Your 2019 Summer Reading List

Whether you’ll be on the beach, poolside, sitting in parks on your lunch breaks, or on your patio at home, here are your must-read books while you soak up some sunshine this summer.

These are easy reads that will be worth-while, and staying true to the Empower Collective mission, will help you reach your goals, whatever those goals may be. So, grab your sunnies and a refreshing beverage and let’s dive in.

1. Brave Not Perfect by Reshama Saujani

If you haven’t seen her TED Talk, I recommend you drop everything and watch it now. Seriously though, as the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, Reshma is inspiring and honest, touching on themes that are sure to hit home. I was thrilled when this book launched just this spring and it did not disappoint.

Check it out here.

Love her talk, the topic, and the book? Check out our first discussion guide on this topic exactly (download here for free) and get your friends together to talk about how you can adopt these principles in your own lives.

2. Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis

This is a great book if you typically only have little chunks of time to read as it’s a curated collection of essays from a wide variety of women on what feminism means to them. It’s hilarious, engaging, brutally honest, and thought-provoking. The essays are short and easy to digest and you’re bound to find some that you want to send to your best friend immediately.
Check it out here.

3. Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but I kept seeing buzz about it online when it was released this spring and let me tell you, it exceeded my expectations. Rachel Hollis, a successful lifestyle blogger and entrepreneur, offers a series of lessons learned, sharing hurdles she’s faced as an ambitious woman, and how she’s overcome those barriers. The book is relatable and entertaining, with a great balance of real talk and humor.

Pro tip: This book is great on audiobook, so if you have any hikes, runs, road trips, or long flights planned for this summer, this is a great place to start.
Check it out here.

4. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

If you haven’t already read Lean In, this summer is the time to do so. Lean In is a New York Times Best Seller by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. She discusses her career, her family life, and gets honest about the challenges she has faced. It touches on topics that anyone in the business world (men and women) should be familiar with and is rooted in inspiring change.
Check it out here.

5. How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith

In this book, they break down 12 habits that hold women back. As you read this one, I encourage you to not only think about what’s holding you back but how we can influence the world around us so that those things don’t hold the generation of women behind us back.
Check it out here.