In this vital and groundbreaking book, Megha Mohan introduces readers to a range of fascinating, women-led societies. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s matrilineal community in South India, Mohan explores communities around the globe—from controversial feminist online troll networks in South Korea to older women co-housing in Paris and North London to the Rain Queens of South Africa. The result is a vivid, global portrait of women’s communities.

Through extensive research and exclusive first-hand reporting, Mohan goes in search of the roots of women-led societies, revealing a vibrant global history brought together for the first time. She also takes us into modern spaces where women live on their own terms, showing us how we can rethink society for new ways of living, working, and collaborating.

For anyone interested in our collective histories, cultures, economics, and governance, Herlands shows the power and possibility of new ways of living—and leading—for us all. It’s an important landmark exploration for our times that not only explores fascinating ways of living but also addresses broader questions about new ways to think and govern and why it matters.