Since childhood, I have devoured books at sometimes alarming speed. Often, as soon as the last page of a book is finished and the first of the next started, the story is forgotten and relegated to a distant area of my brain, never to be recalled. It is always a pleasure to read a novel that sticks in my mind, that isn't so easily dismissed. A novel such as White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
The book, Zadie's first published novel, centres around two families living in London, one Bangladeshi and one English. The story spans generations and encompasses themes of narrow-minded attitudes, racism, multi-culturalism, religion and social standing. Moreover, the book gives an insight into a friendship that is maintained and developed despite the major differences of the characters. It is beautifully written and is a powerful depiction of the reality of modern Britain. White Teeth won many literary awards including the Whitbread Book Award in category best first novel and Time magazine included the novel as one of it's 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. It has also been made into a British television programme.
Zadie has since written a further two novels and is an accomplished short-story writer.
A wonderful writer, now one of the UK's most esteemed authors. Included for her wonderful story and for all her successes.
A woman should know how to look like a girl, how to act like a lady, how to think like a man.
Zadie Smith
Simone Veil - Born 1927
French Lawyer and Politician
Added to the album by Helene, A Wonderful Woman
I would add the marvellous Simone Veil for the extraordinary courage she had in legalising abortion in France in 1974, her speech at the time still rings true today. Helene
Once again, the album I started on Facebook has allowed me an insight into the life and achievements of another Wonderful Woman, whom previously I knew nothing about. Helene, a friend of a friend, had seen my album and sent me a message suggesting her inclusion and, having done some research into what makes Simone Veil wonderful, I am so pleased that she did. Simone is exactly the type of woman who I feel should be celebrated.
Born into an atheist Jewish family in Nice, during Nazi occupation, the family were deported and as teenager Simone was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Simone lost both her parents and her brother during this time.
Surviving the atrocity of the Holocaust is enough to include any woman as wonderful but Simone went on to achieve a great many things after the war was over.
She graduated with a degree in Law and Political Science and practiced law for many years in the Ministry of Justice. Later, she became a member of the French government and held the post of Minister of Health from 1974 to 1979. As Minister of Health, Simone pushed forward laws to aide women to having a better access to contraception (including the oral contraceptive pill) and to legalise abortion, a difficult battle in the predominantly Catholic country and it is this work for which Simone is best remembered. She went on to become a Member of the European Parliament and became the first elected female President within.
At each stage of her life, Simone Veil had to overcome male resistance in one form or another. Denis MacShane, The Observer
In conclusion, a Wonderful Woman who survived the worst experiences of human history to go on to be educated, to be successful in not one but two careers and to work vehemently to make her country a better place, particularly for other women.
We, those who had promised those we knew, if by miracle, any of us were to survive, to recount what we saw, yes, we have testified, recounted. Simone Veil
Miss Honey Dijon - Date of Birth Unknown
American DJ, Music Producer and Record Label Owner
Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman
Having seen Miss Honey Dijon DJ a number of times myself, I can testify that she surely is a worthy Wonderful Woman. She is an awesome DJ, brilliantly talented, full of panache and has her own brilliant style behind the decks (not to mention being able to do tequila shots all night long and still look amazing). Regular readers will know that I have my own experience as a DJ and club promoter, it's always great to see other female DJs nominated as Wonderful Women and this one in particular gets a massive green light from me.
Honey plays an eclectic mix of Chicago House, New York Disco and then throws in some funk and soul for good measure. She is a fantastic crowd reader and manages to move people to her way of thinking, of all her gigs I have been to, I have never seen anything other than a packed dancefloor full of happy faces and pumping fists. She is internationally reknowned and has played some of the most exciting clubs in the world, including, Ministry of Sound in London, Pacha in Ibiza and Panorama Bar in Berlin, while holding down two weekly residencies in New York, as well as playing a variety of other events such as fashion shows and festivals. The first time I saw her was at Sankey's Soap in Manchester, at the time my favourite club in the world, the crowd there were a music savvy lot, used to having the best of the best play in our club every weekend and many of us DJs and club promoters ourselves, she rocked it and that night, I fell in love with Honey and have loved and admired her ever since.
As well as being a prolific DJ, Honey owns the Digital Disco record label, which counts the likes of Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak and Luke Solomon among it's released artists. Furthermore, Honey is a successful music producer, with releases on a number of labels.
When Honey appeared in the album, there was a question mark over if transgender women should be included as Wonderful Women. There was no hesitation in my mind, she is a fabulous representation of a Wonderful Woman and I see no reason why we shouldn't celebrate her (and other transgender women) in the same way we celebrate any other woman; she is a woman, she has all the qualities we like and admire in the other women of this album and that is all that matters here. I recently read an interview where she was asked about her sex change and her reply was that she didn't want to discuss that because it isn't as important as the music, I quite agree. Her nominator sums up her inclusion perfectly:
She's all woman to me! Sarah
Despite the rise in female DJs in recent years, House Music and other electronic genres of music remain dominated by men. To make it in this world, a woman needs raw talent, tenacity and creativity, Honey has them all. She is a wonderful DJ and a great ambassador for female DJs too.
I think music has the power to change lives and to reach you and to make you see yourself and the world in a different light. It’s about acceptance. The dance floor is the one place in the world where you still get all types of people celebrating together and I hope to be able to do that through music. Miss Honey Dijon
For services to holding the most dysfunctional family in the world together with undying love, humour and blue hair. Gavin
I think Gavin's quote pretty much sums up Marge's wonderfulness.
Marge is not the first animated character to make it into this list of elite women, you may remember my championing Long Distance Clara - Wonderful Woman No. 27 some time ago. I see no problem in recognising these women's contribution just like any other.
Marge first appeared on American television in 1987, and has gone on to be an internationally recognisable personality since. Marge is the matriarch of The Simpsons, wife to Homer and mother to Bart, Lisa and Maggie. She holds the family together through constant trials and tribulations, never faultering in her affection for her hopeless husband and challenging children.
I am often asked in jest to include people's mother's in the album, when this comes up, I usually point people in the direction of Doreen Lawrence - Wonderful Woman No. 39, as an example of a wonderful mother. Perhaps also, I should now point them in the direction of Marge.
You can never raise a hand to a child. Just stop cutting the crust off their sandwiches. They'll get the message. Marge Simpson
Betty Friedan - 1921-2006
American Writer and Political Activist
Added to the album by Joanne, My Wonderful Cousin
I have stated many times that one of the most wonderful things about creating the Wonderful Women album and then coming to write about these women, is finding out more about women suggested by other people whom previously I knew little or nothing about. Betty Friedan is one such woman, suggested by my cousin, Joanne, a wonderful woman herself.
Betty's own achievements are fantastic in their own right but also it should be noted and considered that her actions and her writing have also been the catalyst for other women to go on to do wonderful things, to change their own life and to try to make changes in the world too.
I figured that she had a point. Women don't get the respect they deserve unless they are wielding male-shaped power; if they represent women they will be called "love" and expected to clear up after themselves. Betty wanted to change that forever. Germaine Greer - Wonderful Woman No. 41
Betty wrote her first and most famous book, The Feminine Mystique in 1963. The book is often considered to be the starting point in a new wave of feminism in the USA. It focuses on the female role in society and the right to persue education, to go against expectation and to achieve careers without restrictions, act on desire and to be of equal standing to men.
One of the chief architects of the women's liberation movement of the late 1960's and afterward, a sweeping social upheaval that harked back to the suffrage campaigns of the turn of the century. New York Times
Betty wrote a further five books with a feminist message, the last published in 2000.
Before writing her first book, Betty had worked as a journalist but had been dismissed from her job due to the fact she was pregnant.
In 1966, Betty founded the National Organization for Women in the USA. The group became lobbyists for equality for women and were leaders in the campaign for women's equal pay, equal rights within the workplace and forced the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to start working on claims filed involving sex discrimination, something the commission had previously ignored. In 1970, Betty organised a national Women's Strike for Equality, and led a march of 50,000 women demanding civil rights granting women equal standing in the workplace.
In conclusion, a woman who fiercely fought against injustice, who helped make America a fairer and more equal place for women. Inspiringly wonderful.
The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning [that is, a longing] that women suffered in the middle of the 20th century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries … she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question — 'Is this all? Betty Friedan
>>>> I must apologise for the lack of recent entries. This is down to technical problems and not a lack of women to write about, there are more than 100 more waiting in the album. I will continue to write as frequently as possible! >>>>
Diana Ross - Born 1944
American Singer, Songwriter and Actress
It was seeing the photograph above of Diana Ross that prompted me to add her to the album. I absolutely love the image of her sat bare-foot in the iconic Studio 54 nightclub, her face seemingly lost in the music being played. It's a wonderful image of a wonderful woman.
Diana started her career with the girl group The Supremes, who signed to Motown Records in 1961. During the sixties, the group enjoyed mainstream success with hits like Where Did Our Love Go, You Can't Hurry Love and Stop! In the Name of Love, records that still enjoy radio play to this day. In 1967, Motown boss, Berry Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross and The Supremes, he stated that the reasons were financial, he could claim two acts were on the bill rather than one (he had also done this with a number of other acts) but the other members of the group felt that Gordy was lavishing too much attention on the lead singer (there were some grounds for this, one of Diana's five children was fathered by Gordy) and tension built within the group. By 1969, Diana embarked on a solo career.
As a solo artist Diana has a huge back catalogue of hits, including iconic numbers such as Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Touch Me In The Morning, Love Hangover and Endless Love with Lionel Richie. She has notched up almost thirty albums since going solo, won a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement, along with a plethora of other awards and she was once named in The Guinness Book of World Records as The Most Successful Female Artist of All Time.
As well as six decades in the music industry, Diana has a successful acting career. She has appeared in films such as The Wiz, Mahogany and the Billie Holiday (Wonderful Woman No. 4) biopic Lady Sings The Blues, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award.
A true icon.
You know, you do need mentors, but in the end, you really just need to believe in yourself. Diana Ross
My dad, the most wonderful man I have ever known, always loved when Kate Adie reported on BBC news. I think he had a huge amount of respect and admiration for this woman of small stature reporting from some of the world's most dangerous places. Thinking back, I see that, perhaps subconsciously, she was the kind of role model he wanted for my sister, Emma and I. Now in my thirties, I understand why and writing about Kate and the other women in this album reinforces that there are strong, independent women for young girls to aspire to be like and I wish they were given more focus than some other women in the public eye... perhaps I shouldn't say that but I can't help but think how many negative role models are thrust onto the attention of girls and young women when there are clearly so many positive ones we could choose instead.
She's got some bottle. John, My Wonderful Father
Kate worked her way up through the ranks of the BBC, starting as a Production Assistant with BBC Radio Durham. She moved through positions at various local stations, learning the business and learning from established journalists. In 1976, she joined the corporation's national news team. In 1980, the Iranian Embassy in London was taken over by gunmen who held the occupants hostage and made demands from the British government, the climax of the siege was the storming of the embassy by the Special Air Service (S.A.S), Kate was the first Reporter on the scene as the S.A.S stormed the building and reported live whilst crouched behind a car. It was this coverage that made Kate's name and from that point she reported regularly from across the world, in war zones and scenes of disaster, often wearing a flak jacket and yards away from danger.
Her reporting style always frank and direct, she was unabashed by the scenes around her and her femininity never an issue. She had earned the right to be there, did what she did better than any man and she remained professional in the most difficult of circumstances, indeed she did once sustain a minor gunshot wound whilst reporting from China.
Her professionalism and hard-work led to her promotion to Chief News Correspondent in 1989, a post she held for fourteen years. She has also been presented with many industry awards, including the Richard Dimbleby Award from BAFTA and she has been presented with honorary degrees from no less than ten British universities.
Her career now in it's fifth decade, Kate continues to work as a Journalist, she presents From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio 4 and has presented a number of other programmes
both for radio and television.
Her book was fantastic! Melanie, A Wonderful Woman
In fact, Kate has written four books in total, including her autobiography The Kindness of Strangers.
A true female trail blazer and a very wonderful one at that.
I've watched from behind walls, crouched behind armoured vehicles and scuttled through gunfire, always conscious that there will be ordinary citizens quite prepared to do extraordinary deeds that will still amaze me. Kate Adie
