Amazon description: It’s no secret that women have long been overlooked and under-compensated, and while great strides have made in recent decades, the value placed on women versus their male counterparts is still consistently unbalanced. In Knowing Your Value, bestselling author Mika Brzezinski takes an in-depth look at how women today achieve their deserved recognition and financial worth.
Prompted by her own experience as co-host of Morning Joe, Mika interviews a number of prominent women across a wide range of industries on their experience moving up in their fields. Mika reveals how these women, including such impresarios as White House star Valerie Jarrett, comedian Susie Essman, writer and director Nora Ephron, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and broadcaster Joy Behar, navigated the inevitable roadblocks that are unique to women. Mika also uncovers what men think about the approach women take in the workplace, getting honest answers from Donnie Deutsch, Jack Welch, Donald Trump, and others about why women are paid less, and what pitfalls women face–and play into–as they try to get their worth at work. Knowing Your Value blends these personal stories and opinions with the latest research and polling on issues such as equal pay, women in the boardroom, and access to start-up capital.
In full disclosure, I was given this book by the PR firm representing the author, in exchange for an honest review.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, since I worked in that corporate world, which demanded you speak up in order to be paid what you’re worth, before becoming self-employed. I’ve always undervalued myself, even in my own businesses, not sticking up for my money, reputation and time.
Though this book was a nice, easy read, especially if you like the show Morning Joe, I’m not sure it’s for the average working woman. The interviews with the professionals in the book were eye-opening, but I felt that I had to trudge through a LOT of Morning Joe stuff to get to the meat of the book.
I give huge kudos to Mika Brzezinski for not blaming anyone but herself for her position, both on the show and financially, and taking responsibility. I also applaud her for fighting every step of the way to stay on top of a very competitive market. In saying this, I think this is where the meat of the book lies. MIka shows the reader that tenacity is what makes our lives better. Work hard, know your value, and make yourself valuable. Just reading about her work schedule made me exhausted.
The interviews in the is book were fun and light, making them easy reading, and interesting.
This book is a must read for anyone who thinks they work too hard and aren’t fully appreciated for their efforts. Mika’s work ethics made me feel lazy. And if you know anything about me, I use every minute of every day.
You aren’t going to learn anything new and deep by reading this book, but you will learn how a professional handles herself, and takes responsibility for her career.
I’m a Morning Joe junkie, so I loved reading the behind-the-scenes stuff. And I think she’s got a lot of great advice packed in there, even if you have to muddle through to find it. I go back and forth on thinking whether she takes too much of the blame on herself. Of course no one wants to read about a whiner–but isn’t there something off in a corporate culture that thinks a ranting raving cursing man is the norm and a polite, slightly-whiney, self-pitying woman is cray cray??? I think it’s amazing that Joe Scarborough had to give her a raise out of his own pocket for a while until the show stepped up–which Mika sort of suggests she didn’t “earn” until she knew how to demand that raise “properly.”
A sidenote: In my next life I am going to be blond and Amazonianly tall like Mika