I have curated a treasure trove of book recommendations full of inspiration and actionable advice for women in STEM and our advocates. From business books to scientific, technology, engineering, and math breakthroughs to self-help and personal stories of resilience. By no measure is the list complete. Consider it a starter kit for transforming your perspective and turning your dreams into your reality!
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Hidden lives of Women in STEM
by Lori Rodriguez
Real women. Real talk. Real life.
More than half the women in STEM leave by mid-career. And those that stay hold less than a quarter of the C-Suite roles in tech. Yet the women in this book had broken through. Why were they different? What was their secret? How can we follow their lead?
Overflowing with actionable insights – from crucial conversations at work to heart-to-hearts with partners – each life story is a roadmap for beating the odds in STEM. And a damn good read too!
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
by Caroline Criado Perez
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be seriously injured, where every week the countless hours of work you do are not recognised or valued.If any of this sounds familiar, chances are that you're a woman.
The Memo
by Minda Harts
From microaggressions to the wage gap, The Memo empowers women of color with actionable advice on challenges and offers a clear path to success.Most business books provide a one-size-fits-all approach to career advice that overlooks the unique barriers that women of color face. In The Memo, Minda Harts offers a much-needed career guide tailored specifically for women of color.
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future
by Indra Nooyi
An intimate and powerful memoir by the trailblazing former CEO of PepsiCo
For a dozen years as one of the world’s most admired CEOs, Indra Nooyi redefined what it means to be an exceptional leader. The first woman of color and immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company — and one of the foremost strategic thinkers of our time — she transformed PepsiCo with a unique vision, a vigorous pursuit of excellence, and a deep sense of purpose. Now, in a rich memoir brimming with grace, grit, and good humor, My Life in Full offers a firsthand view of Nooyi’s legendary career and the sacrifices it so often demanded.
STEM Gems
by Stephanie Epsy
Give girls and young women role models in STEM, and open their eyes to a world of opportunity! Tired of seeing the same careers foisted upon women in TV, movies and magazines? Chemical engineer Stephanie Espy, a graduate of MIT, UC Berkeley and Emory University, tells the stories of 44 inspiring women in STEM to show girls and young women around the world a new set of women heroes to look up to. The statistics for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers are just plain sad. In recent years, fewer than 20% of college graduates in engineering and computer science were women. While stereotypes pervade about women in these fields, the truth is that most girls have never even heard of these careers and are not aware of the wide range of options that exist.
I'm Not Yelling
by Elizabeth Leiba
#1 Best Seller in Women & Business and Business Etiquette
I’m Not Yelling provides a strategy for savvy black business women navigating a predominantly white corporate America. It empowers black women to find their voices in toxic work environments and succeed. Statistical and anecdotal evidence guide the way. Explore the data and hear the accounts of Black women in business who face, work through, and rise above workplace discrimination. Find your voice as a women entrepreneur. Successful business women use their voice to become strong Black leaders who instill positive change in the workplace culture.
Work Smart: Use Your Brain and Behavior to Master the Future of Work
by Stephanie Epsy??
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be seriously injured, where every week the countless hours of work you do are not recognised or valued.If any of this sounds familiar, chances are that you're a woman.
Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World
by Ginni Rometty
Ginni Rometty led one of the world's most iconic companies, and in Good Power she recounts her groundbreaking path from a challenging childhood to becoming the CEO of IBM and one of the world's most influential business leaders. With candor and depth, Rometty shares milestones from her life and career while redefining power as a way to drive meaningful change in positive ways for ourselves, our organizations, and for the many, not just the few—a concept she calls "good power."
Rometty's "memoir with purpose" combines the experiences that defined her life—personal hurdles, high-stakes decisions, passionate advocacy—with the actionable advice of a coaching session to highlight lessons that shape authentic leadership. Behind-the-scenes stories and practical guidance offer us a blueprint for how we can all use good power to advance our careers, inspire our teams, improve our companies, and create healthier societies.
UNLIMITED: The Seventeen Proven Laws for Success in a Workplace Not Designed for You
by Eugina Jordan
Did you know in 2022, at the top of the country’s biggest public businesses, there was only 15 percent female representation? UNLIMITED is a leadership book written for the underrepresented: women, immigrants, and people of color who want to become corporate leaders by an underrepresented who made it to the C-suite. The book’s foundation is that though the system exists if we unlimit ourselves and find the right mentors and sponsors, we will succeed in a workplace not designed for us. This book includes stories and insights from many underrepresented people who climbed up the corporate ladder, and this book shares their journeys and advice and how they became unlimited.