Three Must-Reads for Breadwinning Moms

What's a woman without a book in progress in her purse? My nightstand holds my ever-revolving "to be read" list, which ranges in genre from productivity studies to romantasy and everything in between. Skip the search for your next read and pull one of these three into your lap.

1. "I Know How She Does It" by Laura Vanderkam

Blurb: “Having it all” has become the subject of countless books, articles, debates, and social media commentary, with passions running high in all directions. Many now believe this to be gospel truth: Any woman who wants to advance in a challenging career has to make huge sacrifices. She’s unlikely to have a happy marriage, quality time with her kids (assuming she can have kids at all), a social life, hobbies, or even a decent night’s sleep.

But what if that’s not the whole story? What if all those tragic anecdotes ignore the women who quietly but consistently do just fine with the juggle?

Instead of relying on scattered stories, I Know How She Does It adds hard data to the debate. Based on hour-by-hour time logs from 1001 days in the lives of working mothers earning at least $100,000 a year, this book shows how these women spend the 168 hours that every one of us has each week. Case studies and interviews document how women make time to advance in their careers, enjoy family activities, and pursue their own passions. Based on these strategies, I Know How She Does It offers a framework for anyone who wants to thrive at work and life.

The LedgeHer's take: This (and each) book by Vanderkam has streamlined my time use and, more importantly, helped me design my life to match my values. More importantly, I want to be Her. She is just like us. We work. We have kids. We have a spouse. We have pets, a mortgage, familial obligations, hobbies, bills, and somehow find time to get in a few gym sessions each week. How does She do it? How do we?

2. "Quit Like a Woman" by Holly Whitaker

Blurb: We live in a world obsessed with drinking. We drink at baby showers and work events, brunch and book club, graduations and funerals. Yet no one ever questions alcohol’s ubiquity—in fact, the only thing ever questioned is why someone doesn’t drink. It is a qualifier for belonging and if you don’t imbibe, you are considered an anomaly. As a society, we are obsessed with health and wellness, yet we uphold alcohol as some kind of magic elixir, though it is anything but.

When Holly Whitaker decided to seek help after one too many benders, she embarked on a journey that led not only to her own sobriety, but revealed the insidious role alcohol plays in our society and in the lives of women in particular. What’s more, she could not ignore the ways that alcohol companies were targeting women, just as the tobacco industry had successfully done generations before. Fueled by her own emerging feminism, she also realized that the predominant systems of recovery are archaic, patriarchal, and ineffective for the unique needs of women and other historically oppressed people—who don’t need to lose their egos and surrender to a male concept of God, as the tenets of Alcoholics Anonymous state, but who need to cultivate a deeper understanding of their own identities and take control of their lives. When Holly found an alternate way out of her own addiction, she felt a calling to create a sober community with resources for anyone questioning their relationship with drinking, so that they might find their way as well. Her resultant feminine-centric recovery program focuses on getting at the root causes that lead people to overindulge and provides the tools necessary to break the cycle of addiction, showing us what is possible when we remove alcohol and destroy our belief system around it.

Written in a relatable voice that is honest and witty, Quit Like a Woman is at once a groundbreaking look at drinking culture and a road map to cutting out alcohol in order to live our best lives without the crutch of intoxication. You will never look at drinking the same way again.

The LedgeHer's take: Whether you drink or not, this informative read helps you make a data-driven decision on when, where, why, and how much to consume. Spoiler: I don't really drink these days. This book was a large part of that decision, followed by periods of pregnancy and breastfeeding which broke any remaining Friday-night-glass-of-wine habits. And, sorry, but it'll ruin Goop and Gwenyth Paltrow for you. Love her anyway, thought.

3. "Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men" by Caroline Criado Perez

Blurb: Data is fundamental to the modern world. From economic development, to healthcare, to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems. And women pay tremendous costs for this bias, in time, money, and often with their lives.

Celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women​, diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. Built on hundreds of studies in the US, the UK, and around the world, and written with energy, wit, and sparkling intelligence, this is a groundbreaking, unforgettable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.

The LedgeHer's take: I hate my seatbelt. I wear it because I don't have a deathwish, but it just sits... wrong. My seatbelt never felt more uncomfortable than when I was suffering from mastitis. This book taught me why. Turns out, seat belts were designed for the male figure and tested on male-shaped crash test dummies. I'm genuinely curious what seatbelts would look like if optimized for, say, a female figure sporting a 40G bra size. What else in our modern world has yet to consider 50% of the population in its conception and design? Turns out... a lot.

Your Journey Awaits

Reading is a transformative, informative, and sometimes transcendent experience - especially for us working moms. Let your brain take a brief vacation and learn something new while you're there... the dishes really can wait.

With love,

E