Hillary Clinton's book with daughter to tell stories of women's courage, resilience

Stories of courage and resilience of more than 100 "gutsy women" will find place in a new book by American politician Hillary Clinton and her writer daughter Chelsea Clinton.

"The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience", published by Simon & Schuster UK, will hit stands on October 1.

The book will encompass histories that "all too often get overlooked or are left unwritten".

It will tell the story of Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist whose Asperger's syndrome has shaped her advocacy, and also of Sor Juan Ins de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun and poet whose outspoken views on women's role in society scandalized audiences.

 

"Each of these women have fought and won the kinds of victories that pave 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," the Democratic leader said.

Other stories in the book include those of Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon who was arrested more than once for wearing trousers; French physicist Marie Curie and her daughter Irne, who worked side-by-side in their laboratory; and Rosa May Billinghurst, the suffragette who despite polio campaigned for women's right to vote in a tricycle.

"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," said Chelsea Clinton.

"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 book also features stories of Shirley Chisholm, who ran for US president in 1972 and was the first black woman elected to the US Congress; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman to lead an African country; Manal al-Sharif, who captured the world's attention in 2011 when she filmed herself driving a car in defiance of Saudi custom; and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose wry and wise observations about feminism have changed the conversation.

"This book has some astonishing stories of inspirational women and, in sharing what they have meant to them, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton give us an insight into what has made them who they are," Ian Chapman, CEO Simon & Schuster UK, said.