A Different Kind of Power
Compassion, Courage and Stepping Away
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Pan Macmillan
Published:3rd Jun '25
Should be back in stock very soon

The Sunday Times bestseller
The New York Times bestseller
Guardian Summer Reading Hottest Book Pick
This is not just a book for people who follow politics, but for anyone who has ever doubted themselves, or wanted to make a difference.
‘An essential, inspiring read’ – Natalie Portman
'Fascinating and engaging . . . makes us yearn for an era of courage and hope' - Nicola Sturgeon, The Observer
The deeply personal memoir from the former prime minister of New Zealand, then the world’s youngest female head of government and just the second to become a mother in office.
Jacinda Ardern grew up the daughter of a police officer in small-town New Zealand, but as the 40th Prime Minister of her country, she became a global icon for her empathetic leadership that put people first. She guided her country through unprecedented challenges, from the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks to a global pandemic. She advanced visionary policies to address climate change and child poverty. And all while juggling first-time motherhood in the public eye.
This is the inspiring story of how a Mormon girl plagued by self-doubt changed our assumptions of what a leader can be. A Different Kind of Power is more than a political memoir. Powerfully evocative and refreshingly open, it is a profound insight into how it feels to lead, it asks: what if you, too, are capable of more than you ever imagined?
'Clear-eyed and luminous' – Bill Bailey
'Warm and funny . . . emotionally rich and candid' - The Guardian
'Wonderfully frank and open' - The Rest is Politics: Leading
A rare glimpse into the foundations of Jacinda's unique and unprecedented leadership style, one that values humanity above all else. An essential, inspiring read -- Natalie Portman, Academy Award winning actor
Insightful and inspiring . . . Challenges old definitions of strength and power by emphasizing the urgency of compassion and kindness. World leaders have a lot to learn from her timely and important perspective -- Melinda French Gates, bestselling author of The Moment of Lift
Inspiring . . . fascinating and engaging . . . makes us yearn for an era of courage and hope -- Nicola Sturgeon, The Observer
Wonderful. As clear-eyed and luminous a depiction of childhood and family life as it is a brilliant insight into the making of a politician, a mother and a head of state -- Bill Bailey
Decent, resolutely human . . . Jacinda Ardern still believes modesty, kindness and compassion will win the day -- The Guardian
An honest, inviting and profoundly personal story . . . A rare and essential memoir -- Ben Rhodes, bestselling author of The World As It Is and After the Fall
Jacinda Ardern redefined what leadership looks like on the world stage . . . a powerful memoir -- The i paper
Against the backdrop of the braggadocio and threats that permeate today’s political discourse, former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern uses her new memoir to make a clear and compelling case for compassion . . . Her new book is an implicit repudiation of the strongman style of leadership that has taken hold around the world -- The Washington Post
ISBN: 9781035045402
Dimensions: 244mm x 163mm x 33mm
Weight: 574g
352 pages