This work seeks to shatter the myth of the submissive Asian woman with its vivid portraits of women in the region. Drawing on her many years of working in Asia, Louise Williams frames the issues facing women through the experiences of individuals. We are introduced to women as varied as politicians, call girls and mistresses, revolutionary heroines, labourers, and business magnates. The individuals featured range from Benazir Bhutto and Corazon Aquino, to the Jakarta factory girl and the second wife in the Chinese mistress village that serves Hong Kong's wealthy men.