Before London got into its second winter, we were blessed with a week of “spring has sprung” - five sunny days in a row, yellow daffodils on my walk to work, and cherry blossom trees covered in their gorgeous blushed pink veil. As we were half way through a card game - Kay drew a question that later became my favourite - “Has a stranger ever changed your life?”
Of course, in fact, I can come up with a list of strangers that have saved me from my misery, comforted me, challenged my world view, expanded my horizon, and changed my life forever - and they all have one thing in common - they are all writers. In this 7-essay series, I will attempt to share 7 books that have been the bricks to my current state of mind, and hopefully someone will find these reviews intriguing enough to let a stranger in their world.
Book 1 - Bloody Brilliant Women - Cathay Newman
Obviously British, Cathy Newman’s Bloody Brilliant Women is a witty, compelling and much-needed celebration of the overlooked women who helped shape modern Britain. In a world where history often sidelines female contributions, Newman sets out to correct the record, unearthing stories of women whose achievements in politics, science, business, and culture have been undervalued or ignored.
Newman strikes a balance between well-researched historical analysis and an informal, conversational tone that keeps the narrative moving from the late 19th century to the present, including pioneers like Barbara Castle, the force behind the Equal Pay Act, and Beatrice Shilling, a brilliant engineer whose work improved fighter planes during World War II. Newman doesn’t just highlight well-known figures but also introduces readers to lesser-known yet equally groundbreaking women whose impact deserves recognition. A key theme throughout the book is the persistence of structural barriers that have held women back. While it celebrates achievements, it also acknowledges the sexism and societal expectations that many of these women had to overcome. This context adds depth to the narrative, showing not just what these women accomplished, but also the struggles they faced.
Reading Bloody Brilliant Women made me reflect on how we often assume that social progress is linear—that once rights are won, they will remain in place forever. But history, and more urgently, the world around us today, tells a different story. We are sadly witnessing rights that were hard-fought and once seemed secure are now being eroded at an alarming rate. Across the globe, we are witnessing a stark reversal of women’s rights, proving that progress is not only fragile but also deeply contingent on political and social climates.
Take abortion rights - one that strictly reflects a woman's anatomy over her own body, as an example. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping away federal protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years. Now, many American women find themselves living under near-total bans, with some states criminalising those who seek or provide abortions. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has systematically dismantled women’s freedoms since regaining control in 2021. This is a country where, once upon a time, women held political office, attended university, and worked in a range of professions. If you look at photographs of Afghanistan in the 1960s and 70s, you see women in skirts and heels walking freely in the streets, studying in classrooms alongside men, and taking leadership roles in politics. Yet today, that reality has been wiped away.
The regression is reminiscent of the world depicted in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, which portrays the devastating impact of oppressive regimes on Afghan women’s lives. The novel, set during multiple turbulent periods in Afghanistan’s history, illustrates how quickly freedoms can be taken away, plunging women into lives of subjugation and violence. What is striking is that the cycles of progress and oppression in the novel are not confined to history; they are sadly repeating themselves in real time.
It’s also awakening to realise how fairly recent many of the rights we consider fundamental actually are. Let’s be positive and say we’re liberated, then we haven’t been that liberated that long. In Ireland, abortion was only legalised in 2018 after a historic referendum. In Saudi Arabia, women only gained the right to drive in 2018, a reform that was celebrated globally but remains precarious under an authoritarian regime. Even in the UK, workplace protections for pregnant women have only been strengthened in the past decade, with policies still evolving to prevent discrimination. These examples serve as a sobering reminder that many of the freedoms we associate with modern society are relatively new—and far from guaranteed.
But as history unfolds, women have always resisted, we are resisting, and we will continue to resist. Yet, resistance in the modern world comes with new challenges—personalised, polarised algorithms push young men further to the far right while portraying progressive young women as irrational "woke leftists," diverting us from the truth that patriarchy harms everyone involved. I wasn’t spared from this manipulation either—for a long time, I lived in a bubble of my own thoughts, struggling to understand why so many young men were drawn to figures like Andrew Tate or why some young women would confidently brand themselves as unapologetically materialistic, as if empowerment could only be measured in wealth.
Celebrating this March, a month for all to reflect on the century-long battles women have fought, I hope we can become curious about how being a feminist doesn’t just benefit women. It also frees men from the weight of "being a macho man" and suppressing their emotions. Feminism invites us to explore, connect, and embrace a more compassionate, liberated way of being for everyone. And if it all can start with a book, I invite you to read "Bloody Brilliant Women" by Cathy Newman.
Picture: Women walk through Kabul in 1972. (Via Amnesty International UK)