The Introduction: 

From a small town in Mississippi, Stacey Abrams was one of six children from a low-income household. Despite society's expectations, Abrams was determined to defy stereotypes and not let her circumstances define her life. With hard work and perseverance, Abrams has established herself as a successful figure in business, the nonprofit sector, and politics, despite being casted as an outsider. In her book, "Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change," Stacey Abrams recounts her journey as an outsider working towards success despite the odds against her. She shares her struggles as a Black woman from a humble background and offers advice to other outsiders who feel like success is not in their reach. 

Stacey Abrams's book inspires the underdogs, the unheard, and the outsiders to push past their fears and dare to achieve their dreams. I was interested in the book for its focus on a woman's experience in the male-dominated world of politics and how she navigated her way to the top. However, this book goes beyond being just an empowering story about a woman's journey to leadership, but rather a helpful guide for navigating the workforce and the leadership roles as someone who is perceived as an "other." This well-loved book inspired and emboldened me to work to overcome my doubts and silence that little negative voice inside.

The Review: 

I did not anticipate feeling as if I had a long-distance mentor who would actively help me navigate self-doubt and the complexities of the modern workplace. However, that is what Stacey Abrams accomplished in this book; she went beyond the typical leadership book styling by not only seeking to inspire her readers but also by offering advice using her personal experiences from her successes and, more importantly, her failures. She contributed more to the book than a well-written guide to success. Additionally, she provided a personal touch to the complex topic of minorities in leadership, making it more empathetic and understandable for readers who want to make a difference but feel that their identity is an obstacle to overcome in achieving their goals. This book not only inspired me but also made me reevaluate how I present myself to the world by giving me the permission to take up space and not let societal pressures keep me on the sidelines. By the end of her book, I gained leadership advice to use throughout my career and valuable life advice to live by. 

There are numerous essential life lessons to be learned from Abrams's book, from the fundamental qualities of an excellent leader to the deeper aspects of handling failure. Abrams goes about teaching these lessons by sharing personal and vulnerable stories from her life as well as stories from friends and family so a spectrum of identities and backgrounds are depicted to ensure that there is something for each reader to relate to. Something I loved about this book was that she did not shy away from complex topics that other authors would gloss over, such as race, income inequality, and sexism. Books of this nature tend to shy away from discussing these issues as they are not gratifying stories of accomplishments but rather stories of financial struggle, family problems, and missed opportunities. 

However, by sharing these hardships she gave a sense of vulnerability to the book that I found comforting. Her book exuded the feeling that life is messy and not everyone has the same privileges, but that does not mean you can not achieve success and be successful.   

There was a chapter in the book that I found most relatable, and I believe it's an essential lesson for all readers. The chapter is titled "Prepare to Win and Embrace the Fail." In this chapter, Abrams delves into the failures she faced throughout her career and life to show that failure is a part of life for everyone. At the beginning of the chapter, she shares a personal experience of a setback she encountered during her time in law school. She explains that she auditioned for a choir as she enjoyed singing and wanted to pursue something that allowed her to be creative. However, she admits to overestimating her abilities and not adequately preparing herself for the audition, which resulted in her facing the harsh reality of failure, which at the time she took as her being a failure as a person. As she explains, to achieve success, it’s essential to be prepared and not be discouraged by failure. This is the lesson that her story tries to convey. Success requires readiness, but if you come short of success, that failure is not “fatal” (Abrams, 2018, p.117). This lesson hit me the hardest as someone who relates to her in certain aspects of her identity and intersectionality. When you feel as if you represent a whole group or community of people, failure not only does not feel like an option, but rather failure feels more significant than you. 

In this chapter, she opened my eyes to how I mishandled my failures, my fears surrounding failure, and how that can come from my identities. She taught me the important lesson not to consider my failures as me being a failure. But she also taught me about the perspective of different minority communities by sharing their stories surrounding failure, and it made me view failing differently. 

In this book, Abrams not only shares stories to impart wisdom and promote growth but also her book contains various worksheets that help readers and provides guidance towards personal and professional growth. She goes beyond the stories and includes well-crafted worksheets at the end of each chapter. These worksheets are thoughtfully designed to help readers navigate their emotions, aspirations, and priorities. She credits lists and thoughtful exercises such as these to helping her as a student and even now in her various high leadership positions. Some of the worksheets consist of ambition lists, power mapping, guides to failure, and a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. The guided questions of these sections are meant to encourage readers to think about themselves and their lives differently, to push them towards self-growth. Although each worksheet has its unique purpose, the one I found most impactful was the "Try Again" section. This helps you perceive your success differently and pushes you to take chances. It was a good point of self-reflection and a much-needed push to work through self-doubt. 

Minority Leader breaks out of the box of traditional self-help leadership books that usually use a one-size-fits-all approach to advice and guidance. It is written for individuals who may feel excluded or marginalized due to their race, gender, religion, socio-economic status, or any other factor that makes them feel like an outsider. This book provides personalized recommendations to help them feel more empowered. The book is truly inspiring, and the combination of storytelling, worksheets, and valuable life advice makes it a worthwhile read. My only critique of the book is that I wish she almost strictly focused on personal growth, facing adversity, and failure rather than also including discussions of money, mentoring, and the work-life balance. Although she does address many topics in this book, Stacey Abrams's openness in sharing her struggles and experiences with adversity and everyday life struggle creates a sense of vulnerability that her readers can relate to. Unlike other leadership books, her openness promotes a sense of validity and familiarity for her readers that makes people feel understood and heard. This breaks from traditional leadership books, which are not typically written to address these sensitive topics. For this reason, I recommend this book if you have ever felt like an "other" or struggled with self-doubt, taking up space, and dealing with failure. This book is for you!

I would give this book: 4 out of 5 stars

Quotes from Minority Leader: How to lead from the Outside and Make Real Change 

“Because at twenty, I had fully internalized all the “-isms” that taught me to strive but not exceed my limits” p. XIII

“Circumstances could steal your house, your job, your car, but no one could take the contents of our minds” p. XVI

“I found that failure isn’t fatal” p. XIX

“Fear is real, insidious, and damaging. But it can be defeated if we are willing to name it, own it, and use it.” p. 32

“Sometimes, owning opportunity is not about progress - it’s about not losing your place” p. 70

“Too many of us, paradoxically, use the illusion of humbleness to keep ourselves down. The truth is that what we may think of as humility often disguises an embarrassment about ambition and lack of self-confidence.” p. 71

“When we practice boldness, the antithesis of meekness, the world adapts.” p. 136

“Effective leaders must be truth seekers, and that requires a willingness to understand truths other than our own.” p. 170

“I want to remind you to never be ashamed of reaching for more, wherever it resides” 

p. 201