Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

When Women Run the World Sh*t Gets Done: Celebrating the Power of Women Now by Shelly Rachanow is an unabashed and unashamed celebration of the 50 percent of humanity that has for so long been struggling in the shadow of the great worldwide patriarchy. The title so perfectly describes reality – women do indeed get sh*t done and usually more efficiently and more effectively than men. The author uses the stories of several women, some well-known such as Elizabeth Warren and Greta Thunberg, along with others such as the brave and strident trauma surgeon Dr. Stephanie Bonne, who had the courage to step outside her lane and take on the might of the powerful and patronizing NRA, or Nakita Ross, who along with a few of her firefighter colleagues planned a major trip across Antarctica to raise funds for mental health, who we may not have heard of before. Throughout the narrative, the author reminds us continuously that women are the most undervalued, underutilized, and under-resourced source of talent and strength in a world invariably ruled by middle-aged white males with their inherent sexism, misogyny, and not-so-subtle patronizing of the other half of the human race. This is not an exposition of male hatred or men-bashing, though, but rather a celebration of the power of women individually and collectively to change this world we live in. It is an inspirational call to action for half of humanity and a call to the other half to recognize and value their contribution, their perspective, and their ability to get sh*t done.

When Women Run the World Sh*t Gets Done is one of the most inspirational works I have read in a long time. As a male and a middle-aged white one at that, I am sharply reminded that I am a living, breathing participant in the world patriarchy and, therefore, part of the solution. This book is not just a rallying cry for women and girls everywhere; it is also a plea to men like me who, perhaps to date, have paid lip service only to the concepts of equality – believing in the ideal but supposedly powerless to change the world. As women have the power to change society, so also do men like me, and this amazing narrative reminds me of that. I particularly enjoyed the stories of these lesser-known women: their courage, convictions, and their abilities to rise above the restrictions placed on them by the patriarchal society they were born into. Not only will these tales inspire women and girls all over the world to reach beyond their limits and follow their dreams, they will also awaken men like me to the part we can play in celebrating the uniqueness and power of the feminine perspective in every aspect of our lives. This book really should be compulsory reading in our schools for both boys and girls. As the author points out, we must not only change our girls’ perspectives of their futures, but we must also change our boys’ attitudes to their sisters and women in general. A fantastic book that everybody needs to read.