Throughout history, men have fought, lost, and led us through the world’s defining crises. That all changed with COVID-19. In Canada, women’s presence in the response to the pandemic has been notable. Women are our nurses, doctors, PSWs. In Canada, women are leading the fast-paced search for a vaccine. They are leading our provinces and territories. At home, they are leading families through self-isolation, often bearing the responsibility for their physical and emotional health. Women crafted the blueprint for kindness during the pandemic, from sewing masks to kicking off international mutual-aid networks. Through intimate portraits of Canadian women in diverse situations and fields, Women of the Pandemic is a gripping narrative record of the early months of COVID-19, a clear-eyed look at women’s struggles, which highlights their creativity, perseverance, and resilience as they charted a new path forward during impossible times.