The Ambition Decisions

Praise

An Elle Best Book to Read This Summer
A Washington Post Business Book That Won’t Put You to Sleep at the Beach
A HelloGiggles Book That Will Help You Embrace Your Inner #Girlboss at Work and in Life

“The goal of The Ambition Decisions is to ‘fill in [the] missing knowledge’ for women trying to navigate work and life options, in part because the choices for women ‘often look radically different from the way those very same decisions played out only a generation earlier.’ . . . If anyone is feeling adrift in midlife, this may be the most useful advice.”
—Wall Street Journal

“Those looking for some solidarity reading or ideas about how other professional women mesh work, family and the decisions related to them can find it here.”
—Washington Post

“There’s not much historical precedent for the continual societal change around women and work. So journalists Schank and Wallace interviewed their former classmates to find out how a generation of women are grappling with questions of ambition, work, and balance.”
—Elle

“Get inspired . . . Curious about where their college friends ended up, Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace, authors of The Ambition Decisions, called and asked. What they found: Ambitions fluctuate, so don’t throw in the towel if you haven’t realized all your dreams by 40.” 
—Redbook

“Insightful and clarifying in a way that traditional career-focused books for women rarely are.”
—Salon

“A big-picture read that explores the decisions women make over the arcs of their careers. Read it to know what to expect, or to feel heard.” 
—HelloGiggles

“The Ambition Decisions is willing to confront the possibility that perhaps the shape and sum of female ambition offers a better road map for all human beings, men as well as women. The lively and engaging stories that emerge from the authors’ interviews add up to a larger point. Why should we all not be able to choose lives that allow for ambition of different kinds at different times?”
—Anne-Marie Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Unfinished Business
 
“Every woman who feels paralyzed by her life decisions should read this honest, insightful, and surprising book that explores the challenges of ‘working while female’—and provides helpful advice on how to craft the life you want.”
—Jancee Dunn, author of How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids
 
“Schank and Wallace take readers on a heartfelt journey to discover whether and how it’s possible for women to meaningfully combine work and life without losing our sanity, our health, or our souls. The Ambition Decisions reassures us we’re not alone in our struggle, offers practical guideposts to forge our own paths, and reminds us that defining and redefining success and ambition on our own terms as we grow and change will light the way forward.”
—Brigid Schulte, New York Times bestselling author of Overwhelmed
 
“Hana and Elizabeth illuminate a truth I wish more ambitious women trying to juggle it all understood: You’re not alone and you’re not going crazy. You just live in a world that hasn’t evolved.”
—Tiffany Dufu, author of Drop the Ball

“A fascinating look at how ambition is not easily contained or defined. Schank and Wallace examine broad questions, such as the relationship between passion and work, alongside practical questions . . . Readers of all generations will learn from the authors’ road map through life’s transitions.”
—Booklist