This book is a really concise primer for anyone who is interested in social justice and wants to dip their toes in. While I would love for it to be the kind of book that would change who my boomer relatives are as people, this is not that. I think there are certain things about it that do bode well for convincing people or making people see things in a different light, such as grounding everything in research and scholarly discourse, but generally speaking, I would say this book is for people who at least know that things in our society are messed up and very unfair for many different groups of people. It provides really nice explanations and spaces for reflection on the topics of what power is and where people and communities derive power from, intersectionality, privilege, and different communities that are impacted by power discrepancies, such as the disabled community, people who are women, trans, or non-binary, and people of color. I think it would be a great book for a young person in high school or college to get them started on their journey to start making positive changes in our world!

This book is evidence of the ways in which power can be evaluated and discussed at an entry-level perspective. As my own understanding of power and its theories have been with me through my undergraduate and post-graduate studies, there wasn’t a great wealth of information that I was unaware of; however, as a starting point Do The Work I see as occupying a required position within educational institutions, workplaces, and judicial spaces. The interrogative style and reflective spaces in this book would greatly add to individual discourses exploring power particularly racial inequality. As the focus is primarily on race with sections discussing queerness and gender, I think this could have benefitted from being substantially longer - perhaps leaning into the social studies more heavily and breaking up the book by marginalised positions more heavily and tackling the worldwide perspectives (as a British person certain aspects of privilege were not relevant in the self-reflection activities) and open up the ways power also impacts those with disabilities and tackle gender and members of the LGBTQ+ in greater depth.

For anyone in the advocacy space, the question of power, challenging power, using power, understanding power is a daily experience and I loved how this book is formatted both for personal and group reflection. It's an important resource and one that I hope most readers who get their hands on, could learn a thing or two.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This book was really well constructed, and I particularly enjoyed how is was structured for both self-exploration and group discussion. I hadn’t realized that I primarily viewed power as a negative concept, and this was such a helpful tool to reframe that belief and learn tools to use my power to help uplift others.

This book is a good introduction to a better understanding of power - what it means, who holds it, who is prevented from having it, and how you can empower others. It begins with defining power and then contextualizes it with real-world events, both from American history and more recent examples. There are certain concepts presented that aren't easy to understand right away, especially if you are unfamiliar with the specific style of academic writing, which takes some extra effort and reading of the referenced text in its entirety to completely grasp.

The book is accompanied by questions at the end of each section that were helpful in being introspective and thinking through the information presented and what I thought about it. The text by itself would have provided plenty to think about, but it's with encouraging reflection with specific questions that this guide really works and why I would recommend it to anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of power in the modern world and in communities.

"Do The Work" is a straightforward guide to understanding power and creating change. Pillow empowers readers to take action and make a difference with clear insights and practical advice. It's an inspiring read for anyone ready to tackle social issues and create positive impact in their communities.

I would first like to thank the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

I will fully admit to not reading the description of the book when I first requested it from NetGalley. The subtitle is what really drew me in and I was surprised when the power I thought I was going to read about was not the power that was being discussed. This short in length read was extremely fascinating and eye opening to looking at power in a different light when it comes to marginalized populations. I especially liked the reflection questions that followed each section which allowed me to think about the text in relation to myself and my own experiences. This was definitely a good exposure piece into this topic and it has opened the door for me to learn more.

A challenging yet neccessary booklet about Power and Intersectionality. Due to me majoring in these topics at University there wasn't much new to learn for me; however I can see this being a useful and accessible book for high schoolers and newbies.

A clear, accessible, and beautifully illustrated guide that explores and reflects on power and who has it and doesn't have it (and how to tap into and reclaim power).

It is a quick and informative read with suggestions for additional reading and space to jot down your reflections on the complex questions posed throughout.

I've read Roxane Gay before and love her essays so reading this was great and I loved that I was introduced into Megan Pillow too. The two of them work together to write an amazing book

"Do the Work" deals with the complexities of power and relationships, and how these shape our lives and the world we live in. It is a great guide for understanding how to empower the people around us by understanding who holds power and how it works. I will use this as a resource to return to again and again. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #DoTheWork