7 books by powerful women you need to read

If you’re a woman considering getting into the tech field or trying to take your career to the next level, you might benefit from listening to the insights of the women who have done it before you.

Some of the books below are written by tech’s female titans, while others are the compiled stories of the many — offering both the singular, detailed personal tale and the breadth and flexibility of a collective experience. Both seek to inform other women (and men) about what it's like for women to begin a career in tech, what the ecosystem is like and why it's like that, and how every determined woman can navigate this landscape successfully — without sugarcoating anything.

Issues like salary negotiation, mentorship, entrepreneurship, and stigma, as well as many more concerns, are addressed and subsequently rounded out by personal experience and constructive advice. You’ll gain the insight you need into the field itself and its obstacles, but most importantly, you’ll hear from the women who have come before you on how you might chart your own course forward.

Check out 8 valuable books written by women in tech below:

"Women in Tech: Take Your Career to the Next Level with Practical Advice and Inspiring Stories" by Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack

Geared toward women who are considering getting into tech, or those already in a tech job who want to take their career to the next level, this book combines practical career advice and inspiring personal stories from successful female tech professionals Brianna Wu (founder, Giant Spacekat), Angie Chang (founder, Women 2.0), Keren Elazari (TED speaker and cybersecurity expert), Katie Cunningham (Python educator and developer), Miah Johnson (senior systems administrator), Kristin Toth Smith (tech executive and inventor), and Kamilah Taylor (mobile and social developer).

"Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology" by Vivek Wadhwa, Farai Chideya

From one of Time Magazine's "Forty Most Influential Minds in Technology" comes an essential collection of candid, first-hand accounts of women in technology.

"Dot Complicated: Untangling Our Wired Lives" by Randi Zuckerberg

Zuckerberg has been on the frontline of the social media movement since Facebook’s early days and her following six years as a marketing executive for the company. Her part memoir, part how-to manual addresses issues of privacy, online presence, networking, etiquette, and the future of social change.

"The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life" by Meg Whitman

Is it possible to run a multibillion-dollar corporation on the power of trust? Must you set aside your authentic self as you climb the corporate ladder? Is there another role for technology beyond saving costs and creating efficiencies? In "The Power of Many", Meg Whitman, former president and CEO of eBay, speaks to these questions and more, identifying ten core values that steered her—and can steer any leader—to success without ethical compromise.

"Female Innovators at Work: Women on Top of Tech" by Danielle Newnham

This book describes the experiences and successes of female innovators and entrepreneurs in the still largely male-dominated tech-world in twenty candid interviews. It highlights the varied life and career stories that lead these women to the top positions in the technology industry that they are in now.

"Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead" by Sheryl Sandberg

In 2010, [Sandberg] gave an electrifying TED talk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which has been viewed more than six million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.

"Lean In" continues that conversation, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.

There's also an edition made specifically for new graduates that deals with a first job, salary, and identity.

"Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing" by Jane Margolis, Allan Fisher

Social scientist Jane Margolis and computer scientist and educator Allan Fisher examine the many influences contributing to the gender gap in computing. The book is based on interviews with more than 100 computer science students of both sexes from Carnegie Mellon University, a major center of computer science research, over a period of four years, as well as classroom observations and conversations with hundreds of college and high school faculty.

The interviews capture the dynamic details of the female computing experience, from the family computer kept in a brother's bedroom to women's feelings of alienation in college computing classes.

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