By Sue Lloyd-Roberts

Nine days ago I wrote to my dearling friend Chrissie that I never wished to pick up another book after completing the outstanding The Standing Chandelier by Lionel Shriver, so I’m rather relieved I caved in on this decision and headed off to collect an offering from my non-fiction pile.

The War on Women: And The Brave Ones Who Fight Back is tough and informative. An education, a challenge and a book that demands reading. It’s not enjoyable, but it’s very good.

Blowing my cover of naïvety, I wasn’t familiar with Sue Lloyd-Roberts’s work. I could plead not having a TV (but I did when her work was being aired), or I lived in another solar system (yet another fabrication), but the truth is…I have a sick preference for brain numbing on-demand itvBe programmes, so hard hitting truths I’ve tended to tread softly around.

You’ll be delighted to note – that’s about to change.

I’m not going on a crusade, rather thanks to a Blackwell’s event on the 6 February which acquainted me with this book and her daughter (as sadly the multi award winning journalist who authored this publication died in 2015), my comprehension of the injustices that the female of the species confront globally has been increased ten-fold.  It’s poo, putting it mildly for my junior readers, but by no means should we feel defeated.

From ‘The Cruellest Cut’, Chapter 1, you know that it’s not going to be light and fluffy, but knowledge and discussing the dreadful, the uncomfortable, the unjust, help address the issue.

I really learnt. Ashamed by my lack of knowledge as I turned the pages. I’m now not just better informed and alarmed, I can also appreciate that horrid cruelty needs to be ‘outed’ and become part of our everyday conversation. We need to be outraged and have it as front page news. The more people made aware of the issue, the greater the likelihood that people will fight for what’s right and protect those whom have no voice. We need to teach respect. Not just of women, but of all people, so it becomes part of our nature.

The book couldn’t have been assembled better. Each chapter has a different focus. You’ll learn about the laundries run by the nuns in Ireland; the Dirty Wars in Argentina, the sexual abuse of women protestors in Egypt; Forced Marriages; Sex Trafficking; and the sad reality that where the UN Peacekeepers head, the sex trade follows. But that’s not all. Sue Lloyd-Roberts provides you with the facts, she interviews both the abused and the perpetuators and it’s up to us to decide what we’ll do with the information.