Women Who Launch

Women Who Shattered Glass Ceilings

By: Marlene Wagman-Geller

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Finalist Pacific Book Awards 2018! Empowering stories of game-changing women

Dorothy Parker observed, "It's a man's world". The lady entrepreneurs and game-changers profiled in Women Who Launch would beg to differ. Unlike the matrons of the 1950s - "the women who lunched” - these kick-ass females left their DNA in the annals of time.

A history of women in business and beyond: Julia Ward-Howe showed what's good for the goose is good for the gander when she created the Girl Scouts of America. Sarah Josepha Hale, ”authoress of Mary had a Little Lamb”, convinced Lincoln to launch a national day of thanks while Anna Jarvis persuaded President Wilson to initiate a day in tribute of mothers. Estee Lauder revolutionized the cosmetics industry. The tradition of these Mothers of Invention continued when, compliments of knitter Krista Suh, the heads of millions were adorned with pink, pussy-cat ears in the largest women's march in history. These women who launched prove, in the words of Rosie the Riveter, "We can do it!"

Biographies of women creators, innovators, and leaders: Women Who Launch is filled with inspiring true stories of women activists, artists, and entrepreneurs who launched some of the most famous companies, brands, and organizations today and changed the world. It is at once a collection of biographies and a testament of female empowerment.

Listeners will find:

• The stories behind renowned companies, brands, and organizations and the diverse women who launched them.
• Empowering quotes from strong women and those who refused to be kept down.
• Motivation to all women who want to succeed in their careers, launch companies, and change the world.

Find motivation in your career and life with the amazing history of women entrepreneurship, activism, and leadership.

©2019 Marlene Wagman-Geller (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Mixed Messages

The first half of this book focuses heavily on woman who made advancements in fashion and cosmetics. The later half addresses woman that were instrumental in social movements. There is little to no discussion of woman who advanced education, science, technology, etc. Thus the book focused on woman operating in traditional spheres in untraditional ways. All of the woman became fabulously wealthy, married wellish, and left dazzling lives - which just gives a very one sided view of the struggle of woman to change their lot and the world. There is also a mixed feminist message as large portions of the book are devoted to discussing the woman's live lives, children, housing, and possessions. Not a book I would recommend to someone looking for a broader perspective on woman who broke glass ceilings. But it is well written and a fun read.

Not the sort of book I was expecting to listen to.

Story:
I found the many many stories of women that carved their own success stories to be quite flat. Barely any depth given into their lives and what made them actually successful. The general tone & format for each story is to highlight why a woman doing this would have been against a social rule at the time, then give one - three details about her life eg. blind, poor as a child, married young etc, the talk about the 'eureka' moment, the talk about the businesses/entrepreneurs non stop success, then highlight how rich they are and finally, if dead, provide a dying quote. The stories were way too short to have any impact and quite frankly, many of them (prehaps because they are all about Western women - mainly American) you have already heard or seen their story in much much greater detail because these woman ARE THAT FAMOUS. Obviously some more famous than others, and not everyone will know all of the subjects spoken about in this book but I feel that most will which is why I'm making the point.

Narrator:
Overall I think she was fine, she tried to adopt a first person narrative at times to help tell the mini stories but I personally struggled to pay attention sometimes as I found her to be quite monotone. But each to there own I guess.

Conclusion:
I personally wont recommend this book as I dont think the stories are detailed enough and to me that meant that the inspiration that I could have gotten was lost completely as the telling of their stories was too unrealistic.