Women Who Won

by Ros Ball, Emmy Lupin (Illustrator)

Did you know that Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka was the first woman in the world to become a democratically elected prime minister?  That Tina Anselmi of Italy was a wartime resistance fighter who became the first woman to serve as a cabinet minister?  Or that Sylvie Kinigi of Burundi was the first woman to serve as a prime minister in Africa?  It is high time these extraordinary women who helped shape our world became household names, and this book brings them at last to the fore. Women Who Won is a celebration of 70 women from the last 100 politicians from around the globe who fought for election in a man’s world… and won. Beautifully illustrated by artist Emmy Lupin, it features well-known figures, including Kamala Harris, Benazir Bhutto, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Jacinda Ardern and Julia Gillard, alongside lesser-known women whose stories are ready to be Women of the past, but also women of the present and future. Women who smashed the political glass ceiling. Women who fought to leave a positive legacy for future generations. Women who paved the way for girls of today to become women who won.

Genres: Politics, Young Adult

272 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Linda Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of biographies about inspirational women.

You know, one of the things about Women Who Won that struck me immediately was the sad fact that not only do we need a book with a focus on women in political situations, but that if I’m totally honest I hadn’t heard of the vast majority of the seventy women here. I was immediately moved by the reference to Jo Cox at the start of the book and by the time I had read each of the entries I felt humbled, uplifted, educated and informed. Women Who Won is an important book.

Each entry is accompanied by a glorious full colour portrait from Emmy Lupin that held a resonance of the work of Frieda Kahlo for me. They truly helped bring these amazing women to life.

Covering countries from across the world, each randomly organised entry begins with a summative sentence and includes footnotes and references that lead the reader to further research. Ros Ball manages to distil both detail and information into concise and accessible prose that is so informative and interesting. I’d defy anyone reading Women Who Won not to find someone whose personality, situation or beliefs resonates with them, so that it isn’t just geography, ethnicity and sexuality that’s inclusive here, but the opportunity to discover a like-minded individual. I also found reading the list of contributors who have helped crowd fund Women Who Won incredibly diverting and it meant that Women Who Won gave me more to discover, researching some of them after I’d finished reading about the seventy people included here.

It’s quite hard to explain the impact of Women Who Won. It’s fascinating. It’s informative. And, surprisingly, it’s quite emotional to discover these amazing women who have striven against all manner of adversity to be beacons for us all – regardless of gender. I thought Women Who Won was beautifully produced, enduring and absolutely needed in a world that sometimes feels dominated by men hell bent on destroying us all.

[Tiffany Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 for me. It's a great compendium of profiles of women around the world who have been 'firsts' but the profiles are very, very short. I appreciate that this brevity allows for more women to be covered, many of whom I was learning about for the first time and would like to know more, thus acting more as a vehicle to dip your toe in and discover for yourself whose life you'd like to delve into in more detail but I think it would have been better to focus on fewer but in more detail.

The illustration are a fabulous addition too!

[Hilary Margitich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, both visually and textually. Full-color illustrations of women political leaders from around the whole world, and their stories. I learned a lot and appreciated Ball's insights on the rise of women to these powerful positions and the whys behind those rises. An interesting look at gender equality issues and also political systems around the world.

[Israa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Edelweiss for an advanced copy. The biographies are very short. The references are good to have, but they do take up a lot of space as well. I appreciate the diverse representation. I would recommend this for a school library reference section.

[WelshMam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, informative and inspiring with lovely illustrations of the amazing women.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great brief introduction of famous and not so famous women over time in world politics. Each woman's 2-page bio is accompanied by a full color illustration and a biblo of sources.

[IsaJameela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gave me fond memories of Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls as well as being extremely interesting. Enjoyed it very much.

[Apeksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 page encapsulations of the lives of women in politics - strangely endearing in its brevity.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly the author only judged 69 women to be worthy of inclusion.