Publishers Weekly
07/25/2022
“Collective action is necessary to achieve equity for women in organizations, particularly those from historically marginalized racioethnic groups,” according to this encouraging guide to workplace diversity. Opie, an associate professor of management at Babson College, and Livingston, an assistant professor of management at Iowa Tippie College of Business, make a case that women of different races must come together and push for equity. To do so, the authors lay out the practices of “Dig” and “Bridge.” The former requires thinking deeply about one’s own biases and preconceptions, and the latter consists of forming relationships with “people of different racioethnicities than your own.” Self-reflection exercises appear throughout: readers are instructed to “identify your social identities,” and to research power dynamics and ask themselves, “To what extent do you agree or disagree with what you have discovered?” There’s practical advice for forming relationships, too: white women should “work to establish trust” with women of color by demonstrating empathy and vulnerability. The authors’ message will leave readers hopeful: “Don’t agonize, organize,” they write, quoting “the rallying cry of the feminist movement.” Readers aiming to create equality at work will find great takeaways here. Agent: Alia Hanna Habib, Gernert Co. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Named one of the 10 Best Business Books of 2022 by Forbes
"Readers aiming to create equality at work will find great takeaways here." — Publishers Weekly
Advance Praise for Shared Sisterhood:
"A hopeful and inspiring work that shows us what can be accomplished when White women choose solidarity with their Black sisters." — Robin DiAngelo, author, White Fragility and Nice Racism
"If you, like millions of us, desperately wish to find a way to understand each other, bridge our gaps, and work together toward creating a kinder, safer, and more equitable world for everyone, Shared Sisterhood is the way forward." — Amy Cuddy, social psychologist; bestselling author, Presence
"In this powerful book on how to build bridges across race and gender divides, Opie and Livingston share actionable advice for handling difficult conversations with compassion and vulnerability—and advancing structural and cultural change in your workplace." — Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Think Again; host, TED WorkLife podcast
"Grounded in the power of partnership of heart, mind, and soul of women, Shared Sisterhood offers a novel approach for overcoming the diversity challenges organizations face." — Tsedal Neeley, Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research, Harvard Business School; author, Remote Work Revolution; coauthor, The Digital Mindset
"Shared Sisterhood is a blueprint for how women can work together across fraught divides and establish new models of collaboration that have the potential to change the workplace and our lives." — Mehret Mandefro, CEO, Truth Aid Media
"Opie and Livingston make a deeply compelling case for the importance of authentic connection between people—and offer a clear, actionable pathway for how we get there as leaders and change makers, one powerful step at a time." — Frances Frei, professor, Harvard Business School; author, Unleashed
"Shared Sisterhood provides a step-by-step guide on how to heal relationships across racial differences and use those relationships to form the basis of collective action and actual change. This book is a must read." — Minda Harts, author, The Memo, Right Within, and You Are More Than Magic
