Recommend reading, watching, and listening from WiAS

We’d love to hear from you about your recommended reading and listening, just drop us an email.

Feminism

• Everyday Sexism – Laura Bates.
  Startling but necessary read; makes you think when you see the statistics.
• Fix the System, Not the Women – Laura Bates.
• Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women – Otegha Uwagba.
  A gem with lots of practical tips and resources. This is a short book so it’s easy to get through, but there is lots of good stuff packed into it!
• Sex, Power, Money – Sara Pascoe.
  Interesting and informative with a sprinkling of humour.
• Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men – Caroline Criado Perez.
  Caroline Criado Perez is the woman who campaigned to put Austen on Bank notes. This book blew my mind – looking at how the world is not designed for woman and using examples and DATA to back this up – from medicine to crash test dummies to uniforms. I recommend this book to everyone I know, regardless of age, class or gender. Also has a really great newsletter you can sign up to.
• Women Don’t Owe You Pretty – Florence Given.
  It talks about the pressures of ‘fitting in as a female’ and how to be yourself in a male-dominated world. It exposes the ways that our society is driven through the ‘male gaze,’ and the necessity to come together as females to expose such injustices.
• Difficult Women: A history of Feminism in 11 Fights – Helen Lewis.
• The light we carry – Michelle Obama.
  The follow on to ‘Becoming’.
• Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution – Mona Eltahawy.
  Probably a bit dated now (published 2015) but provides viewpoints on a topic I wanted to learn more about.
• Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman – Anne Helen Petersen.
  Looks at a number of women generally unpopular in the public eye and questions why that is.
• A Good Time to be a Girl: Don’t Lean In, Change the System – Helena Morrissey.
  Helena Morrissey is a powerhouse, (superstar fund manager with NINE children) and this book has some interesting points on diversity of thought and the founding of the 30% club. Provides practical tips.
• We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere – Gillian Anderson.
  Some good principles, more of a self-help book.
• Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions – Chimamanda Adiche.
  Great book, short read. There is an accompanying TED talk which is excellent.
• Work like a woman – Mary Portas.
  An empowering read that makes you feel like women have the power to change the world.

Soft skills

• How To Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking – Viv Groskop.
  Practical tips and exercises for ALL levels of public speaking – great for even just giving you the courage to speak up in meetings.
• Gaff Goddess: Simple Tips and Tricks to Help Run Your Home – Laura de Barra.
  Because anyone can DIY (if so inclined…)
• Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators – Ronan Farrow.
  Harrowing account of the journalist who covered the Harvey Weinstein story.

Marketing and PR

• The PR Knowledge Book – Sangeeta Waldron.
  A good read with links and resources that is useful not only if you work in PR, but for thinking about what to present and promote what’s important to you.
• The Jelly Effect – Andy Bounds.
  Marketing/comms focused.

Self-development

• The Chimp Paradox: The Acclaimed Mind Management Programme to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence and Happiness – Steve Peters.
  Theory on how our minds work and how we think.
• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter – Michael D Watkins.
  Covers confidence and imposter syndrome, themes that our members often raise.
• The Definitive Book of Body Language – Allan Pease.
  Whilst reading this, it’s fun to examine the body language of those around you!
• Machivellian Intelligence: How to Survive and Rise in the Modern Corporation -Jon Gifford & Mark Powell.
  Rather cynical, but some interesting points.
• The Discomfort Zone – Farrah Storr.
  A lighthearted look at imposter syndrome, helping you to conquer your free of feeling uncomfortable in situations you CAN control.

• Jonathan and his wife Leigh Bowman-Perks (https://leighbowmanperks.com/) are huge supporters of women via their Inspiring Leadership charity and Jonathan’s podcast on leadership is in the top 10% of all podcasts worldwide on Apple. Listen here.
• Women’s Hour/Late Night Women’s Hour.
• Standard Issue.
• The Guilty Feminist.
• The High Low.

• The mirror neuron: How imitating our role models shapes our brains | BBC Science Focus Magazine

• Casey Brown: Know your worth, and then ask for it | TED Talk – about sponsors
• Revolt X Michelle Obama: The Cross-Generational conversation – Michelle discusses her first book with other women of colour