Jacinda Ardern

Allen and Unwin, Auckland, 2020. Light creasing to spine, minor secondhand wear to cover extremities.

Michelle Duff delves into Ardern's beginnings in small-town New Zealand, discovering a nose-ringed teen fighting for equality and her own identity in a devout Mormon family.

Duff tracks Ardern's political career, from being dismissed as a 'show pony' to her compassion during one of New Zealand's biggest tragedies, the Christchurch mosque terror attack of 2019. In its aftermath, Ardern has become a global icon for her strength and decisiveness while uniting a country in shock and mourning.

Ardern attracted international headlines for being the second world leader to give birth while in office. But why was having a baby so meaningful and what does it say about the continued struggle for gender equality?

This is an engrossing and powerful exploration of one of the most intriguing political stories of our time - telling us as much about one young woman's ascendancy as it does about the country that elected her.