Publisher's Synopsis
From Samantha Nutt, award-winning humanitarian and #1 bestselling author of Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, comes a sharp and incisive exploration of the geopolitical forces shaping women's lives throughout the world, and what this means for the future of feminism.
The first two decades of the 21st century were on track to be better for women than any other period in human history. More women were entering politics. There were more women running countries and companies than ever before. The gender wage gap was shrinking. A woman very nearly became President of the United States. The #MeToo movement challenged the secrecy and complacency surrounding sexual abuse and harassment, putting entire industries on notice. If feminism had a victory lap, this should have been it. Yet just as woman seemed to be entering this new, postfeminist world, the forces mobilizing against them grew stronger and louder. A man accused of sexually harassing almost two dozen women became President. Another man accused of sexual misconduct was appointed, much like Clarence Thomas more than two decades before him, to the Supreme Court. Men's rights groups were not only expanding but entering the mainstream, blaming women and feminism for their declining opportunities. Elsewhere in the world, one of the most brutally misogynistic movements in modern history, Daesh (ISIS), was building out its network from the Middle East to Africa and South Asia. The Taliban entered into negotiations with the United States as part of a power-sharing "peace deal" in Afghanistan. In North America, the Incel (involuntary celibate) movement is linked to attacks on civilians in high schools, college campuses, businesses and city streets.
Mixing razor-sharp analysis with personal anecdotes, the author lays out the connections between these shifting events and what they mean for the future of women and girls. With a career spanning more than two decades working in some of the most war-ravaged regions of the world, she addresses the tough questions about the imperfect progress of feminism and the ongoing, devastating backlash against women's equality. A highly engaging, evocative and entertaining story-teller, Dr. Samantha Nutt explores what it means to be a woman in the world right now--the contradictions and frustrations--and how women can lead through these challenges. Headstrong is a poignant, honest and insightful look at women that bridges the personal with the political, touching on the local and global dimensions of feminism. Navigating a sphere often dominated by men (war), Sam has emerged as one of the most engaging and intrepid voices in the geopolitical arena, offering both a timely and critical take on modern events.
