“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
Yesterday on the Human Cogs podcast we had a great conversation (episode coming 🔜🎙🎧) with author, presenter and political commentator Jamila Rizvi about her new book Untold Resilience, written and launched during the pandemic.
The book has been created by the Future Women journalistic team, and features timely and true stories of courage, survival and love from 19 women who have gone before (most of these women are aged in their 80s and 90s, and have witnessed and weathered poverty, war, domestic violence, discrimination and despair).
The book brings up a lot of themes and questions that are coming up in conversations right now as we all shape shift our lives, work, world views and relationships around the COVID normal.
Questions like:
➕ What does it take to find courage in the midst of deprivation?
➕ Why can some people find purpose while others lose hope?
➕ What can you / can’t you control?
➕ How do you know when you have done enough for others?
➕ How can you live a more examined life, and love more fully?
Powerful stuff. Real women.
And women who have only ever told their stories through the prism of the men in their lives.
“History celebrates the brave wins and noble losses of men, but rarely pays mind to the sometimes quieter, intelligent determination of women; women who were fighting courageously for their survival at the same time, in different ways.”
“This book makes a small contribution to setting that skewed presentation of history right. It pays homage to the extraordinary experiences of women who sought no medals and who gave no aggrandising speeches.”
“These are women who put their heads down and got the job done, proving their strength through the steadfastness of their actions.”
If you can, it is well worth making the time to read this book.
Shared wisdom, quietude, compassion, and women’s stories told and heard, are what the world needs much more of right now. 🌏❤️✖️✖️