Not here to make you comfortable

Fifty women. Fifty stories. All of these women have made a change in their lives for the benefit of themselves and other women all over the world. This incredible collection of one-page stories has been put together by the women at PRH Young Readers publishing section after the explosive media scrutiny of an unsmiling Grace Tame at a reception in January 2022 with the then Australian Prime Minister.

The book is presented in alphabetical order and begins with A.GIRL. an Australian musician, singer, songwriter and rapper from western Sydney. She is passionate about providing creative opportunities for girls from western Sydney. The final entry is Chloe Zhao, a Chinese-born filmmaker who shares female stories. Others included in this highly accessible and informative book will be both familiar and unfamiliar and each of them have an amazing story to share. Some of the fifty inspirational women include: Chantal Contos who founded ‘Teach Us Consent’, high profile AFLW player Tayla Harris who was subjected to appalling social media trolling after a photo of her strong kicking pose was posted, young English woman Gina Martin who was ‘upskirted’ and created the Voyeurism (Offences Act) 2019, Ash Barty who chose her own path and to quit tennis at the top of her game, Malala Yousafzai who spoke out against the Taliban about education for girls, Greta Thunberg who protested against climate change and inspired other children to stand up, and Sally Scales, a proud Pitjantjatjara woman and artist who has been involved with the Uluru Statement and Voice, Treaty and Truth.

Each vignette is brief and to the point with easily accessible text surrounded by plenty of white space. These stories could provide a starting point for further research. The sketch on the adjoining pages have been drawn by new or emerging illustrators who are all mentioned in the final pages.

This book has a powerful message and is an important addition to any school or public library:

It's time to stop saying yes all the time.
It's time to stop apologising all the time.
It's time to stop avoiding conflict all the time.
It's time to be true to our emotions, whatever they are.
We’re not here to make you comfortable.
We're here to celebrate being ourselves.

Themes: Women, Change makers, Adversity, Resilience, Bravery, Stories, Empowerment.

Kathryn Beilby