The Media, Arts and Humanities Research Institute

Book cover of Bad Daughter by author Sangeeta Pillai

Author Sangeeta Pillai with others in a roundtable powerhouse of women authors and details of Brighton Book Festival event © Brighton Book Festival

Women in Power

This event is included in our All Day Saturday Pass. For £25, you can attend every event promoted on Saturday the 20th of June.

Book here and discover the amazing Brighton Book Festival.

The glass ceiling is still a hindrance to women in every industry. And yet women are breaking through. What does it take to be a woman in a powerful position. How does the sisterhood hinder or assist the rise to power and what is the responsibility of women when they get there.

Join this roundtable featuring a powerhouse of women authors, including memoirist Sangeeta Pillai, who are taking charge in a world as opposed to being taken prisoner under the patriarchy.

Bad Daughter is the raw, unflinching true story of a woman who chose radical self-love over tradition. Sangeeta Pillai was called a "Bad Daughter" for defying the rigid expectations placed on "good Indian girls." But in her rebellion, she found her voice.From a harrowing childhood in a Mumbai slum-haunted by a violent father and the brutal murder of her mother-this is a story of resilience. With a fire in her belly, she battled patriarchy, chased her dreams, and built a new life in London, creating a successful podcast to inspire other women. Yet, all her success couldn't outrun the past. Faced with debilitating mental health, she explored many healing avenues from psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, EMDR, acupuncture to Tantra. But to truly heal, she had to go back to her birthplace: tropical Kerala to confront her deep trauma. There, she experienced the most profound spiritual transformation in Kerala's ancient temples. Sangeeta's powerful, spiritual and deeply inspiring journey shows us that healing means finding your way back home to yourself. Bad Daughter is an essential feminist book, an empowering book, a top book for every woman who wants to break free. This powerful memoir is a reminder that the courage to be your authentic self can transform your own life - and the lives of those around you.

Our Sponsor - The Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research

The Brighton Book Festival is grateful to the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research at the University of Sussex for sponsoring this event. The University of Sussex strives to work with partners for the common good, creating a society in which people, places and responsible technologies thrive.

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By: Margaretta Jolly
Last updated: Monday, 1 June 2026