My 5 favorite books as a working mother

Its been more than one decade of my “working” while moving through different countries, following different work models, be it a full time, work from home or part time. For first many years of my work life while coping also with new motherhood it never occurred that there can be books available specifically for working mothers and be of help for them. I did not look and I did not find, until few years back when I came across;

Lean In: The reviews written about the book, mostly critical ones (here) that intrigued me to buy this book and read it. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg does not need any introduction anymore. Lean In- is an organization now thriving very well among women and men in all over the world. I refer to this book often and the final take home message for me is “Don’t leave before you leave”. Sheryl has done a lot of research and discussed about Indian working women in IT industry along with their global contemporaries. This analogy makes this book more special to me. This book made me aware how facts about other working women can be my inspiration too.

Lady you are not a man – The Adventures of a Woman at Work: Written by Apurva Purohit, CEO of Radio City 91.1 FM, immediately got me hooked with her fun way of writing and anecdotes of from her experiences. Not harping on the guilt and having to do it all dilemmas of working mothers, instead she choose to tell her story of how to create a group of support around you to continue and excel at work, from raising a helpful husband to empower the team members. Hard work is the only differentiator in her view at work for a woman.  

Unbound: Indian Women @ Work: By Gita Aravamudan, this book is a collection of in-depth case histories of women in different professions, from the call center ladies working in night shifts to item girls to IT honchos. The question asked to each of the working women are different and brings surprising answers too. This book inspired me to the core, and first time I got to read about the voices of working women in India, the challenges, the workarounds and above all the grit. This book is a must read when you go through the dilemma of whether to continue in workforce or not. 

Suits: A Woman on Wall Street: By Nina Godiwalla, is an excellent account of a girl Persian-Indian immigrant community, growing up in USA as a daughter of first generation immigrants, with all the confusions of a being rootless, being different from others, fierce ambition of Indian parents and culture gap incidences. This is also a story of a woman of Indian origin surfing in different levels of career, the ruthless and fierce competitive world of banking quarters in USA. Lovely detailed read of a close knit family and a girl who goes out to chase the world.

A vague woman’s handbook:  This is a fiction by Devapriya Roy and is very fresh in its approach, a close friend lend me this book to read on one of my bad days. That’s why you need girlfriends who give you a right book at the right time. This book will be loved by both working women in their twenties and in their fifties. Any working women will feel a fresh breeze around her after reading this book full of eccentricities and moments. Read this and dip into the vagueness of these two women!