Double Bind: Women on Ambition

In this illuminating collection of essays, editor Romm (The Mercy Papers) brings together the voices of successful professional women, including writers, actors, CEOs, and even a dogsled racer to discuss what it means to be an ambitious woman. Novelist Claire Vaye Watkins touchingly relates a bittersweet return to her hometown of Pahrump, Nev., where she encounters a younger version of herself, “a chronic overachiever... seventeen-year-old college senior... stalking a Fulbright,” in other words a small fish desperate for a bigger pond. Cultural critic Roxane Gay writes about the “whispers of affirmative action” that have followed her through her many achievements. Playwright Sarah Ruhl pens a pair of eloquent and heartfelt epistles, one to her mother and one to her daughters, that explore the difference between having “ambition” and having “a mission.” There are some fairly provocative arguments as well. One woman insists on a biological determinism that makes women nurturers, claiming that feminism’s striving toward political equality is misguided. Another declares that ambition is fundamentally “patriarchal.” A psychologist argues that a woman’s emotions, far from being a detriment in the workplace, actually provide a “vital feedback system that the corporate world needs.” While not an advice book in the traditional form, the experiences recounted and lessons learned seep as if by osmosis, and Romm’s thoughtful aggregation has provided a diversity of voices, including many women of color, first-generation immigrants, and women pursuing careers in male-dominated fields. (Apr.)