If you’re looking for the perfect book to inspire, motivate, and encourage you to change the world, look no further than this list of ten astounding books written by One Young World Ambassadors.
Long Yarn Short, Vanessa-Turnbull Roberts
At ten years old Vaness was forcibly removed from her family and Bundjalung community. After eight years in various out-of-home care placements, she fled the system, returning to her community, and reconnecting with her Indigenous heritage. Motivated by her experience of family policing, Vanessa studied law at University and at 26 years old was appointed Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People where she advocates for and protects the voices of Indigenous youth against institutions working against them, such as the education system and the court process.
In Long Yarn Short, Vanessa uses her own experience of forcible removal and her professional experience as a Commissioner to take an unflinching look at the heartache and trauma caused by racist family policing, the shameful rates of child removals, and the steady pipeline of First Nations children into the criminal justice system.
In a LinkedIn post, Vanessa explained “My book, Long Yarn Short’, captures solutions to a better world and practice of protecting our children and young people, and their fundamental rights. In a history where our elders—especially the matriarchs—were silenced, we will no longer be quiet.”
Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope, Amanda Nguyen
Amanda Nguyen had dreamt of becoming an astronaut at NASA since she was a child. While studying at Harvard, her life changed forever when she was raped on campus. After discovering that her rape kit could legally be destroyed, untested, after only six months, she had to choose between accepting the injustice or rewriting the law. She founded Rise, a non-profit organisation that protects the civil rights of sexual assault and rape survivors, and passed the Survivor Bill of Rights unanimously through the US Congress in 2016. Now, she is working to pass the bill across all 50 US states.
Listed on Time’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025, Saving Five is Amanda’s powerful memoir which details her life as an American-born child of Vietnamese refugees, her continued fight to advocate for the rights of sexual assault survivors, and her life as an astronaut.
The Boy with Two Hearts, Hamed Amiri
Born in Herat, Afghanistan, Hamed Amiri had to leave his home country at ten years old when the Taliban ordered the execution of his mother. In his book, The Boy with Two Hearts, Hamed details his family’s terrifying trek through Europe and to the UK, made increasingly urgent by his brother's deteriorating heart condition.
Today, Hamed is a motivational speaker and education influencer. His mission is to share his family's story with a wide audience and change perceptions surrounding refugees.
Discover more about Hamed and order his bestselling book.
Marketing for Social Change, Kian Bakhtiari
How can brands create positive social change through creativity? Kian Bakhtiari reveals all in his book Marketing for Social Change.
Kian is the founder of The People, a Gen-Z consultancy that has worked and consulted with some of the world’s biggest brands including BBC, Unilever, and the United Nations. He is incredibly passionate about using creativity to influence change, which he spoke about in his TEDxBrighton talk "The Power of Human Imagination."
Marketing for Social Change is a practical guide that explores how you find and define your brand's purpose and ensure that it is embedded in every part of your business.
Order Marketing for Social Change now and find out more about The People.
That Peckham Boy, Kenny Imafidon
Imagine at 18 years old being wrongfully charged for a murder that you did not commit. That is what happened to Kenny Imafidon.
Despite the charges against him being dropped, Kenny realised that his name was still linked to the horrific crime that he had been accused of, so he reclaimed his story. That Peckham Boy is a fearless manifesto highlighting what it means to be young, Black and poor in London. It explores Kenny’s journey from being in prison, to writing The Kenny Report, a report detailing the experiences of marginalised young people who drift into gangs, to co-founding ClearView Research, an agency that specialises in research, strategy, and engagement projects in diverse and underrepresented communities.
“When writing the story of your life, make sure you’re holding the pen,” Kenny says.
Fintech Wars, James da Costa
How much do you know about financial technology? In his book Fintech Wars, James da Costa delves into the fast-paced world of fintech.
As the co-founder and COO of digital bank Fingo, James has drawn on his wealth of knowledge and experience in the fintech space to write a book that dives deep into the bold strategies, groundbreaking innovations, and relentless drive that propelled fintech giants such as PayPal and Monzo. Peppered throughout the book you will read interviews with business leaders such as Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and Nigel Morris co-founder of Capital One.
Read the Sunday Times bestseller Fintech Wars today.
Operation Lighthouse, Luke Hart and Ryan Hart
Coercive control is a form of abuse not widely spoken about, but just as dangerous as any other type. In their book, Operation Lighthouse, brothers Luke and Ryan Hart tell the devastating, story of their father murdering their sister and mother after subjecting them to decades of domestic abuse through coercive control.
With this book, Luke and Ryan hope to increase public awareness of the signs of coercive control and begin open and more informed discussions on domestic abuse.
A Boy called Hyppo, Hyppolite Ntigurirwa
At seven years old Hyppolite Ntigurirwa witnessed the slaughter of his family during the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. In his memoir, A Boy Called Hyppo, Hyppolite shares his journey from surviving the genocide and struggling to access education, to getting a master's degree in sociology and becoming internationally known when he walked 1,500 kilometres of Rwanda to mark the 25th anniversary of the genocide.
In his powerful speech at the One Young World Summit Bogotá, Hyppolite shared his journey to forgive the people who killed his family and community. “I want to live by example,” he said, “because to start this journey of building peace the only person I could change was myself.”
I Will Scream to the World: My Story. My Fight. My Hope for Girls Everywhere, Jaha Marie Dukureh
Jaha Marie Dukureh is fighting tirelessly to end FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) and forced child marriage worldwide by 2030. Join her in her fight by reading her memoir I Will Scream to the World.
In this book, Jaha takes the reader on the monumental journey of her life, unflinchingly retelling the moment she discovered she had undergone FGM as an infant, her two arranged marriages, and her journey as an activist.
Jaha was the UN Women's first Goodwill Ambassador for Africa, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, and among the youngest people nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She founded Safe Hands for Girls in 2013 to help women and girls who have gone through or are at risk of going through FGM in The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Atlanta USA.
Read I Will Scream to the World: My Story. My Fight. My Hope for Girls Everywhere.
Consent Laid Bare, Chanel Contos
In 2021 Chanel Contos, winner of the 2024 One Young World Campaigner of the Year Award, used her Instagram account to ask her followers if they had experienced sexual assault. She received 6,000 testimonies.
Following her Instagram ask, Chanel founded Teach Us Consent, a not-for-profit working to eradicate sexual violence. Through Teach Us Consent, Chanel has changed the education system, mandating consent education in schools across Australia. Now, her book, Consent Laid Bare, questions whether consent is possible in a world where female sexuality has been hijacked and suppressed.
Through her book, Chanel breaks down what consent can look like, offering practical advice on how to enthusiastically consent, and asking boys and men to become advocates against aggression-fueled sex.
Bonus recommendation: How to Make a Difference, Kate Robertson and Ella Robertson McKay
Do you want to change the world but you’re just not sure how? How to Make a Difference is the book for you.
Written by One Young World co-founder Kate Robertson and managing director Ella Roberton, How to Make a Difference is a roadmap to modern-day activism. Featuring the voices of some of the world’s biggest campaigns, such as Sir Bob Geldof, Fatima Bhutto, and Cher, this book will teach you how to effectively protest, how to make change within your organisation, and even how to change the law.
Start your activism journey today by reading How to Make a Difference.