We’re celebrating Women’s History Month and storytelling, so this month’s reading recommendations will all be books by women authors or books about women.
Women have traditionally been the recorders of family history, passing along recipes and stories about family life to future generations.
We’ll also be recommending books about women’s experiences fighting for acceptance and equality in the workplace and our ever-changing society.
I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott – A candid and humorous memoir about a life well lived and the need to set new goals when everything on your bucket list has been achieved.
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson – When Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade, her dad left the book, The Double Helix, on her bed. She was fascinated by the race to discover the code of life and decided to become a scientist even though her guidance counselor insisted women did not become scientists. Doudna and her colleagues created CRISPR, an invention to edit DNA unlocking the possibility for countless medical miracles.
Ida B. the Queen by Michelle Duster – Ida b. Wells was born a slave. She became a journalist, suffragist, and antilynching activist. She was a civil rights icon who co-founded the NAACP. Duster is the great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells.
The Agitators: Three Women who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights by Dorothy Wickenden – This book recounts the living conditions for women and slaves in America before the Civil War by examining the lives of three women who advocated for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights. Harriet Tubman, Martha Coffin Wright, and Frances A. Seward were brave and courageous risking their freedom and their lives for their principles.
Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Fight for the Right to Vote by Tina Cassidy – On the day Woodrow Wilson arrived in Washington Alice Paul organized a demonstration for women’s suffrage on the other side of town and Pennsylvania Avenue was deserted. She challenged him for the right to vote and never stopped fighting. Over time, Paul grew tired of his inaction and staged the first ever protest in front of the White House. Though Paul is one of the lesser-known suffragists, her contributions to the movement must not be overlooked.
The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton – an interesting generational perspective on the women who blazed trails, opened doors, and defied the odds to give women opportunities to succeed. Who are your heroes? Why?
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts – Discover the real story behind the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and how it became the treasured film through the eyes of L. Frank Baum’s wife, Maud. Few people were alive who remembered the stories that inspired her husband to base his book about a young girl growing up in the Midwest… a young Maud who was now 77-year-old and watching young Judy Garland rehearse her lines. She watched as producers and Garland’s stage obsessed mother pushed the young actress beyond her limits and she wanted to protect Judy. Written as fiction but based on extensive true research.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi – This historical fiction is the debut novel of Ghanaian American writer, Yaa Gyasi. Each chapter in the book follows a different descendant of an Asante woman named Maaume starting with her two daughters who are half-sisters and the generations that follow.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith – A close examination of marriage, family, politics, and culture tempered with compassion and humor.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon – a fictional, but incredibly realistic story about interracial dating.
Storytellers You Should Check Out:
Toni Morrison
Alice Walker
Sue Grafton
Lauren Groff
Meg Waite Clayton
Carson McCullers
Robin Barefield
Annette Dashofy
Nancy Martin