The First, the Few, the Only

By Deepa Purushothaman,

Book cover of The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America

Book description

A deeply personal call to action for women of color to find power from within and to join together in community, advocating for a new corporate environment where we all belong-and are accepted-on our own terms.

Women of color comprise one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The First, the Few, the Only as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The First, The Few, The Only is the first book I have read that accurately captures the angst of my day-to-day experience as a high-achieving woman of color in corporate America. I love that the book also proposes empowering systemic and individual actions to enhance those experiences.

Based on her own career, Deepa Purushothaman identifies what women of color often experience at work – burnout, microaggressions, and under-representation to name a few – and puts onto the page how corporate structures contribute to these injustices. After meeting with hundreds of women of color across cultures and industries, Purushothaman knew that her own lived experiences were shared by so many others, and The First, the Few, the Only advocates for women of color to recognize their collective power and push back against these workplace inequities to claim the respect they have always deserved.

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