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The must-read books of 2026

Gisèle Pelicot

Natasha Lehrer

Ruth Diver

An emblem of resilience for women everywhere

Gisèle has challenged the patriarchy everywhere ... She is a symbol of strength and survival

This will be the most harrowing, and possibly the most important, memoir of 2026

Daily Telegraph, *Books to Look Out For 2026*

Shame has to Change Sides

The extraordinarily powerful memoir by a heroine of our times, whose story inspires change, compassion and courage. 
 
One November day, Gisèle Pelicot was called to a local police station and life as she knew it ended. Her husband of fifty years had been caught by a supermarket guard filming up women’s skirts. But on his computer was shattering evidence: for nearly a decade, he had been secretly drugging and raping her and inviting dozens of strangers into their home to abuse her. 
 
Four years later, he and fifty other men were put on trial and Gisèle’s courage in waiving her right to anonymity made global headlines. ‘Shame must change sides,’ she declared, giving voice and hope to millions. Her words became a rallying cry and her decision marked a turning point in public feeling about sexual violence. 
 
For the first time, and with unwavering honesty and grace, she describes a difficult childhood, first love, her career and motherhood. It is a life in determined search of happiness, both before and after her devastating discovery. She is an ordinary person who faces extraordinary catastrophe, whose example changes the world. 
 
A Hymn to Life is an unforgettable testament and a promise. Its message is one of defiance and renewal – that victims have no reason to feel ashamed; that even after unimaginable betrayal we can go on; that the colour can come back to life. Ultimately, Gisèle Pelicot emerges with a renewed passion and reverence for living, and for love.

A Hymn to Life

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Gisèle Pelicot

Praise for A Hymn to Life

An emblem of resilience for women everywhere

Gisèle has challenged the patriarchy everywhere ... She is a symbol of strength and survival

This will be the most harrowing, and possibly the most important, memoir of 2026

An emblem of resilience for women everywhere

Gisèle has challenged the patriarchy everywhere ... She is a symbol of strength and survival

This will be the most harrowing, and possibly the most important, memoir of 2026

An emblem of resilience for women everywhere

Gisèle has challenged the patriarchy everywhere ... She is a symbol of strength and survival

This will be the most harrowing, and possibly the most important, memoir of 2026

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The must-read books of 2026

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