50 Women, Book One and 50 Women, Book Two
50 Women is an award-winning anthology series of personal narratives emphasizing strength and perseverance told by 50 different women from 30 countries. In these individual stories that reflect cross-cultural experiences, the women discuss their unique experiences navigating and overcoming obstacles concerning political, cultural and societal issues, armed conflict, gender-based violence, immigration, health afflictions, and business ventures.
Many of their stories challenge common stereotypes and provide living historical accounts of the densely complicated political and societal issues of our time, including:
• Armed conflict in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Burma, South Caucasus, the Balkans and Israel and Palestine
• The Arab Spring Revolution
• The plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Thailand
• Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge
• The collapse of the former Soviet Union
• Dictatorship in Argentina
• Genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Wage discrimination
• Labor trafficking
• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence
The women of 50 Women also represent diverse beliefs, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Paganism, Animism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Women’s rights are a serious global issue. This is largely due to the realization that most developing countries at the bottom of the economic ladder fail to recognize fundamental human rights for women, to encourage female empowerment, political participation or to provide equal access to education and maternal healthcare. Women’s rights are a core focus of United Nations programs where a growing number of member states are actively seeking to improve conditions for women and girls through various policy initiatives.
– 50 Women, Book One includes stories told by women from Africa, Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus.
– 50 Women, Book Two includes stories from North America, Central America and Mexico, South America and Western Europe.
Both books have received the Jaquis Award from Legendary Women (alongside Gloria Steinem and Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison) and the 2020 Living Now Evergreen Medal for World Peace (Bronze).
These are the stories of 50 women from 30 countries. 