Hope in Action

When Sanna Marin became prime minister of Finland at just thirty-four years old, she captivated the world’s attention with her progressive ideas and her boldness amidst major crises. In her powerful personal memoir Hope in Action, she shares the extraordinary journey of her trailblazing career, and her vision for a new kind of leadership. Marin’s story is one of resilience and hope. The first in her family to attend university, she broke barriers to become a global icon of progressive leadership. Her term as prime minister – the youngest in the world at the time – saw historic milestones, as she led Finland through the Covid-19 pandemic, and her government implemented many progressive reforms addressing climate change, social justice and equality. She helped the country navigate neighbouring Russia’s devastating full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Finland’s rapid joining of NATO – the swiftest entry for any country in the alliance’s history. Through vivid retellings of her experiences, Marin shares how she overcame significant political challenges, and how she coped with her personal life becoming public, including the incident that sparked a media frenzy and prompted women, including Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to express their support. Hope in Action is much more than a memoir – it’s a call to action as Marin urges the next generation of leaders to bring their full, authentic selves to the job. Her story is an empowering testament to the opportunities we have to effect real change in our worlds.