Non-Fiction: Working with Bitches by Meredith Fuller

Working with Bitches (DaCapo) is one of those books you’ll either not care much about one way or the other, or that will change your life almost as soon as you know it’s in the world. That is, if you need this book, you’ll know it when you see it.

The subtitle promises that the book will help you “Identify the 8 Types of Office Mean Girls and Rise Above Workplace Nastiness.” Again: this won’t speak to everyone and certainly not at all times, but I know from experience there are times in my life it would have been consoling, if nothing else, just to know this book was around and that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. As Fuller points out in her Prologue:

Bitchy behavior can be so insidious or slippery that it’s often hard to tell if you’re really being targeted or if you are simply too sensitive. You feel an uncomfortable mix of confused, amused, devastated, and angry. You don’t want to believe that someone in the sisterhood could possibly be working against you, whether consciously or unconsciously. You think you should be able to handle it, especially when you pride yourself on bringing out the best in others….but if you can’t fix it, the negative effect gets harder to cope with. You remain haunted by a cruel secret that you’re too humiliated to mention -- another woman is causing you grief, and you haven’t done a thing to deserve it.

Working psychologist Meredith Fuller helps readers recognize the eight types of office mean girls and -- more importantly -- how to deal with them.

Here, as Fuller sees it, are the eight types of workplace bitches:

The Excluder sees other women as oxygen thieves if there is no personal gain from communicating with them. She can pretend you don't exist and fail to pass on important information.

The Insecure micromanages everyone, trusts no one, and thinks that no one knows better than she does.

The Toxic is a two-faced game-player who should never be trusted. She'll suck up to you and be your best friend one minute, then gossip about you the next.

The Narcissist is a self-serving ego-centric mean girl who expects everyone to admire her. She doesn't care about the good of the company, only about looking good, and expects you to feed her ego.

The Screamer cries for attention, yells to intimidate, screams to insult, and then yells some more for good measure.

The Liar has mastered the art of excuses, quick fibs, and charming manipulations.

The Incompetent lacks knowledge, work ethic, and awareness. She makes you do the work for her or takes credit for your work in order to make herself look good.

The Not-a-Bitch may have an unfortunate or disagreeable manner, but is just trying to do her job.