The Female Lead

This beautiful book profiles women from all walks of life: from politicians to artists, journalists to teachers, and engineers to campaigners. But this is not a book about celebrities, though many of the subjects are well-known. These are women who have led their field, who have broken the mold to achieve, or who have inspired changes through relentless endeavor. Telling their stories through in-depth interviews, and illustrated with arresting photography by world-class photographer Brigitte Lacombe, this book will help and inspire women everywhere to realize their hopes and ambitions. Subjects include journalist Tina Brown; Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep; actress, writer, and director Lena Dunham; Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee; the first female fire fighter in the FDNY, Brenda Berkman; MP Mhairi Black; sailor Tracy Edwards; entrepreneur Jo Malone; and human rights activist Yeonmi Park.

Edwina Dunn is the co-founder of worldwide loyalty programs like Tesco’s Clubcard, and knows first-hand what it feels like to work in a male-dominated industry, and how women’s lack of confidence so often holds them back. Edwina founded The Female Lead, a not-for-profit organization, in 2012, which has showcased hundreds of women's stories of achievement and endeavor, globally, since then. Brigitte Lacombe is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Glamour, New Yorker, GQ, and The New York Times, and has been collected in Lacombe: Anima/Persona. She lives in New York City.