Women Who Don't Wait in Line: Break the Mold, Lead the Way

Theres never been a better time to be woman. We live in an era when girls are told they can do anything. So why arent we seeing more women rising to the top ranks of corporations and the government? Why dont our girls have more women in leadership roles to look up to?

Women Who Dont Wait in Line is an urgent wake-up call from politico and activist Reshma Saujani. The former New York City Deputy Public Advocate and founder of the national nonprofit Girls Who Code argues that aversion to risk and failure is the final hurdle holding women back in the workplace. Saujani advocates a new model of female leadership based on sponsorshipwhere women encourage each other to compete, take risks, embrace failure, and lift each other up personally and professionally.

Woven throughout the book are lessons and stories from accomplished women like Susan Lyne, Randi Zuckerberg, Mika Brzezinski, and Anne-Marie Slaughter, who have faced roadblocks and overcome them by forging new paths, being unapologetically ambitious, and never taking no for an answer. Readers are also offered a glimpse into Saujanis personal story, including her immigrant upbringing and the insights she gleaned from running a spirited campaign for U.S. Congress in 2010.

Above all else, Women Who Dont Wait in Line is an inspiring call from a woman who is still deep in the trenches. Saujani aims to ignite her fellow womenand enlist them in remaking America.

Through word and deed, activist Saujani, former N.Y.C. Deputy Public Advocate, hopes to inspire the next generation of female leaders. Advised to wait her turn by the New York Democratic political establishment and branded as an upstart by the media, 34-year-old Saujani raised $1.6 million to run for Congress against popular incumbent Carolyn Mahoney in 2010. She received just 19% of the vote, but calls the experience the best thing that ever happened to her. Talk about resilience! It&'s one of the key indicators of success, unlike risk aversion, fear of failure, or self-defeating behavior in the effort to be likeable. Too often, the things we do to be liked make us seem weak instead of strong, she writes. Like Sheryl Sandberg (Lean In), Saujani attributes the dearth of women in leadership positions, in part, to self-imposed obstacles and calls for change from within. Her advice? Fake it till you make it, get comfortable with being your own press agent, don&'t worry if they don&'t like you, and find your mission in life. A beguiling blend of audacity and humility, the book proves most engaging when Saujani shares her experiences and accomplishments (such as founding Girls Who Code, which prepares underserved girls for careers in technology), less so when she channels her inner cheerleading coach. Agent: Andrea Barzvi, ICM. (Oct.)

Congressional candidate Saujani may not have gotten elected to represent New York’s 14th District, but she has a wealth of information to share about her experience of running for office. In this relatively nonconfrontational manifesto about increasing female political engagement, she stresses how fed up women are with the concept of “waiting your turn” when so many leadership positions are historically held by men. Saujani is still smarting from the misguided advice of those who told her it was too early to run for Congress. By following such guidance, women “risk perpetuating the notion that our progress must be single file; that there can only be room in the arena for one strong woman at a time.” Saujani addresses the challenges women politicians face in chapters titled “Fail Fast, Fail First, Fail Hard” to “Unapologetically Ambitious,” provides real-world examples of rule-breaking women, and tells stories about her work preparing girls for careers in technology through her nonprofit, Girls Who Code. Clearly committed to effecting positive change for women in the political arena, Saujani shares invaluable information and ideas. --Colleen Mondor