In The Myth of Making It, Samhita Mukhopadhyay dismantles the glamorized notion of success and hustle culture with insight, wit, and hard-won honesty. Drawing from her own experiences and sharp analysis, Mukhopadhyay questions the sacrifice of personal well-being for career ambitions and redefines what fulfillment and success could look like in a liberated workplace. This book is a refreshing call to reimagine work beyond the "girlboss" myth and toward a future where purpose, fairness, and community are central. Perfect for anyone questioning if the grind is truly worth it—Mukhopadhyay shows us a path forward.

Good, but not groundbreaking. If you are already in feminist spaces, then this is probably not new information for you. It was interesting to hear the author’s experiences and how it shaped her views on the workplace and feminism.

Synopsis: Former Teen Vogue Executive Editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay challenges the idea of “hustle culture” — and explains the history of the phrase — and questions what it really means to “have it all.” She also discusses her personal experiences with professional successes and failures, and what she’s learned along the way. “The Myth of Making It” also includes a lot of information about the effect of the pandemic on working women as well as current events and trends such as trad wives.

What I liked: Mukhopadhyay weaves in personal experiences with expert statistics and history, which breaks up the book from making it feel like a college textbook. This is the type of book that can be read annually as a refresher — and motivation.

What I disliked: Nothing to note!

This book is for you if… you are a working woman or manage a working woman; experience comparison in the workplace and burnout; struggle with mental health and self-care; are interested in the history and statistics of women in the workplace.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of #TheMythOfMakingIt.

A well researched book and memoir that deconstructs the mythology of success as a woman and as an Asian American. She dives into the research that make claims that having diversity representation in an organization will automatically engender benefits to the bottom line -- a myth that ignores the importance of inclusion and belonging. Robin Ely and David A. Thomas dug into this myth and I was glad to see data to show that there won't benefits without a shift in the cultures and actively fighting bias and discrimination (overt and covert) in the workplace. She also dissects the "Lean in" phenomenon -- which is one of my big pet peeves about the myth of women making it. The lean in movement places all of the work on the individual woman without addressing the underlying systemic and structural barriers to being "seen" and promoted at work. The key question here (attributable too to Audre Lorde) is do we work within the existing system or do we need to destroy the system. She touches on identity politics (I did not know that The Combahee River Collective (Barbara Smith and others) had first used this terms in 1977 in their historic statement. She also addresses the issues of the myth of a model minority (candidly revealing her own struggles in school). She talks about being the "first" - Kamala Harris running for President and then becoming Vice-President -- a prescient topic given what is going on right now with the state of politics in the U.S. She also covers microaggressions, gas-lighting, and the concept of a "glass cliff" -- whereby women and BIPOC individuals get promoted into leadership when organizations are in crisis to clean up the mess -- and the metaphor is that once they are pushed to the top, they can be easily pushed off or fall off the edge of the cliff if the "clean up" of the messes don't pan out. The author writes with incredible candor on her own experiences (including her successes and doubts) and the impact "making it" or "having it all" can have on one's mental, emotional and physical health.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much for an opportunity to receive an electronic ARC of this book! I appreciate it so much 💛🥹

In The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning, the author calls from her personal experiences climbing the corporate ladder and shares an overview of the corporate American work experience that women and more specifically women of color face. She dives into the history of workplace feminist movements by pulling from articles and books and proves that her experiences are not singular and that women have been facing some issues for quite some time now. She additionally talks about the origins of the famous phrases we've all heard, "having it all," "leaning in," and "girlboss.""

Here's my review ~

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I really needed to read this! This is for the corporate baddies!!! ✨️💻

I felt so validated while reading this and saddened that so many of us face similar issues when we're trying to make it in corporate America. This was an educational read for me, and I loved it! I highly recommend for any folks, especially women of color, who want to make an impact as an amazing leader in corporate America.

After finishing this book, I feel inspired to rethink what I am striving to do with my life and to be a compassionate leader to help cultivate healthier workplace environments.

Samhita shares the ups and downs she encountered as a leader and is very vulnerable when sharing her feelings during the dips. I'm so thankful Samhita chose to share her story and hope folks who pick up this book feel inspired to make a change! Together, we can change the world for the better 🫶🏽💛

The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning by Samhita Mukhopadhyay, wrestles with the idea of systemic change in the workplace. Is representation enough to change how the machine treats the cogs? Mukhopadhyay is vulnerable in sharing her stumbles and reflections as a manager despite having what we have seen as a successful career as executive editor at Feministing & Teen Vogue. Through this meditation on the never-ending grind for success, Mukhopadhyay interrupts generations of white women who have defined not just women in the workplace, but feminism itself. There aren’t a lot of answers, but you will find solace that you aren’t the only one fucking tired.