Review: Break Through by Marina Go

One part a how-to book and one part memoir, Break Through by Marina Go is an inspiring read offering tips on how to succeed in the workplace, as well as accounting the many triumphs and curve balls that the author has received throughout her long career within the cut-throat magazine industry.

When I was offered the chance to review this book, I immediately seized it. Not only did I feel that the subject matter would be entirely relevant to me, but I immediately recognised the name of the author from many, many years ago--Marina Go was the editor of Dolly when I first started reading the magazine, and at the time, my twelve year old self thought that she and her colleagues must have been very glamourous. (By the time Susie Pitts took over as editor I was almost thirteen and a little more jaded, but that's fodder for a different post.) Some of the memoir pages are devoted to Marina's time at Dolly (she was the editor of the magazine at age 23) and provide some of the funniest and most entertaining pages within the book. We also learn about Go's childhood--she was the daughter of immigrant parents, her mother was from Italy and her father from Hong Kong. Later parts show how the author managed motherhood and a successful career. Of course, the larger chunk of the book is focused on practical advice for women looking to succeed in their chosen fields and is set out in a clear and practical fashion. Each chapter focuses on a different strategy (I found myself reading Chapter 7, which is titled Develop Resilience, three times and highlighting a few bits of advice--things that I hope to implement in the future.)

Full of practical advice. Highly recommended. 

Thank you to Ventura Press for my reading copy.

This book was read as part of the Aussie Author Challenge 2016.


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