Suzy Zail’s latest novel, I Am Change, is a fictional work based on research and personal interviews with young Ugandan women from rural communities living in extreme poverty. For these young women, poverty is but one of many challenges they face. As Zail demonstrates in her book, they have also had to contend with barriers to education and personal autonomy that are unfortunately experienced by many young women around the world.

But I Am Change is a story of hope and fighting back. Lillian, the protagonist of this novel, represents a voice of change. Determined to break the cycle of disadvantage in which she finds herself, Lillian fights for her education and is ambitious; she wants to become a teacher. The challenges she faces to realise this ambition are almost unfathomable for a privileged reader growing up in Australia to imagine. And it is for this reason that I Am Change is essential reading. The reader, too, can make a difference by donating to Help Girls Learn, a charity set up by Zail to give girls like Lillian the benefit of an education.

Natalie Platten is the assistant manager and children’s book buyer at Readings Doncaster.