Be Fierce

September 15, 2017

As an accomplished violinist, former Miss America, and Fox News commentator, Carlson is no stranger to the spotlight, but she faced one of the brightest and harshest lights when she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes in 2015. The results--a torrent of verbal abuse from critics and thousands of messages from women sharing their own experiences--spurred her into dedicated advocacy for fighting against sexual harassment, with Be Fierce as her latest effort. Part call to arms and part how-to manual, the book is slightly disorganized in its presentation, but fervent in its message. The amount of systemic abuse detailed in the narrative can pitch toward a gloomy outlook, since the stories of women who dared to speak out often involve unhelpful HR policies and arbitration clauses, hostile coworkers and media, and ruined careers for the harassed. However, Carlson's drive to dispel the myths around harassment and to offer guidance as to how speak out against it remains strong throughout. VERDICT The combination of advice and anecdote sometimes makes for an unsteady read, but Carlson's uncompromising passion on this issue is highly welcome.--Kathleen McCallister, Tulane Univ., New Orleans

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 25, 2017
Former Fox News anchor Carlson (Getting Real) draws from her own experience of being sexually harassed to illuminate an epidemic of inappropriate behavior in the workplace, and to educate women on their rights. Carlson does not elaborate on the events that incited her lawsuit against Fox, but she shares stories of other incidents in her career, such as when a camera man told her how much he enjoyed putting the microphone on her because he got to touch her breasts, along with a slew of examples from other women who contacted her after she came forward. These women include a park ranger who was assaulted by a fellow ranger at a conference and then denied a promotion a week later as a result; a soldier who was asked to pole dance for four others and later had her complaint about the encounter dismissed by her superior officer; and a journalist whom Donald Trump pinned up against the wall and kissed while she was interviewing him over a decade ago. Carlson talks to a civil rights attorney about what people who have been harassed can expect after reporting incidents to human resources, provides data from sociological studies on sexist patterns in the workplace, and explores the complicated machinations of forced arbitration clauses often buried in job contracts. She includes a 12-point plan for handling harassment, outlining how to document incidents and whom to tell and when. Carlson further advises on the need to keep young women safe on college campuses, teach children respectful behavior, and recruit men as allies in the workplace. Though the phrase “When I was Miss America” appears a few too many times, Carlson’s inclusion of her own stories is courageous, and her commitment to making sexual harassment a nonpartisan issue is admirable.