Critics slam Ivanka Trump's book, makes cut for NYT bestseller list

Even as US President Donald Trumps daughter Ivanka Trumps book about women in the workforce is being brutally thrashed by critics across the United States, the book has made the cut for New York Times bestseller list for May 21, 2017.

"Women Who Work: Rewriting the Rules For Success," which was released May 2, will debut at No. 4 on the "Advice, How-To and Misc. and Monthly Best Sellers" list for the New York Times, CNN Money reported.

The book is essentially an advisory ce manual for women in the workforce in which Ivanka Trump prescribes the methods of productivity that have worked for her over the years. She also incorporates anecdotes from her upbringing and inspirational quotes and stories from a range of influential figures like Sheryl Sandberg, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Jane Goodall.

 

Trump's book, according to Fortune.com, sold 10,445 print copies in the first five days after its release. By comparison, Sheryl Sandberg's 2013 book about women in the workforce, "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead," sold 74,176 print copies in its first week on the market.

However, book critics across the United States have criticised the book for its narrow approach and elitist outlook. The Washington Post, in its review, said that Ivanka Trump's privileged life undermines the message of her book.

The New York Times, too, was not impressed by its contents. Calling it a "strawberry milkshake of inspirational quotes," the review raised a number of questions on the contents of the book.

Furthermore, several prominent personalities who find mention in the book have also taken a dig at Ivanka Trump. "Don't use my story in #WomenWhoWork unless you are going to stop being #complicit," Reshmi Saujani, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, whose career has been featured in the book, wrote on Twitter.

Conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall, who has also been included in the book, told CNN Money that she wasn't aware Trump would include her. "I sincerely hope she will take the full import of my words to heart. She is in a position to do much good or terrible harm," Goodall told the website.

From Buzzfeed to Huffington Post and Business Insider, the list of publications which have brutally thrashed this new book goes on and on. On the other hand, the book is doing well commercially.

--IANS

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