Though each girl has her own unique story, Ahuja said she saw herself in every single girl.
"I was just like, yes, I'm exactly like her. This is me when I was 13, totally,” she said. Then she would identify with the next girl she spoke with.
It's in this spirit that she would like to see the book be read by men and boys (and everyone), but especially for girls like herself who may not have seen stories like their own represented on the pages of the books they read. “Hopefully any girl who picks up this book will find something in common ... that's my goal," she said. "A sense of our shared humanity is what I'm hoping for mostly."
The book also serves as a flashpoint in time, pre-pandemic, which Ahuja feels may be a source of joy and hope. Most of the reporting and writing for the book took place in 2019, and now, Ahuja says it’s much like a “document of a time that no longer exists." Life for many around the world, and many featured in the book, has changed drastically. “It kind of feels like we just captured what life looked like right before this big thing [COVID-19] set in.” At the same time that it provides a powerful contrast, Ahuja also sees joy within each of the girls. "There's so much hope and potential for the future. And they all want to do so many amazing things," she said.
What started as a series, and is now a book, has also evolved into a new media venture — one that is both part-workshop and part-platform — called Girlhood*. The ethos of the platform is that stories of girls are important, and society needs to hear more of them. Ahuja launched storytelling workshops for girls around the world with a focus on encouraging, supporting and bringing to life more stories from young people. Already, her workshops have participants from more than 20 countries.
"We should be creating spaces to amplify their voices — and voices of ordinary girls everywhere," Ahuja said.