200 Women (2019, 278 pages) This book has found a permanent home on my mail table, sitting among a huge stack of coffee table books. It quickly became my ultimate “waiting” book—the one I read while waiting for others to get their act together, find their shoes for a walk, or finally get into the car. Instead of doom-scrolling on my phone, spending time with these pages over the last year became a deeply rewarding, badass way to pass the time.
Interviews with 200 women from a vast variety of backgrounds provide a powerful snapshot of female life around the globe. Compiled by author Geoff Blackwell and photographer Ruth Hobday, the book features stunning photographs and quotes from women across different nationalities, races, abilities, ages, professions, body types, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
The brilliance of the book lies in its strict formatting. Rather than tailoring questions to individual interviewees, every single woman answers the exact same five questions:
- What really matters to you?
- What brings you happiness?
- What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
- What would you change if you could?
- Which single word do you most identify with?
With responses ranging from uplifting and joyful to completely heartbreaking, these women offer gifts of empowerment and strength. The rigid structure highlights how uniquely every individual approaches life, revealing that every woman has her own story and her own distinct “life rule” that she lives by.
Reading this book completely opened my mind to perspectives and hardships I had never considered. It made me reflect on the countless silent voices around the world who cannot speak out—and how these 200 women are, in many ways, speaking up for them.
200 Women is colorful, beautiful, and deeply thought-provoking. It is a necessary read that invites us to champion positive change at a time when so many are still fighting for basic freedom and equality. It truly opens your eyes to the world outside your own.
