Customer Reviews

This Is How We Do It: The Working Mothers' Manifesto

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Thank you Carol Evans for writing an excellent book that is supported by real facts and research! Finally a book that details all of the contributions working moms have made and make (26 MM in the workforce - imagine if they all stopped...). Finally a book that offers real advice on how to move ahead (with excellent advice on mentoring, ambition, networking). Finally a book that recognizes that working mothers are mothers first! Yes, we care deeply about our kids yet also are committed to contributing professionally too. Why should that be so hard. Read this book and pass it along. The facts can not be denied. Working moms are doing a great job at work (we knew that) and at home too.

The 80's brought us the idea of the super mom who held down a high powered career, raised kids, and looked glamorous hosting dinner parties for twelve. But, as more and more women burned out trying to "have it all," the guilt and self (and media) inflicted sense of failure set in. While some high flyers have given up their careers and become full time stay-at-home moms, most women simply don't have the choice. This Is How We Do It bypasses the guilt of the working mother and instead addresses the issues surrounding motherhood and careers. Written with the help of Working Mother magazine and 500 real working mothers, this book is an important and thought provoking work designed to provide practical, real life solutions for the problems that working mothers encounter.

I absolutely loved it! I am expecting my first child this summer and the thought of having a career AND raising a family seemed impossible to me - until I read This Is How We Do It. It is filled with great advice, tips and solutions from the author herself and other working moms across the country. I recommend this book to all moms-to-be!

This book details all the great things progressive companies are doing to facilitate work-life balance for their employees -- with a crucial eye toward how those measures benefit the company too, an essential element if you plan to sell your boss on any of these ideas. It's a great tool for anyone who is trying to work out alternate work arrangements.

My only complaint about the book is that it seems especially celebratory of super-charged executive-level moms (the author herself being one), which is an attitude that has landed many women in conflict and exhaustion in the first place. But it does offer support and ideas for all different levels of engagement (part-time, flextime, etc) that don't involve running the entire company by the time you're 40.

I found this book very positive and inspiring. Carol Evans is an engaging, sincere personality. If you have a chance to see her speak in person, grab it -- you will come away feeling like you can conquer the world with a baby on your hip. And that's the kind of encouragement all working moms need!

I highly recommend this book! I was so inspired to read about working moms all across the country who are figuring out how to find some balance, and some fun, in their lives. The author's voice is so wise, warm and compassionate. I felt like I was listening to a close friend who also happened to be very smart and funny. Here is a women who is incredibly successful yet isn't afraid to speak about challenges she has faced. Here is someone who is living a FULL LIFE, and makes you feel like we can all lead rich lives. I finished this book (which I raced though in a weekend -- a feat someone who's raising an active toddler) feeling satisfied. I was left with some very helpful advice, a real feeling of kinship with other moms, and a huge smile on my face -- wait until you read the goose story!

This book does very little beyond re-articulating the theory, 'You, too, can do both- raise children and prosper at work, as long as you work 75 hours or more at your job'. Rise at 4 am to complete a task so that you can "slip out early" by 45 minutes? Stay up after the kids go to bed, editing your work product? Have a Family Team Plan (I forget the exact word the author uses)that can shuttle YOUR kids places? On site daycare? Paid maternity leave? Nannies? Sign me up. Come on, mothers. We deserve better. How about a book from a woman that REALLY did struggle, and her idea of solutions that work. Thankfully, I borrowed it from the local library, and haven't lost more than the two hour read I invested in it.

As CEO of Working Mother magazine, Carol Evans understands the delicate dance between motherhood and career, and her book abounds with suggestions and stories from her life and those of others. "The vast majority of companies still act like their employees are all men who have stay-at-home wives," she writes, summarizing the dilemma. Can we do it all? We can, she insists, with more than a dose of old-fashioned feminism.

Women who are trying to do it all (including those who must do it all) will greatly appreciate this book. Those who are choosing (including those who have the luxury of choosing) to focus on their families, rather than their career, will have a harder time understanding Evans' advice. Evans has also achieved a success - and an income - that many women can only dream of. Nevertheless, her experience is solid, and sure to be helpful for many.

What a joy to read Carol Evans' book. It is inspiring and fun and helps us see that the life of a working mother does not need to solely be about guilt, stress and dodging the bullets from stay-at-home moms. Her book is inspiring and real. How refreshing to hear a corporate executive talk in such a familiar and engaging voice. This is as good as any great advice from a girlfriend except that it is jam packed with great research and cold, hard facts about what we can do to make it work and which companies in corporate America are helping working moms make it work. Every working mother should have this book as a reference!

Carol Evans writes from the heart, and clearly relates womens' concerns that their families need them as much as, or more than, their companies do. Because of this need to keep her family safe and cared for, Ms. Evans realizes that women require a flexible workplace so that they can have both a satisfied family and employer. The companies who have, more and more, depended on women's work to get the job done should take note of this dichotemy, and in doing so, they will help to make a more fullfilled and productive employee. Way to go, Carol!

Excellent book! Bravo to Carol Evans. If you enjoyed this book you might want to check out another great book just released, Prisoners of Technology by Lisa J. Whaley. She's on the same them as Carol but focuses on how we have allowed technology (cell phones, email etc.) to consume us and how it's further complicated the work/life equation and what we need to do to regain control of our lives. It's a fun read.