Feminist Fight Club

An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace

By: Jessica Bennett

Narrated by: Jessica Bennett, Bahni Turpin

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Part manual, part manifesto, a humorous yet incisive guide to navigating subtle sexism at work - a Lean In for the Buzzfeed generation that provides real-life career advice and humorous reinforcement for a new generation of professional women.

It was a fight club - but without the fighting and without the men. Every month the women would huddle in a friend's apartment to share sexist job frustrations and trade tips for how best to tackle them. Once upon a time, you might have called them a consciousness-raising group. But the problems of today's working world are more subtle, less pronounced, harder to identify - and harder to prove - than those of their foremothers. These women weren't just there to vent. They needed battle tactics. And so the fight club was born.

Hard hitting and entertaining, Feminist Fight Club blends personal stories with research, statistics, and no-bullsh*t expert advice. Bennett offers a new vocabulary for the sexist workplace archetypes women encounter every day - such as the Manterrupter, who talks over female colleagues in meetings, or the Himitator, who appropriates their ideas - and provides practical hacks for navigating other gender landmines in today's working world. With Feminist Mad Libs, a Negotiation Cheat Sheet, and fascinating historical research, Feminist Fight Club tackles both the external (sexist) and internal (self-sabotaging) behaviors that plague women in the workplace - as well as the system that perpetuates them.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Jessica Bennett (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Awful in so many ways

I've struggled more with writing a review for this book than any other I've ever read. I did not like this book on so many levels. As an upper-management professional, I was completely offended by the portrayal of the workplace as hostile to women, and can't help but wonder how much of the hostility is self-perpetuated even within the stories in the FFC. Millennials, your mothers worked hard to break into business, get maternity leaves and other friendly practices, and climb higher than women have before. My colleagues are women, my superiors are women, and we have always spoken our minds, shared our ideas, and been recognized for our expertise. Bennett's picture makes it sound like we are back in 1965. If that is your office place, don't whine, get out!

Besides just hating the pessimistic tone of the entire thesis I was annoyed by the genderfication of language throughout the book which other reviewers have documented and do not think the liberal peppering of profanity helps make the authors arguments. Profanity isn't necessary, it isn't scholarly or academic, it isn't pleasant, and it certainly doesn't prove anything positive. Don't do it!

Lastly, this is probably the most annoying reader I've ever listened to. I will not listen to her again.

Summary of Lean In

This is really a shorter version of Lean In, with extra creativity and more focus on leaning on friends to deal with these issues.

Best read ever

I’m 51 and a commercial airline pilot on a Boeing 787. I’ve spent 30 years in a male dominated industry. I WISH I had read something like this when I started my career. I could have handled so many #MeToo issues more effectively for me and the women coming behind me.

Not impressed.

This didn't motivate,. The snarky tone really detracts from the message. Many good points that could have been presented in a way to empower you. This does not.

My feminist fire has been reignited!

I loved this book! It was educations, captivating, hilarious, and inspiring. Bahni Turpin is a fantastic narrator and Jessica Bennett knows how to make a girl feel understood and empowered.

As a recent college graduate, working in my first office job, I found this book to be so helpful in educating myself on the kind of work environment I want to be a part of and how I can conduct myself to my full potential. I highly recommend this book to anyone, working or not, male or female.

I'm definitely going to buy the hard copy to keep on hand :)

Meh

While I enjoyed the topic, this particular book came off very aggressive and anti-men. It overall had a very negative tone, and focused heavily on maintaining a victim mindset. Because of that, I didn't come out feeling particularly empowered and just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I didn't realize I was a feminist.

I loved the power and playfulness of this book. i always knew I was a strong force to be reckoned with at work, but never realized how much a feminist I already was. I've already put many of these best practices in place and have noticed a difference in the way I'm treated. this book is awesome. I'm starting my own feminist fight club.

Must have survival guide

Learned so much listening to this book! Ultimate guide for surviving corporate America. Must read.

Great for daughters or granddaughters

As far as women's books on surviving in a man's world, this one is meh. I suppose if I were just out of college this would have been helpful, but if you are dealing with the "me too" at mid-to late career, this is not the book for you. Sure, there are some gems for us too, but there's simply too much 20 something context to be valuable to women in mid-stage careers or have been in the game for a while.

This said, it is very well read by the author--you can tell she believes in her subject and she wishes someone gave her this handbook in college. And that is the target audience. In fact, I'd say for a high-school or early college student, this is a must read.

Get past the intro tho

Jessica Bennett wrote a funny, whipsmart, desperately needed book that I related to, bookmarked like crazy, and shared with coworkers and friends. But if, like I did, you find her voice grating in the sample, fear not -- she only reads the introduction. The amazing Bahni Turpin (who should win all the awards ever for her narration of "The Hate U Give," "Underground Railroad", and others) takes over from there.