Summer Reading List 2019
Which is why I went behind the scenes to dig up 13 thirst-quenching reads recommended by our team at PowerToFly that will keep you busy this summer.
From cyberpunk political thrillers and sci-fi adventures (with female protagonists!), to eye-opening memoirs and self-help books from diverse authors, we proudly present our summer reading list 2019 — in no particular order.
Let us know which book you decide to take on, or if you think we missed one!
1. Educated
"An amazing story, and truly inspiring. The kind of book everyone will enjoy. It's even better than you've heard."—Bill Gates
A PowerToFly top pick because: We were so moved by Tara's rebellious and inventive spirit! A woman with an unconventional family lifestyle, determined to change her perspective and overall world view. Tara's boldness, and drive to take responsibility for her own education, represents a real character we can learn from and develop with as the novel progresses.
2. The Bucket List
"The second I finished The Bucket List, I hugged it. Like, literally. I clutched it to my chest and wailed." - Jenny, Goodreads
A PowerToFly top pick because: We fell in love with Georgia Clark when she sat down and chatted with us last year and shared some of her creative writing tips with our community. Her newest book, The Bucket List, is a fun, quick witted story about a serious topic - genetic predisposition to the BCRA1 gene mutation: the "breast cancer" gene, something more women should be talking about!
3. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Wilkerson won the Pulitzer Prize for her work as Chicago Bureau Chief of The New York Times in 1994, making her the first black woman in the history of American journalism to win a Pulitzer and the first African-American to win for individual reporting. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded her the National Humanities Medal for "championing the stories of an unsung history."
A PowerToFly top pick because: We recognize that there are so many stories that have been unjustly left out of our history books. These forgotten stories certainly have their effects on modern culture and influence the way tiny conversations are swallowed and transmuted into something else or shared and evolved into a healing dialogue. This lyrical piece of non-fiction brings to light a part of our culture, to spark a new conversation.
4. Women Who Run With Wolves
"I am grateful to Women Who Run with the Wolves and to Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. The work shows the reader how glorious it is to be daring, to be caring, and to be women. Everyone who can read should read this book."—Maya Angelou
A PowerToFly top pick because: This book is an excellent resource for those who feel as if they've lost their voice or are afraid to use it. An overwhelming response from our PowerToFly community comes from those who feel nervous, discouraged, or invisible in their current situation. Clarissa Pinkola Estés uses her medical knowledge and assorted roots to reveal how we can give territory and voice to the wild woman inside each of us.
5. Her Body and Other Parties
"[Machado's] use of a vivid experimental lens to show women struggling for agency is startling."―The New Yorker
A PowerToFly top pick because: This is a collection of short stories that beautifully experiments with surreal, fantastical, and at times undeniably palpable narratives which aim to question unique experiences and perspectives of the contemporary and complicated women we know today. An investigation of intellect, identity, sex, gender, and mental health -- these stories may ring true for your neighbor or may be something you identify with on a more personal level.
6. Becoming
A PowerToFly top pick because: As a daily quoted resource by the PowerToFly team, 'Becoming' has sparked a new confidence in our leaders who value the challenges Michelle Obama faced during her path to become one of the greatest leaders of all time. She candidly reveals the challenges women of color face, navigating the white-washed waters of the mighty systems that raise us and employ us. As citizens of the world and instigators of positive change, we find her story very insightful and encouraging as she unabashedly brings us to question how we can redesign the system of employment and acknowledge the root of one big challenge our free world is chasing: equal opportunity.
7. Ambition Redefined: Why the Corner Office Doesn't Work for Every Woman & What to Do Instead
"Moms' family schedules don't always meld with a 9-to-5, in-office, 5-day-a-week job, which is why the advice here is critical, so mothers can keep caring for their children and gain financial stability."―Meredith Bodgas, Editor-in-Chief of Working Mother magazine
A PowerToFly top pick because: The most common questions we are asked at PowerToFly revolve around flexibility at work - we sat down and talked with Kathryn Sollmann about how to ask for a flexible job just a few months ago. This book outlines everything you need to know about asking for more flexibility - whether you're a job seeker, new parent, or someone looking for a little more "you" time.
8. Infomocracy: Book One of the Centenal Cycle
"Science fiction for election nerds and for media geeks. I highly recommend it." ―BookRiot
A PowerToFly top pick because: While we anxiously await the next seasons of Black Mirror and The OA on Netflix, this book fills the gap with a complex and highly upbeat story that will totally consume you. Chances are, you'll be called to flip back and read again in order to fully understand this very SciFi (almost real) version of humanity. It's no surprise that as a reader, you're left with a very humanitarian outlook on the world - when she isn't writing, Malka Older holds her ground as a Senior Fellow for Technology and Risk at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.
9. Don't Hook Up With the Dude in the Next Cube: 200+ Career Secrets for 20-Somethings
"Nancy A. Shenker is a marketing innovator, brand-builder, writer, speaker, and self-proclaimed rule-breaker and gadget geek."
A PowerToFly top pick because: Nancy Shenker is just like us - a mom of two grown daughters with experiences from blogging to becoming the CEO of her own company. We loved hearing her '20 lessons over 40 years' and while the title may be a little provocative, the content is anything but. Nancy shares some real talk when it comes to dealign with hard topics at work, like building real professional relationships and how to approach finding a mentor.
10. Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces
"Better Allies demystifies the work of allyship in an actionable, approachable, and blame-free way. The book introduces key concepts necessary to effective allyship with concrete examples and case studies, and offers a myriad of positive actions we can all take on our journey to be better allies in our workplace and our personal lives." —Caroline Simard, PhD, Managing Director, Stanford VMWare Women's Leadership Innovation Lab
A PowerToFly top pick because: We can all become better allies. Karen Catlin gave us some really great tips (and one-liners!) for how you can respond to uncomfortable situations at work, and become a better ally to your peers and coworkers. We got a high level overview during our chat with Karen, but this book dives way deeper into how you can create a more inclusive environment at your company!
11. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
"Alexander is absolutely right to fight for what she describes as a "much-needed conversation" about the wide-ranging social costs and divisive racial impact of ourcriminal-justice policies."—Newsweek
A PowerToFly top pick because: We loved this quote from Michelle Alexander, civil-rights-lawyer-turned-legal-scholar "we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." Michelle gives sight to the bigger discrimination issues our country is facing as we strike towards a new social movement.
12. Babel-17
[Babel-17] winner of the Nebula Award for best novel of the year, is a fascinating sci-fi thriller taking place in space and centering a woman leader protagonist.
PowerToFly picked because: Growing up burdened and bullied with questions about his bi-racial family and sexual identity, this powerfully written book by the self-proclamed black and gay Samuel R. Delany, is just what the literature world needs in a time of such strong discrimination. Written from an unexpected perspective, Samuel pushes the diversity meter up and empowers more authors to share their stories with confidence and flavor!
13. Mama's Girl
"A troubling testament to grit and mother love...While the story of her own achievement under grim, often violent circumstances is extraordinary, the reader is left feeling particularly grateful for [Chambers's] compassion." —The New Yorker
PowerToFly picked because: In this memoir with great lyricism, Veronica Chambers shares her story of the bond she had with her immigrant mother growing up an Afro-Latina woman from Brooklyn, New York. This novel touches on the hardship and triumph many women still face today - raising families or growing up with low income, and rising to the top. Now added to the required reading list for both colleges and high schools around the US - it's time for us to back-read!
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Whether you're embarking on your first summer internship or taking your first vacation in over a year after founding your startup, these books are sure to keep your mind stimulated this summer.
What are you reading that we should add to our 2019 summer reading list? Tweet us @powertofly or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram!
How These Companies Are Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
As we reflect on recent events and how they fit into a much larger history of discrimination, we're also taking time to celebrate and acknowledge the many achievements of the AAPI community.
We asked several of our partner companies what they're doing to honor AAPI Heritage Month at work, and we were inspired by the range of responses, covering everything from campaigns to #StopAsianHate to educational events on AAPI history.
Here's what they're doing, in their own words:
Empowering authenticity - LogMeIn
"Our theme this year is AIM to Be Real. We are embracing our new company values and celebrating those who bring their authentic selves to work, who help create space to celebrate diversity of thought, and who give back to the API community. Our Asian ERG, Asians in Motion (AIM), is hosting several events: a discussion about bringing your authentic self to work with Jerry Won (Dear Asian Americans podcast); a refugee-led virtual cooking class; ERG Movie Club discussions featuring Bollywood films, and a virtual volunteer event where we will offer career development mentoring for young women across Asia."
Learn more about LogMeIn here.
Educating on current events — Raytheon Technologies
"Raytheon Technologies is honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with an enterprise-wide global town hall event – Real Talk: Building CommUNITY Together. Organized by the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) employee resource groups across the company, employees will share their personal experiences and discuss ways to support Asian American Pacific Islander communities. The event will also feature prominent leading advocates from renowned civil rights organizations to provide insight into the national context surrounding recent events. We will also feature AAPI employees internally and on our social media channels."
Learn more about Raytheon Technologies here.
Encouraging awareness, growth, and learning — Moody's
"Moody's is encouraging awareness, growth, and learning during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the following activities, led by our Multicultural Business Resource Group and DE&I team:
- Weekly newsletters featuring AAPI employee profiles and cultural resources
- Video screening and small-group discussions supporting #StopAsianHate
- Cultural panel discussion featuring employee stories
- Professional development activities
- External speakers speaking about Asian leadership"
Supporting professional development — Freddie Mac
"Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Freddie Mac – Together, We Are Stronger
Freddie Mac supports the professional development of Asian and Pacific Islander employees while promoting an increased awareness of the value they bring to the organization and our local communities. Our InspirASIAN Business Resource Group is hosting various activities throughout the month such as:
- Personal development session on empowerment led by a coach from our Employee Assistance Program.
- "Stop Asian Hate" lunch and learn geared toward discussing the hurdles facing the AAPI community.
- Fireside chat about racial injustice with leaders from our InspirASIAN and ARISE (employees of the African diaspora) BRGs."
Fostering inclusion, learning, and belonging – Nestlé USA
"At Nestlé USA, the Pan Asian Network (PAN), one of our many employee resource groups that support our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion initiatives, will host a variety of events to honor and acknowledge Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. These activities will foster greater inclusion, enhanced learning, and belonging for the AAPI community. PAN will highlight women's development in Asian cultures, Asian leadership and what their culture means to them, culinary innovation of Asian cuisine, intersectionality of LGBTQ+ and Pan Asian community, as well as an enhanced learning watch party of the PBS movie 'Asian American.'"
Learn more about Nestlé USA here.
Promoting cultural literacy – Relativity
The Community Resource Group at Relativity
"For Relativity, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is an opportune time to not only celebrate the rich AAPI cultures represented within our company, but to also foster awareness and allyship amidst the current rise of AAPI hate. RelAsians, our internal community resource group, has organized a few activities for May: a book club focused on AAPI heritage—because we feel it's never too early to gain cultural literacy, a weekly spotlight on AAPI Relativians, and a virtual event that takes attendees on a tour through an Asian grocery store, introducing native vegetables and staple ingredients for traditional home-cooked Asian recipes."
- Contribution from Neha Pant, Sr. Performance Engineer & Angie Ocasek, Sr. Specialist, Partner Enablement – Co-Chairs of the RelAsians Community Resource Group at Relativity
Learn more about Relativity here.
Creating transformative experiences – Facebook
"At Facebook, our APIs employee resource group's mission is to create transformative experiences for all APIs at Facebook, Inc through key cultural awareness and engagement highlighting the API community. To kick off APIHM, we will host a series of events and conversations for the community and its allies designed to support the API community around the theme, The SUM of Us, including:
- Letting Others In: a mindful discussion series that privileges intersectional voices, storytelling, feedback, and vulnerability as tools for building empathy and inclusion amongst organizations.
- Racial Healing Learning Session: specific to the API Experience focused on naming of experiences and emotional responses, understanding the body's responses to racial trauma, what the audience can do in the moment for self-care, and long-term strategies to overcome the effect of the traumatic experience.
- Bystander Training/self Defense Workshop"
Learn more about Facebook here.
Extensive and exciting programming — 2U
"At 2U, Inc. we'll be honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with extensive and exciting programming coordinated by our employee-led Asian Pacific Islander Network (APIN). In a year marred by exceptional challenges APIN has centered activities around the ameliorating themes of joy, culture and wellness. Be it delighting in a ukulele mini concert, reading an interview highlighting an API coworker, winding down after too much screen time with a somatic healing session or engaging in a panel discussion with API tattoo artists, we have a packed month ahead with opportunities to support oneself and the API culture! Follow along @Lifeat2U on Instagram for more!"
Learn more about 2U here.
Amplifying voices and educating others – Smartsheet
"During APAHM, the API at Smartsheet community will be hosting several events and activities to educate others, amplify AAPI voices, and celebrate the AAPI community! We plan to kick off the month with a documentary viewing and discussion to learn about AAPI history, and hope to share personal stories from our AAPI employees throughout the month. We'll end with an opportunity for the community to celebrate itself by gathering together for fun and games, while eating food from local Asian-owned restaurants."
Learn more about Smartsheet here.
Rising together in sports and culture – NBA
"For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, APEX is proud to present a multitude of celebratory activities, headlined by an NBA Family Virtual Town Hall and, with the NFL and MLB, an Asians in Sports & Culture Symposium themed "Together We Rise" featuring prominent Asian personalities from the sports world. We are also launching a PSA with an NBA star, honoring Eid-al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, offering a bystander intervention training led by AAJC, and – because the celebration wouldn't be complete without food – hosting a sushi making class for our members."
Learn more about the NBA here.
Creating courageous conversations – Commvault
"This May, we are celebrating all our Asian/Pacific Islander employees, not just Asian Americans. We will spend the month learning about and celebrating the diverse cultures of Asia through weekly events and activities led by our Multi-Culture ERG. Vaulters and external guests will teach us the history of practices such as yoga, origami, and Asian cuisines. We will also discuss topics like the rise of hate crimes against Asian people and the recent spike in COVID-19 in India. These activities and courageous conversations will engage our workforce and create support for our Asian and Pacific Islander communities around the world."
Learn more about Commvault here.
Honoring history through virtual events – Collins Aerospace
"Collins Aerospace supports our AAPI colleagues not only in May, but all year. Our parent company Raytheon Technologies hosted a virtual Town Hall last month to provide a safe space for open dialogue about recent events targeting Asian Americans in the U.S. In addition to this entity-wide event, our Asia Pacific ERG at Collins is hosting events that educate and honor the importance of Asian Pacific American history such as virtual Lunch & Tours spotlighting South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and India; and Thoughts & Support sessions. Site-specific events include virtual cooking class, and viewing PBS docuseries Asian Americans."
Learn more about Collins Aerospace here.
Highlighting new perspectives – MongoDB
"MongoDB will share daily historical facts, highlights of Asian American pioneers, and perspectives from our AAPI employees in a dedicated Slack channel. We will also be providing access to an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month webinar, organizing a trivia night, and holding Processing Together sessions for our internal AAPI community due to recent hate crimes happening across the globe. These sessions are a safe space for employees to share their stories and sentiments of what it is like as an Asian American in America today. (Read MongoDB employee Monica Lu's story about being an Asian American woman in tech here.)"
Learn more about MongoDB here.
Spotlighting diverse communities – Bumble
"At Bumble, moments like heritage month celebrations are often our anchor to ensure we are spotlighting diverse communities. In alignment with AAPI Heritage Month in May, Bumble is rolling out a series of thoughtful programming to encourage internal education and around how to support the Stop Asian Hate movement and better serve the Asian community globally. The lineup of initiatives include:
- BuzzWord DEI Discussion Series with featured guest speakers: This conversation will focus on the Asian community within the context of larger cultural issues such as dating app experiences, fetishization, masculinity, and representation.
- Bumble will be inviting employees to join a virtual Vietnamese coffee-making class. Created in partnership with Phin Bar, an urban brew-bar that offers Vietnamese-style steeped coffee combined with house-made ingredients, Bumble hopes to facilitate a deeper cultural learning and community bonding experience for the team.
- Bumble will also be activating channels across social media and our product to educate our community about bystander intervention and raise awareness around the importance of supporting the Stop Asian Hate movement."
Engaging in daring conversations – Procore
"In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in May, Procore recently organized an internal event to recognize and support the AAPI community. The event was hosted as part of our ongoing internal speaker series, 'Daring Conversations & Allyship,' to create space for an open dialogue around diversity, inclusion, and belonging. All employees were invited to tune in as employees from our AAPI communities shared their unique experiences, addressed anti-Asian hate, and discussed actionable ways to support our AAPI community."
Learn more about Procore here.
Taking action to foster change – SeatGeek
"This month the POC ERG will be meeting and hosting different activities to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This includes creating a safe space to discuss current events, and what actions our communities can take to foster change, sending out a newsletter which will highlight the Asian community in every aspect, and lastly, we will be hosting a guest speaker.
We hope with these planned activities and meetings, we can highlight, and uplift the Asian/Pacific American community, as well as bring awareness to the horrible ongoing attacks they are facing."
Learn more about SeatGeek here.
Uplifting and inspiring the community – Okta
"Okta's People of Color (POC@Okta) ERG is planning to commemorate AAPI Month with a series of fireside chats and iconographical facts posted internally in the #poc and #all diversity Slack channels! These chats will feature Dion Lim of ABC7 News and Comedian/Actor, Ronny Chieng. We will conclude the series with a partnership with Pride@Okta featuring supermodel, TED speaker, and transgender advocate Geena Rocero. The goal of this series is to educate, uplift, support, and inspire! The Okta leadership supports its AAPI employees, customers, and community."
Learn more about Okta here.
Empowering cultural diversity and leadership – Quip
"Salesforce will be celebrating through multiple virtual events, such as a leadership panel on the power of cultural diversity, a tea tasting, a tai chi class, a haka workshop, and more! Members of the Quip team have also compiled an extensive list of resources to support AAPI communities, including ways to donate, take action, and learn more."
Learn more about Quip here.
Focusing on lived experiences – Mindbody
"The Mindbody United ERG focuses on a different heritage or history each month, with May devoted to Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This ERG seeks to provide a platform to both celebrate and learn together. This will manifest in two ways: As a newsletter and a Zoom meeting. The newsletter will feature contributions directly from team members, while the meeting will feature Assembly member Evan Low as our speaker. It is our goal to focus on the lived experiences of the AAPI community, address discrimination, and how to chase after the part of the world we can make better."
Learn more about Mindbody here.
Promoting harmony and unity – T. Rowe Price
"T. Rowe Price is aware and appalled at the recent spike in hate crimes against the Asian community. In response, the firm will center Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month efforts around harmony and unity, in alignment with the Hawaiian value, Lōkahi – Forward as One. To share best practices, successes and areas of opportunities, T. Rowe Price will co-host a Leadership Panel on Asian Leadership Challenges with Baltimore Asian Connect, a consortium of Asian business resource group leaders at local corporations. The firm will also host a book club and restorative listening circles for Asian American associates and their allies."
Learn more about T. Rowe Price here.
Celebrating Asians globally
"May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month. Although traditionally a US celebration, at Autodesk we are celebrating Asians globally. The Autodesk Asian Network is hosting Innovative Leaders, including Lori Mukoyama and Jonathan Zee. Lori Mukoyama is redefining experience-driven design globally at Gensler. Jonathan Zee has an extensive portfolio of buildings that are helping to shape cities around the world at Goettsch Partners. Lori and her husband Jonathan combine design, architecture and engineering in their work while simultaneously manage a family together during this pandemic. This event is hosted by AAN, as part of a monthlong series of APA Heritage Month events."
Learn more about AutoDesk here.
