Isabel : The Secret Diary of a Discreet Secretary (Paperback)

Isabel: The Secret Diary of a Discreet Secretary shares wickedly entertaining anecdotes from a secretary whose job experiences led her to work in three continents from the early 1960s through the 1990s.

After a short stint as a fashion model and crooner for a jazz band, Isabel Szlavik decided to pursue what was at the time, the largest, most prestigious, and elegant job category for women around the world. The skills list for a secretary was short: a minimum typing speed of fifty words a minute, a general knowledge of shorthand, and enough patience to handle messy carbons and an electric typewriter. From her first job supporting a missionary who devoted his life to helping the needy to her last role assisting two talented business men, Isabel chronicles the often humorous side of the secretary-boss relationship, how she dealt with a rapidly changing technological world, and handled the many different personalities and cultural backgrounds of the American, Brazilian, German, Italian, Chinese, and French nationals she worked with on a daily basis.

Through three continents and many bosses, Isabel shares a compelling glimpse into a time when working as a secretary provided a glamorous and exciting life full of opportunities.