Books About Women Who Work It

Gifty is a PhD candidate at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying the neuroscience behind depression and addiction. Her interest in this field comes from her brother, a gifted high school athlete who died of an overdose after an injury left him hooked on OxyContin. But the more she researches the science behind this suffering, the more she finds herself turning to religion and struggling to find her place between facts and faith.

Amanda Gallo has just landed her dream job as the anchor of FAIR news. The job comes with fame and fortune and the opportunity to make a difference. But she finds her journalistic ideals are cast to the side as she tries to keep up in a ratings-crazed madhouse. As the news cycle continues to heat up, Amanda will have to decide what she is willing to sacrifice to get ahead.

Jess is the sole provider for her stepson and daughter after her husband skips town. While she works tirelessly cleaning expensive beachfront homes, she can barely afford the upkeep on her own, let alone the pricey private school where her daughter has recently been accepted. When Jess finds out about an alternative scholarship opportunity, she takes the family on a wild journey—and accidentally brings the owner of one of the homes she cleans along for the ride.

An interpreter has come to The Hague to escape New York and work at the International Court. A woman of many languages and identities, she is caught between many truths both in her personal intimacies and in her work at the Court. Soon she is pushed to the precipice, where betrayal and heartbreak threaten to overwhelm her, forcing her to decide what she wants from her life.

In the heart of the Cold War, Marie Mitchell is working as an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club. So when she is given the chance to work with a task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the Communist president of Burkina Faso, she jumps at the chance. Inspired by true events, American Spy knits together a gripping spy thriller, a heartbreaking family drama, and a passionate romance.

1970s, Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who loves to daydream about stories of passion and danger, rather than live them in real life. But when her neighbor, Leonora, goes missing, Maite searches for the missing woman, finding herself embroiled in the life of student radicals and dissidents. And it seems Maite is not the only one looking for Leonora… Velvet Was the Night is an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.

Sophie Straw knows she’s meant to be a famous actress, so she leaves her small English town before she can be crowned its beauty queen and moves to London to pursue a career on the small screen. At first, she’s stuck working as a cosmetics girl in a department store, but she eventually makes it into a pilot of a new BBC show. Luckily for her, the show gets picked up, and Sophie becomes the lead in an I Love Lucy-esque sitcom, with a dynamic cast and crew that turn her into the ultimate funny girl.

Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. It is a searing story for our times.

Tina Fontana is an executive assistant to the CEO of a multinational media conglomerate. She is excellent at her job, but as the bills continue to pile up, the glamour of working for a media company is starting to fade. Tina has always played by the rules, but when a technical error with her boss’s expense report gives her an opportunity to pay off the balance of her student loans (an amount that would never be noticed by her mega-millionaire boss), she takes it. Soon other assistants are looking to Tina for ways to stick it to the men who continue to rule the world.

Career obsessed Andrea Tang is about to become the lone unmarried member of her family, which is no problem for Andrea, but her family isn’t giving up on her without a fight. They introduce her to Eric Deng, a wealthy entrepreneur who lives an exciting life. Andrea decides to give Mr. Right-for-her-family a chance. But she also finds herself drawn to her coworker, a man her family would never approve of. In the endless tug-of-war between pleasing others and pleasing herself, is there room for everyone to win?

This one features two women—Mel Vaught and Sharon Kisses—who work together in the male-dominated world of animation. They first meet in college and continue collaborating for a decade until they finally get their first feature film. Delving into the characters both personally and professionally, this novel features the story of two completely different women working together toward the same goal.

Serena Singh is smart, confident, and just landed her dream job at a top advertising firm. She is also tired of everyone telling her what she should want—and she is ready to prove to her mother, her sister, and the aunties in her community that a woman does not need domestic bliss to have a happy life.