Celebrating the women who have inspired them throughout their lives, a new book by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea Clinton will feature portraits of more than 100 women, celebrating the histories that all too often get overlooked or are left unwritten.

“The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience” will release on October 1, the publisher, Simon & Schuster UK announced on Tuesday.

The women featured in the book range from Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist whose Asperger’s syndrome has shaped her advocacy, to Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun and poet whose outspoken views on women’s role in society scandalised audiences.

Other stories include: Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon who was arrested more than once for wearing trousers; Marie Curie and her daughter Irène, who worked side-by-side in their laboratory; Rosa May Billinghurst, the suffragette who lost the use of her legs and campaigned in a tricycle for the right of women to vote; Shirley Chisholm, who ran for US president in 1972 and paved the way for generations of women in office; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman to lead an African country; Manal al-Sharif, who captured the world’s attention in 2011 when she filmed herself driving a car in defiance of Saudi custom; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose wry and wise observations about feminism have changed the conversation; Ellen DeGeneres, who broke barriers in media and entertainment while making audiences laugh; as well as heroines in the Secretary and Chelsea’s own circles of friends and family, and more.

“Each of these women has fought and won the kinds of victories that pave the way for progress for all of us. To us, they are all gutsy women leaders with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done. This book is a continuation of a conversation Chelsea and I have been having since she was a little girl, and we are excited to welcome others into that conversation,” Hillary Clinton said.

“The gutsy women in this book share a fierce optimism that their work and lives will make a difference in the world. And, they’re right,” said Chelsea Clinton. “We hope readers will draw strength from their stories as we have because if history shows one thing, it’s that the world needs more gutsy women.”

Ian Chapman, Simon & Schuster UK CEO said: “This book has some astonishing stories of inspirational women and, in sharing what they have meant to them, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton give us an insight into what has made them who they are. We could not be prouder to be publishing this book in the UK this autumn.”

Secretary Clinton’s previous books include ‘It Takes A Village’ (1996); ‘Dear Socks, Dear Buddy: Kids’ Letters to the First Pets’ (1998); ‘An Invitation To The White House: At Home With History’ (2000); ‘Living History’ (2003); and #1 Sunday Times bestsellers ‘Hard Choices’ (2014); and ‘What Happened’ (2017). All of her memoirs have been instant #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Chelsea Clinton is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller ‘She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World’ (2017), among others and, with Devi Sridhar, ‘Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why’ (2017).