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The Rejection that Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning It Around, and Burning It Up at Work
From the groundbreaking author of Mistakes I Made at Work, comes the perfect book for anyone who needs inspiration after dealing with rejection, failure, or is searching for a new beginning in the workplace. Featuring fascinating interviews with more than twenty-five women, including Keri Smith, Angela Duckworth, and Roz Chast, The Rejection That Changed My Life provides an exciting new way to think about career challenges, changes, and triumphs.
Rejections don't go on your résumé, but they are part of every successful person's career. All of us will apply for jobs that we don't get and have ambitions that aren't fulfilled, because that is part of being a working person, part of pushing oneself to the next step professionally. While everyone deserves feel-better stories, women are more likely to ruminate, more likely to overthink rejection until it becomes even more painful—a situation that the women in this collection are determined to change, and in so doing, normalize rejection and encourage others to talk about it.
Empowering and full of heart, the stories in this collection are diverse in every sense, by top women from many cultural backgrounds and in a wide variety of fields; many of their hard-earned lessons are universal. There are stories from engineers, entrepreneurs, activists, comedians, professors, lawyers, chefs, and more on how they coped with rejection and even experienced it as a catalyst for their own personal professional growth. Powerful, motivating, and endlessly quotable and shareable, The Rejection That Changed My Life will become the go-to book for women at any stage of their career learning to navigate the workforce.
Rejections don't go on your résumé, but they are part of every successful person's career. All of us will apply for jobs that we don't get and have ambitions that aren't fulfilled, because that is part of being a working person, part of pushing oneself to the next step professionally. While everyone deserves feel-better stories, women are more likely to ruminate, more likely to overthink rejection until it becomes even more painful—a situation that the women in this collection are determined to change, and in so doing, normalize rejection and encourage others to talk about it.
Empowering and full of heart, the stories in this collection are diverse in every sense, by top women from many cultural backgrounds and in a wide variety of fields; many of their hard-earned lessons are universal. There are stories from engineers, entrepreneurs, activists, comedians, professors, lawyers, chefs, and more on how they coped with rejection and even experienced it as a catalyst for their own personal professional growth. Powerful, motivating, and endlessly quotable and shareable, The Rejection That Changed My Life will become the go-to book for women at any stage of their career learning to navigate the workforce.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2021
30 people are currently reading
1518 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Bacal
3 books20 followersJessica Bacal directs the Wurtele Center for Work & Life at Smith College, an independent women’s college in Massachusetts with students from every state and from 60 countries around the world. The center’s programs teach leadership skills, life skills, stress reduction and reflection, asking students to think about questions like: What is your story? Where have you been and where are you going? What matters to you? What skills will help you to pursue what matters? What do you do if you don’t know the answers?
Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong emerged from her experiences with students, and from her own steep learning curve as she transitioned into higher education. You'll find articles about Bacal's work on Inside Higher Ed, HuffPost Women and The New York Times blog "The Choice."
Before coming to Smith, Bacal was an elementary school teacher in New York City, and then worked as a curriculum developer and consultant. She received a bachelor's degree from Carleton College, an MS.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education and an MFA in writing from Hunter College, part of the City University of New York. She lives in Northampton, MA with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 1, 2022
I loved how this book made it ABUNDANTLY obvious that most if not all decisions that are made about you, really have nothing to do WITH you. You're fine, but they're looking for someone with different experience, or maybe the same experience but of a different race/gender/religion, etc. Or even just a different haircut that isn't so distracting. Whereas the very next interviewer who comes along trying to judge by the same criteria, the same matrix of answers, may think that you are the answer to their professional prayers!
This book reinforces what I already believe about professional offices, most decisions are random and arbitrary and say much more about the person making the decision than they do about the candidate. It's just human nature to be oblivious to others most of the time, to think that everything and everyone is focused on us, and that we are at least somewhat important in other people's decision making when it's about us. But that's just not true. Everyone is wrapped up in their own subjective, ego-centric version of the truth. It may feel demoralizing to keep getting rejected, but the best thing you can do is just keep trying.
This book reinforces what I already believe about professional offices, most decisions are random and arbitrary and say much more about the person making the decision than they do about the candidate. It's just human nature to be oblivious to others most of the time, to think that everything and everyone is focused on us, and that we are at least somewhat important in other people's decision making when it's about us. But that's just not true. Everyone is wrapped up in their own subjective, ego-centric version of the truth. It may feel demoralizing to keep getting rejected, but the best thing you can do is just keep trying.
June 27, 2021
Coming onto my radar in the light of several recent professional disappointments, I appreciated all of the stories that were told in this book. Some great reminders to learn from the events that we consider rejections and to continue growing as we move forward.
May 10, 2021
This book is about 25 powerful women and how they used rejection as a catalyst to do something extraordinary. The book is chock-full of tips and stories about diverse women from different cultural backgrounds and fields, including engineers, entrepreneurs, activists, comedians, professors, lawyers, and chefs. Everyone shares the lessons they learned from rejection and gives actionable tips we can take away and use. This book helps breaks down those stigmas about rejection and acknowledges that succeeding is extra hard work when you're a woman, especially if you're a woman of color or from a marginalized background.
I found it interesting in the book's introduction how the author tried to interview some people who wouldn't admit their rejection or mistakes. I also liked the emphasis on how it's not how people get rejected that matters; it's how they rebound from it. It's not the rejection itself; it's the ability to get up and find that resilience to keep going. This book isn't just for women to read. It's for anyone who wants to be inspired to keep going in the face of adversity.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/jes...
I found it interesting in the book's introduction how the author tried to interview some people who wouldn't admit their rejection or mistakes. I also liked the emphasis on how it's not how people get rejected that matters; it's how they rebound from it. It's not the rejection itself; it's the ability to get up and find that resilience to keep going. This book isn't just for women to read. It's for anyone who wants to be inspired to keep going in the face of adversity.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/jes...
November 7, 2023
I really enjoyed all of these stories by women who have gone through some sort of rejection in their careers and how they overcame them/ ended up with something even better. Super inspiring, and the stories were short enough that the point was made without it dragging on
July 25, 2025
I like the idea of this book a lot and I genuinely liked many of the interview/stories but ultimately I thought the tips were often similar/generic and it could have all been edited a bit more aggressively. Plus sometimes just seemed to be like an ad for the org the subject was working at. And sometimes the rejections were seriously minor and not that big of a rejection.
Admire the author for writing this! Worth a read.
Admire the author for writing this! Worth a read.
July 8, 2021
Sweet little read of women from various fields who share what they learned from their hardest work-related rejection.
March 13, 2023
Inspirational and includes practical tips on how to handle rejection. I only wish I had this when I was younger.
July 26, 2021
I absolutely loved this book and as a person who advises young college-age women, I've now recommended it countless times. It is a powerful framing of rejection as a muscle we can exercise and build resilience around. I found myself having a big cathartic cry on an airplane as I worked through some of the exercises at the end of the book–truly liberatory!
May 3, 2021
I picked up this book planning to skim some of the stories and ended up feeling magnetized to it. The particularities of these women's lives end up working together to feel incredibly universal, empowering, and inspiring. This book acts as a collage of experiences that normalize the rejection and failure inevitable in a working life. It hit me personally at just the right moment and I feel so grateful for its existence.
May 3, 2021
This book was incredibly empowering. Rejection hurts (sometimes quite badly), but as these honest and insightful stories show, it can also be a catalyst for reflection and growth.
August 16, 2021
The Rejection That Changed my Life is a very inspirational book that I greatly enjoyed. Rejections are a part of even the most successful person’s life, but they are usually not talked about. Everyone has either not gotten the job they wanted, not been promoted, or have been laid off at work. It can be very painful. It can make you question yourself and feel lesser than you really are. People like to talk about their accomplishments, but most don’t talk about the rejections they faced along the way. I am personally guilty of this. This book interviews twenty-five different women from different paths in life talk about the rejections they faced and how they dealt with them. The book had a lot of great tips and positive messages on how to move forward. It was a great look at how rejection can really hurt you, but it’s how you take that rejection and push forward that counts. I thought this book was great and very positive. It’s an important life lesson for everyone.
I think my Favorite Quotes for this book give you a good idea of what the book is like:
“Women are not supposed to be self-promoting or too assertive or angry.”
“If you get defensive when people tell you things you could do better, you’re human. It’s important to give ourselves a break.”
“I don’t think a month goes by without some sort of rejection. Do you view it as a rejection or as a learning experience?”
“Authenticity is all about staying true to your values, not to one particular communication style.”
“Science communication is not about hierarchy; people are collaborative and direct.”
“People resist when you’re trying to do something that makes them uncomfortable. Then slowly, with good data, people start to adapt. It’s important to be aware that as a change agent, you are the catalyst for a process that can take time. It’s vital to keep from becoming so frustrated that you lose the opportunity to make a difference. It’s vital to have patience and the facts.”
“Tip: It helps to listen and find ways to reposition your argument, showing that it also meets the other person’s objectives. That way, they don’t have to be on the defensive.”
“Some of the women in the upcoming section talk about realizing that they weren’t well matched to their jobs – and rejection was just what they needed in order to pivot.”
“In general, I think it’s so easy to dwell on our mistakes and harder to savor our wins. That’s something I’m trying to get better at.”
Overall, The Rejection that Changed my Life is a very inspirational book with life lessons for us all on how to take rejection and use it to move forward in life.
Source: Review Copy from Netgalley and Penguin Books
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2021...
I think my Favorite Quotes for this book give you a good idea of what the book is like:
“Women are not supposed to be self-promoting or too assertive or angry.”
“If you get defensive when people tell you things you could do better, you’re human. It’s important to give ourselves a break.”
“I don’t think a month goes by without some sort of rejection. Do you view it as a rejection or as a learning experience?”
“Authenticity is all about staying true to your values, not to one particular communication style.”
“Science communication is not about hierarchy; people are collaborative and direct.”
“People resist when you’re trying to do something that makes them uncomfortable. Then slowly, with good data, people start to adapt. It’s important to be aware that as a change agent, you are the catalyst for a process that can take time. It’s vital to keep from becoming so frustrated that you lose the opportunity to make a difference. It’s vital to have patience and the facts.”
“Tip: It helps to listen and find ways to reposition your argument, showing that it also meets the other person’s objectives. That way, they don’t have to be on the defensive.”
“Some of the women in the upcoming section talk about realizing that they weren’t well matched to their jobs – and rejection was just what they needed in order to pivot.”
“In general, I think it’s so easy to dwell on our mistakes and harder to savor our wins. That’s something I’m trying to get better at.”
Overall, The Rejection that Changed my Life is a very inspirational book with life lessons for us all on how to take rejection and use it to move forward in life.
Source: Review Copy from Netgalley and Penguin Books
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2021...
April 26, 2021
Rejection is something we all go through, yet it often feels like women deal with it much more – and the effects can be detrimental. In her book, The Rejection That Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning It Around, and Burning It Up at Work, Jessica Bacal talks about her own rejections as the motivation to hear about how other women have been rejected, dealt with it emotionally, and picked themselves up to move on.
Reading about or listening to stories from women in all walks of life can help other women feel that we are not alone. There are stories from engineers, entrepreneurs, activists, would-be politicians, comedians, lawyers, chefs, and more on coping with rejection and how each one used it as a facilitator of personal and professional growth.
Bacal uses these stories, as well as her own, to help normalize what so many of us have been through – including the emotional scarring, depression, and guilt – while also presenting the ways women have pushed through all of it to come out better. For anyone that is hurting from rejection, knowing others have been where you are, and have used their pain as a motivation to grow, let’s you know that you can make it past, too.
I genuinely enjoyed reading The Rejection That Changed My Life as well as listening to the audio book which had many of the stories read in the voice of the woman who wrote her story. The book is well-written and heart-felt, and I sensed that Bacal’s motivation is to help herself, and the rest of us, heal. I’m thankful for the feeling of a community of women who want to help each other.
Reading about or listening to stories from women in all walks of life can help other women feel that we are not alone. There are stories from engineers, entrepreneurs, activists, would-be politicians, comedians, lawyers, chefs, and more on coping with rejection and how each one used it as a facilitator of personal and professional growth.
Bacal uses these stories, as well as her own, to help normalize what so many of us have been through – including the emotional scarring, depression, and guilt – while also presenting the ways women have pushed through all of it to come out better. For anyone that is hurting from rejection, knowing others have been where you are, and have used their pain as a motivation to grow, let’s you know that you can make it past, too.
I genuinely enjoyed reading The Rejection That Changed My Life as well as listening to the audio book which had many of the stories read in the voice of the woman who wrote her story. The book is well-written and heart-felt, and I sensed that Bacal’s motivation is to help herself, and the rest of us, heal. I’m thankful for the feeling of a community of women who want to help each other.
June 20, 2021
I loved everything about this book. After recently dealing with a surprising rejection at work, I was drawn to this book. I usually don’t like “self help” books but this one was an exception.
I listened to this as an audiobook and I loved hearing each woman’s story, Jessica Bacal’s thoughts on the story and the tips from each woman. They were empowering, inspiring and wonderful stories. Each woman faced rejection that was devastating to them. They all had overcome it and many were grateful for it in the end.
This book was filled with helpful tips and suggestions. Such things as:
-Self compassion,
-feel it, embrace it, let it go,
-find your passion,
-rejection might be because of things beyond your control and/or systemic
-it is never too late to change your mind,
-you can learn from taking the wrong job, -things don’t have to work out perfectly to be beneficial,
-be yourself, you won’t be happy trying to fit a mold that doesn’t fit you
-it might take 100 ”no”s to get a yes
-life has a way of guiding you to the path you need to take which isn’t necessarily the path you think you will take.
This book is also filled with stories of women who are strong, intelligent, compassionate, forceful leaders and change makers. It is so inspiring to read/listen to these women. I might need to but it or listen to it again so I can remember the great lessons. I want to all my daughters to listen to it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with rejection in their workplace or rejection in life. It helped me put my rejection into perspective. Loved it!
I listened to this as an audiobook and I loved hearing each woman’s story, Jessica Bacal’s thoughts on the story and the tips from each woman. They were empowering, inspiring and wonderful stories. Each woman faced rejection that was devastating to them. They all had overcome it and many were grateful for it in the end.
This book was filled with helpful tips and suggestions. Such things as:
-Self compassion,
-feel it, embrace it, let it go,
-find your passion,
-rejection might be because of things beyond your control and/or systemic
-it is never too late to change your mind,
-you can learn from taking the wrong job, -things don’t have to work out perfectly to be beneficial,
-be yourself, you won’t be happy trying to fit a mold that doesn’t fit you
-it might take 100 ”no”s to get a yes
-life has a way of guiding you to the path you need to take which isn’t necessarily the path you think you will take.
This book is also filled with stories of women who are strong, intelligent, compassionate, forceful leaders and change makers. It is so inspiring to read/listen to these women. I might need to but it or listen to it again so I can remember the great lessons. I want to all my daughters to listen to it.
I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with rejection in their workplace or rejection in life. It helped me put my rejection into perspective. Loved it!
March 2, 2021
This book was received as an ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Dutton - Plume in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
I was so inspired by this book and I was always viewing rejection as definitely not a part of success and I could not help but think of back at school when the boy you liked never liked you back or a girl you wanted to be friends with didn't want to be friends with you and in this case, getting rejected by your dream job does not always mean that there is nothing better for you in store. These women are so powerful, determined and loaded with fortitude which made my self-esteem rise to the next level. I also loved how one of the women recommended, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and after immediately reading her story, I ordered the book from my local library even though I read the book a long time ago. I learned so much from each of the stories featured and I personally want to thank Jessica Bacal for reaching out to these women and sharing their stories through this book.
We will consider adding this title to our Self Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
I was so inspired by this book and I was always viewing rejection as definitely not a part of success and I could not help but think of back at school when the boy you liked never liked you back or a girl you wanted to be friends with didn't want to be friends with you and in this case, getting rejected by your dream job does not always mean that there is nothing better for you in store. These women are so powerful, determined and loaded with fortitude which made my self-esteem rise to the next level. I also loved how one of the women recommended, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and after immediately reading her story, I ordered the book from my local library even though I read the book a long time ago. I learned so much from each of the stories featured and I personally want to thank Jessica Bacal for reaching out to these women and sharing their stories through this book.
We will consider adding this title to our Self Help collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
April 7, 2021
Emotional Support for Rejection
Rejection happens to everyone. It can be very painful when you lose the job you thought was made for you, or the promotion goes to someone else, or the article you worked on for weeks is rejected. These are painful experiences that can make you question your abilities. Your self-esteem may take a serious hit, but it’s not the end of the world. It helps to have someone to share your pain with and to learn about how they recovered from a setback.
This book is perfect for those times when you need to know that other women have gone through a rejection and come out of it stronger and more resilient than before. It also helps to know that sometimes a better opportunity is right around the corner.
The author does an excellent job interviewing women from a variety of professions and backgrounds. Each of them has a story to tell and at least some of them will be right on point to help you see the way ahead. I highly recommend this book to read now and have on your shelf for support when your turn for rejection comes.
I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.
Rejection happens to everyone. It can be very painful when you lose the job you thought was made for you, or the promotion goes to someone else, or the article you worked on for weeks is rejected. These are painful experiences that can make you question your abilities. Your self-esteem may take a serious hit, but it’s not the end of the world. It helps to have someone to share your pain with and to learn about how they recovered from a setback.
This book is perfect for those times when you need to know that other women have gone through a rejection and come out of it stronger and more resilient than before. It also helps to know that sometimes a better opportunity is right around the corner.
The author does an excellent job interviewing women from a variety of professions and backgrounds. Each of them has a story to tell and at least some of them will be right on point to help you see the way ahead. I highly recommend this book to read now and have on your shelf for support when your turn for rejection comes.
I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.
June 9, 2021
This is a book I wish I had read when I first became an academic. Story after story from the 25+ successful women conveys the wisdom that rejection - or practice handling rejection - is a necessary part of achieving success. We don’t become good at going after rewarding and challenging opportunities until we become good at risking rejection. If we learn to accept rejection as part of our normal work process, then we learn to not take rejection personally, not to internalize rejection as failure. I spent too much time and emotion as a junior academic worrying about manuscript rejections and what they meant. Like others, I became much more successful when I stopped worrying about the reaction and just put my work out there in multiple places!
The great thing about this book is the variety of women and their situations. There’s a story that will speak to almost every woman, parent or sibling of a woman, or anyone who wants to help unblock the way for someone else to succeed wonderfully. A little bit of learning about how to put rejection in its right place will go a long way to promoting more success!
The great thing about this book is the variety of women and their situations. There’s a story that will speak to almost every woman, parent or sibling of a woman, or anyone who wants to help unblock the way for someone else to succeed wonderfully. A little bit of learning about how to put rejection in its right place will go a long way to promoting more success!
March 20, 2021
This empowering book with advice and stories from over 25 women on their rejections, failures and new beginnings at work is one I would recommend to anyone across industries for a motivational boost.
I found it interesting that the author only interviewed women (she calls this out in the intro) and I really liked this aspect. As a woman I've felt a lot of what the women interviewed have felt including the need for perfectionism & how disheartening and personal it feel when a rejection (big or small) happens.
I found all of the interviews very encouraging and found myself wanting to change my own mindset on rejection. My only criticism was the interviews were all fairly short and I do wish there would have been more from some of the women (although the length felt like it was on purpose considering the number of women interviewed).
I found it interesting that the author only interviewed women (she calls this out in the intro) and I really liked this aspect. As a woman I've felt a lot of what the women interviewed have felt including the need for perfectionism & how disheartening and personal it feel when a rejection (big or small) happens.
I found all of the interviews very encouraging and found myself wanting to change my own mindset on rejection. My only criticism was the interviews were all fairly short and I do wish there would have been more from some of the women (although the length felt like it was on purpose considering the number of women interviewed).
June 24, 2021
I loved everything about this book. I loved "meeting" the 25 women featured in the book as well as learning more about Jessica Bacal and her work experiences. The format was brilliant as well. We are introduced to the women by Jessica and then they speak for themselves and at the end of their chapter they offer very helpful tips.
Rejection is such a powerful word. We all experience it in one format or another and in our personal and professional lives. The 25 women featured in this fabulous book are an inspiration to all of us. We can see ourselves in them no matter our age, profession or background and we can certainly be inspired by them.
I have bought a few copies of this book and have given them to young women who have experienced rejection and are struggling in their professional pursuits. I also think that it is a wonderful graduation gift.
Bravo Jessica Bacal!
Rejection is such a powerful word. We all experience it in one format or another and in our personal and professional lives. The 25 women featured in this fabulous book are an inspiration to all of us. We can see ourselves in them no matter our age, profession or background and we can certainly be inspired by them.
I have bought a few copies of this book and have given them to young women who have experienced rejection and are struggling in their professional pursuits. I also think that it is a wonderful graduation gift.
Bravo Jessica Bacal!
August 23, 2023
Buku ini membahas tentang pengalaman kegagalan yang dialami oleh para tokoh perempuan hebat dan terkenal di bidangnya. Di sini dijelaskan bagaimana kegagalan itu terjadi dan cara mereka bangkit kembali dari kegagalan tersebut.
Hal yang saya suka dari buki ini adalah terdapat kutipan inspiratif dari para tokoh mengenai makna kegagalan. Selain itu, narasi setiap cerita singkat dan menarik karena dibagi berdasarkan bidang keahluan para tokoh, seperti dunia science, seni, kuliner, dan sosial budaya. Di buku ini juga terdapat tips dari para tokoh untuk menanggapi kegagalan dan cara untuk berjuang kembali pasca kegagalan tersebut.
Hal yang saya tidak suka dari buku ini, yaitu kita tidak dapat mendalami pengalamaan setiap tokoh karena pilihan tokoh lumayan banyak sehingga narasi menjadi singkat.
Hal yang saya suka dari buki ini adalah terdapat kutipan inspiratif dari para tokoh mengenai makna kegagalan. Selain itu, narasi setiap cerita singkat dan menarik karena dibagi berdasarkan bidang keahluan para tokoh, seperti dunia science, seni, kuliner, dan sosial budaya. Di buku ini juga terdapat tips dari para tokoh untuk menanggapi kegagalan dan cara untuk berjuang kembali pasca kegagalan tersebut.
Hal yang saya tidak suka dari buku ini, yaitu kita tidak dapat mendalami pengalamaan setiap tokoh karena pilihan tokoh lumayan banyak sehingga narasi menjadi singkat.
April 28, 2021
For everyone -- and that means all of us! -- who has ever experienced rejection or disappointment, this book is for you. From the million-dollar grant not received, to the passion project not funded, to the loss of a "dream job," we all experience failure and disappointment, both personally and professionally.
Jessica Bacal's empathetic collection of stories from "25 powerful women" who experienced rejection offers important life lessons for us all. Rejection can provide perspective, open doors, and change the course of our lives -- for the better. This warm, inspiring, and ultimately hopeful book should be required reading for every mom, woman, and child!
Jessica Bacal's empathetic collection of stories from "25 powerful women" who experienced rejection offers important life lessons for us all. Rejection can provide perspective, open doors, and change the course of our lives -- for the better. This warm, inspiring, and ultimately hopeful book should be required reading for every mom, woman, and child!
May 5, 2021
I have really enjoyed reading this book. As a young professional, reading stories and interviews about women navigating failure has been encouraging as I start to think about my life path. The chapters are short which makes for a great, quick, before-bed read. The book has also introduced me to awesome women in the world of business, comedy, and entrepreneurship whom I had not heard of before. Lastly, the book includes writing exercises that have helped me hone in/understand my purpose and identity as a young woman.
March 6, 2022
This book was inspiring, and recommend any woman who has recently been denied a job, promotion, new role or some perceived advancement relevant to career/work. It reminds you to lift up from the throes of dejected feeling to figure out what is it that you really want, or how can you use rejection to your advantage? How can you explore rejection with a growth mindset? There are exercises in the end which are useful; some didn’t interest me to try, but they are clearly designed that way to be inclusive of different ways we like to dig into our thoughts.
December 27, 2025
After going through harsh rejections twice in a row that wasted away my 2 years, I needed to hear stories of others who also failed and got themselves up and pushed forward.
I still grieve on what happened, but it certainly helped to know that I am not alone.
I encourage this book to anyone who's in pain from rejections from their lives.
Remember, rejection means you're trying. You get rejections because you've tried something. That's better than not trying at all, and in a way, it's an accomplishment although it doesn't appear to be.
I still grieve on what happened, but it certainly helped to know that I am not alone.
I encourage this book to anyone who's in pain from rejections from their lives.
Remember, rejection means you're trying. You get rejections because you've tried something. That's better than not trying at all, and in a way, it's an accomplishment although it doesn't appear to be.
April 26, 2021
Loved the follow up book to Mistakes I Made at Work. The Rejection that Changed My Life is many things: it's a great read, it's a peak into the lives of so many interesting women, it's a consolation that we are not alone in experiencing rejection, and it's a guide to seek out and learn from rejections. I put tips I learned from the book into practice and they immediately paid off. Highly recommend.
May 4, 2021
I found so much to learn from Jessica Bacal's latest book. The interviews spanned women's lives bey age, experience, and field, which meant I was able to see how rejection cuts across, well, life/lives. The idea that a "no" isn't the end, trite as that sounds as I write it down, actually is a message many of us need to hear--over and over, in different forms, with a huge variety of outcomes. These were such compelling interviews. A great read for people of any age--high school on up.
Want to read
May 6, 2021I appreciate all the people who came forward to share their rejection stories, it made me look back at certain times of my life and instead of feeling embarrassed at having been turned down, I feel proud of myself for having moved forward. I hope that one day, my rejection story may inspired someone.
August 12, 2021
This book made me feel not so alone in the process of looking for a job that meets my values, career, and work environment goals. I started reading this book in the midst of many job rejections, but there were so many things in this book that applied outside of navigating career rejections. I've loaned it to a friend who just graduated college too.
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September 20, 2021A lot of these stories come from women who are already from well-to-do backgrounds or went to Ivy Leagues for undergrad / grad school so I did not find it particularly relatable. It was, however, refreshing to read a career book that offers some semblance of awareness towards race, gender & sexuality but I just think the class piece is missing.
July 14, 2021
I love the perspectives offered by the contributors to this book. I related to some of the stories more than others, but all help to normalizing professional rejection as part of the process and sometimes an essential factor in later success.
July 15, 2021
I read this book at a relevant time (facing a job loss). I felt reassurance about experiencing setbacks, and I also appreciated that these women came from diverse backgrounds and industries. It really comes down to, how to you want to interpret and write and rewrite your story?
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