2 Must-Read Book Recommendations for Female Leaders
These aren’t your traditional business book recommendations for women. Beyond the sometimes bland business books, these are captivating biographies about two of history’s most powerful professional women.
I’m not usually one to single out business books for a specific gender, but these 2 book recommendations are a fascinating read for working women.
While I appreciate their popularity and have enjoyed them myself, this blog parks the popular book business recommendations for women like Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and Dare to Lead by Brené Brown. Instead, I’m sharing biographies that tell the tale of two different women’s rise to become the most powerful professionals of their dramatically different eras.
1. Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell
Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell chronicles the life and career of iconic Anna Wintour, and her extraordinary rise to become one of the most powerful people in media. From American Vogue Editor-in-Chief to eventually dominating the Condé Naste media empire. If you’re not familiar with Anna Wintour, perhaps you’ve seen the movie The Devil Wears Prada. While the author, a former Vogue staffer, denies it, the book, which the movie was adapted from, was likely inspired by Wintour.
As American Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Wintour was already one of the most culturally influential people in the world. Her ambition could have understandably ended there. However, she went on to become Artistic Director and Global Content Director of the parent company, Condé Naste and Global Editorial Director of Vogue. Wintour’s contribution to the bigger picture, her industry and adjacent industries at large ensured her vision and talent touched nearly every aspect of culture worldwide.
If you love a behind-the-scenes look at fashion and culture, while learning the secrets of one of the most powerful and confident female leaders in the world, this book is for you. A working mum, Wintour’s story is a captivating tale about how one woman started a family, faced family turmoil and still rose to the top of her field.
2.The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J Mazzeo
In The Widow Clicquot by Tilar J Mazzeo, discover the sparkling story of how the woman behind Veuve Clicquot created one of the most successful Champagne houses and became one of the richest women of her era.
Whether you’re a business owner, history buff or consider yourself a champagne connoisseur, the book is a must-read. It offers a brilliant insight into the life of an entrepreneur whose brand, centuries on, has stood the test of time.
The book is an enthralling way for working women to learn the secrets of successful women in business, while delighting in the dazzling backdrop of French champagne history. Set in the early 19th century, the biography details Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin’s rise to fame and fortune. A tale of triumph after turmoil.
The Napoleonic Code denied women civil and political rights, which prohibited them from working, voting, earning money or receiving education without the consent of their husband and father. The only exception in French society at the time was widows.
Widowed suddenly as a young mother in her twenties, Madame Clicquot turned her late husband’s fledgling wine business into one of the world’s most distinguished Champagne houses.
Dubbed the Queen of Champagne, she battled the tumultuous French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars to rise to fame and fortune. In a remarkable testament to her talent, instincts and resilience, the bold business leader would, by her 40s, be one of the richest women of her era. It shows how she built a brand, relationships, a thriving business and experimented to create the foundation of champagne as we know it today.
So, think outside the traditional business books for females, and learn the nuanced leadership lessons in the biographies of these two iconic women in business.
