The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women

by HarrietRubin (Author)

• Used

  Perfect Paperback
  1998

  $3.56

  This work argues that women should settle for nothing less than greatness. It outlines the strategy women should adopt in order to achieve successful relationships with bosses, clients, lovers and parents. The book also discusses how to become powerful without becoming a man.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1997

  $3.25

  The philosophy behind this book is simple: settle for nothing but greatness. It is aimed at every woman who feels that she deserves more than she has gained through traditional means of compromise, co-operation, negotiation and nurturing. Rubin, writing as Machiavella , exhorts women not to be afraid to use conflict, which of all possible relationships is the one women understand the least. Women typically try to avoid conflict, or to cure it as if it were the flu. Yet, conflict is contact; it's a relationship characterized by power. Machiavelli showed the prince how to use conflict in order to establish control. For the Princessa, the goal is not control, it's impact, having a presence of authority. The theme of the book is how to become powerful without becoming a man. Women can't play by the established rules of power in society because they are men's rules. Why do so many people feel that acting emotionally is feminine, weak, anti-rational? Why is it that when we call a man a prince, we mean a man among men, a gentleman, but when a woman is called a princess, it denotes a spoilt brat, a prima donna? To become powerful without becoming a man, one has to become more feminine. But feminine is not all soft, says Rubin; feminine is fierce, unyielding. Think of mothers risking everything to defend their young. Think of women overcoming all odds for love. The book shows how women can embrace challenge - not competition but provocation. It also addresses the concept of what Rubin calls power Anorexia , a condition of imposed self-denial, a preference for powerlessness. The Princessa aims to be a manifesto of women's power, drawing on the tactics of historical princessas, such as Joan of Arc, as well as contemporary examples, and on power strategies in today's business world.

• New

  Paperback
  1995

  $18.91