Not in the Club: An Executive Woman's Journey Through the Biased World of Business

One of the few flaws in Pucino's readable and succinct guide is how heavily her ideas are marketed to women only. This is a potentially stellar guide for all professionals, male as well as female, on how to succeed in business without being a member of an organization's "club." The meat of the book is its third chapter, which describes ways in which managers and employees who are not part of the "club" see their ideas ignored, their promotions blocked, and their work lives made generally unbearable; the author also describes practical strategies for working around such difficulties. All of the chapters (with the possible exception of the personal interviews near the end) are relevant and useful—a rarity in business literature. Pucino identifies what "clubs" look like, how gender and cultural biases play out, how such corporate cultures develop, ways to spot such a culture before joining an organization, and tips for getting along even when you don't particularly want to "belong."