Nellie Bly, Martha Gellhorn, Oriana Fallaci, Elizabeth Sovi, known as Titaina, Anna Politkovskaya — all of them contributed to journalism.
These women were pioneers of the genre and continued existing principles, changing narrative traditions and looking at armed conflicts from a new perspective. Can a woman be both a reporter and a wife? A journalist and a mother? Can she travel the world, risking her life in hot spots as men do? In the XIX century, Nellie Bly bravely ventured into previously closed areas for women using tricks and undercover investigations. In 1917, Louise Bryant dined with the Bolsheviks, met Trotsky, and became a witness to the revolution. These events would form the basis of her book «Six Red Months in Russia». Françoise Demulder arrives in Lebanon during the height of the civil war — she is destined to be the only photographer to witness the brutal massacre in Quarantina. Oriana Fallaci interviews the leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, in 1979 and removes her chador in front of him, while journalist Kate Adie fights through the crowd in Tiananmen Square when shots are fired at the demonstrators.
History professor Christian Delporte traces the history of journalism from the 19th century to the present, from World War I to conflicts in the Middle East and Vietnam, telling the stories of remarkable women reporters who changed our view of the world. This historical study is a model of a quality non-fiction book that changes perspectives on the history of wars and global events.
The author applies a feminist lens to restore the names and deeds of great women whose reports defined human history. This documentary book about women is both a history of the reporting profession and an inspiring gift book for women interested in journalism, history, or feminism, as well as for anyone who values truly important historical documentary books and the key events in world history of the 20th century.