A powerful and impactful collection of stories from an array of intriguing women. Undeniably inspiring I want to buy this book for everyone I know.

A wonderful collation of essays. Emotional accounts from each women. Take the read slow to absorb each letter fully. A great read that I think would make the perfect gift to your mum, sister or friends.

"I am convinced that each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women. Ignoring a single gender discrimination is a step backwards. Equality won't come all by itself. Each and every one of us, women and men, can and should contribute to the creation of a better world, a world where we are all equal." - Roula Azar Douglas

Elizabeth Filippouli gathered in this book a collection of letters written by women around the world to other women; some fictional, some deceased, some that they know personally, and some that they look up to. Some letters were more interesting than others, some more emotional, some more informative, but the bottom line in each on of them is the importance of us women being free to be and become whomever we want. For us to have an equal access to education and professional opportunities, to decide our own reproductive choices, to fight society's prejudices and pressure to become perfect or normal, to define what success means to us, to be the ones to set our own boundaries.

"We need to pay attention to emotions, perceptions, and stories...Words matter. Stories matter. The art of storytelling matters."

The letters that touched me the most were by Roula Azar Douglas, Shelmina Abji, Elif Shafak, Christina Nielsen, and Mariane Pearl. I couldn't stop reading as Nielsen described her experiences in the motorsport industry and as Pearl devoted her letter to an anonymous woman who could have been a number of voiceless women in history.

This book also made me think how language and the way we express ourselves will change in the following years, as some of these letters discussed all the work that men and women have to do to reach equality, but now everyone should fight for equality for everyone; women, trans, non-binary, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC!

This is a really interesting and eclectic range of letters from women across the globe. There is a power in learning the inner thoughts of such influencial women, and this books provides the perfect insight. I really enjoyed this collection, and would recommend widely.

From Women to the World

An impressive collection of letters written by contemporary women to those women who have provided inspiration during their own struggles. The strength of this collection lies in the diversity of contributors. There are some poignant moving letters from those who have lost so much from being driven from their countries and living as refugees, or those who have suffered sexual violence to those who are TV presenters living more glamorous lives. I especially appreciated how this collection introduced so many important and inspiring women who I had never encountered before. This is a great book to have on your bedside table and to dip into from time to time when in need of some inspiration.

A moving emotional collection of letters from women all over the world.Some we’re so personal so emotional they were difficult to read.Each letter shared the emotions feeling of the author.A book I will be recommending gifting.#netgalley #bloomsburyacademic

I read a few of the first letters, but I wasn't really gripped at all. While the letters I read were beautiful, I found that this kind of format just isn't really for me - I enjoy reading letters, for instance from writers I love or in a historical context, but I guess there just wasn't enough of an overarching theme to keep my attention. There will definitely be people who enjoy this book, unfortunately it's just not for me.

A beautiful concept for all women and some of these letters are so powerful they can be read over and over again.Some of the letters didn’t quite hit the. Ark for me and felt a little autobiographical rather than a letter to the reader(s). I also found there was a slant to the type of women and maybe would like to see more variety in both background, career, religion and even ethnicity but what was evident is the strength and power all these women have and have found within themselves, quite often through a tragedy but they are nonetheless inspirational and is certainly worth reading

These personal letters are emotional, heartfelt and incredibly moving. It's an interesting book, giving insight into the challenges faced by women globally. I think this is a book that teaches you so much through the personal experiences of these women.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From Women to the World: Letters for a New Century is an empowering, inspirational and fascinating anthology of contributions and letters exchanged between many brilliant, accomplished women of the world. 34 writers share their personal experiences – issues varying from patriarchy and misogyny, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy, as well as careers and mentoring- and reflect on how others have supported them throughout trying times. The collection features acclaimed Booker-prize nominated Elif Shafak writing a letter to Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, activist and TV presenter June Sarpong OBE addressing designer Diane Von Furstenberg, Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan of Jordan to her grandmothers, activist, global communications expert and Groucho member Geraldine Sharpe Newton writing a letter inspired by Mollie Yard and Gloria Steinem and children’s nutrition author and entrepreneur Annabel Karmel MBE to her daughter Laura.

Each is based on these women’s trials and tribulations, personal histories and experiences, drawing attention to social issues such as gender equality, poverty, religion, racism, capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, homelessness, war, LGBTQ activism, mental health, Covid19, displacement and the refugee crisis. From Women to the World is a book that shows us the power that women have not just to inspire each other, but also to motivate and reinvent our world. Produced and edited by Elizabeth Filippouli, the Founder of Global Thinkers Forum and Athena40 both platforms promoting brilliant female role models, each was given only one instruction: your letter should be written from the heart, and with candour. Spanning the globe and covering such countries as Lebanon, Uganda, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Denmark and Canada as well as Iran, Turkey and France, these trailblazing women open up their hearts in a way that they had not done before.

The book is an extension of Filippouli’s feminist work but in letter form with some of the world's most remarkable women speaking directly to the women who have inspired and influenced them. The result is both moving and humbling in equal measure. By sharing their intimate, heartfelt and relatable personal experiences, this draws attention to the pressing issues that fuel their activism, and the wisdom that these women have acquired through the years makes them very intuitive towards major social issues, including the gender gap, mental health stigma, unemployment and racism, but also personal challenges such as self-doubt and obstacles that prevent women from achieving their full potential. The book is the vessel through which they have embarked on a journey to revisit their relationships with mothers, daughters, friends, mentors, role models and, ultimately, with themselves. A captivating, rich and moving collection. Highly recommended.

I was completely moved while reading these letters. The letters each had their own uniqueness. Their own raw-ness. While I cried a great deal reading this, it was absolutely worth it. My mother died several months ago and I wish I had been able to put into words so eloquently and how deeply I felt as these letters did. I will definitely be buying a copy of this for our older homeschoolers as well as our reading group. I cannot wait to share this book with others.

This novel is a varied and wonderful introduction to and look at the lives, beliefs and thoughts of a variety of women across the world. Through these letters - to other women who have inspired them, have a connection with them, make them want to do better in the world - we learn about a vast range of backgrounds and experiences, and some are heartbreaking while others warm the heart. All have the common thread of the struggles we as women have been through - and continue to go through - and this unifying factor creates a sense of cohesion through all the different pieces.
I enjoyed dipping in and out of this, picking up at and reading a few letters at a time.

Elizabeth Filippouli, From Women to the World, I.B. Taurus, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2021.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this uncorrected proof for review.

What better way to introduce a book of letters to women of importance to their correspondent than with a letter to the reader? Elizabeth Filippouli does so, explaining the way in which she came to developing a technique that reaches out women, from the women she has met, to the recipients of the letters some of them have written. She wanted their untold stories, written from the heart. Her introduction begins with International Women’s Day, 2018 when Athena 40 was announced at UNESCO in Paris to promote a ‘“global” conversation’. Filippouli sees her book of letters as a way of conversing with the writers, recipients, and readers, across ages, races and cross gender with familiarity.

The list of letter writers and recipients, information about the writers, index, short biography of Elizabeth Filippouli and detailed acknowledgements provide the academic sources; the letters provide the heart. Together, these elements foster understanding, answers to questions perhaps we have not thought to ask, recall of momentous world events, and enlightenment about personal experiences.

I feel that this book is best read in part at different times, rather than reading it straight through. Having done the latter I am left with a feeling of slight disappointment about what I see as the monotone nature of the letters. However, other readers may well thrill to the emphasis given to the chosen letter writers, whom I see as often being from a similar background with ideas and feelings that echo each other.

Despite my criticism, many examples did resonate with me, and so for me the book is enough of a hoard of ideas, experiences, and personalities to warrant thinking about how it could be used. Firstly, it is a good resource, with like stories supporting each other as experiences that are based in reality – needed, I think, if the letters are to be used as an academic resource. Secondly, dipping into other women’s experiences is always a valuable way of investigating women’s world. The women who are featured in this book give of themselves, making a world that is often unfamiliar, more real. Their experiences alert readers to how their own might well be universal, how they might be dealt with, and where women’s experiences fit with the more familiar information that dwells on men and their world.

One of the letters I particularly warmed to was from a mother to her second daughter. The letter from Annabel Karmel to Lara Karmel moved from the tragedy of her first daughter’s death at five days of age, to humour in dealing with the vagaries of her son’s gastronomic foibles, to the professional outcome of dealing with these – creating a range of appealing food and world-famous cookery books – to the relationship she and Lara have around cooking and creating a business. Another was to Angelina Jolie, demonstrating the value of high-profile supporters of aid programs against the criticisms that are sometimes made. I am an admirer of Jacinda Ardern, so a letter to her was always going to be of interest to me. The resilience of other writers, based on their knowledge of strong women such as the letter written by Roula Azar Douglas to Ramona Fiani who was killed at the beginning of the Civil War in Beirut; Nurdeniz Truncer, who is the recipient of her visually impaired daughter’s letter; and to Jacquelin Du Pre from Silvia Chiesa. And then, known to many of us through the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison, a letter to Margaret Garner, from Muna AbuSulayman from Saudi Arabia which brings together women of markedly different backgrounds.

Elizabeth Filippouli has assembled a collection that is worth reading: the women featured in From Women to the World all have something to say. The collection makes a valuable contribution to understanding how the world works for many women.

From Women to the World is more than a simple collection of letters, it is based on women's personal histories and experiences,
I found this book remarkably sad. The pain written in these letters is evident to what women all over the world suffer. Very moving but definitely a book all women should read..
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.