When Work Doesn't Work Anymore : Women, Work, and Identity
Author: Elizabeth Perle McKenna
List Price: $19.00
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ISBN: 0385317980
Publisher: Delta (10 August, 1998)
Sales Rank: 70,914
Average Customer Rating: 4.17 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 3 out of 5
Work versus personal interests, repetitively.
Author Elizabeth Perle McKenna brings up some good points regarding how typical work situations in the US often require too much personal sacrifice. Particularly, this is the case for working women who often juggle more family responsibilies than men in addition to working full time.Conversely, McKenna notes that the other extreme of not working at all can provoke a loss of identity and feeling of lost purpose in life.
She writes about her experience in both arenas. The first, overwork at her high-powered publishing position, produced exhaustion and little energy for family, home and community. After quitting, she developed an identity crisis.
After this period, the author created for herself a different kind of working life by writing this book. Presumably this work provides a sense of purpose as well as the flexibility she was unable to obtain in her previous job. She interviews other women (Gloria Steinem, Anna Quindlan and some other big names) and a few men ! who relate similar experiences. Finally, she advocates combining efforts with other women to demand more humane working conditions from corporate America.
The main flaw with this book was the repetition. The book would be much more palatable if it were excerpted down to half the number of pages. (But, ironically, that would make McKenna's new job of writing books more demanding!)
Rating: 5 out of 5
For those of us who feel like "square pegs in round holes"
Brillant, could not put it down. It solidified all the feelings I had been having about work and a career and wondering which direction I should go (which was not in the same direction as everyone one else!), and made me feel normal again with a great view to my future work.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Life Changing
I knew something was wrong - for years I "played the game" in Corporate America, but it was no longer enough. I read McKenna's book one Friday night...there it was in black & white...the validation of all I was feeling. That weekend I mourned the loss of a life that had become all-consuming, and began the journey to build a better life. It took 4 months and much soul searching, but I resigned from my high powered, Fortune 500 company position, and am now well on my way to the life I always dreamed about. I've sent copies of the book to all my stressed-out, "there must be a better way" girlfriends in Corporate America. It's a must read if you've ever wondered "at what price, success?" Similar Products
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