A really good expose on the phenomenon of the glass cliff that impacts women and other minoritised groups in the world of work.

Some very insightful stats and I really liked the inclusion of case studies at the beginning of each chapter.

There is hope, but we need to understand what we’re up against so we can guard against becoming a victim.

I am slightly blown away by this book. And angry. And determined. This book really focuses on a phenomenon that I had never known had a title, that I probably hadn’t paid much attention to and that I am now so annoyed I didn’t pay attention to it. So as cross as it’s made me, I’m also really thankful for that it’s made me aware.

This book is well written, accessible and provides clear explanations of the Glass Cliff and what it means for women.

The arguments are well made and evidence based. The author clearly researched this topic hard and this is a well thought out and intellectual account of the phenomenon.

I liked that the author tried to counteract what could be a really depressing topic by providing ideas about how we can counteract the phenomenon. How we can try to fight the tide and claim back some power.

I think this is an important read that everyone should read and I’d love to see more people talking about the Glass Cliff in the future

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review

'The Glass Cliff' is a smart, cut-throat demonstration of what it is actually like to let women lead. Often times, we hear how theoretically, women would probably not lead countries to so many wars, or how they would have much more down-to-earths decisions applied for the people. Other times, we hear how they would be too emotional to handle important topics. And what Sophie Williams does here, is these popular beliefs by showing how capable women are, thanks to numbers, portraits, statistics -and it feels so freaking good!

The book reads very much like a Michelle Obama speech, but with the passion of activism and the cleverness of someone who understands intersectional issues in structures of power.
This essay is a deep dive into how, women are either disregarded for important jobs, or blatantly set up to fail by companies who hope they will be able to blame everything wrong on a woman. 'The Glass Cliff' is an eye-opening read, putting words on a phenomenon that could, if not spoken about, lead several women to think they are underqualified in many circumstances. There is a part in the book where Sophie Williams describes how feminine ideas are perpetually undermined, and I thought it really packed a punch and was very empowering.

Then, the text tackles a public matter, with the sharp eye of a strong feminist who experienced what she teaches, and it is quite exciting. My only regret is that is did not tackle as much the lower levels in companies (jobs that are not at the top of the pyramid), whereas it is often in these layers that extremely toxic manipulations are demonstrated towards female employees. But I get that the subject was more about leading positions, and it inspired me very much anyways!