Pre-order

Herlands

Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

Standard price shown. Sign in for personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Added to cart

Continue shopping or head to checkout

View cart
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

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

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
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
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 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
Brilliant. A compassionate and incisive journalist, Mohan has set a new gold standard for modern feminist writing
Monisha Rajesh, author of Moonlight Express
What begins as a book about women’s communities quickly becomes a defiant and moving record of forgotten history, sidelined heroines, and strategies that have transformed the course of entire groups’ wellbeing and progress. In enlightening us on what is, and once was, Megha reminds us that a more empathetic and inclusive future is not only possible - it’s critical
Sophia Smith Galer, journalist and author
Mohan takes a truly intersectional approach as she exposes how narratives about women-only spaces from the global south have been ignored by Western feminism, while her own personal story about her family in India or her interviews with women upholding the inherited traditions of women's spaces in Australia show that women building community is nothing new. I can't wait to buy this book for every woman I know
Sian Norris, journalist and author of Bodies Under Siege
Sometimes I am shocked at my own lack of imagination regarding the roles and accomplishments of women through the ages, until I remind myself that we have been deprived of the great depth of storytelling that has focussed so heavily on 'his' story. What a profound, enlightening and overdue gift is Herlands, not only shining light on half of the humans on the planet but on our unique ability to view nature and humanity as one
Maggie Baird, environmentalist

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.