The Power of Women

by June Sarpong

Feminism is often presented as a women’s movement, but the truth is that harnessing women’s untapped potential will make everyone better off… including men! Looking to our personal relationships, social and cultural climate and business and economic potential, The Power of Women debunks the myths around feminism, and proves why an intersectional approach to bringing women to the table is key to personal, social and economic progress for society as a whole. Praise for June Sarpong’s Diversify : ‘June Sarpong examines the research behind diversity and discrimination while grounding them in personal narratives, highlighting our common humanity.’ Kofi Annan, co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize ‘I am so glad June Sarpong is working on this matter of diversity.’ Desmond Tutu “A passionately written polemic” You Magazine ‘An engaging read with lots of important and good ideas’ Stylist ‘May prove to be our handbook to negotiate these troubled times’ Psychologies

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism

128 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite disappointing and not particularly revolutionary. A bit too capitalist for my taste — it just doesn’t go far enough.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! Inspiring and empowering, the author delves deeply into the topic of women in the world and the benefits of a female hand. Supported by many evidences to justify her statements, I was completely engaged and inspired. Clear, concise and perfectly well done. I loved this book from start to finish.

[tamazawareads]

Starting off 2019 with a kick of feminism. This book reminds us what the true value of feminism is, and how it will benefit both sexes and will proceed to nourish the world despite the obstacles we may face. A quick read, but powerful.

[Sofie Schurmans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to what femenism actually means for our entire society. It made me curious to read more in detail about some of the mentioned ideas and figures.

[Rezza Dwi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read June's book on June 😆🤭

Bukunya tipis dan mudah dibaca....

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 it's alright, I enjoyed the story about individuals she knew but the rest wasn't very complex feminism

[Kat Toomey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book could maybe reach women who are new to the feminist movement and don't already consider themselves feminists, because there are some decent basic points and compelling statistics. However, a lot of the ideas and statistics are a decade or more old. My biggest issue is that genders beyond "male" and "female" are not mentioned at all, and the word "trans" only appears twice--both times as only part of lists of marginalized groups, with no actual discussion at all. I also have a problem with a lot of Sarpong's assumptions. For example, she claims that "if more women rise through the corporate ranks, [parent-friendly] flexible working patterns will become more and more commonplace". This may be true, but the author spends this entire section of the book talking only about women leading and benefiting from these changes--obviously men and non-binary folks can also lead this charge and benefit from flexible work settings that allow for a better balance for parents. It's an extremely dated argument that only mothers need flexibility at work to care for their children. If you're looking for feminist literature, skip this one to find something with more modern discussions and better intersectionality.

[Shahrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember June as a fabulous MTV VJ from the 90s - not just a pretty face, she always did have and awesome, vibrant personality. I had no idea she has been working hard to become such an inspirational woman! I was really interested to read her essay on feminism. She backs herself up with statistics and makes many good arguments for the cause. It was also very enlightening to read about her personal struggles as a woman and what she is doing to help the cause. I can’t wait to see what she does next and hopefully get involved myself. I think I will buy some extra copies of this to distribute.

[Auro Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read "We should all be feminist" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I felt a bit underwhelmed with this book.

I thought it was a bit boring, with too many stats and acronyms that I didn't understand and people that I didn't know.

The message June Sarpong wants to transmit is very powerful but, unfortunately, it didn't reach me. I don't feel better or more confident or more secure.

I think the idea of the book is great but it would have been more entertaining and easy to read had it been written differently.

[Sandy T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but informative introduction to feminism or the process of combating gender inequality. The language is not demanding and it is suitable for all ages. As a result, it is easy to understand and reflect. There are some statistics provided which enriched the arguments even greater. If you are looking for something useful and educational but not too language-demanding and time-consuming, then this is the book for you.

[Amira Zouaoui · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book as it does not provide theoretical complicated concepts or radical ideas of feminism but rather it explains how feminism or gender equality will be of great benefit for both sexes. The language is very simple which allows you to enjoy reading!

[Visarah Leiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 1st encounter with feminism in 2020. Sarpong got me at “To every woman trying to be her best self, and every man trying to help.” Her point is solid: feminism is something neither men nor women should be afraid of.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read, I really love June Sarpong's work. I did find that this book leaned a little heavily on the "both genders" idea for me but, other than that, I found this to be fascinating with the statistics provided really grounding Sarpong's points.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for my work book club, for the quarter on gender.

“In the end self-love and self-acceptance trump sexism and racism” pg. 66

I hated this book. The only value was when the author was quoting other people’s words. She had nothing to contribute and often contradicted herself.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Ganesh Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt and insightful. An Excellent read into the change we are all responsible for/and can drive.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally a feminist book by a woman of color, for such a short book it certainly packs a punch.

[Celeste]

interesting perspectives into aspects of feminism I'll never experience

[Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and thought provoking

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty surface level stuff

[Ellen Beardsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting and thought provoking comments and observations made about gender inequality.

[Katie Rankine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, a good introduction to the need to have gender equality but if you are well read in this it isn't anything new.

[Cal]

was alright i appreciated her insights
would be interested in looking into the idea of men not reading books with female protagonists

[Amy]

RTC

Having read a lot about feminism and seeing this was on the short side, I decided to pick this up. I would like to say first that June Sarpong's voice is really clear and I loved hearing from her perspective, especially as she details her own experience in the entertainment industry.

While I have heard a lot of the same ideas before in other books, I still think that the other experiences do come through well. Being a short read and introducing many feminist ideas, The Power Of Women would be great for anyone who wants to start their feminism journey.

[Ketchupreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I've always seen myself as a feminist, I have never really been that passionate about it. This book was a great introduction to the nuanced issue of feminism in society and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed how there was actual research into stats and not just opinions and how there was also personal stories to tie it in with a person's personal experience with feminism. I did feel that some of the personal experiences were a little too long for a very short and brief book like this and some experiences didn't really bring much to the table in terms of making the content of the book more enriching like the last chapter, I feel like it didn't really touch on the topic of persuasion given the chapter name was "The Power of Persuasion". Overall its a great book if you are still a beginner to feminism :-)

[Neil Fix]

This is interesting. A lot of facts grouped together, and some clear ideas. It says it’s a good start to a conversation about the issues, and I agree absolutely.