Book excerpt: How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women looks at the remarkable impact of war on women in Britain. It shows how conflict has changed women's lives and how those changes have put women at the center of peace campaigning. Lindsey German, one of the UK's leading anti-war activists and commentators, shows how women have played a central role in antiwar and peace movements, including the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The women themselves talk about how they became active, overcoming prejudice and difficulty to do so. The book integrates this experience into a historical overview, analyzing the two world wars as catalysts of social change for women. It looks at how the changing nature of war, especially the involvement of civilians, increasingly involves significant numbers of women. As well as providing an inspiring account of women's opposition to war the book also tackles key contemporary developments, challenging negative assumptions about Muslim women and showing how antiwar movements are feeding into a broader desire to change society.