WIC/WIM/PMG Literature

I’ve been a woman in medicine for more than a decade now, and my time in cardiology specifically has taught me a lot about the gender inequity that still exists in our field. I became a mom in 2023, and wow, that brought a lot of changes to my life – some expected, some not so much. To those ends, I’m sharing some more of my favorite books, ones that helped me navigate my path.

Brave, Not Perfect

by Reshma Saujani

This book talks about how early the drive for perfection originates in young girls, and how bravery is a muscle that gets stronger with practice. I love Saujani’s exercises to stretch our discomfort! 

The Confidence Code

by Katty Kay and Claire Shipworth

I read this during fellowship on the recommendation of a chief resident, and I found it to offer really valuable insight about how language differs between men and women, and what we as women can do to increase our own confidence. 

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

and Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling

Both of these reads, from brilliant female comedians who work in a field that is also mostly men, gave me some good lessons on what matters, and more importantly, what doesn’t. 

  • The Impatient Woman’s Guide to Getting Pregnant by Jean Twenge 

  • Bumpin' by Leslia Schrock 

  • Nurture by Erica Chidi Cohen 

  • Cribsheet by Emily Oster 

  • The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson 

  • Fair Play by Eve Rodsky 

  • The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies 

  • Raising a Secure Child by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell 

  • In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore