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My Body, My Book Club

BODILY AUTONOMY: UNITING THROUGH BOOKS

Find out our next read
In collaboration with The Vavengers
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NEXT EVENTs

In Person

""
with

of 2025

6:30 pm to 8:00 pm (UK Time)
(doors open at 6pm)

The Vavengers HQ
(59-60 Cornhill House, First Floor, London, EC3V 3PD)

Limited places available

Minimum Donation: £5

(all proceeds go to The Vavengers)

Book your place now

Online

"The Lions' Den"
with Iris Mwanza

4th of December 2025

6:30 pm to 7:30 pm (UK Time)

Limited places available

Minimum Donation: £3

(all proceeds go to The Vavengers)

Book your place now

Next book

by

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This tech could change everything for women - here's how.

From periods and childbirth to menopause, female pain has been normalized, as society shrugs and says 'welcome to being a woman' instead of coming up with better solutions. But it doesn't have to be this way. In The Vagina Business, award-winning journalist Marina Gerner takes an eye-opening look at the innovators challenging the status quo to deliver the healthcare solutions women need.

With interviews from 100 entrepreneurs, researchers and investors across 15 countries, The Vagina Business explores the future of women's health, where female-focused companies are developing products to help women at every stage of life. From a life-saving bra to non-hormonal contraception and new takes on fertility and menopause, it shines a light on innovation that matters. Women should not be denied solutions to health issues just because people are embarrassed to talk about vaginas. We deserve much better.

We encourage everyone to borrow books from their local library, but if you plan on buying a copy, you can find it here.

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    In we are featuring The Vavengers, who are dedicated to raising awareness of female genital mutilation and providing support, advocacy, and education for those impacted.

    About our Guest

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    is an award-winning financial journalist and columnist. Her work has been published in the Economist, Wall Street Journal, the Times, Financial Times, the Guardian, and Wired.She is an adjunct professor at the NYU Stern School of Business and has a PhD from the London School of Economics. Her ideas and research for this book have been awarded grants from the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Society of Authors. She was born in Kyiv, has lived in Frankfurt and New York, and is based in London.
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    The Vavengers is a UK-based organisation focused on ending female genital mutilation (FGM) through community engagement, survivor-led advocacy, and education. Working closely with grassroots groups and professional networks, The Vavengers raise awareness, push for systemic change, and offer resources that prioritise the voices of survivors. Their emphasis on centring lived experience ensures campaigns and support services are informed, inclusive, and responsive, helping to build a society where women and girls are protected, empowered, and heard.
    See Event Details & Reserve Your Spot

    The Lions' Den by Iris Mwanza

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    Rookie lawyer Grace Zulu does not give up easily. She escaped an arranged marriage to put herself through university. Now she’s got her first case.

    Her client is young Willbess ‘Bessy’ Mulenga, who has been arrested for offences ‘against nature.’ Bessy works in a men-only bar, loves to dance, to wear dresses, and live freely. But in 1990s Zambia, following your own identity can get you beaten, jailed or even worse. Grace is determined to get Bessy out of custody. Then her terrified, bruised client goes missing without a trace. She knows something bad has happened and that someone is trying to cover it up. Along with the most unlikely group of allies, Grace must take on powerful enemies at the highest levels – even risk her own safety – to get to the truth. The whole truth.

    A debut novel that soars with passion and humanity, The Lions’ Den is a moving story of prejudice, corruption, injustice, courage and solidarity. It shows us that no cause is ever a lost one.

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    In December we are featuring The Vavengers, who are dedicated to raising awareness of female genital mutilation and providing support, advocacy, and education for those impacted.

    About our Guest

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    Iris Mwanza is a Zambian-American debut writer. Now Deputy Director of Women in Leadership in the Gender Equality Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, she has worked as a corporate lawyer in both Zambia and the US. Iris holds law degrees from Cornel University and the University of Zambia, and an MA and PhD in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In addition to her work at the Foundation, she serves on the Supervisory Board of Care International and on the Board of Directors of World Wildlife Fund US. She lives in America.
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    The Vavengers is a UK-based organisation focused on ending female genital mutilation (FGM) through community engagement, survivor-led advocacy, and education. Working closely with grassroots groups and professional networks, The Vavengers raise awareness, push for systemic change, and offer resources that prioritise the voices of survivors. Their emphasis on centring lived experience ensures campaigns and support services are informed, inclusive, and responsive, helping to build a society where women and girls are protected, empowered, and heard.
    See Event Details & Reserve Your Spot

    Upcoming books

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    My Dear Kabhul

    by Untold Narratives CIC

    Jan 8th 2026

    With Lucy Hannah

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        About the Book Club

        My Body, My Book Club aims to connect people and create communities. We read fiction books (with the odd memoir here and there too) that deal with different aspects of how we understand bodily autonomy and exemplify how we can get involved and support each other.

        Issues such as gender-based violence, racism, homelessness, displacement, abortion, obstetric violence, and the rights of marginalised communities, like the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ groups, are just some of the topics we cover.

        All opinions expressed during book club meetings are those of individuals and do not necessarily reflect those of My Body, My Book Club or the charities it supports.

        How it Works

        We know this is heavy stuff, but the book club hopes to foster empathy as well as raise awareness and question established narratives. Our main goal is to connect communities. So, for each session, we partner with a charity working with the subject we will be reading about in the novel, and we invite an expert on the topic to join our chat. (Also, all proceeds from the sale of tickets will be donated to the month’s charity.)

        Too Busy to Read the Book?

        We understand that people are busy and life happens – so please do join us even if you don’t manage to finish the book in time. We will also always provide other ways in which you can get involved and learn more about the subject in the "Next Book" section, whether it’s through a video or a blog post.

        About the Host

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        Dr Julia Martins is a historian of the body, an activist, and an unapologetic bookworm. She is an Activism Outreach Supporter with The Vavengers, a member of the Charity Committee of the FGM Education Project, and an editor at the Feminist Perspectives Collective.

        She writes about gender history and history of medicine, and how history can inform contemporary feminism.

        You can check out her YouTube channel Living History and her website, and follow her on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.

        My Body, My Book Club was launched as part of her involvement in the Abortion Rights UK Activist Bootcamp.

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        Stay in touch

        Contact

        Any questions or suggestions, feel free to email us at:

        contact@mybodymybookclub.com

        or find us on Instagram:

        @mybodymybookclub