Sixteen-year-old Sashi wants to become a doctor. But over the next decade, as a vicious civil war subsumes Sri Lanka, her dream takes her on a different path as she watches those around her, including her four beloved brothers and their best friend, get swept up in violent political ideologies and their consequences.

Set in the author's native Japan, Black Box is a first-hand account of Ito's attempts to find justice following a sexual assault by a well-connected journalist, and the obstacles she faced in the police, Japanese law, and social attitudes. Ito is widely credited with starting the #MeToo movement in Japan as an exceptionally brave survivor who dared to speak publicly about the assault she experienced.

Deborah Frances-White analyzes her own feminism and the state of modern white-woman feminism as a whole, discussing body image, misogynistic workplaces, and sexual assault.