The story of Manal al-Sharif, the Saudi activist who filmed herself driving in 2011 when it was illegal for women to drive, along with the stories of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first women to lead an African country (Liberia), the novelist and campaigner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Mary Edwards Walker, the Civil War surgeon who was affected more than once for waring trousers, are featured in a new book by former First Lady Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea entitled The Book of Gutsy Women, coming from Simon & Schuster in October.
Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of S&S, acquired world publishing rights in all formats of the book from attorney Robert B Barnett of Williams & Connolly, who represents Secretary Clinton. The publisher says: “Celebrating the women who have inspired them throughout their lives, The Book of Gutsy Women will feature portraits of more than 100 women, celebrating the histories that all too often get overlooked or are left unwritten,” the synopsis reads. “The women featured in the book range from Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist whose Asperger’s syndrome has shaped her advocacy, to Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun and poet whose outspoken views on women’s role in society scandalized audiences.”
Hilary Clinton said: “Each of these women has fought and won the kinds of victories that pave the way for progress for all of us. To us, they are all gutsy women—leaders with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done. This book is a continuation of a conversation Chelsea and I have been having since she was a little girl, and we are excited to welcome others into that conversation.”
Her daughter Chelsea added: “The gutsy women in this book share a fierce optimism that their work and lives will make a difference in the world. And, they’re right. We hope readers will draw strength from their stories as we have, because if history shows one thing, it’s that the world needs more gutsy women.”
The title will be published on 1 October as a hardback and audiobook by Simon & Schuster and its international companies in Australia, Canada, the UK and India.