Fury

In Fury: Women write about sex, power and violence, 16 exceptional writers, led by editor Samantha Trenoweth, put violence against women into the spotlight.

Their perspectives range from the searingly personal to the positively political. What emerges is a fascinating exploration of the power dynamic between men and women, and some creative strategies to address the inequalities built into it.

Mandy Sayer gives a moving account of her childhood spent fleeing a violent stepfather; Anne Summers revisits the anarchic early days of the women’s refuge movement; Van Badham and Susan Chenery give accounts of violence in suburban Australia and pastoral Tuscany that suggest even the smartest women are vulnerable to assault; Indian poet and novelist Meena Kandasamy addresses rape culture on the subcontinent; and inspiring young activist Fahma Mohamed writes of her crusade against female genital mutilation.

In recent times, we have seen girlfriends shot in their bathrooms and thrown from balconies; mothers and kids turned away from underfunded refuges; women raped on Indian buses, American campuses, and in Australian homes. It’s time we talked about it. Fury explores the intersection between culture, gender and social change through voices that are passionate, insightful and, above all, empowering.