In the opening pages of Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work, the writer Jodi-Ann Burey issues a provocation: the commonplace injunctions to “come as you are” or “bring your full, authentic self to work” are not benevolent calls for self-expression – they’re traps. Burey’s debut book – a combination of memoir, research, cultural commentary and interviews – seeks to unmask how companies co-opt identity, shifting the burden of institutional change on to individual workers who are already vulnerable.
The impetus for the book lies partially in Burey’s own career trajectory: various roles across corporate retail, startups and in international development, filtered through her experience as a Black disabled woman. The dual posture that Burey experiences – a push and pull between asserting oneself and seeking protection – is the engine of Authentic.
