The room fell quiet as Naz Shah began to speak.
What followed was not a polished political address, nor a rehearsed speech. It was a life laid bare. An account of survival, faith and fierce resilience that left women across the room visibly moved – some in tears, many in recognition.
The gathering, hosted by DaWN CIC at KJA Accountants in Cleckheaton, was intended as an evening of connection. It became something deeper – a collective reckoning with the hidden stories women carry, and the strength it takes to rise from them.
Naz Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West, was sharing excerpts from her forthcoming memoir, ‘Honoured: Survival, Strength and My Path to Politics’, set to be released on 5th March.
Her story is one of almost unimaginable adversity. As a child she witnessed her father beat her mother before abandoning the family for a teenage neighbour. At 12, she was sent to Pakistan for safety, only to be forced into marriage at 15.
Within years, her mother would be imprisoned for killing the man who had subjected her to years of physical and sexual abuse. Naz and her two younger siblings were left to fend for themselves.
Against those odds, she became an activist, campaigning with Southall Black Sisters for her mother’s release and helping secure a reduction in her life sentence. In 2015, she overturned George Galloway’s majority to win back Bradford West, entering Parliament with a mandate shaped by lived experience rather than privilege.
At the event, those chapters were not delivered as headlines or soundbites, but as human truth. The effect was electric. Women listened in silence, nodding, absorbing, reflecting on their own journeys through leadership, business, motherhood and survival.
What emerged was not pity, but power.
“This wasn’t about trauma for its own sake,” said one attendee. “It was about what we do with it. How we carry it. How we transform it.”
That transformation is at the heart of ‘Honoured’, which will be published by W&N in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 5 March 2026. World English-language rights were acquired by Jenny Lord, executive publisher at W&N and Orion Literary.
“In her singular voice, Naz Shah tells her extraordinarily moving and unforgettable coming-of-age story,” Lord said.
“A stranger-than-fiction journey of survival, faith and political awakening, Honoured shows us the making of an activist – and a truly inspiring woman.”
Naz Shah herself describes the book as an act of narrative reclamation.
“Inspiration can spark a moment, but true transformation grows from the roots of community, belief and values that endure,” she said.
“Our past doesn’t define our limits – it shapes our strength. When we write our own stories, we don’t just rise. We shift the narrative for generations to come.”
That ethos underpinned the evening.
“We are creating spaces where women can share their journeys truly matters,” said Farkhanda Hussain-Butt, director of DaWN CIC and organiser of the event.
“Through open conversation and connection, perspectives are broadened, confidence is built, and meaningful relationships are formed.”
She thanked Andleeb Hanif of Asian Express for opening the evening “with words that set the tone for reflection and purpose”, and speakers Joanne Powell, Samantha Hutton and Naheed Effendi of KJA Accounting, who shared their own non-linear leadership paths.
Andleeb Hanif commented: “Thank you to DaWN CIC, for creating a space that felt safe, honest and profoundly human, and welcoming the BPA Lionesses. These conversations matter. They give women permission to reflect, to heal, and to recognise their own strength.”
