by Crown
First published 2025
Jacinda Ardern opens her memoir by examining what leadership means when kindness guides decision making. The former New Zealand Prime Minister traces her path from police officer's daughter in a small town to becoming the world's youngest female head of government at thirty-seven. Ardern reveals how self-doubt followed her even as she made political history, becoming only the second world leader to give birth while in office. She details her response to the Christchurch mosque attacks, which led to immediate gun control reforms, and describes navigating crises from volcanic eruptions to the global pandemic while implementing policies on climate change and child poverty. Throughout, she managed the pressures of new motherhood under public scrutiny. Ardern shares the complete story behind her decision to step down during her sixth year as Prime Minister. Her account challenges traditional assumptions about effective leadership, demonstrating how empathy and compassion can drive powerful results on the world stage.
Genres: biography, leadership, autobiography, memoir, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: empathy-driven-leadership, self-doubt, unconventional-leadership
Setting: Christchurch, New Zealand
Period: 21st Century
352 pages · Hardcover · Crown