Secrets of Powerful Women: Leading Change for a New Generation

by Andrea Wong, Rosario Dawson

"There is something special that happens when you get a group of powerful women in a room . . . and shut the door."
Andrea Wong, President and CEO, Lifetime Networks "There's such a reservoir of power among us when we pool our resources and uplift each other. We are limitless in our power when we understand that . . . To read this book is to know that change is possible."
Rosario Dawson, Activist and Co-Founder, Voto Latino In the summer of 2008, sixteen teenage girls won exclusive access to dozens of the most politically powerful women in America. These congresswomen, journalists, and activists were supposed to talk to the young women about leadership skills and how to impact public policy, but they couldn't help sharing much more. They told funny, sad, and inspiring personal tales of missteps and small braveries, as well as of great leaps; they also talked to the girls about power pitfalls, power surges, powerful beginnings, and power suits. Now those secrets are available to you. The wisdom imparted in this unforgettable collection of funny, thoughtful, and inspiring true stories will prove invaluable to women of all ages, aspirations, and lifestyles--in situations from the PTA to a power lunch, from the kitchen table to the corner office.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jaclyn]

each chapter is written by a different women. I only enjoyed two of the chapters. I felt like athey all gave kid of dated, safe answers to the questiions. It was ok but nothing you can't get our on a woman's magazine most of the time.

[Kristina]

This book would have been better if I was someone hoping to have a career in politics, but there was still some good bits of information and advice for young women!

[Stacey]

I enjoyed this book. It's a quick read and I enjoyed the Power Dressing tips included with each chapter.

[Global Donnica]

Just plain good principles we all could use regardless of gender

[Judi]

I wish they would have written this book with more than just women in politics; after the first couple of chapters, they become somewhat repetitious and I quickly lost interest.

[Kelsey]

Interesting to read a book about women in politics written post-2008 election in light of everything that has happened in the past few years.

Read for the Read Harder Challenge #9: A book published prior to Jan. 1, 2019 with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads.

[Madeline Wright]

Secrets of Powerful Women is a call-to-action for its readers to get involved; particularly the women who feel like the world of politics does not benefit them. A number of these politically active women who were interviewed were overwhelmingly raised with a sense of social awareness of a leader's impact from a young age. The awareness was generally instilled by their mother, grandmother, etc. or another female role model who simply went against the gender norms of her day with a bold foray into leadership.

These women were taught that to get something changed for the better it is necessary to DO something about it and not just complain to others. They all emphasize that it's important to encourage and invite other women to get involved in leadership within a community, school group, political campaign, or whatever sparks their passion. The best part about this collection of essays is that they all answer the same set of questions so it gives you that man– er, woman on the street feel. Check it out.

[Tami]

this book is what it is, and it was what i was expecting. inspiring, variety of stories. from all sides of the political spectrum. the section I thought was a bit odd was when each woman was asked about the power dressing. what they thought was professional. this ranged from a red jacket, to high heels, to stop talking about women's clothing. would recommend this to anyone thinking they want to make a difference and needs a little push.

[TJ]

Aimed towards a younger audience but still somewhat inspiring