an inspiration." --Bill Wolman, Chief Economist, BusinessWeek.
Location: Pardee Stacks HG4621 .H47 1997
Pioneering African-American Women in the Advertising Business: Biographies of MAD Black WOMEN by
Much has been written about the men and women who shaped the field of advertising, some of whom became legends in the industry. However, the contributions of African-American women to the advertising business have largely been omitted from these accounts. Yet, evidence reveals some trailblazing African-American women who launched their careers during the 1960s Mad Men era, and went on to achieve prominent careers. This unique book chronicles the nature and significance of these women's accomplishments, examines the opportunities and challenges they experienced and explores how they coped with the extensive inequities common in the advertising profession. Using a biographical narrative approach, this book examines the careers of these important African-American women who not only achieved managerial positions in major mainstream advertising agencies but also established successful agencies bearing their own names. Based on their words and memories, this study reveals experiences which are intriguing, triumphant, bittersweet and sometimes tragic. These women's stories comprise a vital part of the historical narrative on women and African-Americans in advertising and will be instructive not only to scholars of advertising and marketing history but to future generations of advertising professionals.
Location: Pardee Stacks HF5810.A2 D39 2017
