I know the history of the secretary is long, but seeing as how it’s our profession, we ought to learn how we got to where we are now. Which is why I’m so excited to do a deep dive into a book I recently finished, “Swimming in the Steno Pool: A Retro Guide to Making It in the Office.”
Overview
This book is full of interesting information! So much, in fact, that I think that might be one of my only complaints. I originally intended to discuss my thoughts by each chapter, but she simply covers too much in each section.
Author, Lynn Peril, does a masterful job of describing the world of women and administrative professionals throughout history. As someone who has failed miserably at this her own fair share of times, it’s NOT easy.
Peril even provides pictures of historical advertisements, pictures, and movie/book covers of the time period to further illustrate and drive home her points.
I was a little concerned about the rating on Amazon. However, the 3.6/5 score seemed to focus on the type of book, not really on the content itself. If you want to learn more about what the women (primarily white women) in the United States experienced in the past, it’s a great place to start.
Plan for the Book Review
Like I said, there was a BUNCH of information in this book and I ??HAD ?? THINGS ?? TO SAY??!! So, I broke it down into smaller sections to make sure we have the time, space, and the ability to discuss. WARNING!! The introduction is so huge that when I got to Chapter 1, I was dumbfounded that it didn’t read “Chapter 8!”
Also, I want to support my fellow admin, Lynn Peril, so I won’t be providing the whole chapter of information. Go out and buy her book to support all her hard work.
Full Disclosure:
Please note that the link is an affiliate link, and, at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission. When you purchase using an affiliate link, they compensate me, which helps me run this blog.
Swimming in the Steno Pool: Introduction Part 1 Review
The first feeling that struck me when in the first few pages of this book was “Ouch. That hit close to home.” Based on the Amazon reviews, reviewers made it sound like I shouldn’t really be able to identify much with this book, but I did.
In the first couple of pages she informs the reader that, in the past:
- There should be only one mood for a secretary
- Secretarial work was “extolled as a wonderful opportunity for women – and excoriated as dead-end busy work.”
- It was difficult to find work in other fields, and, if an admin made it out of the steno pool, opportunity ended their dreams with the glass ceiling.
Boom! Take that! In your face. I told you she comes out swinging, and even I admit – I wasn’t ready. Ready to deal with the fact that so little has changed. I mean, you know in your heart it hasn’t, but now you have proof (so long delusions!).
One Mood
Before reading the book, I already discussed the limitations admins can feel in their roles by simply questioning the authority and their inability to set boundaries as an admin. As I was reading this book, I was truly disappointed at how similar the past and the present are.
While time might have changed the way it’s asked of us, the requirement from the past is the same. An admin is easily viewed as bitchy if they aren’t smiling, or admitting (even respectfully) that they don’t agree with the boss.
A lot of our experiences depend on the people and the environments, and while it might not happen in every office, it definitely still happens enough to mention on this blog.
“Dead-End Busy Work”
One of the things that grinds my gears is when “people” assume my job is easy when on a daily basis they don’t know what I do.
It’s almost laughable. Almost.
Because the tasks are routine, people often associate “busy work” or “mundane” with the duties of administrative work. However, what makes our job complex and challenging is sometimes not the task itself, but managing the large volume tasks and ensuring the quality of everything that comes across our desk.
There many people, admins included, who do not consider the work we do as grounds for promotion, raises, or recognition. As you can probably imagine, I am not one of those people.
When people think of an admin work, many aren’t thinking of the depth of detail and the decisive, intricate decision-making involved with managing tasks and the human element every day and over time. To others, we are “just answering the phones” or “reminding bosses about meetings.”
Recap
I hope I got you fired up to run out and read this book, Swimming in the Steno Pool! From the introduction alone, you should know by now that we’re in for a treat. I know this might sound like a lot of bitching, but that’s not my intention in reviewing Lynn Peril’s book.
To me, it’s just a fact that there’s a lot to draw from and learn from our administrative history, and not all of it was good.
I always wanted to know why the administrative field rarely got the respect I felt it deserved, and this book really helped to put “where we came from” into a much clearer perspective.
I’m truly excited to take a walk through admin history with you.
