Bloody Minded: War, Womanhood and Finding my Voice

A powerful memoir on womanhood by RNZ presenter Susie Ferguson

Early in her radio career Susie Ferguson became a war correspondent. The only woman among hundreds of soldiers, in a helmet and flak jacket she was one of the boys. None of them knew she was taking fifteen painkillers a day and relying on opioids to stem the burning and stabbing pain in her uterus.

Even bloody-minded grit couldn-t have prepared Susie for womanhood. More than your body-s betrayal, it-s the vicious bullying only girls can do. It-s waiting years for surgery because your pain doesn-t matter. It-s the threat of violence in countries where a woman is either property or the spoils of war. It-s going overnight from a high-powered career to a stay-at-home mum. It-s the doctor who says you-re wasting his time. But it is also friendship, love and having the strength to carry on - and to do it smiling.