Book 55: I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

I Shouldn't  Be Telling You This, by Kate White. Paperback.

Kate White is the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, and the author of  a number of novels. This is her fourth foray into the areas of self-help and business advice.Although pitched to women, most of the "51 gutsy secrets every woman should know" apply to men, as well. Perhpas the ones that relate to fashion and hair may be specifically for the ladies, but that type of advice were in the minority.

Some of the advice was basic and not earth-shattering, such as "go big or go home." But the strength of the book is White bringing her own experience to the book, telling us how she has worked her way through the magazine industry, landing the top job at a top magazine.

The tips on resumes and interviews were especially strong, and most of her "18 people principles" seemed applicable to me. In this category, I liked not dragging the boss into every inter-office squabble, and that even in the sanest workplaces, you can come face to face with a psycho.

The book is a quick read, organized into short chapters, ranging from 2 to 10 pages.This makes it esy to pick up and skim at any time, and the advice is given in reasonable-size bits. I mentioned in a review of another self-help / management book, that that author tended to indulge in "humble brags." White does that as well, and I am beginning to understand this as a trope of this type of book. If the point of the book is that this advice is her story of business success, she does need to regularly mention her business successes. Fair enough.

Source: received free from the the publisher, in preparation for an interview the author on the Book Guys show.