ISBN: 9788129129048
Pages: 184
Price: INR 195

lady-youre-not-a-man-jpg_487819I’ll be honest and say it: I’m quite scared to touch Indian-authored books these days, especially the ones claiming to be self-help books. But Lady You’re Not A Man by Apurva Purohit had me surprised, pleasantly so. This is a self-help book aimed at the rising class of working women. With impeccable English, sarcasm, witticism sprinkled throughout, yet conveying the important messages, this book is definitely a win.

The book is divided in to three sections: Acceptance, Adapting, and Victory. Under each section, there are ten issues highlighted that define the theme. At the end of each section is a checklist or a reminder of things learnt. The Acceptance section, for me was defined by the insistence (correctly so) on the inherent difference between men and women that cannot be changed. The Adapting section deals with various issues that women will face in the beginning of their careers and must get accustomed to. It deals extensively with the issue of married working women. The “Suffering Sita” chapter was a definite win! The last section, Victory is about the way forward. It talks about how to advance one’s career, how to deal with success and how to attain happiness.

The book is crisp and short. Every chapter is to the point and doesn’t digress (at least not overbearingly so). That, coupled with the writing style makes the book a definite win. The jokes and sarcasm littered all through the book make the book seem lighthearted. The author’s tone is extremely comforting, making it a pleasant and fun read. A sense of friendship is formed between the reader and the author thanks to all the insights from the author’s life which adds a personal touch to the book. You feel sad when you reach the end of the book and have to say goodbye to the author, HD and Sid.

The best part of the book, I believe is the neutrality of it. It doesn’t attempt to be overtly feminist or male chauvinistic. It presents facts as they are and comes across as a very sensible and logical book, something this generation revels in. If there is a chapter that is too feminist, the next chapter nullifies it with a dose of male chauvinism. Of course, it does glorify women as it ought to, as we are the fairer (read as smarter) sex, but not in a way that can make the reader (male or female) cringe. And the beauty lies in the fact that everything the author says has a sound rational that appeals to the better side of your senses.

I would be hard-pressed to find fault with this book. At 184-pages, this book is power-packed though the size may not convey the same. It is definitely worth a go for all working women. The author claims that it is for all the men too, but I do not completely agree with that statement.

Rating: 8.5/10

More Details:

The author on the Web: Apurva Purohit
The book on Facebook: Lady, You’re Not A Man
The book on the Web: Lady, You’re Not A Man

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