Book Review: SHE WINS, YOU WIN By Gail Evans Reviewed by Kimberly Applegate, M.D., M.S. AAWR Past President

As we pursue diverse goals in our professional careers, there are a number of critical things to consider. One is to anticipate the inevitable and rapid changes in medicine. Another is to understand “the game” of medicine and its organizational culture. Let me tell you about a book I recently found on the Amazon.com web site and read. (I ought to own stock in Amazon, a ‘dangerous’ web site for me).

This book by Gail Evans is titled “She Wins, You Win: The Most Important Rule Every Businesswoman Needs to Know.” Gail Evans is a journalist and was the first female executive vice-president of CNN. She became a best-selling author with her first book, “Play Like a Man Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success That Women Need to Learn.” This new book empowers women to succeed in the business world by telling them that it isn’t enough to understand the men’s rules of business. The author firmly states that women must create their own. Most importantly, she emphasizes a single important rule: “Every time a woman succeeds in business, every other woman’s chance of succeeding in business increases. Every time a woman fails in business, every other woman’s chance of failure increases.” She writes that her first book was one that men wanted women to read, because it helped women understand male behavior at the office, and made men’s jobs easier. This new book is one that men won’t want women to read, she says “men know if women ever stop playing as isolated individuals and start playing as a team, all the rules are going to change. The men also know that when that happens, it’s going to be a whole new ballgame.”

This book is certainly generalizeable to medicine or any career that is based on an organizational structure created by men. Gail Evans offers a way to diminish discord and competition while acknowledging differences amongst women in any profession. The AAWR creates a wonderful network and resource for all women in radiology and radiation oncology to come together and share their stories and their approach to making informed and successful career decisions. There is no better group of women in my mind than those members of the American Association for Women Radiologists. Be well, be proactive, and stay in touch.