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neilrcoulter 's review for:
Sarah Cooper's goal was "[t]o write a book that was hopefully funny but could also make people want to throw it across the room" (208). She achieved much more of the first part than the second part. Like her previous book, 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, the humor here is perfect: perceptive, biting, and dry. Also, and despite its title, this book features a lot of content that is just basic office humor, able to be appreciated by any reader, regardless of gender. Some of the attitudes and experiences Cooper writes about have more to do with particular personality types than with being male or female. But the fact that females deal with certain experiences more often than males is sad and infuriating.
My favorite parts of this book were the "bonus tips" and infographics included throughout. Cooper is right on about so much of corporate life, and though her particular focus is women in the tech industry, my experience shows me that higher education and nonprofits are not very different. (Though of course this book made me think about one male I know who not only matches a lot of what Cooper writes about men in the workplace, but probably wouldn't even understand which character he is in this book if he read it. I'm glad it's only one person like that who comes to mind.)
The only reason I don't rate this as highly as 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings is that there is something inherently absurd and non-serious about meetings. Mocking and laughing at them seems like an appropriate survival tactic. But some of the issues Cooper addresses in How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings are much more serious. Chapter 8 especially, "How to Be Harassed Without Hurting His Career," was particularly squirmy and awkward. Joking about that feels more difficult and perhaps inappropriate, and those were the jokes that, for me, didn't land quite so well.
But overall, the book is brilliant. Cooper has made me laugh through two books and her website, and for that, I'm grateful. Reading the other contributors to her website only highlights just how hard it is to do what she does. I was glad to read that this is the second of a three-book deal—can't wait for the next one!
My favorite parts of this book were the "bonus tips" and infographics included throughout. Cooper is right on about so much of corporate life, and though her particular focus is women in the tech industry, my experience shows me that higher education and nonprofits are not very different. (Though of course this book made me think about one male I know who not only matches a lot of what Cooper writes about men in the workplace, but probably wouldn't even understand which character he is in this book if he read it. I'm glad it's only one person like that who comes to mind.)
The only reason I don't rate this as highly as 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings is that there is something inherently absurd and non-serious about meetings. Mocking and laughing at them seems like an appropriate survival tactic. But some of the issues Cooper addresses in How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings are much more serious. Chapter 8 especially, "How to Be Harassed Without Hurting His Career," was particularly squirmy and awkward. Joking about that feels more difficult and perhaps inappropriate, and those were the jokes that, for me, didn't land quite so well.
But overall, the book is brilliant. Cooper has made me laugh through two books and her website, and for that, I'm grateful. Reading the other contributors to her website only highlights just how hard it is to do what she does. I was glad to read that this is the second of a three-book deal—can't wait for the next one!