MixedThe Washington PostPao’s book is most astute when it portrays a subtler form of discrimination ... Whether complaining about sexism or wondering if an investment is a smart bet, Pao and women like her are stuck with the unfun roles of ballbuster and buzzkiller. She was excoriated by her colleagues for complaining all the time — and also for not complaining early and often enough ... Reset would have benefited from a more direct and nuanced discussion of the criticisms of Pao’s case. Much of the case centered on Pao’s relationship with another partner, which she says began with his harassment of her, evolved into a consensual affair and wound up with his retaliation against her professionally. Pao doesn’t delve into her perspective on an email she sent to the firm’s leadership urging that the partner not be fired ... At the end of the book, Pao notes that she has formed Project Include to fight underrepresentation of women and people of color in tech. It’s better than nothing, but meanwhile, those in power look pretty much the same — or worse.
Ellen Pao
PositiveThe Boston GlobeIn her new book, Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change, Pao describes herself as a 'dutiful daughter' of immigrants who excelled at Princeton and Harvard, where she picked up law and business degrees, and then headed west for the tech gold rush ... Pao unravels the slow accumulation of slights and outrages she endured. What she saw included, by her account, boorish, obvious sexism ... Reset would have benefited from a more direct and nuanced discussion of the criticisms of Pao’s case ... At the end of the book, Pao notes that she has formed Project Include to fight underrepresentation of women and people of color in tech. It’s better than nothing, but meanwhile, those in power look pretty much the same — or worse.
Patricia Bell-Scott
PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewBell-Scott allows these women to speak for themselves, a light touch that works with two heavyweights. The format has its limitations: During most of the years of their friendship, Roosevelt’s life was marked by a series of international delegations that don’t quite make for riveting reading, and Murray did her most important intellectual and political work after Roosevelt’s death. But the fact that Mrs. Roosevelt is here more foil than subject hardly detracts from this distinguished work.
