The 2019 Mighty Women Reading List for Adults

A Woman Of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

In 1942 France, a mysterious spy known as the "Limping Lady" was a linchpin for the French Resistance – the Gestapo called her "the most dangerous of all Allied spies." Her name, unknown to the Germans, was Virginia Hall. She was the daughter of a well-off Baltimore family turned Special Operations Executive agent, and her distinctive limp was from a prosthetic leg that most people believed would trap her behind a secretary's desk. Author Sonia Purnell explores the full story behind Hall's life, illuminating her determination and her wartime heroism. Fast-paced, thrilling, and meticulously researched, this biography of Hall is better than any fictional spy story. For two more fascinating biographies of Hall, check out The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy and Hall of Mirrors: Virginia Hall: America's Greatest Spy of World War II.

What Is A Girl Worth? My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

Rachael Denhollander was the first person to publicly accuse Larry Nassar of abusing her when she was a teen — even though she wasn't sure people would listen. In this compelling book, Denhollander tells her own story of being an idealistic young gymnast betrayed by those she trusted, and how she grew up into a woman who refused to let the girls and women that Nassar abused go without a voice. In the telling, she also highlights the long-term effects of abuse and why so many survivors are slow to speak out, as well as the healing power of being believed. This must-read memoir that reminds us all to do what's right — for ourselves and for those who come after us.

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Haben Girma has been Deafblind since early childhood, but to her, disability is an opportunity for innovation. The determined young woman learned early about the power of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and how technology could help her achieve her goals. She realized that a career as a lawyer could help her benefit even more people, allowing her to use her talents to advocate for people with disabilities. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating memoir is a testament to one woman's determination to find the keys to connection.

The Yellow House: A Memoir

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Sarah M. Bloom's family home was destroyed. Bloom's mother, Ivory Mae, had bought the shotgun house in 1961 to raise her family in. The house was a project that Ivory Mae could never complete: while she could keep it immaculately clean, she could not afford the repairs it constantly needed. And as Broom struggled to help her mother get disaster reimbursement — a project that took seven years and multiple sets of "lost" papers — she also began to research and write about the Yellow House and where it fits in the bigger picture of race and class. This National Book Award winner is an unflinching look at broken promises, persistence, and what it means to have a home.

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

In her first memoir, Home, Julie Andrews talked about the challenges of her childhood and of her rise to become a star on the stage. Now, in the much-anticipated follow-up, she explores her time in Hollywood, complete with the highs and lows: a stunning rise to fame, adjusting to a new world, and the challenges and joys of family and love. She also provides a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of some of her most beloved films, like Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Victor/Victoria. This candid and charming memoir is a unique glimpse into the inspiring and little-known life of a Hollywood treasure.

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.

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.

A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir

Edie Windsor was known around the world as the face of the Supreme Court case that set the precedent for LGBTQ marriage equality in the US. Her story, though, is much more than a single court case. In this inspiring memoir, begun before she died in 2017 and finished by her co-writer, Windsor describes her realization that she was a lesbian and her life in the underground gay scene of Greenwich Village in the 1950s. Then, she talks about her time as a computing pioneer, achieving the highest technical ranking at IBM, and her years with the two loves of her life: Thea Spyer, her partner of more than forty years who passed away in 2009, and Judith Kasen-Windsor, who she married in 2016. This dynamic memoir celebrates a life lived well and authentically, despite the disapproval of those on the wrong side of history.

First: Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor may have graduated near the the top of her Stanford law school class, but in 1952, no law firm would even interview her. Determined to shatter every glass ceiling she encountered, O'Connor became the first female majority leader in a state senate. As a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals, she proved her willingness to uphold and humanize the law. Once she was appointed the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court, she became a key decision maker in many of America's most important legal cases. This personal and poignant look at a woman who was used to being first at almost everything she did will inspire anyone who wants to ignore the naysayers and take the lead.

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.

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 Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty

Barbara Bush is the only woman ever to see both her husband and her son sit in the Oval Office as president — but her story is about more than being a wife and mother. She was a savvy campaign strategist and a capable advisor. She supported literacy programs and compassion for people with HIV and AIDS. And her personal story included emotional scars, deep losses, and mental health struggles that few people saw. In this powerful look at one of America's beloved First Ladies, USA TODAY's Washington Bureau chief Susan Page, in cooperation with Bush herself in the months before her death, tells her extraordinary story and her last words on key issues facing her family and the nation.

The Sun Is A Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds

Ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert felt unfulfilled in her lab, so she and her husband made a bold decision: they would make a 4,000 trek from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, immersing themselves in nature and, hopefully, recapturing their sense of wonder. In The Sun Is A Compass, Van Hemert tells the story of their journey — which included rowboats, canoes, and rafts, skis, and sturdy hiking boots — and both the dangers and joys they faced along the way. This celebration of nature and of the human spirit is a reminder of the miracles all around our world.

Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For

Susan Rice's family were immigrants on one side and descendants of slaves on the other, and her elders had expectations that each generation would seize whatever opportunities they could. Rice did so, becoming one of America's youngest assistant secretaries of state during the Clinton administration and, later, a trusted advisor to President Obama. But after the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks in Libya, she was mischaracterized by those both for and against her. In this memoir, Rice tells her own story in a candid and often funny way — and uses it to urge her nation to seek unity and be the leaders the world needs.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive

When 28-year-old Stephanie Land discovered she was pregnant, she had to shift gears from her plans to go away to university. She was determined to provide a good life for her child, and that meant taking work as a cleaner, applying for government assistance, and taking classes online at night. In this powerful book, Land writes about the realities of life as one of the working poor — and about what it's like to be simultaneously necessary to the life of upper-middle class America, and disdained by them. Her book is not just a personal story; it's also a reminder of the strength it takes to survive and thrive when you live as a "servant" worker.

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.

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.

Save Me The Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

Ruth Reichl started poring over Gourmet magazine when she was 8 years old, but when Condé Nast offered her the role of editor in chief for the food magazine, she struggled with whether to accept it. She thought of herself as a writer, not a manager, and she worried about entering the corporate world. Still, the chance to work for the magazine that inspired her was too tempting to pass up — and she helped transform Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication. In her memoir (complete with recipes), Reichl describes what it was like to work for Gourmet, the remarkable personalities she met there, and what she did when her passion led her to unexpected places.

The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After

Julie Yip-Williams was a survivor, even as a newborn; because she was born blind, her grandmother tried to euthanize her. Then, in the late 1970s, she and her family fled the turmoil of her birth country of Vietnam in a rickety boat. When she finally made it to America, Julie's sight was partially restored by a surgeon; she got a law degree from Harvard; and she married and had children. And then at 37, she was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. In her struggle to find clarity and peace, she put pen to paper, telling her life story and chronicling the joys, pains, and strangeness of life, illness, and death. It's a potent account that encourages readers to face each day head-on, confident in the knowledge that life — and its end — is a miracle.

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.

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

For twenty years, Melinda Gates has been trying to help people around the world, seeking solutions for those in need. One thing has become clear: when you help women rise, everyone rises with them. In this book, Gates talks about the inspiring people she's met around the world, and how their initiatives have transformed their communities. She backs up her stories with data about how addressing issues like child marriage, contraceptive access, and gender inequality affect cultures on both the small and large scale. This book is a call to action, encouraging us to connect with one another, lift one another up, and watch the whole world rise together.