A fashion journalist makes a career switch and fights for diversity and equality in the industry
Valley Verified — Kyla Zhao
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Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao
Content warnings included in the footnote of this newsletter.1
What It’s About
Zoe Zeng has her dream job: she’s a fashion columnist at Chic, covering fashion industry news and styles and is invited to all the most exclusive parties and events in New York City. So why does she feel so unfulfilled?
She can barely afford her tiny apartment that she shares with two roommates, is constantly put down by her editor boss who keeps assigning her clickbait nonsense, and she’s exhausted from trying to stay awake at all hours of the day to attend all these events.
When she gets an opportunity out of the blue to become vice president of marketing at a new startup fashion app, with a salary that she almost can’t believe, she takes the leap to move across the country to Silicon Valley and try her skills at something new. It proves a challenge, but Zoe is up for it, as she dives into the world of software engineers and product managers, learning all kinds of new tech skills and heading up her first marketing campaigns.
The app’s future hinges on a huge investor, and when the company meets with him, Zoe’s campaign will make or break the company. She’s fighting sexism in the tech industry, trying to juggle an entirely new role, and figure out how to start a new life in a new city, all while making sure the entire company doesn’t crash and burn. Can she do it?
Why You Should Read It
Midlife career switches are scary, but it’s incredibly refreshing to read a coming-of-age of sorts about a character who is re-finding herself, reinventing her life, and going after what she wants. Sometimes we have dreams for so long, and when we finally get them, they might disappoint us. Zoe shows that it’s okay to have a new dream, to change our goals, and to try new things, even if they’re scary and not what we thought we’d be doing with our lives.
It’s a fun and lighthearted book that also has some more serious plot lines, like challenging the traditional beauty standard in the fashion industry and navigating sexism and harassment in the workplace. Plus there’s a fun developing romance between Zoe and a cute new coworker who loves to go to the farmers’ market.
Fans of rom-coms looking to move to general contemporary fiction should pick this one up. It’s also a great book for book clubs that want a not-extremely-sad-or-devastating book that still has tons of discussion points.
Giveaway now closed. Thanks to all who entered!
You can win your very own copy of Valley Verified thanks to Berkley Publishing. To enter:
Be a US resident or have a US shipping address, and be comfortable sharing your mailing address with the publisher for shipping.Be 13 or older.Leave a comment on this issue saying why you’d like to read this book!
That’s it! I hope you’re as excited to read this book as I was reading it. It’s a great one!
Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations:
Read about the dark history of an Oregon desert town and the ghosts that haunt it
Read about a historical family inheritance that comes with a catch
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Content warnings include sexual harassment, misogyny, sexism, racism, ableism, workplace harassment and manipulation, fatphobia and fashion industry discussion of “ideal” body type, gaslighting.
I am currently doing a PhD because I like doing research. But I am not all that excited by the traditional career paths post PhD. Instead I want to go into creating startups or policy. That is scary, because I am investing a lot of time in it and at the same time wondering if I will continue doing this. I am drawn to this book. I want to experience the emotional turmoil that this character experiences. And thid book offers a glimpse into Silicon Valleys startup culture from an outsiders perspective. So this book is for me!
I would love to read this! I like the mix of an outsider in Silicon Valley as well as sexism in the industry. I'm a lawyer in a male-dominated field, so I relate.