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Isabel Kaplan

Not Safe For Work

Not Safe For Work

Author of the viral essay 'My boyfriend, a writer, broke up with me because I am a writer'

Summary

You are young, ambitious, college-educated and a feminist. Your new job is in television.

To climb the ranks, you do whatever it takes:
- Pull all-nighters
- Lean on your powerful mother's contacts
- Stay in shape at cult-like fitness classes
- Secretly wear your boss's fitbit to improve his stepcount - and his temper

You know the rules of this world. When someone senior tells you how pretty you look, you smile and thank him - and make a mental note never to wear that dress alone with him again.

When whispers start to circle that your office might have 'a bit of a rape problem,' and your close friend confesses her own unsettling encounter, you know there is plenty to gain from staying silent, and all too much to lose through speaking out.

And of course, you know your own boss is one of the good guys . . . don't you?

With blisteringly sharp prose and a darkly humorous voice, Not Safe For Work is an unflinching exploration of the grey area between empowerment and complicity, and a searing, unforgettable portrait of what success costs in a patriarchal world.