Customer Reviews

Working While Black: The Black Person's Guide to Success in the White Workplace (Black Person's Guides)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Equal parts handbook, travelogue and self-help guide (in the best sense of the term), Johnson's book, "Working While Black" is must-have for any African-American employee in a predominantly white working environment.

With the aid of anecdotal evidence via oral history, Johnson brings to light issues of the working world that many blacks know but don't understand. Her use of short stories helps her illustrate the complexities that confront blacks in corporate settings with a brutal honesty that's been sorely absent from books by her peers.

Taking on issues of personal appearance, career paths, communication skills, networking and hiring practices, Johnson pulls no punches during her honest and thought-provoking examination of what it means to be black in corporate America.

Johnson also offers the reader way to identify with those whose stories are shared in her book. Issues of personality, family backgroung, cultural perspective and ambition are tackled here, too.

Johnson pointedly denies being an "expert" on racial/employment matters (a bit of candor refreshing in our racially-charged society). She seeks only to offer the benefit of her experience as a seasoned legal professional and to provide readers with the tools to make themselves aware of dynamics in their own places of business--from front desk to boardroom.

This book is for the young and the mature, the thriving and the disenfranchised. A perfect gift for anyone at any stage of their career. There are lessons here to be learned by everyone.

"Working While Black" is definitely a must read for inspiring professionals. The book outlines real life scenarios and it couples narratives to the way the workplace really relates to African Americans. I was personally inspired by the book. The book was so motivational that I not only periodically re-read it, but I highly encourage it as required reading in my mentorship programs. I have recommended the book to several of my friends whom all work in environments with small minority presence, and they all have thanked me for the inspiration the book has brought to their lives.

My personal experience with the book came after my second entry into college. I had initially graduated with a business degree but found myself troubled in the workplace. I was troubled by a lack of confidence. After enrolling in a second degree in Electrical Engineering, I found life after engineering school very challenging. Although I was competent, my views were not taken seriously. Reading Michelle Johnson's book brought a few skills to the light. I personally attribute a promotion at my first job post reading this book as a major contributor to my recent success in the workplace. Most importantly her book encourages intelligent dialogue, and understanding of how we communicate words. The book is detailed even down to a level of how we intelligently communicate emails. The book expands on things that we take for granted in the workplace, but are highly important in our success. My favorite portion of the book was Michelle's mention of holding on to your identity, while not posing or displaying a form or image of intimidation. I use to struggle with wearing my earring to work, and would always toggle between taking out my earring while at work because I thought it would portray a hood-like image. Michelle's book encouraged me to accept my image and hold on to things that are part of my character. Her book even goes into things as simple as appropriate conversations in the workplace that were on point. Understanding what conversations attract controversy, and what conversations bring good dialogue are relevant to anyone quest in image building. My most complimentary point I believe is the universal message. Although the book is titled "Working while black", the book outlines many techniques that are applicable to your success in the workplace regardless of what race you are.
As a whole this is a good read.

I feel very comfortable endorsing this book as one of the best tools available for advancing personal development in the workplace.

This book is informative and funny. It is a great book for strategies to survive the work place that is told in a way that will make you laugh and think. The best part about the book is that the author addresses problems of being black in the work place and just the problems of being in the work place. This book can help anyone having work problems.

Satisfied with the book. Many of the topics I relate to directly. I thought this book was accurately written for the most part and recommend it.

Throughout this book, Michelle Johnson illustrates attitudes, behaviors and perfect examples we all face in the work place as African Americans, and what we can do to overcome the obstacles. My favorite chapter was the advice she gives regarding language, pronounciation and syntax with people of another race.

Michelle Johnson addresses the common history we share as African Americans, and how it differs from the early history of other immigrant groups in that our ancestors were brought here so that others could benefit from our labor. She also articulates and categorizes subjective experiences. Often being the only or one of the very few blacks in the workplace we can feel isolated. Her anectdotes are very helpful as examples of her theories of common personality types and situations. I highly recommend this book as business literature and will also submit this review to the American Library Association Black Caucus list.

I found the book a great affirmation of what too often is the experience of Working While Black. True, there weren't solutions, but like reading the facts of a situation, provides comfort in establishing that you're not invisible and there's a larger institutionalized system at work. It helps when things such as stereotypes, discrimination, racism are being offered on a personal level as other than what it is, attempts to undermine your humanity and the equality of humanity.

It gave me relief, too, in its spins of humor. Yes, sometimes we have to laugh rather than cry. As far as not stirring people to act in one way or another, what the book does is provide an experienced insider's knowledge of how the system may play out. Better to know how things may play out than go in blindly believing race doesn't matter and that institutionalized racism isn't perpetuated within and outside the courts.

Ms. Johnson's book is informative, humorous, and accessible. It provides some key insights for those who are just starting a career. It also provides a thought provoking look at familiar territory and experiences for those who have been out in the workforce, and have the battle scars to prove it. I wish I had her book when I was just starting out. While I've navigated my career well, with her book perhaps I would have made more employment savvy decisions. I'll definitely keep some of her points in mind as I move forward.

Michelle Johnson addresses the common history we share as African Americans, and how it differs from the early history of other immigrant groups in that our ancestors were brought here so that others could benefit from our labor. She also articulates and categorizes subjective experiences. Often being the only or one of the very few blacks in the workplace we can feel isolated. Her anectdotes are very helpful as examples of her theories of common personality types and situations. I highly recommend this book as business literature and will also submit this review to the American Library Association Black Caucus list.

I was searching for "The Pact" when I saw this book, and I'm so glad I found it. I just left a temp. job for a mortgage company where 16 out of 25 employees had said something completely insensitive to black people, homosexuals, or people whose first language wasn't English. I'd grown so fed up with them down-talking other cultures that I told the temp. company I was working for that I was quitting. Luckily for me, the next week I found a permanent job in my field and accepted the position. I was relieved to find perm. work but even more relieved that I'd never have to go back to that place again. I took my anger out in writing and ended up writing an article (later published) about the racism, sexism, and narrow-mindedness that I experienced in that company that was equal to the same negative experience I watched at Northern Michigan University.

So I swallowed every single word of this book and the author was RIGHT on the money. I thought the anecdotes were very helpful because they illustrated the different types of discrimination in the workplace and why it can hurt/help a legal case. It also showed that folks who are going through situations like the ones I saw in college and with the temp. job are not alone. Even when discussing such technical topics as legal issues, the author throws in a great amount of humor, which makes this book even easier to read. Lil' Kim had me dying laughing at work. I had to excuse myself from my desk so I could laugh out loud some more. The James Baldwin quote was hot...I totally dig that. I realized that after going to NMU, I'd turned into a thriver. I refused to put up with anything. I went through several jobs after college and decided to try being a survivor at the temp. company. After the first month, the thriver bumrushed the survivor in me, and I just started lashing out. Although the comments died down, they only stayed away from black people and increased in the other two. I've learned the hard way that many folks are idiots and thrivers are the best ones to handle them. I'm far too contumacious to be a striver.

And now that I have the job I wanted (editor) and the freelance job I love (writing opinion editorials), I'm content as a thriver.

The only flaw I saw in this book was on pg. 105 when the author says that Roland and Lisa have "a lot in common..just by the two of them being the only black interns in a big company." I thought the author should've pointed out that other 85% issue because just because the two interns were black does not mean that they would have a "lot" in common. I've worked with a bunch of brothas & sistas that I would NEVER hang out with, so why should Roland try to make friends because of skin complexion? That other 85% is big in folks going out to lunch. I also thought the author was inaccurate with saying that stress was the major factor in black people being overweight--food is. Black folks have some of the WORST eating habits...and that by far outweighs stress and smoking. When we eat, we smoke. When we are stressed, we eat. And when we're happy, we eat more. And I'm not talking about carrots either. Watch "Soul Food" once and you'll get an idea of why so many of us are overweight.

But other than that, this book was on the money! Note: My $14.95 was well spent and I've had MANY paperback books of the same quality which did not mess up. Sometimes it's the way folks treat their books that lend to the problem of the condition of the book. Hint, hint.