Stories of Mighty Women

Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (In That Order)

For centuries, women artists have been ignored in galleries and excluded from art history texts, their contributions minimized or omitted. In this book, art historian Bridget Quinn provides an entertaining, educational, and intelligent look at a few of these artists and their works that you’ve been missing! Fifteen female artists, along with beautiful reproductions of their works, are featured in these pages, and accented with contemporary portraits of each woman by illustrator Lisa Congdon. From 1600 to the present, this is a fascinating and long overdue examination of the female side of art history!

At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl

As teenagers, the Scholl siblings were avid members of the Hitler Youth, but as they watched Hitler tighten his grip — and the atrocities that came along with it — Hans and Sophie decided something had to be done and became two of the most celebrated German anti-Nazi activists in history. They founded the White Rose, a student resistance movement that broadcast the truth about Hitler's Final Solution, "the most terrible crime committed against the dignity of humankind, a crime that has no counterpart in human history" — and were ultimately executed for treason. Editor Inge Jens has collected letters and diaries written by both Scholl siblings, which illuminate their personal beliefs and the ordinary moments of joy, laughter, and art that they enjoyed, even in the midst of such horrifying times. Alongside commentary about the progress of Hitler's campaign while they were writing, their words are a reminder of the power of humanity and an unyielding belief in what is right.

Shoot Like A Girl: One Woman’s Dramatic Fight in Afghanistan and On the Home Front

After being selected for pilot training by the Air National Guard, Mary Jennings “MJ” Hegar finished top of her class, served three tours in Afghanistan, and flew in a daring rescue attempt that earned her a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross... but as difficult as all of that was, her hardest fight has been on home soil. Hegar was determined to end the US military’s Ground Combat Exclusion Policy, which prevents female armed service members from serving in official combat roles – even though they have done so unofficially for decades. In her book, Hegar takes a thrilling, humorous, and inspiring tour through her own life, showing how the same devotion to service that led her to join the military led her to fight for her fellow women in service.

Love on Trial: Our Supreme Court Fight for the Right to Marry

When Proposition 8 banned same-sex marriage in California, Kris Perry and Sandy Stier had been a couple — raising four sons — for over a decade. Like many gay and lesbian couples, they had everything... except for the protections that legal marriage offered. So Perry and Stier decided to take a stand, becoming the lead plaintiffs in the court case suing the state of California to reinstate gay marriage — a case that would go all the way to the Supreme Court. Told in alternating voices, Perry and Stier explore the steps that took them from childhoods in 1960s America to the forefront of the marriage equality battle. Full of poignant and hilarious observations on everything from parenting teenagers to having hot flashes in front of Supreme Court justices, this is a unique look at the family who took part in one of the most important civil rights battles of our time.

My Own Words

In her first book since joining the Supreme Court bench 23 years ago, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shares her insights on wide-ranging topices, including including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. The writings included were selected by both Justice Ginsburg and by her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, who also provide chapter introductions that give biographical context and even quotes from interviews they have conducted about Ginsburg's life and work. This is a fascinating look at the thoughts of this groundbreaking woman. For another popular title about Ginsburg that also examines her influence on pop culture, check out Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. To introduce children to this trailblazer, we highly recommend the inspiring picture book, for ages 5 to 9, I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark.

Charlotte Brontë: A Fiery Heart

In many biographies of Charlotte Brontë, she seems like a melancholy figure, growing up with a demanding father who kept his children's incredible creative gifts a secret. But Claire Harman reveals a portrait of a woman whose fierce ambition and quiet rebellion led her to become a key figure in English literature. Not only did Brontë help her sister Emily get her work to publication, but her novel Jane Eyre had all of London asking: who wrote this novel demanding justice for a seemingly ordinary heroine? Her intelligent heroines would transform English literature, and her success would become one of her proudest accomplishments. This groundbreaking and unique look at a beloved author will shed new light on this remarkable woman.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

When America set its sights on the moon, launch calculations had to be done by pencils and slide rules in the hands of "human computers" — and among them was a group of incredibly gifted African-American women, without whom space travel would have stayed a dream. This book follows the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, whose contributions have until recently been largely neglected in the history books but whose work not only helped humankind reach the moon, but also changed the history of black woman in science. This book is also available in a new young readers edition, which is suitable for ages 8 to 12, and has been adapted into a major motion picture which releases in theaters in January.

The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars

If you were a woman at the Harvard Observatory in the mid-nineteenth century, you weren't an astronomer: you were a "human computer," performing calculations and analysis on observations only men were allowed to take. But as photography began transforming astronomy, their work would revolutionize our understanding of the universe. "The glass universe" included over half a million photographic plates, and the women who studied them — including Williamina Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon, and Dr. Cecilia Helena Payne — would discover novae, design stellar classification systems, and determine what stars were made of. This fascinating story of the hidden history of astronomy celebrates the women whose contributions made our current understanding of the stars and the space they inhabit possible.

Until We Are Free: My Fight For Human Rights in Iran

To much of the world, Shirin Ebadi, the human rights lawyer who became the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, is a hero; to the government of Iran, she is a dangerous influence who must be silenced. In this searing book, Ebadi shares how the Iranian government has targeted her and her family. Their persecution has cost her friends and colleagues, her home and her legal career, even her marriage... but she is unswayed. Until the people of Iran are free — every one of them, men, women, and children — she will continue to fight. Ebadi's awe-inspiring determination to continue her fight for human rights has never been captured so perfectly as in her own words.

In this final volume of Blanche Wiesen Cook's definitive biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, she explores the challenges Roosevelt faced in maintaining her central principles when her husband and her country were not ready to follow along. Even as FDR sidelined many of the issues she considered most important, such as economic security, New Deal reforms, and racial equality, Roosevelt continued to fight for them, increasing the chasm in their marriage that only ended with FDR's death. After that, she became the focus of the spotlight as she became a crucial player in the founding of the United Nations and the adoption of key policies like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A fitting and eloquent conclusion to Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 1: 1884 - 1933 and Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 2: The Defining Years, 1933 - 1938, this is the perfect gift for any admirer of this unique and groundbreaking woman. For many books about this remarkable trailblazer for young readers, visit our Eleanor Roosevelt Collection.

Who Thought That Was A Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have The Answer To When You Work In The White House

Over the nearly ten years that Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama, he went from the Senate to the Oval Office – and she helped take him there. But, like any woman in politics will attest, Mastromonaco didn’t necessarily fit the picture people had in mind of a White House official, and sometimes her perspectives – and her obstacles – were quite different from those of the men around her! In this conversational and fun look at the not-so-perfect reality of life in the political scene, Mastromonaco provides a peek behind the curtain at everything from bursting into the middle of a secret climate talk to discovering that the Vatican is rather short on women's bathrooms! Mastromonaco’s hilarious and fascinating book will remind every reader of the importance of confidence, kindness, and hard work – even in the world's most powerful office.

Talking As Fast As I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything In Between)

In this chatty series of essays, actress Lauren Graham takes a moment to share laugh-out-loud stories about her life and Hollywood career. She talks about what it means to "make it" in Hollywood and what it's like to be single when you're in the public eye. With funny observations about the problem of meeting guys at awards shows — "If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high" — and what it's like to audition intensely for a role, she encourages everyone to laugh at the often absurd life of an actress. And for Gilmore Girls fans, she sits down for an epic marathon of the show, reflecting on what the show meant for her at the time and what it was like to pick up her fast-talking character nine years later.

Choosing the Hero: My Improbable Journey and the Rise of Africa's First Woman President

K. Riva Levinson was used to some incredible adventures as an international consultant, visiting some of the most dangerous places on Earth. But she considers one of her greatest achievements to be her work on behalf of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who would become Africa's first woman president when she was elected in Liberia in 2005. While Sirleaf lived in exile in Levinson's home of Washington, DC, Levinson lobbied on her behalf, and then worked on the ground in Liberia to support her, seeing in her a hero who had come to protect and elevate her nation. This intriguing book provides both a unique perspective on how US foreign policy is made and a personal story of how choosing to fight for a worthy cause can change a person forever.

Fast Into The Night: A Woman, Her Dogs, and Their Journey North on the Iditarod Trail

Debbie Moderow was 47 years old and a mother of two when she set out on the Iditarod in 2003 for the journey of a lifetime. To complete the grueling race, she would need determination, fearlessness, and a close connection with her dogs... and when her race ended, less than 200 miles from the finish line with dogs who refused to run, it was that connection with her dogs that she most feared she had lost. Two years later, however, after injuries, ferocious storms, flipped sleds, and more, she finally completed the race — her dogs and herself finally in harmony. This is a fascinating look at the little-understood sport of dog mushing and an intriguing examination of the relationship between humans and animals, as well as a testament to the power of determination and resiliency.

Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped A First Lady

In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt was taking the presidency, and Eleanor Roosevelt was about to step into the regimented role of First Lady. Then she met Lorena Hickok, a campaign reporter for the Associated Press, who would become a special figure in Roosevelt's life for over thirty years: a caring friend, a professional advisor, a lover, and more. The relationship was also a boon to the country: Hickok reported from the nation's poorest areas and Roosevelt used her reports to push her husband to support New Deal programs. And after FDR's death, it was Hickok who urged Roosevelt to use her own popularity to fight for those in need. This fascinating look at the relationship between a reporter and a First Lady highlights how the bond between these two women truly changed the world for the better. For many books about the pioneering Eleanor Roosevelt for young readers, visit our Eleanor Roosevelt Collection.

Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age

Amani Al-Khatahtbeh was nine years old when planes struck the World Trade Center on 9/11, and she was as horrified as any other American. In the aftermath, however, she quickly felt alienated and isolated by America's Islamophobic reaction to this terrorist act. But after a trip to Jordan when she was 13, Al-Khatahtbeh was inspired: she created a website called MuslimGirl and found her voice. In this book, Al-Khatahtbeh speaks honestly about the realities of Islamophobia, without exaggerating, and tackles the narrative about Muslim girls and women that diminishes the true scope of their experiences. She also captures the power of giving people a place where they can tell their stories. Timely and emotional, this story is important both now and for the years to come.

Lab Girl

Hope Jahren is an acclaimed geobiologist, but her first book is much more than a textbook on plants and dirt: it's also a story of work, love, and the way a partnership can transform both. It begins with a childhood in Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged "play" in his classroom's labs. Then, as an adult, she meets Bill, a brilliant but wounded person who becomes her lab partner and her best friend. Their adventures would take them to the North Pole, Hawaii, and across the North American continent on a quest for knowledge about the remarkable details and processes that lurk within the simplest of things. Full of a love of science and discovery, Jahren's book also captures the passion and tenacity it takes to make a career and a life out of what you love.

First Ladies of Running: 22 Inspiring Profiles of the Rebels, Rule Breakers, and Visionaries Who Changed the Sport Forever

Can you imagine a time when officials tried to push a woman off course at a race, or when trainers who tell women that long-distance running could damage their reproductive organs? Or even a time when women would pretend to pick flowers to avoid the embarrassment of being caught running for exercise? Amazingly, these stories are only half a century old — and without the women who defied these ideas, women's sports would be drastically different! Longtime Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot chronicles 22 of the inspiring women runners both past and present who smashed through the cultural barriers in their way — as well as those who are still tackling them today. Empowering and thought-provoking, this tribute to women running pioneers is long overdue!

First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies

Today, the First Lady of the United States is a complex and deeply underestimated role. She must be an inspiring leader of an agenda that she sets herself; a savvy politician; and a coordinator for the many services, special events, and activities at the White House. At the same time, she is constantly under scrutiny for her actions in both these capacities and as a wife and mother. In this fascinating book, Kate Andersen Brower draws on candid sources from friends to residence staff to political advisors to create a unique depiction of what First Ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy to Michelle Obama have faced in their life at the world's most powerful address. From tragic to heartwarming, these stories show a rarely-seen side of women in a prestigious, demanding, and often unappreciated role in American politics.

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace

When Lynn Povich landed a job at Newsweek in the midst of the 1960s, it seemed like a dream come true: a good job at a big publication full of exciting coverage of civil rights battles and all the changes of the Swinging Sixties. But she and her female peers soon learned that, "If you want to be a writer, go somewhere else." So on March 16, 1970, forty-six women from Newsweek sued with the first female class action lawsuit, accusing the publication of discrimination in hiring and promotion. As one of the leaders, Povich now provides an evocative look at the experience of being part of this dramatic turning point in feminist history, as well as the aftermath for the women who participated. At the same time, she explores why changes in the law haven't fixed the problems, both past and present, that still face women in the workplace.

The Firebrand and the First Lady: Portrait of a Friendship - Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Struggle for Social Justice

Pauli Murray was a writer turned Civil Rights activist, whose grandmother had been a slave; Eleanor Roosevelt was a First Lady who could trace her ancestry back to the American Revolution. The two seemed an unlikely pair, and yet when 28-year-old Murray wrote a letter to Roosevelt protesting segregation in the American South, Roosevelt wrote back, the beginning of a close friendship that would last twenty-five years. Patricia Bell-Scott uses letters, journals, interviews, and unpublished manuscripts to create a new portrait of an unexpected relationship that changed the course of American history. Her examination of how Roosevelt and Murray supported and challenged one another shows how friendships and collaborations between people of different backgrounds can create great things. For many books about the pioneering Eleanor Roosevelt for young readers, visit our Eleanor Roosevelt Collection.

Inside: One Woman's Journey Through the Inside Passage

In 2010, Susan Conrad launched her 18-foot kayak for an incredible journey: a trip through the Inside Passage, a 1,200 mile waterway along the Western coastline of the United States. The journey would be physically grueling but gave her the emotional space to wrestle with questions of identity and belonging, as well as the consequences of a difficult childhood. She faced fear, exhaustion, and unusual obstacles like 700-pound grizzly bears and 40-ton whales; at the same time, she made unexpected friends in little-known places and found joy as she realized her dream. This memoir captures both the ups and the downs of any adventurous journey, as well as the healing and happiness that can be found in a solo journey through natural spaces.

Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars

When the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, founded in the 1940s, needed clever mathematicians for calculations, they recruited a group of young women whose penciled equations about velocities and plot trajectories would propel the science of space exploration. Over two decades, these dedicated women would transform rocket design, allow the creation of the first American satellites, and eventually, make it possible to explore our solar system — and yet few people know their story. Nathalia Holt tells the story of these groundbreaking "human computers" who broke new ground for both women and science in a compelling and exciting way. Inspiring and thought-provoking, this book will change the way you look at the history of space travel — as well as its future.

Run the World: My 3,500-Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the Globe

In 2012, when Becky Wade won the Watson Fellowship, she was already the recipient of multiple NCAA All-American honors and had two Olympic Trials qualifying times under her belt. But she wondered what other cultures had to teach her about running, both as a sport and as a way of life. For a year, she visited nine different countries with very different running cultures, jogging through the busy streets of Tokyo to learn injury recovery techniques and climbing Mount Entoto in Ethiopia just to start her run of the day. From each country, she learned valuable skills and a bit more about herself — and when she returned to the US, her running career took off, with a marathon debut time of 2:30. In this book, Wade shares her experiences from her travels and how she has incorporated different running philosophies into her own training, for a fascinating look at the world's most inclusive and natural sport.

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life

Shirley Jackson is best known to most as the author of "The Lottery," but this genius of suspense and what she called "domestic horror" made many unique and important contributions to the American Gothic tradition. Long before the women's movement of the 1960s, Jackson explored the isolation and exploitation of women  through works that combined a sense of the occult with the claustrophobic experience of marriage. At the same time, she struggled with her own difficult marriage and her addiction to amphetamines and tranquilizers. Author Ruth Franklin draws on previously unseen correspondence and dozens of interviews to create a new portrait of a woman whose genius at suspense and horror also tapped into the anxiety and frustrations of a generation of American women.

Danger Close: My Epic Journey as a Combat Helicopter Pilot in Iraq and Afghanistan

Amber Smith is one of the few women to have flown the Kiowa Warrior helicopter, a craft designed for armed reconnaissance. Its pilots need to be able to fly fast and low, and equally importantly, to keep their heads as they skim right over the ground combat below them. In this book, Smith describes her 2005 and 2008 deployments, rising to the post of Pilot-in-Command and Air Mission Commander in the premier Kiowa unit in the Army. And while she kept her cool on dangerous reconnaissance missions, she also had to navigate an elite, mostly male, club of army pilots. In the end, she proved her mettle, joining the best of the best in aviation. This combination of war story and personal memoir is thrilling, touching, and inspiring.

Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame

As a young actress on the sets of Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, but also as the only daughter in a house full of boys, Mara Wilson has always felt a bit out of place. As time has moved on, that feeling has only grown: now, she is an adult in a world that will forever picture her as a child on a movie screen. In this book of essays, Wilson talks about the strange experience of being a child star, the shocking discovery in adolescence that she was no longer "cute enough" for the movies, and the pleasant realization that life in relative obscurity is actually a happy place to be. This candid, moving, and often hilarious memoir captures all the challenges of figuring out who you are when the world sees you as a character.

In the 1950s, Carleen Maley Hutchins had never laid hands on a violin; she was a grade school science teacher and an amateur trumpet player. But when friends piqued her interest in making a viola, they unlocked a remarkable genius. Hutchins not only taught herself to make orchestra stringed instruments — despite the opposition and secrecy of established, male luthiers — but also collaborated on experiments about violin acoustics and wrote more than a hundred technical papers. Over the course of her half-century career, she carved nearly 500 stringed instruments and even, in response to a challenge from a composer, created a "violin octet," a set of eight instruments that spanned the full range of notes on a piano keyboard. This story of the innovative, self-taught violin maker who changed a profession that had been static for centuries is truly spellbinding.

River of Time: My Descent Into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope

A life as a country superstar seems like the life of your dreams, but for Naomi Judd, the performances and awards hid a history of desperate personal struggles. After a traumatic childhood, Judd found herself an expectant mother in a reluctant marriage at the age of seventeen; then, two years later, she was the single mother of two, abandoned by her abusive husband. After putting herself through nursing school, she took an extraordinary leap of faith and moved to Nashville in hopes of finding country music success. More struggles were to come, including a fight against hepatitis C and Severe Treatment Resistant Depression. Despite it all, Judd persevered. Her story of resilience and hope is an inspiration to anyone whose life has been marked by trauma: you can come out the other side.

Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

Leah Remini's sharp tongue and bold willingness to stand her ground have stood her in good stead during a Hollywood career, but they also come with a cost. In 2013, when Remini publicly broke with the Church of Scientology — and spoke openly about the organization's oppressive rules for its members — the group deemed her a "Suppressive Person" and ordered all believers, including her own family, to cut off contact with her. Now, in this open and frank memoir, she talks about her life as a Scientologist, from being indoctrinated as a child to the career success its connections brought her, and then to the harsh and shocking response when she began to question their teachings. It's a rare look behind the scenes at a little-understood organization and a powerful testament to living an honest life despite the consequences.