Reviewed by Jennifer Sommersby Young

Girl power is chic again, this time without Baby Spice’s buxom blondness or Gloria Steinem’s hard-core feminism.

One part history, two parts fun, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done is the perfect “butt-kicking” cocktail: interactive, inspiring and a quick read. Author Shelly Rachanow has penned a remarkable book about girl power in action, nicely garnished with fill-in-the-blank worksheets to inspire every woman to take a closer look at all the tremendous things she does for others on a daily (if not hourly) basis.

The foreword touts the book as “pro-female without being anti-male,” and to a large degree, this is an accurate assessment of the book’s overall composition. In colorful detail, Rachanow describes women as powerful beings who readily preempt their own ambitions, needs and desires in favor of offering a shoulder to a sobbing friend or providing tray after tray of freshly baked goodies for the school bake sale. By embracing our femininity and accepting our cup sizes (for better or for worse), we are empowered to embrace the friendships unique among women without carrying the banner for the tiresome “burn your bra” invective.

Sharpen your pencils, girls—now’s your chance to take a “Me Inventory.” With 32 prompt-filled pages, you are to list, in writing, all those butt-kicking things that you do, and the changes you would like to make in the world if (when) given the opportunity. To reaffirm that you are the principal in the ballet of your life, Rachanow provides space to brainstorm those things that you will do first, for yourself, as you progress on your journey toward self-fulfillment.