Not A Woman's Job

Not a Woman's Job is the memoir of M. Rosaria Piomelli, a female architect who entered the male-dominated profession in 1960, pushing it to change towards equality, acceptance, and recognition of women's achievements. Piomelli's tale begins during World War II, where, as a little girl growing up in Naples, Italy, she and her family escape with their lives on several heart-stopping occasions. From Naples, she moves on to graduate from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to work at leading private firms in New York City, and to become the first female Dean of Architecture in the United States at City College of New York. Her spellbinding, adventurous life takes the reader through a whirlwind of relationships, disappointments, survival, and accomplishments-demonstrating a fierce strength of will to excel against any and all challenges and doubters. In 2019, the Carnegie Corporation of New York named her a Great Immigrant/Great American for her "notable contributions to the progress of American society."