Next up on the developer book club is: A Uterus Is a Feature, Not a Bug by Sarah Lacy. Or to give it's full name "A Uterus Is a Feature, Not a Bug: The Working Woman's Guide to Overthrowing the Patriarchy".
First of all, the name of this book is awesome. Women who see it are like "yes! that's such an awesome book cover!" and men just look a wee bit awkward. However, the book is worth a read for both men and women, it tells of some of author's personal experiences being a tech journalist and discusses the issues with women in tech.
It starts with something young ambitious career women all want to hear, the first chapter is called: "Your Uterus Is Not a Ticking Time Bomb". The author kicks off which a bang, jumping straight it to discussing the patriarchy and institutionalised sexism and how it effects all women. This includes us in tech, even if silicon valley insists its a meritocracy.
Much of this book is motherhood specific and not something I can related to specifically however it is reassuring that she not only managed to successfully return to the industry after having a child but she started her own business. I found the discussions around how motherhood impacts career positively interesting, how she learned to multitask and prioritise effectively because she has to!
Some of her personal experiences of being treated awfully by competitors and large tech companies are shocking. We often hear of sexism in tech but she was actually personally targeted and professionally attacked due to her reporting on companies issues.
Some of the chapters have attention grabbing titles such as "You Don't Fuck with the Women of Iceland" which went on to discuss how the country is well ahead of many other countries in terms of gender equality.
Overall, I think this would be a good read for both men and women in tech and I think I would particularly recommend to friends in tech who have children or are worried about having a family and how it might impact their life.
The book does end on a positive note, that despite her experiences and the recent (at time of writing) US election she is optimistic about women's marches and how we are speaking up and telling our stories.