The Power of Women: A doctor's journey of hope and healing

(Hardback)

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"Dr Mukwege, you are a warrior for peace" - Oprah Winfrey

Nobel laureate, world-renowned doctor and human rights activist, Dr Mukwege has dedicated his life to caring for victims of sexual violence.

Over the past two decades living and working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has stood up to soldiers and warlords, survived massacres and multiple assassination attempts, never swaying from his mission.

In this book Dr Mukwege interweaves his own dramatic story with the experiences of a range of extraordinary characters: the women he has treated - many of whom, after suffering unspeakable brutality, have had the strength to heal and rebuild their lives - as well as the people he has worked with, and survivors of sexual violence whom he has met during his years of advocating for women's rights around the world.

Early on in his career, Dr Mukwege realised what he was dealing with in the DRC was merely the extreme end of a global scourge. Sexual violence is the most common, under-reported and least prosecuted crime in the world. It does not occur in a vacuum. We are all implicated - whether the violence occurs in war-torn countries, or on college campuses in the West.

The Power of Women is a rallying cry to rid our societies of violence against women, and to better learn from their resilience, strength and power. It challenges us to think about our own experiences and how

all of us have a part to play in bringing about change.

For Dr Mukwege, 'emotion without action' is meaningless. Read this book and say 'no' to indifference.

Reviews

The book we all need to be paying attention to now. The voices of women in Eastern Congo reverberate throughout Dr. Mukwege's moving account of the causes and consequences of sexual violence. Weaving together their stories with accounts from across the world, he calls on us all to emulate the strength of women for the sake of the world. - EMMA WATSON, actor and activist

There are real heroes out there. There's Denis Mukwege. - Michaela Coel, creator of I May Destroy You and author of Misfits

Dr. Mukwege is a beacon calling men everywhere to a new consciousness. He risked and continues to risk his life to break ranks with a patriarchal culture that licenses violence towards all women. He is an ally, a brother, a visionary of the heart, a healer and a true friend to women across the world. - V (formerly Eve Ensler), award-winning playwright and bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues and The Apology

Beyond healer to these women and girls, Dr Mukwege is hope. - Dr Jill Biden, writing in Time's 'The 100 Most Influential People'
When I think of Dr Mukwege and all those survivors, I am just in awe of their courage. Their courage arms and nourishes me - obliges me to live my own life with strength and bravery. And you will feel the same if you read this book. To not be daunted by the challenges that our comfortable lives throw our way. To stand up for those who can't find their voices, or whose voices have been silenced. - OPRAH WINFREY

Author Bio

Dr Denis Mukwege was born in the Belgian Congo in 1955. As a child and young man, he was a first-hand witness to racial prejudices, as well as to the economic and moral decay of the Democratic Republic of Congo under dictatorship. Now a world renowned gynecological surgeon, he is recognized as the world's leading expert on treating rape injuries, and his holistic approach to healing has inspired other initiatives around the world. In 2014, he was invited to the White House by Barack Obama. In Europe, he was awarded the prestigious Sakharov human rights prize award, earning him major public recognition for the first time. In 2018, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Yazidi human rights activist and sexual violence survivor Nadia Murad.