Michelle Silverthorn Releases Authentic Diversity

Even though I am a middle-aged white woman, I can relate to Michelle Silverthorn’s passion in the book Authentic Diversity: How to Change the Workplace for Good . Prejudice and bias take many forms and are experiences applicable to the lives of countless groups, including women, though Silverthorn admits early on in this book that she focuses, as a result of her own identity and experiences, on how people of color are affected by a lack of authentic workplace diversity. She makes her points, and there are many, throughout the book without ever needed to belabor said points of view into oblivion with unwieldy or dogmatic language. This isn’t a political book, though it is easy to glean Silverthorn’s inclinations from even a single reading. This is a book about not just paying lip service to the idea we should all be on equal footing, but about making such a stance a tangible and ongoing part of company or organizational culture.

MORE ON MICHELLS SILVERTHORN: https://michellesilverthorn.com/

I learned a lot from how Silverthorn explores the evolution of thinking about diversity. First rate minds dedicated to social justice have refined their ideas, researched the effects an increasingly diverse workforce has on a company’s bottom line and its connection with customers, but we’ve progressed far beyond what she labels “the old cases” for diversity. They still figure into the equation, but experience and, in some ways, common sense has illustrated there are layers to the issue early trailblazers did not appreciate. Silverthorn tackles this reality head on during Authentic Diversity, sometimes directly, other times indirectly.

The book gains a lot from its construction. Over fifteen separate but connected parts, Silverthorn presents her ideas in focused and punchy language shorn of artifice or bloat. She is a professional writer, there is no question, and a big part of this book’s appeal is its personability. I believe readers will get a strong sense of the person behind these ideas rather than wrestling with a near academic text lacking levity or emotion. Despite this, however, Silverthorn remains objective throughout, anticipating counterpoints, and never coming across in ham-fisted fashion.

She directs readers to read this book cover to cover the first time and its length plays to that idea. This isn’t a long book that will take you days to plow through. Authentic Diversity, instead, is something longtime readers can get through in little time while still paying attention to every word. After that first reading, however, you can return to it countless times to glean new insights and address particular situations as they arise.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Diversity-Change-Workplace-Good-ebook/dp/B08G2L53S2

It’s what you should expect from a professional who, as founder and CEO of her own company Inclusion Nation, toils on the front lines of this struggle. Michelle Silverthorn has seen the benefits of authentic diversity and the pitfalls of its lack from every conceivable vantage point. She is a sought after speaker, has worked with a range of corporate and organizational partners ranging from Fortune 500 companies to major universities, and many knowledgeable insiders consider her an expert in this area. These qualities and credentials, among others, inform the pages of Authentic Diversity: How to Change the Workplace for Good with imagination, logic, and, above all else, a passion for equality.

Nicole Killian