L.A. WOMAN

“The L.A. Woman--A Special Report” (by Cathleen Decker and Patt Morrison, Feb. 21) portrays a much more positive picture of the working woman’s life--both in and out of work--than most of the current literature. The woman that Decker describes is strong, resilient and, for the most part, happy with the choices she is making. Her collective portrait matches the one we discovered when we interviewed 100 top professional and business women for our book, “What It Takes: Good News From 100 of America’s Top Professional and Business Women.” Although we interviewed women who opted for the top of the ladder, it was encouraging to see that women at all levels, like the seven featured by Patt Morrison, embody the five success factors we identified. Clearly these seven inspiring women have “what it takes.”

LEE GARDENSWARTZ

ANITA HOWE

Los Angeles