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For the second time this year, Equality Now hosted a bookstore at the Make Equality Reality Gala, an arts-based celebration that brings together visionary leaders, powerful performances, and global changemakers committed to advancing gender equality, to highlight some of our favourite feminist titles. The books – both fiction and non-fiction and for readers of various ages – remind us of the urgency of our work and fill us with hope that a better world is possible. From us to you, enjoy the following recommendations straight from the Equality Now library.
In A Hymn to Life, Gisèle Pelicot tells her story for the first time, tracing a life built over five decades, the hidden abuse of her marriage’s final decade, and the long path to healing. Part memoir, part act of defiance, it is a moving portrait of survival and courage from a woman who broke her silence, reclaimed her voice, and forced a reckoning.
This year, Equality Now honoured Gisèle with the Equality Now Trailblazer Award, which honours individuals whose actions help transform the systems, institutions, and culture that shape the lives of women and girls.
Be Yourself and Other Bad Advice is part guidebook and part pep talk. The book is infused with humour and packed with practical tools to help teens and young adults figure out who they are, navigate emotions and life’s big questions, and build real confidence. It’s a perfect book for girls learning how to exist in the world. Featuring a foreword by Amy Poehler and stunning illustrations by Nina Cosford, it’s as lovely to look at as it is to read. Meredith attended this year’s Gala and signed copies of her book for guests.
For the Sun After Long Nights documents the rise of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, one of Iran’s largest uprisings in decades, which began following the death of Mahsa Jîna Amini. Fatemeh, a local journalist, documented the movement on the ground as a fellow protestor, despite threats to her life, while Nilo reported from afar. The book represents their interwoven stories and sisterhood.
The Freedom Seeker is a young adult novel about an Indian girl whose parents’ interfaith marriage becomes the target of violence. To remain safe, they decide to flee Northern India. Her father leaves first, seeking refuge in the United States, but when her and her mother’s petition is denied, they are left with no choice but to try to reunite their family on their own. Ruchira’s other title, I Kick and I Fly, also appeared in our library. This young adult novel follows Heera, who is sold into the sex trade at the age of fourteen. She eventually has the opportunity to learn martial arts, which transforms her life.
Like Meredith, we were fortunate to have Ruchira in attendance at this year’s Make Equality Reality Gala, where she signed books in the Equality Now library. Ruchira also contributed to our Equality Culture Club interview series, sharing why storytelling remains important, especially for a young audience; how her experience as a journalist has shaped her writing style; and what she envisions for a gender-equal future.
Nobody’s Girl is the memoir that Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken survivor, completed before her passing in April 2025. In it, she gives an unsparing account of her childhood abuse, her years being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to prominent men, her escape at nineteen, and the courage it took to hold her abusers to account and fight for other survivors.
Equality Now was proud to posthumously present the Courage Award to Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an outspoken Epstein survivor, who spoke out when silence would have been easier. Virginia’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, accepted the award on her behalf.
In Anjali Can!, the third book in the Anjali picture book series, Anjali works to prevent her local community centre’s closure and shows the power one individual can have in enacting change. Sheetal joined Meredith, Ruchira, and Jackson Katz in the Gala’s library for a book signing after the program.
The Big We is a non-fiction book that explores how everyday people can make a difference through community action and giving circles. Philanthropy is not exclusive to billionaires and does not require massive donations; it belongs to all of us.
Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisèle Pelicot, released a powerful memoir titled I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again about her personal experience living alongside her father, the revelation of his horrendous acts, and his consequential arrest. The root of the memoir, however, follows what happened next: how Caroline refused to remain silent and pursued justice not just for herself but for other survivors of chemical submission.
At this year’s Gala, we also honoured Caroline with the Equality Now Trailblazer Award for her advocacy, which has brought greater attention to the global conversation around drug-facilitated sexual assault and consent. Caroline’s campaign through M’endors Pas encourages those who suspect they’ve been drugged and sexually assaulted to come forward.
Woman, Life, Freedom is a stunning graphic novel that compiles the work of 20 collaborators, including artists and journalists, to illustrate the impact and importance of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran. The book won the ALA ALEX Award.
With Her Fist Raised follows the transformative life and activism of Dorothy Pitman Hughes, a Black feminist who ensured children, race, and welfare rights were core components of the women’s movement. This biography, which was called a “vigorous, vivifying portrait” by Shelf Awareness, also includes passages from Hughes herself.
Every Man illuminates an issue that impacts every single one of us: violence against women. He also provides critical advice for how men can disrupt misogyny and practical guidance for men in positions of influence and power. Jackson joined the Gala not only as a book signer but as a presenter. Just like in Every Man, his remarks highlighted why we should all care about gender-based violence.
Newly released as of Tuesday, September 22, An Unexpected Life is a reflection of Gloria’s early life, including her time in India, as well as her path to activism. The book also considers the future of equality and encourages future generations to continue her work.
Gloria was a beloved friend, mentor, and member of Equality Now’s global family. We were honoured to pay tribute to her Wednesday evening, and we will continue to honour her in the way she taught us: by continuing the work, by listening to one another, and lifting up the next generation. We will share our power so that all women and girls have equal rights and an opportunity to thrive.
In her memoir, Book of Lives, Margaret traces her past and the connections between her life and her books, from the school year that inspired Cat’s Eye to 1980s Berlin, where she began to explore Gilead. In the Equality Now library, we also featured Margaret’s The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. These books, which describe a startling alternate reality, earned Margaret the title of the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction by The New York Times.
The Win-Win Workplace is a data-driven non-fiction book based on research from 1,200 companies that explores the power of companies’ employees, emphasising the importance of employee empowerment and inclusive leadership. In this New York Times bestseller, Angela delivers nine proven strategies to build high-trust workplaces, advance intersectional inclusion, and more.
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