Jacinda Ardern: The Story Behind an Extraordinary Leader | Allen & Unwin
Jacinda Ardern was the first biography published by a New Zealand author on release in October 2019. It was an immediate bestseller, and ranked in the Top 10 NZ Non-Fiction bestseller charts (as recorded by Nielson BookScan) for 15 solid weeks. It sold more than 18,500 copies in Australia and New Zealand alone, and has been reprinted 9 times. It has also been distributed in the US and the UK.
'Sincere, intent, focused, and always readable. [This] book gets to a truth, and an understanding.' Steve Braunias, Newsroom
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, is lauded as one of the world's most influential people. Her rise to power was stellar. In 2017 she became leader of the Labour party just seven weeks before the election at which she claimed the top job.
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?
Has Ardern really been a transcendent leader, and what enduring mark might she leave on the political landscape?
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.
Released in October 2019. Now a New Zealand bestseller.
Read more on Allen and Unwin’s website here.
Available at most booksellers or buy the book online here.
Read an interview with the author here.
Other media;
