Review:
All women are familiar with it. That low-key, “Hey, probably stay away from that guy” remark you hear from another woman. Because we’ve all been there, and we appreciate the heads up.
The Whisper Network focuses in on the experiences of three women who work at the same law firm. The man who is in line to be their new CEO is one of those guys that women talk about in hushed terms – but no one wants to be the one to speak up, get harassed by people who say they’re doing it for attention, and ruin their own careers. And when these women do decide to say something… they never imagined it ending up like it did.
This is one of those books where I finished reading it, and immediately grabbed my phone to text two friends to say “THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD YOU NEED TO READ IT.” I was hooked from the prologue, and devoured the book to the end. This is a highly recommended read.
Favorite Passage:
“So when we said that we would prefer not to have to be asked to smile on top of working, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs. When we said that we would like not to hear a comment about the length of our skirt, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs, please. When we said that we would like not to have someone try to touch us in our office, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs. Please.”
— Chapter Thirty
What I Loved Most:
The Whisper Network both whispers and shouts about the fine line women have to walk in the workplace. We need to be pleasant, but not overly nice so he doesn’t think we’re flirting, but we have to be warm enough not to be perceived as rude, but we want to make sure we’re not giving off the wrong signals… on an infinite repeat, day in and day out. It clearly addresses both the reasons why some women don’t say anything when they are harassed/assaulted/raped, and the reasons why some women do.
Read this book if you like:
Feminism, low-grade mysteries, #MeToo, Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna
Book Details:
- Author: Chandler Baker
- Publisher: Flatiron Books
- Date of Publication: July 2, 2019
- Age Recommendation: Adult
- Check out The Whisper Network on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!
The Lamp Post 