The working women of Dallas know what’s what. They know who is who. And they know who to avoid, thanks to a spreadsheet that has been distributed via an anonymous email address. The B.A.D. list, a list of the men of Dallas and their indiscretions. The times they harassed their assistants. The times they got the female intern overly drunk. The inappropriate touches, the name calling, the winks, the whistles. And the assaults. It all gets added to the spreadsheet, so that the women of Dallas know who to stay away from.
Except Ames Garrett isn’t on the list.
When the CEO of Truviv died suddenly of a heart attack, Ames was mentioned as a possible successor. The women in the legal department of Truviv knew Ames well. He could make things easy for them, make them seen in their jobs, ensure better positions and higher salaries and bonuses. Sloane Glover had an affair with him during her early days at the company. When Grace Stanton was struggling after the birth of her infant, it was Ames who recognized her postpartum depression and offered friendship. But when the women saw his behavior around their new colleague, their young new colleague, Katherine Bell, they knew they couldn’t keep quiet anymore. Especially if he really might become CEO.
It was time to speak up. Time to speak out. So they sued Truviv for creating an atmosphere of sexual harassment. Everyone had heard the whispers for years, but it took direct action for these women to be heard. To be taken seriously. And once they did, all hell broke loose.
Whisper Network is a rip-roaring novel of female enlightenment and empowerment. Written by a female attorney who had strong mentors, Whisper Network is the story of what happens when women work together to bring about change for us all. We all know of these men. We’ve all heard the whispers. Maybe we know for sure that the whispers are true. Author Chandler Baker wants us to come together and be heard, to stand up for ourselves and each other. And if we need a place to start, we should read the book.
I listened to this on audio, and while I really enjoyed the story line, I did have some issues with the narrator, Almarie Guera. I found it difficult to differentiate between the characters for a while, but eventually I figured them out and flew through the last two-thirds of the book. I would recommend you try a sample of the audio version before deciding to listen to Whisper Network over reading it, but whatever you decide, you are in for quite a trip.
Galleys for Whisper Network were provided by Flatiron Books, who also sent me extra copies to share with friends (what an amazing idea! thank you so much for that!), but I purchased the audio version myself through Audible.
Incidentally, I’m not the only one who enjoyed this book. Don likes it a lot too!
