Upcoming Virtual Book Chats: The Life Series

BOOK #1
Wednesday, May 6th at 8:30PM ET
Moderator:  Danielle Thomas

Stacy Pershall grew up as an overly intelligent, depressed, deeply strange girl in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, population 1,000. From her days as a thirteen-year-old Jesus freak through her eventual diagnosis of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, this spirited memoir chronicles Pershall’s journey through hell and her struggle with the mental health care system.

“An utterly unique journey down some of the mind’s more mysterious byways . . . ranges from the shocking to the simply lovely.”—Marya Hornbacher
BOOK #2
Tuesday, June 9th at 8:30PM ET
Moderator: Yvonne Holder 

FUN FACT: Yvonne lived in Harare, Zimbabwe for two years (two major life events) and will also share her colorful experience in this chat session.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S #1 NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • FINALIST, GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK PRIZE

A classic is born in this tender, intensely moving and even delightful journey through a white African girl's childhood. Born in England and now living in Wyoming, Fuller was conceived and bred on African soil during the Rhodesian civil war (1971-1979), a world where children over five "learn[ed] how to load an FN rifle magazine, strip and clean all the guns in the house, and ultimately, shoot-to-kill." With a unique and subtle sensitivity to racial issues, Fuller describes her parents' racism and the wartime relationships between blacks and whites through a child's watchful eyes.

“This is not a book you read just once, but a tale of terrible beauty to get lost in over and over.”--Newsweek

Past Virtual Book Chats: The Professional Series

By Claude M. Steele

BOOK 1: Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us
Moderator: Nichelle Maynard-Elliott, Executive Director, Mergers & Acquisitions
(Read more about Nichelle)
Claude M. Steele, who has been called “one of the few great social psychologists,” offers a vivid first-person account of the research that supports his groundbreaking conclusions on stereotypes and identity. He sheds new light on American social phenomena from racial and gender gaps in test scores to the belief in the superior athletic prowess of black men, and lays out a plan for mitigating these “stereotype threats” and reshaping American identities.

Harvard Educational Review
By Sheryl Sandberg

BOOK 2: Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead
Moderator: Karen McFarlane, Chief Marketing Executive
(Read more about Karen)
In Lean In, Sandberg, COO of Facebook, digs deeper into these issues, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to cut through the layers of ambiguity and bias surrounding the lives and choices of working women. Written with both humor and wisdom, Sandberg’s book is an inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth. Lean In is destined to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can.

NY Times Review
By Joan C. Williams and Rachel Dempsey
Book 3: What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know
Moderator: Vanessa Abrahams-John, Chief Diversity Office & Executive Director of Talent Acquisition
Based on interviews with 127 successful working women, over half of them women of color, What Works for Women at Work presents a toolkit for getting ahead in today’s workplace. Distilling over 35 years of research, Williams and Dempsey offer four crisp patterns that affect working women: Prove-It-Again!, the Tightrope, the Maternal Wall, and the Tug of War. Each represents different challenges and requires different strategies—which is why women need to be savvier than men to survive and thrive in high-powered careers.

NY Times Review
Good Read=Great Chat Book Club Meet Up

A group of fabulous women paraded into Harlem on May 2nd and gave off lots of Energy, Sparkle, Glitz and Glam!!! This was a wonderful opportunity for book club members and friends to meet and greet, and lean back!

View the virtual book chat recordings here.

Questions?
Email Sheryl Warren

Book Club Winners!

Danielle Thomas  - Whistling Vivaldi
Janine Daughtry - Whistling Vivaldi
Amy Owens - Lean In
Sabrina Coleman - What Works for Women at Work