Turkish journalist and producer Aslıgül Atasagun spotlights 22 inspiring figures from around the world in her new book Listen for a Better World (Daha Iyi Bir Dünya Için Dinle), a collection of interviews with women – and one male ally – who have broken barriers, rebuilt lives, and turned silence into strength.
The book brings together role models, advocates, and survivors from Africa to Latin America, highlighting stories that champion women’s empowerment, gender equality, and human dignity. From a model who rose again amid war to a minister shattering glass ceilings and an artist redefining identity, the stories explore resilience and transformation through the simple yet powerful act of listening.
Atasagun dedicates the book to the late Dayle Haddon, a Canadian model, actress, and activist who devoted her life to empowering girls through education.
Among the featured names are Bineta Diop, African Union Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security; Pramila Patten, U.N. Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg; Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah of Kuwait; Gloria Gaynor, the iconic singer of “I Will Survive”; Michael Kaufman, White Ribbon Campaign co-founder; and Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman to summit Mount Everest.
The book’s only Turkish figure, Paralympic swimming champion Sümeyye Boyacı, embodies its spirit of hope and courage through her art and achievements, representing women who transcend limitations in Türkiye and beyond.
Kaufman, who wrote the book’s foreword, underlines the power of empathy, calling listening “an act of love and transformation.” Listen for a Better World, he writes, reminds readers that men, too, must be “hearing, feeling, and transforming partners” in the pursuit of equality.
Atasagun, known for her long-running TGRT Haber program Dün, Bugün, Yarın, said her goal was to inspire readers to “listen deeply, act bravely, and contribute to a future shaped by empathy, resilience, and transformation.”
