A native of Jamaica who immigrated to the United States at age three, Birch demonstrated remarkable intelligence early on. She taught herself to read and write and skipped kindergarten entirely. Her academic prowess continued throughout high school, culminating in her acceptance to Dartmouth College, where she received an Ivy League education, earning a bachelor of arts degree in English language and literature with a minor in psychology. Accordingly, her early career included positions at New York publishing powerhouses Scholastic and Random House. She then took the entertainment industry by storm, embarking on an award-winning career and earning distinction as the first and only woman of color to ever head marketing departments at three different Hollywood studios.

The book opens with a powerful forward penned by Valerie Van Galder, a former colleague and fellow Hollywood studio life survivor who describes Birch as “fiercely intelligent” and “incredibly creative.” Galder paints a picture of Birch as a strong, poised woman with an amazing sense of humor and unparalleled business acumen who overcame a mountain of obstacles as a woman of color in the predominantly white male entertainment industry. Comparing the industry to a precarious jungle that Birch successfully navigated, Van Galder sets the stage for Birch to share business advice and the inside scoop on the insanity that is Hollywood.

This thought-provoking and practical book is designed to empower women of color in the corporate world with the knowledge and strategies needed to understand the system and work it to their advantage. It comes with a useful downloadable worksheet bundle that contains fun exercises that enable readers to customize the tactics presented in the book. “Strategy #1: Identifying Your Zone of Genius” asks readers to reflect on tasks and activities that they both enjoy and are good at doing. The teaching shows that this is the area of maximum effectiveness where one’s passion, talent, and capabilities intersect. Operating within this zone enables a person to achieve results, demonstrate one’s value, and position oneself for recognition and advancement.

“Strategy #2: Building Grit” discusses perseverance, resilience, determination, and a mindset of seeing challenges as opportunities for growth. Here, Birch provides a helpful Toolkit with insightful questions to help readers set goals, identify mentors and allies, develop a self-care routine, and establish rapport and trust. “Strategy #3: Develop A Business Alter-Ego” is highly focused on the self. “Contrary to popular thinking, the corporate arena is no place for your authentic self. Your authentic self belongs at home, where it’s safe and impervious to attack.” Using self-assessment, visualization, and practice, Birch counsels that women of color should develop a persona based on their strengths, aspirations, and values. This strategic self-presentation serves as an armor that enables one to assert oneself, command respect, take advantage of opportunities, and advance one’s career, no matter the environment.

The fourth and fifth strategies are “Managing The Wheel of Blame” and “The Power Syllabus,” respectively. Birch encourages readers to maintain detailed, objective records and to regularly update supervisors and/or team members to avoid being the fall guy when things go wrong. She also recommends including a lawyer on one’s personal “board of advisors” so that a person is prepared for battle in the event she is thrown under the bus. Intriguingly, Birch also promotes the use of books and movies about power and ambition in Corporate America. She maintains that these works of fiction are powerful resources with guidelines for navigating power plays and learning the rules of the game. The book concludes with case studies where Birch demonstrates the application of these strategies to her actual experiences in Hollywood.

Comprehensive and insightful, this book is a perfect blend of instructional self-help and entertaining nonfiction. Birch provides clear, actionable steps for achieving success in Corporate America. While the book is intended for women of color, it would serve as a beneficial resource to readers from all walks of life—anyone who seeks to advance in the corporate world. The companion workbook is a clever touch for improving audience engagement. Each lesson also includes “Cheat Codes” with tidbits of additional information that readers will find helpful. The case studies provide an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest names and movie campaigns in Hollywood. Birch shares her wealth of experience and delivers a well-written, engaging blueprint for success.

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