Here We Stand

There are some books that you can't help telling everyone about, even before you have finished reading them. Here We Stand: Women Changing the World is certainly one of them. Compiled and edited by Helena Earnshaw and Angharad Penrhyn Jones, it is a collection of interviews and articles with, and about, seventeen women who have changed the world through their campaigning and action. In the introduction we are presented with a quotation that sums up the spirit of the book: 'The function of freedom, according to Toni Morrison, is to free someone else.' In the first interview, Jasvinder Sanghera describes how she ran away from home to avoid a forced, arranged marriage, and how she set up the Karma Nirvana helpline, a charity to support and give advice to young women who are forced into marriage or are victims of violence. Sanghera's own sister committed suicide by self-immolation rather than shame her family by divorcing her violent husband and, in her interview, Sanghera stresses that individuals and support groups in the UK should not stand back and ignore the violence and emotional blackmail that goes on in some ethnic groups out of a perceived 'respect' for their cultures. One of the messages that comes out of this book is that brave actions, small and large, change the world around us. More important, perhaps, is the message that even when the issue or organisation you are facing appears indomitable and your chance of success seems almost zero, with strength and self-belief you can take on the corporate or governmental giants, and win. This certainly was the case for Helen Steel, one of the McLibel Two, who was taken to court by McDonald's for supposed libel after she and her fellow members of London Greenpeace produced a fact sheet on the harmful nature of fast food. Steel and her co-defendant Dave Morris defended themselves, there being no legal aid for libel barristers and, after a 314-day trial (at the time the longest-running trial in British history), Steel and Morris won their case. The format of deeply personal interviews alongside testimonials and articles works very well, and we are introduced to seventeen amazing stories in one volume. These stories about a film maker, cartoonist, poet, children's rights campaigner and a host of other women will prove to you that, with bravery and determination, it is possible to change the world for the better. Each narrative is inspirational in its own way. However, these stories are not about quick fixes, but about often slow, deliberate struggles that gain support over time and go on to create positive change and bring about social justice. Many of the women here can pinpoint the moment that something 'snapped' and they could no longer stand by and witness injustice, such as in the case of care-home whistleblower, Eileen Chubb, and her heartfelt account of standing up to abusive care-home managers. These stories will move you in many different ways. McLibel defendant Helen Steel tells how she discovered that she had been duped into a relationship with an undercover police officer and discusses the emotional damage that can result from such despicable tactics. When Steel is asked what inspires her to campaign, she replies, 'I take my inspiration from lots of people fighting against injustice and oppression around the world. You read stories in the paper or on the internet and you think, "Wow! These people did that and that's really impressive." That gives me the confidence to fight on and to remember that it is worth fighting on.' This is a manual for positive action read it and be inspired. Caroline Stockford It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council