First published 2000
Kerry Kennedy Cuomo travels across five continents to document the experiences of human rights activists who risk everything for justice. Through direct interviews, she captures the voices of defenders who face imprisonment, torture, and death threats while fighting for causes from free expression to environmental protection. The book features both celebrated figures like the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Elie Wiesel, and lesser-known heroes such as Juliana Dogbadzi, a former sex slave turned abolitionist from Ghana, and Marina Pisklakova, who combats domestic violence in Russia. Eddie Adams contributes striking portraits from two years of global photography. These activists speak about their dedication to women's rights, religious liberty, legal reform, and the eradication of modern slavery. Their stories reveal the personal cost of standing against oppression and the determination required to create change in their communities and nations.
Genres: biography, non-fiction, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: real-people, social-change
Setting: Africa, Ghana, Russia
Period: 21st-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: torture, violence