Book Review: Dare To Be
More than just an anthology of high achieving women; the book tells the tale of 14 inspiring women who dared to give up their cushy well-paying jobs to follow their hearts. Written in a conversational style, it traces challenges faced by them while they set-out on their paths overcoming numerous hurdles on the way.
The book was heartening to read, written by authors Rinku Paul and Puja Sehgal, the refreshing stories of women entrepreneurs and creative professionals who listened to their inner voice and gave wings to their dreams.
Chosen from across the professional spectrum, some of the women featured in the book include Anisha Singh Founder of the Coupon Provider, Sairee Chahal founder of Sheroes.in, Kanika Tekriwal, Co-founder and CEO of Jet Set Go aviation services, Neeru Sharma , Co-founder of Infibeam.com, Pooja Warier , Co-founder UnLtd India –Launchpad for Social Entrepreneurs, Monica Bhide food and fiction writer, Malini Agarwal of Miss Malini fame, Neeti Palta, stand-up comedian and founder of Loony Goons , Sonam Kalra- Musician and Singer, Sucheta Pal, India’s first Zumba Master Trainer and others.
Book mentions that as per female entrepreneurship index 2015, India ranks a low of 70 amongst 77 countries; data brought out by the Washington-based Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute; measuring health of the entrepreneurship eco-systems.
The book endears itself to the readers with its inspirational approach, without becoming too sugary. It has a practical approach, down to earth appeal with just the right mix of information and inspiration that keeps it engaging. For women sitting on the entrepreneurial fence, the book is a must as it provides first-hand advice from the women who have gone through similar odyssey.
The book has short, easy to read chapters with gripping stories of 14 endearing women. The stories are engaging and readers will be motivated and inspired by their real life struggles.
If summarized in three points, the book is:
- Honest- author captures firsthand account of their lives
- Accessible - short chapters with clear writing
- Inspiring – motivational stories of the women of today
Written Interactions and analysis by the author throughout the book keeps it light and thoughtful. Specially, two sections of the book (not to be missed) - words of wisdom and snapshots. At the end of each chapter, author summarizes the wisdom obtained from the conversations with each personality and lays down interesting facets about their life in the form of snapshots.
Rinku Paul, author of the book cautions, “The book isn’t an irresponsible call to dump your corporate careers but it is an impassioned appeal to be true to oneself and let that guide one’s life and career path.” Paul goes on to add that her own career journey was in part responsible for the concept of the book. Having worked with the Media industry for over 16 years, her journey towards writing and turning into a life coach was fraught with the regular fears, she admits.
When asked to pick one line from the book that kind of summarizes its voice, she quotes Neeti Palta instantly, “Overall it is better to live with Oh Shit, rather than What If. And That I think summarizes both- the voice of entrepreneurship and the voice of this book.”
The book has many challenges that these women had to encounter from facing their own fears and insecurities, to the many naysayers who wrote them off for taking such untenable career decisions and of course the patriarchal set up in which all of them eventually made their mark. In short, the book is like a moral tale, full of life lessons that you enjoy reading and discussing.
Description of the book:
Publisher: Penguin
Published: August 2016
206 pages