Girls Who Run the World

August 15, 2019
CEOs are often portrayed as men, and this volume helps rectify the balance by focusing on successful women leaders from a range of industries. Readers meet 31 women who serve as CEOs of companies such as Spanx, Mitú, 23andMe, and Minted. Jessica O. Matthews, of Uncharted Power, a green energy company, got the germ for her idea while attending a family wedding in Nigeria and experiencing a power outage. A project for a class at Harvard led to the prototype for her company, which is grounded in her personal belief in giving back to communities. Like her, all the women in this book found ways to turn their ideas and dreams into success stories. Beyond just data and numbers, readers learn fun details about their personal lives (favorite candy, favorite childhood book), habits that make them successful, and advice they would share with their teen selves. Each approximately seven-page profile features eye-catching graphics, including bold, full-color portraits. The tone is relentlessly upbeat, and while the range of women featured is reasonably diverse and some volunteer stories about facing barriers to success, little effort is made to deliberately engage with systemic obstacles relating to gender, race, socio-economic status, or other factors that readers may encounter. The final chapters offer general encouragement and guidance on creating a business plan and elevator pitch, managing finances, and other necessary skills. Appealingly packaged and readable but lacking in depth. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 12-16)

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November 1, 2019

Gr 6-9-This encyclopedic guide, comprised of profiles of 31 female CEOs compiled almost exclusively from author interviews, is a delightful entry into the world of women at the top of the business game. The book features short biographies of women working in industries ranging from beauty and fashion to science and technology, and heading up companies such as Blendoor, Stitch Fix, Spanx, Nextdoor, Poo-pourri, and Glossier. Similar messages run through the profiles-don't be afraid to fail or take chances, and getting to the top will take lots of hard work. Some of the subjects have business degrees, and many were very successful students, but they all have tremendous work ethics and the ability to sell not only a product but also themselves as leaders. The last section, a primer on Business 101, encourages readers to sharpen their own entrepreneurial skills. VERDICT The empowering tone will inspire girls to dream big, then break barriers in the business world. Accessible for readers across middle and high school. A great addition to the business reference section.-Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta

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