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Whistleblower

My Journey to Silicon Valley and Fight for Justice at Uber
Oct 16, 2020carolwu96 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Susan J. Fowler had grown up in poverty. Homeschooled and later unschooled, she nevertheless strove for academic excellence. After realizing that ASU’s policies prevented her from pursuing a Physics degree, she transferred to Penn, where she worked towards a Physics and Philosophy double major as well as a Masters degree in Philosophy.⁣ ⁣ But just as Fowler thought that she was finally achieving her dream of becoming a physicist, a suicidal peer entered her life and toppled her entire academic career. Her ambitions soured, Fowler was forced to enter another profession as a data scientist in Silicon Valley, but its misogyny and blatant sexual harassments quickly affected her mental health. ⁣ ⁣ Fowler spent the second half of the book discussing her struggles to balance the fear of damaging her career and her desire for justice. She did eventually oust Uber’s sexual harassment issues, but it was also true that when one individual stood against capitalism, it was usually the individual that suffered. ⁣ ⁣ In this case, Fowler was fortunate to have prior experience dealing with the bureaucracy at Penn, and rather than succumbing to the pressure again, she confronted it. We cannot say that she “won” because of the deep scar the conflict had engraved on her life, but given the havoc Uber has wrecked on others, Fowler’s very ability to tell her story is a testimony to her empathy, courage and resourcefulness. ⁣ ⁣ This book is Educated and Know My Name in one. Although it lacks the physical violence of the former and the graphic details of the latter, Fowler still tells a compelling story that is both dark and poignant.⁣ ⁣ As someone in the early stages of her career, I totally understand Fowler’s hesitation to expose her firm. Lucrative industries often have little tolerance for “troublemakers,” but this only makes Fowler’s courage more inspiring. Rather than “the woman who was harassed at Uber,” we should know Fowler, as she rightly hopes, as “the woman who stood up and spoke out.” For more book and movie reviews, visit me on Instagram @ RandomStuffIRead :)