Her story was covered heavily in the media, and now Julia Gillard has written in her own words her turbulent political journey in the highly anticipated memoir, My Story.
The book will relay Gillard’s three years and three days as the first female prime minister of Australia.
“I was prime minister for three years and three days. Three years and three days of resilience. Three years and three days of changing the nation. Three years and three days for you to judge,” she writes in an excerpt released on the the website of her publisher, Random House.
While the book doesn’t go on sale until 1 October, the title and cover of the book were revealed on Wednesday night during a special event hosted by the CEO of Penguin Random House, Gabrielle Coyne.
IMF Managing director Christine Lagarde appeared in a video message for the evening, paying tribute to Gillard’s time as prime minister and stating that her lasting legacy would be as a role model for girls around the world. She also commended Gillard’s ability to run Australia through a particularly turbulent period.
In the message posted on the Random House website, Gillard said that writing the book had been “exhilarating” and “cathartic”.
“Sometimes the words flowed quickly and easily. On other occasions, days of reflection were needed to work through memories of difficult times and the resilience required during them. In My Story, I describe what it was really like to be prime minister, what happened and why it matters for our nation.”