Review by Booklist Review
The experiences described by technology-sector executive Williams (formerly of Facebook) will be all too familiar for many readers. Over the course of 11 chapters, she details continual microaggressions, discrimination, and disrespect, speaking to the hostile environment in which most Black women work. Although the issues are seen through the lens of the technology industry, they can translate to any work setting. Ranging from false corporate allyship in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to individual indignities, such as having one's credentials continually questioned, the situations described in this book will not be new to many. Yet the damaging behaviors, such as demanding a "culture fit" for new hires, persist, making this a work of great importance. Seen yet Unseen carries a message to Black women: you are seen, if only by one another, and that is critical. It also carries a message to the executives, leaders, managers, and colleagues of Black women: your work is not done. Readers will see themselves reflected in the text, either via shared experience or as part of a pool of colleagues who now know better and therefore must do better. Highly recommended for business, academic, and public libraries.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
In this insightful account of attorney/startup advisor Williams's experiences in the technology industry, she discusses the challenges that Black women face in a field that continues to be dominated by white men. During employment stints at companies such as StubHub and Facebook, where she was lead counsel, Williams played major roles in addressing discrimination against women and Black people, all while she herself encountered microaggressions and coworkers who undermined her work. Recounting many of these situations in detail, she demonstrates how many companies' outward support of DEI efforts is more performative than sincere. She asserts that artificial intelligence is especially dangerous when it is developed without the input of women and people of color. Her argument is supported by well-known examples--the inability of some software programs to recognize Black faces, for instance--and examples from her own personal experiences. Her book further decries the impact of big technology companies on Black American communities through gentrification. She proposes several feasible routes that the technology industry could take to improve its practices so that it attracts and retains more Black women workers. VERDICT A revealing and intimate look at a Black woman's experiences in the technology industry.--Rebecca Mugridge
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Black tech insider calls her industry and its performative allyship to task. After years of writing articles that expose the tech industry's mistreatment of Black women, Williams offers a broader indictment and vision for correction. Drawing from her time working in legal departments at some of Silicon Valley's most storied names, including Facebook and StubHub, she combats big tech's claim that it serves "a noble and progressive cause…democratizing the world and giving everyone an equal voice." To counter these often-empty promises, she presents reams of evidence via tales of inherently discriminatory hiring practices, noninclusive product development, corporate headquarters that accelerate gentrification, and the oft-unspoken, frequently unrealistic expectations Black women employees face. Aggression, gaslighting, and dismissal lurk throughout the industry's famed "bro culture," which routinely renders Black women invisible and interchangeable, whether as potential employees or ardent consumers of tech products proven to impact companies' usage trends and financial bottom lines. The author's urgent book sits in a troubling social context: the failed pledges from companies in 2020 to do better, the dregs of a pandemic that disproportionately affected the livelihoods of Black women, and society's ever-increasing adoption of AI. Williams does not ignore her deeply personal, passionate connection to her subject, and she writes with a rightfully fed-up, feverish pitch that is occasionally repetitive. Nonetheless, the author is committed to driving the change tech leaders already espouse, and she combines incendiary examples from her own experience with practical advice for both Black women and their would-be employers. Instead of slapdash solutions thrown into a concluding roundup, Williams integrates suggested actions and meaningful metrics of improvement into each chapter, resulting in an accessible roadmap with a human face, one that is sure to become required reading for corporate leadership across industries. A bold and timely guide from an unfortunately rare perspective. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
