Sachs, herself a career pivoter, has written a manual for today's working woman and, yes, man as well. Research, whether from a slew of personal interviews or books like Reid Hoffman's The Start-Up of You (2012) or Katty Kay's The Confidence Code (2012), solidifies and strengthens her main theme: that being agile and relevant now will help drive future success. Each chapter, in fact, is a capsule of a particular attribute: networking, failure, reiteration, branding, and the like. What make her words of wisdom all that much more powerful are her interviews with those who exemplify the pivot: Jill Abramson, the first-ever female New York Times executive editor, who was fired for her managerial style (or so it was said). Or Washington, D.C.'s Aminatou Sow, who launched the Call Your Girlfriend podcast and now consults for tech companies from her San Francisco perch. It's advice that, though probably repeated elsewhere, is more than welcome in this age of constant disruption.--Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2017 Booklist

A mashup is "something created by combining elements from two or more sources" in a format that may be more useful or appealing than the disparate parts on their own. A mashup may be a deliberate creation, but it often results in part from serendipity, an unexpected but beneficial connection or linkage. Mashup and serendipity are popular terms in Silicon Valley, where successful entrepreneurs start, fail in, and restart careers and companies by "pivoting" quickly to leverage new opportunities. A self-described "master of the career pivot," the author shares her experiences and those of many other successful professional women in an entertaining account meant to help women understand that the days of linear career paths are over; all must "learn how to pivot" and re-brand themselves as new opportunities serendipitously turn up. Chapter titles such as "Strike a Pose and Feel the Power," "Create Your Own Serendipity," "Networking in the Girls' Lounge," "Congratulations, You're Fired," and "Flipping Off Failure" characterize the book's lively, catchy approach. The author turns research into conversation, referring casually to "studies" (documented by endnotes) that support her points, but the interest and potential value to readers come from the women's own stories. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. --Mildred S. Myers, Carnegie Mellon University

Sachs, a former Capitol Hill press secretary turned TV producer and PR executive, challenges women to embrace agility as they manage their careers. Women, she claims, need to "iterate, pivot, and progress," and to embrace ambition and break free from professional inertia. Rather than follow a direct career path, she says, women need to focus on staying relevant, which mandates agility. Sachs highlights numerous examples of women (from millennials to baby boomers) relaunching themselves, detailing how risk-taking, staying true to oneself, and taking baby steps can move a career forward. Sachs seeks to spark self-confidence, and starts with language. Words such as "sorry," she states, are a crutch and a power deflator; women need to be straightforward and not undermine themselves with their words, never opting for likability over projecting confidence. She moves on to related topics such as posture, networking, resilience, and failure. She includes an exceptional chapter on rejoining the workforce after either leaving or being forced out, and shows the value of gap years. By embracing a zigzag approach, Sachs shows how to carve out a career filled with success and fulfillment. Agent: Albert Zuckerman, Writers House. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.