Katie Edwards was raised in Mexborough, a deprived former mining town in South Yorkshire. She spent her childhood trying desperately to fit in, to be the perfect daughter – quiet, compliant and conventional. But a lifetime of fighting to make her voice heard has taught her that working-class women are ignored by systems that prioritise those who are male and privileged. If we don't speak for ourselves, she has learned, who will?

Through Edwards' own experiences, Speaking Up casts a light on how girls' voices are marginalised while their bodies are sexualised. Both a memoir and a call to arms, Speaking Up is the story of how our voices get lost – and how we can bring them back.

'Silence was passed down through my family like an heirloom: grandmother to mother to daughter. Writing became the place where I could answer back.'

Growing up in a small Yorkshire town in the 1980s, Katie Edwards quickly learned that some things were best left unsaid. Don't ask where Dad was when he went to the pub and didn't come home. Don't mention why Mum was crying. And don't complain about what happens at school - boys will be boys, and girls only have themselves to blame.

From the experiences that shaped Katie's childhood to the prejudices girls face today, Speaking Up is a compelling memoir with a powerful message: why are women silenced, and how can we make their voices heard?

'Silence was passed down through my family like an heirloom: grandmother to mother to daughter. Writing became the place where I could answer back.'

Growing up in a small Yorkshire town in the 1980s, Katie Edwards quickly learned that some things were best left unsaid. Don't ask where Dad was when he went to the pub and didn't come home. Don't mention why Mum was crying. And don't complain about what happens at school - boys will be boys, and girls only have themselves to blame.

From the experiences that shaped Katie's childhood to the prejudices girls face today, Speaking Up is a compelling memoir with a powerful message: why are women silenced, and how can we make their voices heard?