Author's note -- Prologue: All the black people I know, knew better -- Part One: Authenticity as care. The call -- Patterns of weathering -- The body wants to heal -- Part Two: Authenticity as myth. Shape-shifting myths -- The 'authenticity is trite corporate jargon' myth -- The 'authenticity can transform work culture' myth -- The 'We must strive to be authentic' myth -- Part Three: Authenticity as spectacle. The spectacle of difference -- The spectacle of representation -- The spectacle of accommodations -- The spectacle of disclosure -- Crip revisions -- Part Four: Authenticity as purpose. A problem of place -- A safe haven for authenticity -- The paradox of doing good -- Mission, possible -- Part Five: Authenticity as refusal. What do you do with a broken promise? -- The audacity to refuse -- Part Six: Authenticity as agency. We outchea -- Beyond the institutional gaze -- Who are we visioning with? -- Epilogue: The experiment -- Acknowledgments -- Notes

"From the creator of a viral TED talk comes a bold call to rethink authenticity at work. Workplace dynamics in recent years have been a dizzying storm of broken promises. Companies that once encouraged employees to "come as you are" and bring your full, authentic self to work are now shutting down initiatives, part of an ongoing cycle of trading on our identities when it's convenient and profitable. Those calls for authenticity were never honest and are actually harmful. Jodi-Ann Burey, writer and critic known for her TED talk "The Myth of Bringing Your Full, Authentic Self to Work," delves into the dangers of disclosure in environments that aren't built for our well-being. With insights from pop culture , academic research, and interviews with other professionals of color, Burey argues that we can do better than shallow ploys for representation. Our physical and emotional health are at risk, and too much is sacrificed-for ourselves and for collective progress-when our full potential is blocked by racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism. Authentic is a powerful reckoning-and now is the time to reclaim our agency. Even at work"-- Provided by publisher