Stories of Mighty Women: New Biographies for Adult Readers for Mother’s Day

The Women with Silver Wings

The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II

In the midst of World War II, a little over 1,100 women made their way through the U.S. Army's selection process — and became part of a landmark in aviation history. The Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, program drew female pilots from across the country, eager to prove their mettle. Led by trailblazing pilots Nancy Love and Jacqueline Cochran, these women were never authorized to serve in combat, but they performed other critical (and dangerous) missions, from delivering planes to training male pilots. And then, just as quickly, the program was disbanded, leaving the women fighting for recognition for their military service. Author Katherine Sharp Landdeck's soaring account of the WASP program is a fitting tribute to these bold women, their dedication to their country, and their determination to make their place in history.

Frankie: How One Woman Prevented a Pharmaceutical Disaster

When Frances Kelsey refused to approve thalidomide for use in the United States, the drug's manufacturer thought she was being ridiculous: it was a wonder drug, already being used to help women in Europe and Canada who struggled with morning sickness. But when the horrifying consequences of using the drug came to light, Kelsey went from obstructionist bureaucrat to national hero. In the first ever biography of this determined woman, readers get a powerful portrait of a groundbreaking woman whose quiet courage saved untold people.

Nerves of Steel: How I Followed My Dreams, Earned My Wings, and Faced My Greatest Challenge

When Tammie Jo Shults was a girl, women pilots were still few and far between — but she knew she wanted to be one of them. The rancher's daughter fought prejudice and skepticism to become one of the Navy’s first female F/A-18 Hornet pilots, then took a place in the cockpit as a pilot for Southwest Airlines. And on April 17, 2018, she became a hero when Flight 1380 suffered a catastrophic explosion that threatened the lives of everyone on board. This inspiring memoir about Shult's life, work, and faith tells the full story behind her heroic success. There is also a young readers edition of this memoir for ages 9 to 13.

No Man's Land

The Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain's Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I

In the early 1900s, women doctors in Britain were only permitted to treat women and children — they certainly weren't allowed to operate on men. But two of them — Flora Murray and Louisa Garrett Anderson — were determined to prove they were just as capable as their male colleagues, and World War I gave them the chance to do it. A month after the war began, Murray and Anderson were in Paris, opening a hospital in a former luxury hotel where they treated thousands of war wounded. They were so successful that the British Army asked them to set up a hospital on Endell Street in London. This lively telling of the women who founded the "Suffragettes' Hospital," and how they proved women doctors deserved equality, is an exciting reminder of how women's wartime service changed the world.

Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Fight for the Right to Vote

Woodrow Wilson's arrival in Washington as the new president was overshadowed by a suffragist parade — one organized by 25-year-old activist Alice Paul. It was the beginning of a struggle between the president and this determined woman who refused to give way and wait for women's right to vote. In Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait?, author Tina Cassidy tells the interwoven stories of these two political figures, complete with a detailed portrait of Paul's activism — and the price she paid for it, including solitary confinement, force feeding, and even commitment in a psychiatric ward. Released in advance of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, this book highlights the courage, determination, and daring of this little-known heroine.

999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz

Before the Nazis could implement their Final Solution, they needed to convert Auschwitz from a prison camp into a death machine — and they used Jewish teenage girls and young women to do it. When the 999 young women boarded a train in Slovakia, they believed they were being sent to work in a shoe factory; in reality, their actual purpose was to be used as slave labor at Auschwitz, demolishing buildings with their bare hands, digging trash out of frozen lakes, and building dozens of barracks. Almost all of them were dead within a year from starvation and disease. Of those few who survived the war, author Heather Dune Macadam was able to interview twenty of them before their stories were lost to history forever, and this gripping book finally gives voice to these forgotten young women and their astounding struggle to survive in the most harrowing of circumstances.

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown

Anne Glenconner was born into court life and privilege — but as a daughter, she couldn't inherit her father's estate, and he considered her "the greatest disappointment." She befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret, as a child, and she became lady in waiting to Princess Margaret until she died in 2002. Her first engagement was broken off; her husband was unfaithful and changed his will to leave his entire estate to a former servant; and two of her sons died in adulthood, while the third barely survived an accident. And through it all, she carried on. In this unprecedented book, Glenconner tells her own story and gives readers a peek into royal life with both wit and candor. This memoir about life in a golden cage is perfect for fans of The Crown.

What You Become in Flight: A Memoir

Ellen O'Connell Whittet was going to be a professional ballerina... until a single misstep shattered her dreams. Her debilitating injury left her without her planned career, without the joy of the stage, and without the dance she loved. But it also gave her time to think about what lay behind the exquisite facade of ballet: dancers starving themselves to fit a physical ideal, battered and bleeding feet, and a desperate desire for unattainable perfection. In this stunning memoir, O'Connell Whittet explores how dancers' suffering echoes the violence and expectations that women are expected to quietly take on in other aspects of life, and how shedding them could allow women to soar.

Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit

Eliese Colette Goldbach never dreamed of life working in a steel mill, but in the Rust Belt, jobs offer financial security are few and far between. Work at the mill is dangerous and dirty, but she also finds surprising camaraderie and support from her coworkers — unexpected from gruff, hard-laboring men. In this touching book, Goldbach explores her childhood, her desire to escape her hometown, and the factors — both financial and emotional — that drew her back to the steel mill. Along the way, she discovers true hope for her nation in the people who keep America running. This clear-eyed and optimistic book is perfect for fans of Hillbilly Elegy and Educated.

Isabella of France: The Rebel Queen

When she married Edward II in 1308, nobody knew that Isabella of France would become on of the most notorious figures in English history. After being sent back to France in 1325 to negotiate peace with her brother, Charles IV, Isabella instead started a relationship with English baron Roger Mortimer — one of Edward's greatest enemies — and used her custody of her son, heir to the British throne, to lead an invasion into England force Edward II's abdication. Then, she and Mortimer ruled as regents... until her son, now Edward III, overthrew them himself in 1330. This extraordinary account exposes the true story of a daring, influential woman who refused to accept her subordinate role.

Fighting For Space

Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight

As the space age dawned, two bold female pilots wrestled with how best to push forward the idea of women in the space program. Jackie Cochran held fistfuls of flying records and had led the Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots during World War II. Jerrie Cobb, 25 years Cochran's junior, took the same medical tests as the Mercury astronauts but was ultimately rejected along with the other women of the Mercury 13 program. Each woman had plans for women in space — plans that didn't necessarily agree. In this exciting dual biography, spaceflight historian Amy Shira Teitel explores the lives of two daring women, each of whom dreamed of being the first woman in space.

Rebel Cinderella: From Rags to Riches to Radical, the Epic Journey of Rose Pastor Stokes

When Rose Pastor arrived in New York in 1903, she was just one of many Russian Jewish refugees that most people thought were destined to a life of sweatshop labor. Instead, two years later, she married James Graham Phelps Stokes, the scion of a high society family, and catapulted herself into the elite. And then, she and her husband joined the Socialist Party and started gathering a group of activist and agitators. Rose led strikes and protests, campaigned to spread information bout birth control, and brought audiences to tears with her stories about the struggles of workers. And then, just as quickly, she fell into poverty, and died far too young. Written by a best-selling master of narrative nonfiction, this astonishing biography illuminates the story of a nearly forgotten agitator and radical.

The Broken Road: George Wallace and a Daughter’s Journey to Reconciliation

As the daughter of notorious segregationist George Wallace, Peggy Wallace Kennedy adored her father, even as she watched him block a schoolhouse door against two African-American students. But as an adult, she had a political awakening, and has since become an avowed advocate of racial reconciliation. In this powerful and personal memoir, she explores the contradictions between her love for her father and her hated of the damage he did, and asks important questions about change, atonement, and what we can do to make up for the damage of the past.

Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains

The stereotype of women from the Appalachians is one of poverty and struggle — but Cassie Chambers knows hill women are so much more. Chambers' Granny was a child bride in Owsley County, one of the poorest in Kentucky. Her oldest daughter, Ruth, stayed on the farm; her sixth child, Wilma, was determined to go to college — even when she ended up pregnant with Cassie at 19. Her mother's big dreams and her aunt and grandmothers' determination combined in Cassie, and she went on to get a degree from Harvard Law. Now, she provides free legal services to hill women in need of help. This heartfelt examination of the guts and grit of Appalachian women is a reminder that, if we help them remove the obstacles they face, they can change their communities for the better.

The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton answer one of the most common questions they receive: who is your hero? Their answer includes a wide variety of women, from Civil Rights activist Dorothy Height to scientist Rachel Carson to courageous activist Malala Yousafzai. In this book, they explain how these women influenced them and what their examples have to teach other women. The world needs gutsy women, and this book will help inspire you to be one too!

Jailed for Freedom: A First-Person Account of the Militant Fight for Women's Rights

To win the vote, women had to put their bodies and lives on the line — and one of them was Doris Stevens. In this stunning first person account, Stevens lays out the political backdrop — an administration refusing to consider women's suffrage no matter what argument was laid before them — and then describes the courage of women like her who demanded to have their voices heard. Stevens herself was arrested for "obstructing the sidewalk" and jailed; her colleagues and friends suffered worse, including beatings and force-feeding. This 100th anniversary edition of her book, with a new introduction from suffrage historian Angela P. Dodson, is a powerful reminder of what the suffragists had to do to win the rights we take for granted today.

Code Name: Lise

The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy

After Odette Sansom decides to become an SOE agent in the midst of World War II, she parachutes into occupied France and meets her commanding officer, Captain Peter Churchill. The indomitable pair discover soul mates in one another, falling in love as they race to evade Hugo Bleicher, the German secret police sergeant who pursues them at every turn. When Bleicher finally captures them, they face prison in Paris, then torture in concentration camps in Germany, but their courage — and love — sustains them through seemingly unbeatable horror. Full of thrilling twists and turns and a heart-pounding romance, Sansom's true story is a tribute to the human capacity to overcome.

Know My Name: A Memoir

During the sexual assault case against Brock Turner, she was known only as Emily Doe. Despite having the "perfect" case — eyewitnesses, physical evidence, and more — she wrestled with shame, even as she wrote a victim impact statement that stunned the nation and the world. In her stunning memoir, now proudly owning her name, Chanel Miller reveals the oppression she experienced as a survivor, her anger at a justice system that fails to protect the vulnerable, and the power of finding your voice as a way to aid healing. At times humorous, at other times a punch in the gut, this memoir demands that we sit up and pay attention to survivors.

Queen of the Mountaineers: The Trailblazing Life of Fanny Bullock Workman

Fanny Bullock Workman was never one to care what society told her to do; the complicated and defiant woman would become one of America's greatest mountain climbers. Workman climbed peaks around the world, becoming the first woman to map the far reaches of the Himalayas and only the second to address the Royal Geographic Society of London. Her detailed books featured information on everything from weather conditions to the effects of high altitude, remaining important reference material for decades after publication. In this book, Cathryn J. Prince explores how Workman scaled the male-dominated ladder of science as easily as a mountain, and how her influence on science and exploration endures even today.

Great Women Artists

For centuries, women artists were treated like oddities — but the truth is that there have always been creative women changing the world of art! In this extensive, fully illustrated book, you'll learn about over 400 artists of the past 500 years, from countries all around the world. Each capsule biography is accompanied by a compelling piece of artwork that represents her art and influence, providing a counterpart to the many male-dominated texts about art history. Vibrant, inspiring, and full of engaging stories, this book is a must-have volume for any art lover.

Madame Fourcade's Secret War

The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler

In 1941, 31-year-old Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, a young, privileged mother of two, was also the head of a critical French spy network, Alliance. It seemed like a role she was born to play: she was notoriously strong-willed and rebellious, willing to defy her country's patriarchal rules before the war — and the Nazi occupiers during it. Fourcade would be the war's only female chef de résistance; she held together thousands of agents despite relentless pursuit by the Gestapo. Thanks to her ferocious conviction, Alliance became the longest-lasting resistance network in France, supplying key information, including an enormous map of the beaches where the Allies landed on D-Day. This tale of a courageous woman who refused to give in is suspenseful and thrilling.

Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines

In 1919, with World War I just over and the world changing faster than ever, the Women's Engineering Society was born. It was the brainchild of Katharine Parsons and her daughter Rachel — wife and daughter of engineer Charles Parsons, and talented minds in their own right — and Caroline Haslett, a self-taught electrical engineer. Other bold women soon joined them, and brought their inventions and ideas with them... ideas like women's suffrage, freedom from domestic management, and the opportunity for women to contribute equally in the workplace. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Society, author Henrietta Heald explores the Society, the women within it, and the society that it helped change forever.

What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance

When Carolyn Forché met Leonel Gomez Vides, who wanted her to learn more about his homeland of El Salvador, she was fascinated by the charming and brilliant man. He introduced her to farm workers trapped in poverty, the priests trying to help them, and the military officers trying to stamp out any sign of dissent. It didn't take long before Forché got swept up in Vides' perilous work. As they ran from safe house to safe house, she tried to make sense of the horrors around her, and wondered how someone can stay moral in a country on the edge of disaster. Lyrical and devastating, this is a powerful book by one of today's greatest poets about empathy, social conscience, and what you will risk for others.

The Queens of Animation

The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History

Whether you love classic Disney films like Snow White, or you prefer their modern-day stories like Moana and Frozen, you probably don't know that there was a group of influential women involved at every step of the way! These women fought sexism and workplace intimidation in the male-dominated story and animation departments, but their fingerprints are all over the rise of Walt Disney Studios. Nathalia Holt, the bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls, illuminates the contributions of women from Disney's Golden Age to today, highlighting how having women at the table has transformed female characters in animated film.

Women: Our Story

This gorgeously illustrated book takes a new look at history through the eyes of women past and present! History books often leave out women's roles, but from ancient matriarchal cultures to today's feminism and gender politics, women are a key element of society. This book explores both the famous names you already know and the lesser-known women who deserve their own places in the history books. It also reminds readers about women's involvement in everyday life, and how their unsung contributions helped bolster whole societies. This energetic look at the importance of women's history is sure to inspire readers!

Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life

Queen Victoria ruled over a vast British Empire at a time when most women were confined to strict feminine roles — and while she carefully cultivated a traditional image, she was also a defiant, astute, and politically-minded woman far ahead of her time. In this evocative biography, Lucy Worsley looks at twenty-four defining days from Victoria's life, from her childhood to her coronation to her life as a wife and widow. Worsley dives into her correspondence and other archival information in order to illuminate this powerful woman's complexity — and how her influence shaped both her age and our world today.

Formation: A Woman's Memoir of Rape, Rage, and War

Ryan Dostie grew up in a sheltered Christian cult in Connecticut, but she took the bold step of joining the Army when she graduated from high school, wooed by a recruiter with promises of a career that incorporated her gift for languages. She found work she loved in the army, but she also found a male-dominated world where she was decidedly not welcome. It was also a world where, when she was raped by a fellow soldier, her accusation could be "unsubstantiated" despite evidence of the attack, and where a combat tour in Iraq could leave her with PTSD. This is a story that is messy and undefinable, just like real life often is, but conveys a powerful message about pushing forward through trauma and proving — and believing — your worth.

What A Body Remembers: A Memoir of Sexual Assault and Its Aftermath

When Karen Thomas survived a sexual assault at knife point as a sophomore at UC Berkeley, she wanted more than anything to forget — but somehow, her body and mind wouldn't allow it. In her career as a criminal defense lawyer, she often found herself working for men who were accused of crimes just like the one committed against her. Finally, she decided she had to learn more: about her own PTSD, about what happened to her attacker, and about how survivors can regain their confidence, even if that's an ongoing journey. Riveting and deeply moving, this transformative story is a reminder of the complex nature of trauma and the power of human resilience.

Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain

When Sarah Vallance suffered a traumatic brain injury, she thought she had lost everything: she was told that her cognitive skills and her personality would never be the same. Isolated at home, she struggled with her anger at losing the ability to do things she thought were simple — even reading and writing. But a chance conversation gave her hope that her brain could heal and relearn, and slowly, she was able to build a new life. Vallance provides a deeply personal look at life with TBI and the disabilities that can result from it, with equal parts hope for recovery and a reminder that accepting yourself as you are is the most powerful healing of all.

State: A Team, A Triumph, A Transformation

Melissa Isaacson loved sports, but for years she'd been turned away from boys' teams. That changed in 1975, when she entered Niles West High School in Chicago as a freshman. Title IX was three years old, and for the first time, Illinois was implementing teams and tournaments for high school girls. Missy found herself on the basketball team with a group of other girls who were overjoyed at being able to play, and for whom sports became a refuge from challenges and frustrations at home and elsewhere. Isaacson tells this remarkable story about the power of athletics and finding your community with vigor, capturing the exciting moment that a group of girls first heard they were state champions.

Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court

Only four women have served as justices for the Supreme Court of the United States — but eight more were shortlisted. From Florence Allen, an Ohio judge named repeatedly in the 1930s, to Amalya Kearse, the first African American woman considered a potential SCOTUS nominee, these women achieved many milestones but never made the highest court in the nation. Award-winning scholars Renee Knake Jefferson and Hannah Brenner Johnson tell their stories and highlight the danger of shortlisting: creating the appearance of diversity without the substance. It's a unique history that provides a road map for everyone who wants to overturn the status quo.

Queen Meryl: The Iconic Roles, Heroic Deeds, and Legendary Life of Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep is an iconic, award-winning actress who has defied the Hollywood mold by playing a diverse range of complicated female roles — no marginal characters for her! In this joyful homage to Streep's influence, journalist and author Erin Carlson follows Streep from awkward teenage years, to blossoming on stage at Vassar and the Yale School of Drama, to her early acting career where she incorporated her feminist activism into her roles. Finally, she highlights her current career, where she defies attitudes towards women over 40 and continues to be one of Hollywood's biggest box office draws. With vibrant artwork by Justin Teodoro, this is a unique peek at a dynamic and defiant woman who has changed the shape of women in film.

Renia's Diary: A Holocaust Journal

At the beginning of 1939, Polish teenager Renia Spiegel began a diary, a confidante "who would never reveal my secrets." Her writing would also become a chronicle of the beginning of World War II. Separated from her mother when the German and Soviet armies invaded Poland, Renia tried to continue life as usual, and her diary became the place where she could explore her desire to be a writer, capture the daily dramas of teenage life (including falling in love with her boyfriend, Zygmund), and recount her fears about the war. Her diary ends in July 1942, with a note from Zygmund, after she was murdered by the Gestapo. Now translated from the original Polish, this incredible historical document brings Renia to life once again, and serves as a reminder of what we lose through hatred and war.

SoccerWomen: The Icons, Rebels, Stars, and Trailblazers Who Transformed the Beautiful Game

Soccer is a tremendously popular sport, both in America and around the world — but the famous female players of today still faced significant hardships and discrimination, in addition to all the challenges of a world-class athlete, in order to play the game they love. In this tribute to the daring women who transformed the sport, author Gemma Clarke interviewed over fifty players and coaches to explore their lives and experiences with the beautiful game. Packed with names both famous and unfamiliar, this book is sure to be a favorite with any fan of soccer or women's sport.

This Is Really War: The Incredible True Story of a Navy Nurse POW in the Occupied Philippines

At first, Navy nurse Dorothy Still's posting in the Philippines seemed like a fun romp: tropical weather, dates with sailors, and fun. Then Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the Japanese military assaulted the Philippines. By early January, 1942, Dorothy found herself captive in a civilian prison camp, where Chief Nurse Laura Cobb led her and ten other nurses in caring for the other prisoners. In May 1943, they were asked to transfer to another prison camp; they feared the unknown, but knew they were needed. In their honor, the inmates played the Navy fight song, "Anchors Aweigh," when they departed. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi captures Dorothy's story through detailed research and vivid narrative that celebrates the compassion and determination of these courageous women.

Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome

When Susan Levenstein and her husband moved to his hometown of Rome in 1978, it was the beginning of 40 years practicing medicine there — and facing the joys and frustrations of life as a foreigner and expat. She had to fight Italian bureaucracy and sexism just to begin her practice. Then, she had to adjust to the differences between American and Italian medicine — including the benefits of easily accessible, publicly funded health care. At times both hilarious and exasperating, Levenstein's story is a unique peek at life in Italy and the experience of finding home in another country.

Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior

In 1127, Henry I of England made an unusual decision and recognized his daughter, Matilda, as his official heir. Despite this, after her father died, her cousin claimed the throne, easily swaying the barons who doubted a woman's ability to rule. They had little idea just who they had crossed. Matilda never sat on the throne, but her son did, and every English and British monarch since has had her blood in their veins. In this detailed biography, author Catherine Hanley explores Matilda's role as a leader — both political and military — during the succession crisis. It's a unique look at a powerful but little-known figure of the English Middle Ages.

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir

When T. Kira Madden was a child, her father moved her and her mother into a life of privilege in Boca Raton, including private schools, designers shoes, and more. But her "perfect" life on the surface hid ugliness underneath: an alcoholic and abusive father, a mother addicted to painkillers, and a culture where she felt more like an object than a person. Eventually, though, she found a community of other fatherless girls — friends she could rely on, and people who sparked a queer awakening. This lyrical book about simultaneously mourning a father and recognizing his deep flaws also explores finding love — and the strength to rebuild yourself — in unexpected places.

Year of the Monkey

Patti Smith, National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, returns to the story of her life in this book about one transformative year: 2016, the Year of the Monkey. It's a wandering year for Smith, who travels alone through California, Arizona, Kentucky, and more, along the way meeting strangers and visiting old friends and mentors. She blends imaginary and remembered places into her story, as well, creating a poetic mix of dream and reality. Throughout, Smith reminds readers that there is a better world out there — even if you have to wander to find it.

Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir

Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman grew up poor in Appalachia, but she was determined to strive for a career as a violinist. When she finally made it to an Ivy League college, she was not good enough for their music program — but she did get a position in an ensemble... without an audition. It turned out that the "orchestra" she played for was a fraud; all the music is played by a CD, coordinated by The Composer, who tricked his audiences into believing it's real. Hindman explores her interior struggles with her identity and ambitions in this funny and stranger-than-true memoir that asks pointed questions about gender and why our culture is so content with fakes.

Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of Elaine Stritch

Elaine Stritch was a Broadway star, a powerful singer, and an innovative entertainer beloved by audiences in both America and Europe. This book traces her life from a childhood in Detroit during the Great Depression, to a definitive (but uneven) rise to fame on Broadway and in London's West End, to her Tony Award-winning one-woman show, and finally to a surprising new career on TV in shows like Law & Order and 30 Rock. Author Alexandra Jacobs drew on meticulous research and years of interviews to create this detailed, intimate, and exuberant look at a woman who was part wit and charm, part darkness, but always a spellbinding entertainer.