Synopsis
The Sunday Times bestseller
The New York Times bestseller
A Guardian Summer Reading Hottest Book Pick
This is not just a book for people who follow politics, but for anyone who has ever doubted themselves, or wanted to make a difference.
‘An essential, inspiring read’ – Natalie Portman
‘Fascinating and engaging . . . makes us yearn for an era of courage and hope’ - Nicola Sturgeon, The Observer
The deeply personal memoir from the former prime minister of New Zealand, then the world’s youngest female head of government and just the second to become a mother in office.
Jacinda Ardern grew up the daughter of a police officer in small-town New Zealand, but as the 40th Prime Minister of her country, she became a global icon for her empathetic leadership that put people first. She guided her country through unprecedented challenges, from the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks to a global pandemic. She advanced visionary policies to address climate change and child poverty. And all while juggling first-time motherhood in the public eye.
This is the inspiring story of how a Mormon girl plagued by self-doubt changed our assumptions of what a leader can be. A Different Kind of Power is more than a political memoir. Powerfully evocative and refreshingly open, it is a profound insight into how it feels to lead and it asks: what if you, too, are capable of more than you ever imagined?
‘Clear-eyed and luminous’ – Bill Bailey
‘Warm and funny . . . emotionally rich and candid’ - The Guardian
‘Wonderfully frank and open’ - The Rest is Politics: Leading
Details
18 June 2026
9781035045426Reviews
Jacinda’s memoir gives us a rare glimpse into the foundations of her unique and unprecedented leadership style, one that values humanity above all else. It’s an essential, inspiring read in our current political climate
A Different Kind of Power is the story of the forces that have shaped Jacinda Ardern and the intentional effort she has put into creating a new template for the next generation of leaders to follow. Ardern’s insightful and inspiring memoir challenges old definitions of strength and power by emphasizing the urgency of compassion and kindness. World leaders have a lot to learn from her timely and important perspective
An honest, inviting and profoundly personal story of rising to power, and then choosing to give it up. This book is filled with humour, conviction, self-awareness, uncommon kindness, and a wisdom earned through the dizzying trials of recent history. This should be required reading for anyone trying to understand how—and why—to stay true to core values in trying times. A rare and essential memoir
It is rare enough to find someone who lives an inspiring life of genuine service to humanity; it is even rarer to find that they’ve written a beautiful book that will inspire others. Jacinda Ardern’s A Different Kind of Power is just such a book. I could not put down this deeply personal memoir by an icon who insists on being a real person. Like the memoirs of Barack Obama and Gloria Steinem, this book has the power to inspire a new generation of passionate leaders and readers. You don’t have to be interested in politics to devour this book; you might be interested in how women dare to mother and lead at the same time; you might be interested in bravery, and a life well-lived
