Liz Perle (1956–2015)

The author is the reader for this CDBook (which is rare) and does a great job (likewise uncommon). She comes across as likable and smart, and although her book isn't revolutionary, it's a great overview of the topic. The audio version of this book is abridged, but I still recommend it. Perle has combined her own story with a general study of women and money, both anecdotally and statistically. She shares her personal tales of money management, pitfalls and perceptions through different eras of her life alongside quotes and tales from dozens of women she interviewed. I enjoyed the common denominators she found across different age groups, cultures, and socioeconomic ranges, and the stories I found strangely familiar to my own circumstances or feelings, or often to those of other women in my life. I learned much, and was encouraged to consider my own perceptions of money in terms of needs/wants, general expenditures, simple living and savings.… (meer)

I think many more books like this should be written. This one but scratches the surface of many themes, which could be explored more in-depthly in any number of ways. This book isn't entirely the memoir of Perle's own emotional journey with regard to money, though it is that. It's also interspersed with research on money, interviews with various women and research on gender, including the biological differences between the sexes, and how those affect our views on money. I found this to be just too many approaches and paths to fit into this one small memoir. I think it's really important for us -- women, members of North American society -- to talk more about money more than we already to, to open up to each other about our personal finances, and to get past the taboo of discussing these things because there is a lot of shame and fear associated with money and opening up about it can help some of us deal with those feelings. This book contributes to such a discussion and for that it is a success. Perle is very generous with her contribution of opening up about money and her feelings towards it. That's what's successful about the book. What doesn't work as well is presenting far too much material from far too many fields that leaves the impression of an unfinished hodge podge.… (meer)