The Writing on the Wall: Remarkable story of a woman breaking through the glass ceiling in a male dominated 60s and 70s.
An astounding true story of a young woman driven deeply by her desire to escape chauvinism blazes a whirlwind path full of mystical encounters and unexpected adventures. From love to lawsuits, her business and personal life intertwine, bringing her to untold heights and successAn astounding true story of a young woman driven by her desire to escape chauvinism blazes a whirlwind path full of mystical encounters and unexpected adventures. From love to lawsuits, her business and personal life intertwine, bringing her to untold heights. Uncanny predictions at a chance encounter with a Fulbright Scholar from India follow her throughout her life, as if written on the wall and fated to happen.
After a life-changing semester in Italy and college graduation, she succeeds in breaking through a glass ceiling of seventy men to become the first woman art director at a major New York City advertising agency. Chauvinism fuels a desire for change, which spawns a year of travel adventures. Whether skiing the powdery snow in Aspen, or waking up on a beach in Mexico to men with machine guns, each adventure brought challenges and insights to add to an ever-broadening awareness. Back in Manhattan, mind-expanding events continue. A lucky break merges with swirling thoughts to ignite a new business. Running a successful start-up attracts ADWEEK Magazine of New York. She's placed first on their list of "The Dynamic Dozen." It should have been smooth sailing, but sharks were circling. A court battle followed.
Marriage to an extroverted older man in her early thirties adds children to a busy business life. She didn't anticipate the added challenges of a child with a learning disability.
Entertaining and inspirational stories are told from pivotal times in history. Readers gain skills about life and business from women triumphing over limitations. The narrative will make you laugh at humanity, provoke anger at infuriating situations and leave you inspired to reach goals. Stimulating questions are raised, generating a deeper introspection.
Guaranteed to entertain and may help you avoid potholes. Listed by Kirkus 2023 in "36 Great Indie Books Worth Discovering." Readers' Favorite writes: "Knocking it out of the park!" and "Very highly recommended."
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READERS' FAVORITE writes, " It's no wonder she was able to fill a whole book with her stories, which we're fortunate to have her share. Despite an avalanche of issues that would hold most people back, Howard pushed forward with her work and her investment endeavors. Often, while reading this well-written, witty, and engrossing memoir, I read bits of advice out loud to my teenage daughter who enjoyed them as much as I did. And honestly, if you can get a teenage girl to smile you're still knocking it out of the park. Very highly recommended.
VINE READER writes, "I thought this was incredibly interesting and engaging. The insights shared here are valuable. If you are a woman looking to be inspired and want to break through your own glass ceiling (or whatever your limits may be), this is the book for you."
KIRKUS 2023 Pick for "36 Great Indie Books Work Discovering"
KIRKUS REVIEW
Howard tells her story of creating and managing a successful startup in Manhattan in this debut memoir.
The author grew up in Queens, New York, in the 1950s, at a time when she asserts, it was commonly expected that a woman would simply get married in order to pay the bills. However, she came from a long line of innovators and strong women, and Howard explains in confident, contemplative prose how, from an early age, she bucked societal convention. As an adult, she began her own business connecting freelance graphic artists to clients. The memoir focuses mostly on her family history in the beginning-perhaps a little too far back, as it describes her memory of being born. However, it does an able job of weaving together her personal life and business experiences to explain how she crafted a career with little mentorship. After receiving a degree in graphic arts at Syracuse University and working two years at Grey Advertising, during which she became their first female art director, Howard traveled cross-country with friends before settling back in New York as a freelance graphic artist in 1967. Out of this was born the idea for her agency, Creative Freelancers, which started as a small, classified advertisement in the New York Times and, she says, became the first such agency to go online in 1997. Over the course of the book, Howard offers plenty of advice on such topics as transferable skills and dealing with such setbacks as a business partner's leaving and joining the competition. These tips sometimes fade into the background against so much detail about the author's family life, but the work does effectively interrogate the difficulties she had in trying to "have it all" "Mixing motherhood with a career or entrepreneurship requires a very reliable support system along with a good business plan, skill training, adequate start-up customers or investment capital, focus on priorities-and luck."
An often engaging account of an eventful life, along with thoughtful meditations on being a female entrepreneur.
