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Herlands

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

A landmark exploration of women-led communities worldwide and what they can teach us about new ways to live, think and govern, from BBC global correspondent Megha Mohan.

Society isn’t working for women - or any of us.

But what if the rules were different?

Imagine a world in which women have all the power. A world in which they work together to shape their societies and their futures.

In reality, women's communities have always existed, and continue to thrive. In this vital and ground-breaking book, Megha Mohan goes in search of their roots, discovering a vibrant global history, brought together here for the first time. She also takes us into today's women-led spaces, where women live on their own terms, showing us how we can rethink society for new ways of living, working and collaborating.

Through extensive research and exclusive first-hand reporting and inspired by her great-grandmother’s own matrilineal community in South India, Mohan introduces us to fascinating and diverse groups of women. From the controversial feminist online trolls of South Korea to older women co-housing in Paris and North London and the Rain Queens of South Africa, this is a truly global look at women's community.

Essential reading for anyone interested in our collective histories, cultures, economics and governance, Herlands shows the power and possibility of new ways of living - and leading - for us all.

'An inspiration for the future' GLORIA STEINEM
'Much-needed and compassionate' MARY ROBINSON
'Fascinating' DIPO FALOYIN
'A must-read' MARCUS RYDER

© Megha Mohan 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

Essential reading for anyone who has wondered what a matriarchy would look like
Vogue, *Summer Reads of 2026*
An expansive survey of women-only spaces all over the world… thoroughly researched and intelligently reported
The Times
Vibrant and richly drawn… [Mohan] is a skilled storyteller and interviewer
Times Literary Supplement
Since history is often literally His Story, it’s a helpful corrective to have books like Herlands that are about women who have always tried to control our own destinies. Herlands is a valuable introduction to some of them, an inspiration for the future
Gloria Steinem, writer and activist
The best of journalism: asking different questions; telling us stories we haven’t heard before; telling them so well. Megha Mohan takes us with her on her fascinating journey into women’s spaces the world over, providing insights and inspiration we all need now
Lyse Doucet, BBC's Chief International Correspondent
Herlands is a much-needed and compassionate reflection on how different we could be if more women had the freedom to design their own environments
Mary Robinson, first woman President of Ireland
A deeply fascinating and wonderfully researched exploration of community that will broaden every reader's mind
Dipo Faloyin, author of Africa Is Not A Country
A must-read that challenges prevailing narratives and sparks vital conversations about women's roles across cultures
Marcus Ryder, journalist and co-author of The Big Payback
Herlands chronicles the courage and creativity of women building new worlds against all odds. It captures the values I hold most dearly - sustainability and sisterhood. This book is not only timely but transformative
Dr Hilda C. Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Megha is not your typical journalist. She is a storyteller who takes you by the hand and guides you into the closed and sacred spaces she has access to because people trust her. She approaches her work with warmth, integrity, empathy, deep attentiveness, and all the rigour of a traditional journalist. Herlands is a book we can all learn from - I only wish it had existed sooner
Karishma Patel, media critic and writer
Author Megha Mohan
Narrator Megha Mohan
Duration 11 hours and 3 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529977721
Format Audiobook
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Genre Gender studies: women and girls, Social and cultural anthropology, Social and cultural history
Availability AU, GB, IE

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