Boulder authors preach 'Climbing Mountains in Stilettos'

Climbing Mountains in Stilettos is quite the sassy, conversational, activity-filled book. Although the title may mislead folks into thinking this book offers impractical advice for women (I mean, who has really hiked successfully in stilettos?), it's a fun, informative source to turn to when you're lacking in the umph/grrr department.

Boulder authors, Ann Tinkham and Carol Brunelli, are the masters behind this women's rulebook on how to throw prim and powerless out the window and let your inner "bad girl" break through. It's a great trail guide to life for any long-attention-span-struggling gal looking for some lit to get her up and out of the house.

This dazzling lady duo compiles all sorts of interesting facts, opinions, quizzes and stories about other interesting women to get you thinking and acting on your ideas and goals. There's even a section where you can come up with your own sassy comebacks.

Warning: If you're looking for some pre-bedtime reading to calm the mind and get the ZZZs flowing, don't lay a finger on this ditty. It'll get you all revved up and anxious to get on with your bad self.

Now, although the Web site is extremely outdated (ladies, get those Web savvy skills in gear), these women are definitely on to something.

Below is an excerpt from Climbing Mountains in Stilettos. Take this quiz titled, "Who Needs Feminism?" to find out how much you know about the state of the world's women. It gets you thinking. Check your answers below the quiz. (Oh, and some of the stats may be currently inaccurate, as the book was published in 2007, but the reality of each question obviously hasn't changed.)

1. Out of over 180 countries, how many have elected women to heads of state or government?
    a. 14
    b. 37
    c. 49
    d. 73

2. What is the leading cause of injury and death for women worldwide?
    a. car accidents
    b. domestic violence
    c. assault
    d. suicide

3. In the United States a woman is battered by her partner every ___.
    a. 3 seconds
    b. 5 seconds
    c. 9 seconds
    d. 10 minutes

4. In the United States a woman is raped every ____.
    a. 1 minute
    b. 3 minutes
    c. 20 minutes
    d. 45 minutes

5. In over 60 of the world's states, women's income is ____ lower than men's income.
    a. 10%
    b. 20%
    c. 40%
    d. 50%

6. In the United States, women hold 50.3% of all management and professional positions, but what percentage of Fortune 500 CEO positions do they hold?
    a. 1.4%
    b. 8.5%
    c. 20.7%
    d. 35%

7. Approximately 855 million people in the world are illiterate. What percentage is female?
    a. 25%
    b. 50%
    c. 70%
    d. 85%

8. Across the globe, women often work how many more hours per week than men?
    a. 15
    b. 20
    c. 35
    d. 40

9. Women produce nearly 80% of the food on the planet, but receive less than ____ of agricultural assistance.
    a. 10%
    b. 20%
    c. 30%
    d. 50%

10. Which country still doesn't have universal suffrage?
    a. Brunei Darussalam
    b. Saudi Arabia
    c. United Arab Emirates
    d. all of the above

Answers: 1. a, 2. b, 3. c, 4. b, 5. d, 6. a, 7. c, 8. c, 9. a, 10. d

So? How well do you know the state of the world's women now?