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TriCities.com
Maybe you like your job, maybe not. Perhaps you throw back the blankets each morning, imagining the wonderful things that will happen at work. Or maybe you slither, grumbling, out of bed and into the shower, wishing you could win the lottery and tell the boss "adios." Most weeks, it’s a combination of the two. But still, you wonder what it would be like to work as a ... (fill in the blank).
Water Cooler Diaries is one of those books that you start reading and can’t stop. Each of the diaries is short; most are just a few pages. They’re not candy-coated, but they’re not filled with “I hate my job” cries, either. Some are funny. Others will break your heart in two. You can jump around and read them in any order you want, and this paperback book is perfect for tucking in your purse or briefcase so you have something to read on the commute or on your lunchbreak at work.
Walk in another woman’s (steel-toed) shoes for a day by picking up this un-put-downable book. Water Cooler Diaries proves that life is definitely not greener on the other side of the cubicle wall.
Click here for complete article
New Hampshire Magazine
"Midnight: Baby crying. Walk across our bedroom to Laura's crib. Bring her
back to our bed, prop up my pillows, and start breast feeding."
Thus begins the hour-by-hour account of one day in Jeannie Hines' life in
the Water Cooler Diaries. Hines is a 35 year old Plainfield, N.H. mother of three children- two o f them four month old twins- and part time physical therapist. Hines' account is one of 35 in the book (there are dozens of smaller stories as well) written on a specific day as part of a national project. Joni B. Cole and B.K. Rakha collected
the diary entries to illustrate the issues that affect women's working lives. The book shows, as we found in 'A Midwife's Tale,' great nuggets can be found in the minutiae of everyday life."
Blogcritics
We all grow up with a dream of becoming either a doctor, police officer, actor, teacher, the list goes on and on. I didn't become any of the things I dreamed of as a little girl but Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work — an anthology of 35 full-length stories and many more highlights and excerpts edited by Joni B. Cole and B.K. Rakhra — gave me a glimpse into the lives of some women who have fulfilled those dream jobs.
Click here for complete review.
Washington
Post Express
This huge volume
spends 320 pages covering one question: "What's your workday like?" To
find out, editors Joni B. Cole
and B. K. Rakhra asked for
diaries from hundreds of people employed in all kinds of fields, from
trad (teachers, doctors, government employees) to rad (racecar drivers,
boxing promoters). Each subject recorded their every move on the same
day: March 27, 2007. The result is — surprise! — even people with
so-called glamorous jobs don't have totally "Cashmere Mafia" lives, and
cubicle life kind of sucks no matter what your job is or where you
live. The book's biggest flaw? Since the editors chose only women to
participate in this project, it seems almost too much like an
estrogen-fest. Don't guys have jobs worth reading about too?
Los
Angeles Times
Once upon a time,
in a land far away, a woman in a silk negligee given to her by her
adoring husband stayed in bed until 10 a.m. Then she rose, slipped on
the matching silk robe, drank a café au lait, glanced at the
paper, dressed and went out to buy flowers. She had lunch with friends.
Her children, the little darlings, magically arrived home at 3 p.m. and
played quietly among themselves. At 6 p.m., she was ready -- fresh
lipstick, glamorous evening dress, martini in hand. Enter adoring
husband, with plans for a romantic evening.
Sound familiar? No? Then
you'll be glad to know that no diary entry like this appears in Joni B.
Cole and B.K. Rakhra's collection of 35 full-day accounts, interspersed
with excerpts, from the 515 women who responded to their call across
America for on-the-job diaries. For starters, almost all the
contributors to "Water Cooler Diaries," except for those on graveyard
shifts, rise between 5 and 7 a.m. They usually have to feed not only
themselves but other family members and pets. They chauffeur, clean
house, do laundry, buy groceries, besides going to work. Sometimes they
exercise (more for peace of mind than out of vanity).
Click here
for complete review.
Publishers
Weekly
On March 27, 2007, hundreds of women across the
country created
an on-the-job "day diary," chronicling the joys, triumphs, frustrations
and hilarities of their chosen or given professions for this
entertaining collection that shows women in every career under the sun.
The 35 full-length stories, and many more highlights and excerpts,
afford readers a glimpse into worlds as diverse as the women who work
in them: orthopedic surgeon, stripper/magician, school custodian, Avon
lady, prison intake counselor, voice-over actor, life coach, boxing
promoter, among others. Most of the women are unknown—blogger Heather
Cocks and chef Sara Moulton are among the few familiar names—and this
glimpse into their lives is both fascinating and eye-opening.
Unsurprisingly, women in every field and income bracket struggle in
their own ways between career and family, but the grace and humor with
which they do it is fresh and compelling. The wide scope should satisfy
women readers casting a wide career net or anyone curious about the
lives of women at work. (Mar.)
Booklist
Take one day—in this case, March 27, 2007—and ask 515 women to
chronicle
their thoughts and activities. This "day in the life" (third in a
series from Cole and Rakhra) features what could be called "average"
occupations—including stay-at-home mom, librarian, teacher—as well as
the more glamorous work, from fashion designer and Lake Wobegon actor
to a boxing promoter and, yes, the World's Sexiest Magician. In all, 35
full-day accounts are included. Skimming through this collection is not
a good idea. There are sentences that will make readers stop, laugh,
tear up, nod, and otherwise savor common and out-of-the-ordinary
experiences. Judging from these excerpts, who could resist uncovering
the rest of the story? "She was a poster child for why you don't wear
six-inch heels and get drunk at a post-St. Patrick's Day party." Or "I
love the satisfaction of the home being our canvas." And "So can a
person ever be a failure if they are doing what they love?" Worth
rereading.
DAME
Most of our daily lives are at the workplace, but what are those lives
really like? Last March, over 500 women chronicled their days,
and the top 35 are now gathered in this addictivly readable book. From
a magician to a stay at home mom, these women’s fascinating diary
entries mark off days from stumbling into slippers until falling into
the sack. Funny, insightful and occasionally heart-wrenching (a teacher
who recently lost her husband movingly writes about how her daily grind
keeps the grief at bay), this is a book for anyone who ever took a
coffee break.
Trashionista
I love the sound of this book – hundreds of women sharing a day in
their lives.
Go behind the scenes with a hot new fashion designer trying to keep her
business afloat; a McDonald’s manager who is also captain of her pro
football team; a government worker buried in paperwork; a trauma
surgeon who has to piece together the pelvis of a teenager who forgot
to wear his seatbelt; and a university librarian with four scheduled
meetings and a child with a 103.4 degree temperature.
Plus there’s a mix of, um, civilians, and celebrities like model Angie
Everhart and "Go Fug Yourself" blogger Heather Cocks.
ELLEgirl.com
Remember when your mom took you to her job on Take
Your Daughter to Work Day and you got to see what it was like to be in
her shoes for a day? Well, imagine that…times 35, and you’ll get Water
Cooler Diaries by Joni B. Cole and B.K. Rakhra. Thirty-five different
real-life career women take you into their world for 24 hours; filled
with personal and vivid details, each woman literally describes every
thirty minutes of her workday, as well as her life at home. From a
race-car driver to a McDonald's manager, each account lets you
experience what it’s really like to be a woman in the workforce. My
personal favorites were reading about the lives of Sara Moulton
(celebrity chef) and Angel Chang (fashion designer). It's the perfect
book to read over spring break as you start applying for those summer
internships.
Shine.com
Joni Cole had one of those days when she was certain she was the most
unproductive, scattered, exhausted woman in the world. You know the
day, "...a very bad day when I was dealing with a family illness, a
lull in my freelance writing business, and a four-year-old daughter who
refused to wear socks, despite freezing temperatures." Out of
desperation, as it often happens, rose an idea: Cole wanted to know
what other women were doing that very moment, and if they were as
perfect and productive as she pictured. Or not…
It is captivating reading. I want to keep reading through the next
woman's day, and the next. When I get on a plane today, it will be the
book I pull out to read. I'd love for my teenage daughter to read it,
too, to get the true breadth of how hard women work at so many
different kinds of jobs.
Click here
for complete review.
~
~ ~
DelawareOnline
One Day, 535 Time Capsules
4/21/08
"It's about 'Why?'" said Taylor Collins, a Dover resident whose 'day-diary' appears in Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Days at Work
The book, the third in a series chronicling women's daily lives, reprints 35 full-length diaries and excerpts from 500 more. All of the diaries were kept on one day, March 27, 2007, providing diverse slices of life from hundreds of women across the country.
"No matter what you're trying to do or figure out, life is full of unanswered questions and that is the big one," Collins, 57, said. "That's what writing tries to explain."
Sure, but just like people who get their kicks rubbernecking accidents on I-95, there's this gossipy, nosy thing about reading other people's diaries, too.
Collins' diary for the day is full of witty observations and slanted peeks into her life, from her job as a government bureaucrat (she's a recently retired farm loan specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture) and caring for her grandson to her love for creating folk art and poetry and acid comments about trawling for dates on eHarmony, the dating Web site.
Click here for complete article.
Argus Observer
April 20, 2008
The Grass is Not Always Greener on the Other Side
Water Cooler Diaries is one of those books that you start reading and can’t stop. Each of the diaries is short; most are just a few pages. They’re not candy-coated, but they’re not filled with “I hate my job” cries, either. Some are funny. Others will break your heart. You can jump around and read them in any order you want. This paperback book is perfect for tucking in your purse or briefcase so you have something to read on the commute or on your lunchbreak at work.
Walk in another woman’s (steel-toed) shoes for a day by picking up this un-put-downable book. Water Cooler Diaries proves that life is definitely not greener on the other side of the cubicle wall.
Click here for complete article.
Rutland Herald
March 30, 2008
Collection on Women's Work
is Never Dull
It's early afternoon, and trauma surgeon Erika J. Mitchell in Tennessee
is reassembling the pelvis of a teenager who didn't wear his seatbelt;
geologist Carrie Heiling is checking a drill setup 1,000 feet
underground in a mine in Missouri; race car driver Sarah Fisher is
doing practice laps at 200 mph in Florida.
And in Bennington, dietitian Mary Shea Rosen is talking with a rehab
center resident who went to a lawyer with a complaint about the meals.
These snapshots are all part of the fascinating collage that is "Water
Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work," the
third book by White River Junction resident Joni B. Cole and B.K.
Rakhra of Norwich.
For each book in the series, which started in 2003 with "This Day:
Diaries From American Women," the editors have invited hundreds of
women across the country to keep hour-by-hour diaries of a single day –
in this case, March 27, 2007. "Water Cooler Diaries" includes 35
full-day records and dozens more excerpts as it explores the minor
dramas, major decisions and kept-to-herself thoughts that make up a
woman's workday.
Click here
for complete article.
Argus Press Spectator (Elmhurst, IL)
March 27, 2008
Before Shirley Ekblad saw the itinerary of one of
her days printed out in front of her, she never really grasped how much
she does in a 24-hour period.
An Avon Beauty Center owner and operator, Ekblad was one of 500 women
to write about a day in her life at work for the book “Water Cooler
Diaries: Women across America Share Their Day at Work.”
“It was kind of therapeutic,” Ekblad said. “It was interesting. I
absolutely loved it. It took me quite a few hours to write it down in
reasonable handwriting, but I loved doing it.”
Click here
for complete article
Valley News
March 21, 2008
Champions of the Everyday
When Joni B. Cole and B.K. Rakhra started out six
years ago asking women to write about a single day in their lives, they
were merely curious.
Cole, after a particularly tough day as a working mom with a sick
family member, wondered whether her own busy, at times maddeningly
difficult life was the norm.
Out of that frustration, Cole and Rakhra have created a series of three
books that amount to a snapshot view of the lives of American women in
the first decade of the 21st century. The latest, Water Cooler Diaries,
came out this month and documents a day in the lives of 35 women.
“It's part of what I wanted to do, which is to create this day diary
phenomenon,” said Cole, a 50-year-old Hartford resident. Rakhra, a
44-year-old Norwich resident, and like Cole a free-lance writer, is
co-creator of the book series.
For Water Cooler Diaries, roughly 500 women kept a detailed journal on
March 27, 2007. Another 500 or so submitted diaries from that day to a
Web site co-created by This Day, Cole and Rakhra's company, and
Colgate, the household products corporation.
The appeal of writing a day diary is the way it reveals how a person
spends her time. “It's going to be revelatory, even if you think it's
just mundane,” Cole said.
“You see in black and white where your time really goes,” she said.
“You see how you get in your own way. … You see that you're more
successful than you thought you were.”
Click here for
complete article.
Lancaster
New Era
March 14, 2008
What's it like to own the company ... work from home
... occupy Cubicle Land?
On March 27, 2007, more than 500 women — from a fashion designer to a
trauma surgeon — chronicled their work day as part of "Water Cooler
Diaries: Women across America Share Their Day at Work" (March 2008, Da
Capo Lifelong Books, $15.95). The book was authored and edited by
former Lancaster resident Joni B. Cole, in conjunction with B.K. Rakhra.
Click here
for complete article.
PaddockTalk
March 7, 2008
IndyCar Driver, Sarah Fisher, Shares Her Day at Work in New Book
Sarah Fisher, IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500
race car driver, is featured as a "day diarist," in the acclaimed new
book, Water Cooler Diaries: Women
across America Share Their Day at
Work (Da Capo Lifelong Press, pub. date: March 1, 2008).
"Sarah’s day diary offers a great first-person perspective into the
realities of being a world-class athlete and competitor in what is
perceived as a man’s sport," says series creator and editor Joni B.
Cole. "Sarah is an inspiration," Cole adds. "She’s not one to rest on
her laurels. She makes opportunities happen through hard work and
perseverance, as well as talent. And she’s just plain likable," Cole
offers with a laugh. "You can see just from this intimate glimpse into
one day in her life why her fans love her, and why women and girls see
her as a role model."
"Being a part of this national book project was really neat for me,"
added Fisher, who announced the formation of her own race team that
will compete in the 2008 IndyCar Series. "I wrote in a diary as a kid
and keep a notebook of my happenings for ESPN.com during the racing
season. But with this project, it felt really personal and I felt
comfortable sharing a bit more of what I was feeling. I was at Sebring
in a road course car, something I wasn’t familiar with at all. In life,
things change and evolve and we constantly have new challenges to
concur and I think this book gives a nice snapshot into the many lives
of working women. I'll be interested to read about the other featured
diarists and the obstacles that we might have shared."
Click here
for complete article.
KXMCTV (KXNet.com, North
Dakota)
March 6, 2008
Minot Woman in Book
A Minot woman is one of many women from across the country who have
shared their business stories in a newly published book called Water
Cooler Diaries. The book features the daily activities of various
people on March 27th, 2007. On that day, Val Stadick, the owner of Main
Street Books, was celebrating exactly one year in business.
She shares stories about the difficulties of being an independent
business owner in a market dominated by chain stores. Val say it was a
good experience for her...and helps readers understand a day in the
life of a small business owner... "Having a business is a lot of work,
its a real emotional experience, the first year is the hardest for any
business owner, so it made for some good journaling."
Click here
to watch the video.
Voice-Over XTRA!
February 27, 2008
Would you let a stranger's eyes roam through your personal diary?
Probably not.
But we recently came across some pages from the diary of talented voice
actor Kara Edwards, and... heck, we're all friends, here, right? ...
here's a peek:
"7:30 a.m. I can't sleep anymore. I'm still on East Coast time. The
very first annual voice conference begins today. Voice actors from all
over the world have converged on Vegas, networking and praying that
this will be the week that changes their career. I am the one doing
most of the praying. After five years as a radio co-host, I made the
decision to quit my job …. I became a full-time voice actor six months
ago ..."
Click here
for complete article .
Women Boxing Archive
Network
February 19, 2008
Wanda Bruce, who went from being an inspector for the Washington, D.C.
Boxing Commission to promoting the first all-female show, to managing
her own women fighters and making matches for other trainers, is one of
35 "day diarists" featured in the acclaimed new book, Water Cooler
Diaries: Women across America Share Their Day at Work.
"Wanda's day diary includes everything from dealing with signing a new
heavyweight to having hot flashes—all on the same day," says series
creator and editor Joni B. Cole. "Her contribution is wonderful, real,
and funny…she's an inspiration for all women, not just those in sports."
Click
here for complete article.
Herald
Journal, Monticello, IL
February 17, 2008
Gloria Sterrett is a former city councilwoman, a clown, a
custodian and now she can add contributor to a national book project to
her list of achievements and activities. In March when it hits
bookstores everywhere, the 57-year old Delphi resident will be among 35
contributing women - some famous, some not so famous - who talk about
one day in their life in Water
Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work.
At 5 a.m., Sterrett began her day. "Husband, Danny, got
me up. Had coffee fixed for me. He's a sweetie most of the time. I
leave for work about three miles away, but I wouldn't mind driving
farther for better conditions and peace of mind. I'm thinking and
praying about my job interview this afternoon. It's a custodial
position for United Methodist Church (big church). Forty hours, eleven
dollars an hour, five days a week, Monday through Friday on days. And a
block of insurance. I'm so excited about it."
Click
here for complete article. |
