Official Review: Hard-Wired To Lead by Carmela R Nanton

[Karissa Schilling]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hard-Wired To Lead" by Carmela R Nanton.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Why are women mistreated and downgraded in the workplace? How is society hardwired to devalue the role of women? Why does gender-based injustice exist? How can leadership be reconstructed? These are all questions examined in Hard-wired to Lead: ReConstruction for Women’s Leadership by Carmela R. Nanton, which is the third volume in her Hard-wired to Lead: Context, Culture and ReConstruction for Women’s Leadership series. In this non-fiction examination of women’s leadership, Nanton explores the underrepresentation of women, the injustices committed against them in the workforce and society, and what strategies can be used to break the cycle of leadership dominated by men. To quote Nanton, “We must disrupt contemporary leadership practice so we can achieve inclusive, bias-free higher-level leadership.”

The overall idea of Hard-wired to Lead is a wonderful analysis of women’s struggles in the workplace and society, such as the downgrading and denial of women’s leadership abilities. Nanton backs up her ideas with a multitude of references and has organized her book in an easy-to-follow format. The author is a distinctly passionate and well-educated writer with many ideas on the topic of leadership. I enjoyed reading her perspective and feel that the book contributes toward the education of society regarding gender-based injustices and the means to change them.

The author has a unique grammatical writing style that was consistent and did not change the quality of the content, though her wording sometimes had me rereading sentences to make sure I understood them. I found several sentences that were nonsensical because the author never completed her train of thought. Readers who are sticklers when it comes to proper grammar usage and wording, like me, may find this book somewhat tedious to read. Though some of the grammar is just a stylistic difference that I am not accustomed to reading, I found myself frustrated when I came across sentences that were incomplete, fragmented, or rambling. This and the large number of typographical errors I found throughout the book lessened my reading enjoyment.

Due to the aforementioned reasons, I am giving Hard-wired to Lead a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The book does not appear to have been professionally edited, which is disappointing to see in a book that is meant to be highly informative and thought-provoking. If this book had been professionally edited, which would have caught all the typos and incomplete sentences, this would have been a four-star review. My hope is that the author will have these issues fixed in the future, especially since her work is a necessary voice on the topic of women’s leadership.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy learning about social injustice, social change, and leadership strategies, as well as to students studying topics such as sociology or anthropology. It is also a good book for women aspiring to be leaders or who are already in roles of leadership. This book is about changing the status quo and reconstructing society’s contemporary view of leadership, which could lead to many thought-provoking conversations among students and colleagues.

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Hard-Wired To Lead
View: on Bookshelves

[angelap5467]

I think there should be more awareness and interest in this theme because this is everywhere and is affecting more or less every woman in some industry. I like the approach you took with this review and put some spotlight on this topic. Great job.

[Mercy Bolo]

The author dissects a pertinent issue that cuts across all cultures. It's a shame that the editing is lacking, watering down the book's message.

[Laksha Maria Charbel]

The contemporary view of leadership has been a debatable topic over the past century. Carmela R Nanton's courage to lend voice to the cause of reconstruction of this issue is amiable. I am looking forward to reading what she has proposed to reform this unsettling concern in her book. Congratulations on the review, it's very well put.

[Kanchan Sharma]

The review is captivating and very close to reality. I am surely planning to read the book.

[Victor Kilyungi]

Thank you for this informative review. We really need to get rid of our ignorance. I'm intrigued.