The 2020 Mighty Women Reading List for Adults

Eleanor

The story of Eleanor Roosevelt is more complex than most people know. After a childhood of insecurity, denial, and loneliness, her marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt took her into the halls of power — but left her feeling more alone than ever as he pursued affairs with other women. Instead of collapsing, she decided to explore her own self and devoted herself to being a voice for the voiceless, first in the White House, and then around the world. Drawing on new research, acclaimed biographer David Michaelis creates the first single-volume cradle-to-grave portrait of this remarkable woman and how her life changed the world.

Suffrage: Women's Long Battle for the Vote

Follow the long and dramatic 72-year fight for women's right to vote with this thrilling and deeply-researched account of the Women's Suffrage Movement by distinguished historian Carol DuBois! Beginning with the Women's Rights Movement's early years, and bold activists like Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth, DuBois explores how the movement rose and fell; how the crushing disappointment of women being denied the vote with the 15th Amendment led to a schism between many people who had long worked shoulder to shoulder as abolitionists against slavery; and then introduces a new generation of champions like Carrie Chapman Catt and Alice Paul who helped make the 19th Amendment a reality fifty years later. This authoritative history, released for the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification, is a stirring account of one of the most important movements in American history.

Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir

When Lacy Crawford was 15, she was sexually assaulted by two senior athletes at St. Paul's School — but she was told that there was nothing that could be done. Years later, when St. Paul's came under state investigation for reports of sexual abuse, she finally got to look at her criminal case file, and found proof that her case had been deliberately silenced. In this heartrending memoir, Crawford explores how institutions — including, but certainly not limited to, St. Paul's — sacrifice the safety of girls for the reputation of the powerful and privileged. Her searing account asks readers what it will take before we finally help survivors overcome shame and silencing — and demand they be given justice.

Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey was 19 when her former stepfather shot her mother; the trauma helped shape her writing as she struggled to understand grief and hope in the aftermath. Now, in this stunning memoir, she explores the "before": her mother's childhood in the segregated South, her own experiences as a "child of miscegenation" in Mississippi, and the struggles with domestic violence that would eventually explode on Memorial Drive in Atlanta in 1985. Both harrowing and compelling, this powerful book encourages readers to understand how racism, abuse, and violence ripple outward, creating both the tragic and the sublime.

One Life

Megan Rapinoe started playing soccer at the age of 4, but she was also raised to work for justice and give back to her community. She became a soccer star, and her international platform gave her the chance to speak up about the issues that mattered to her, including advocating for LGBTQ rights and, in 2016, taking a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick's protest of racially based police brutality — the first high-profile white athlete to do so. In this powerful memoir, Rapinoe reflects on her life and her ongoing fight for justice, including the gender discrimination lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation, and urges her readers to follow her lead and "Be more. Be better. Be bigger than you've ever been before."

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir

Wayétu Moore celebrated her 5th birthday in Liberia without her mother, who was studying in New York. She was looking forward to a happy reunion — and then civil war broke out. After being forced to flee her home with her father and grandfather, and getting smuggled across the border to Sierra Leone, she got the reunion she wanted, but also found herself a new immigrant in the US. In this moving memoir about her journey away from, and then back to, her home country, Moore explores both her emotional life as she adjusted to life in Texas and the political forces that affect millions of migrants around the world.

What Stars Are Made Of: The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin is one of the most important scientists that you've never heard of. As a female scientist in the early 20th century, she faced obstacles at every turn: derided, refused a degree at one college, and constantly overlooked. As she worked on her PhD in astronomy at Radcliffe, she successfully determined the chemical composition of the stars. Today, it's called "the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written in astronomy"; at the time, she was told her conclusions were utterly wrong... by the man who later proved she was correct. In this extensively researched biography, Donovan Moore pays tribute to a tenacious scientist whose many firsts helped break new ground — and whose spirit of discovery changed our understanding of the universe.

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics

For decades, Dolly Parton has delighted audiences with her music, becoming a beloved icon and a pop culture legend. Now, in her own words, she lets her fans in on the stories behind the songs! In this book, Parton uses 175 of her songs to reveal both her own life story and the specific stories behind each song, including favorites like "Jolene," "9 to 5," "I Will Always Love You," and many more. Packed with previously unpublished images from Parton's personal and business archives, this book is a unique peek into Parton's witty, funny, and insightful thought process and a delight for music lovers everywhere.

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.

Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger: A Memoir

Lisa Donovan is a brilliant chef, but for years she struggled to break into the male-dominated industry — one where men often built their careers on the recipes created by women. Donovan herself had a family legacy of women who used food to build a sense of strength and pride; now it was time for her to claim it. In this memoir, she explores how her experiences shaped her belief that she was lesser, and how she used her talents in the kitchen — and drew on the support of other women in the culinary industry — to build a sense of self-reliance and confidence. This delicious memoir is a fascinating exploration of what it takes to establish your own place in the world, even when you've been told you don't have one.

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.

A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz

Dita Kraus grew up in Prague in a middle class Jewish family, where she felt like any other Czech — until the Holocaust began. Forcibly marched out of the only home she had ever known, she and her family were sent first to the Terezí­n ghetto, then to Auschwitz. Within the camp, Dita was selected for a dangerous but important responsibility: guarding the few precious books that had been smuggled into the camp by prisoners. It was a task that would give her the hope and purpose she needed to survive. This unflinching memoir by the woman who inspired the best-selling book The Librarian of Auschwitz is a powerful story of hope, determination, and a life delayed by hate.

Our House Is On Fire: Scenes of a Family and a Planet in Crisis

Before Greta Thunberg became a household name for her fiery environmental activism, her family was facing a crisis on a smaller scale. At the age of 11, she had stopped eating and speaking; her parents Malena and Svante and her younger sister, Beata, found their lives turned upside down. It wasn't until they learned that Greta was deeply affected by the growing climate crisis — and what it meant for her future — that they figured out a way forward. In this stunning book, Greta and her family tell their own story, exploring the link between their family's challenges and the dangers facing our environment, and how understanding that link helped Greta become the leader of a worldwide movement for change.

Dr. Mary Walker's Civil War

One Woman's Journey to the Medal of Honor and the Fight for Women's Rights

From early on, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was determined: "I will always be somebody." A pioneering female doctor — who dared to wear pants rather than a skirt — she was a famous (or some might say notorious) figure. During the Civil War, she served so courageously that President Andrew Johnson later granted her the Medal of Honor, making her the only American woman ever to receive it.... only for the Army to strip her of the medal for her relentless involvement in the women's suffrage movement. Author Theresa Kaminski takes readers into the tumultuous time during and after the Civil War, and looks at these historic events through the eyes of a woman who held unwavering belief in her ability to make a contribution equal to that of any man.

We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment

When the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920, many women who had fought for it knew their work wasn't done. They wanted more than their right to vote enshrined in the Constitution; they wanted a provision that prevented all discrimination on the basis of sex. But the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, wasn't adopted by Congress until 1972 — and the final state necessary for ratification only approved it in January of 2020. Why did it take so long, and what would it mean for American women if it finally went through? In this powerful book, renowned legal scholar Julie Suk explores the past of the ERA and highlights what it means for the future.

The Power of Adrienne Rich: A Biography

Adrienne Rich was an award-winning poet whose powerful writing is still meaningful today — and she was also a woman who repeatedly transformed herself, along the way becoming a trailblazer for and critic of the feminist movement. As a Radcliffe-educated poet and married mother, she realized that she wasn't being authentic to herself, and broke from that life to become an openly lesbian feminist writer. But she was always ready to examine the evolving feminist movement, including herself, for mistakes that needed to be corrected. In the first comprehensive biography of Rich, author Hilary Holladay draws on her correspondence and in-depth interviews to depict this pioneering woman in all of her complexity.

All Stirred Up: Suffrage Cookbooks, Food, and the Battle for Women's Right to Vote

The vision we hold of suffragists is one of stern, marching faces, demanding their rights — but the suffragists also needed to win the hearts and minds of women across the country, and they did it through a familiar method: food. With the help of cookbooks and community meals, the suffragists reached out to women who weren't convinced to their cause. In All Stirred Up, Laura Kumin, the author of The Hamilton Cookbook, introduces readers to this less celebrated side of the movement. Using actual historic recipes to showcase the suffragists' humor and wit — “mix the crust with tact and velvet gloves, using no sarcasm, especially with the upper crust” — this unique book celebrates the power of food and fellowship to drive social change.

The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life – and Saved an American Farm

As a child, Sarah Frey was determined to get off the family farm — to the point where she moved out of her family home at the age of 15 to start her own produce delivery business. But two years later, with the farm facing foreclosure, she came back, took over, and started changing the rules. Frey became famous for her savvy negotiation, even being used as a case study for Harvard Business School, and today Frey Farms is one of America's largest fresh produce growers. In The Growing Season, Frey reflects on how her rural childhood gave her the resilience and determination she needed to save the farm... and how she found her place in the world she thought she wanted to escape.

I'll Be Seeing You: A Memoir

Elizabeth Berg's father was a tough-as-nails Army veteran who adored his wife: for nearly seventy years, he devoted himself to her, and they spent as little time as possible apart. But when he developed Alzheimer's disease, the couple had to leave their home and move into a facility that could provide the care he needed. Suddenly, she and her siblings had to provide the advice, support, and direction that their parents had always given them. How could they know what was the right thing to do? Though challenges and missteps, but also through laughter and joy, they found a way to make the transition work. In this heartfelt memoir, Berg chronicles what it's like to watch someone you love on a journey you can't make easier — and how love can still help heal.

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.

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.

The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win

Maria Konnikova had never played poker, and she wanted to learn from the best: Erik Seidel, Poker Hall of Fame inductee. But she wasn't interested in million-dollar wins or attracting sponsors on the poker tour; the Ph.D. in psychology wanted to understand what lessons poker had to teach her about life, luck, and how humans respond when they can't control the outcome. To her surprise, though, she did win — hundreds of thousands of dollars — even as she was learning remarkable things about how humans make choices, why some people make it through dark times, and how to hold out until luck falls in you favor again. This is a fascinating look at both the world of high-stakes poker and the workings of the human mind.

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 Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir

Michele Harper faced professional obstacles as an African American woman ER physician — and when she started her career, she also faced personal obstacles as her marriage ended. As she dove into treating patients, and as she wrestled with the systemic problems they faced, she also learned more than how to mend a body. Her patients taught her how to let go of her fears, how to tell difficult truths, and how making peace with her past would help her make the most of the present. This profound and hopeful memoir is a reminder that we are all broken — and we can all find ways to recovery.

The Philosopher Queens: The Lives and Legacies of Philosophy's Unsung Women

Philosophers change the way we think — so why do we only hear about male philosophers? It's time to meet the philosopher queens! In this important volume, you'll learn about twenty prominent women, past and present, whose ideas have changed our culture and the world. From Ban Zhao, writing the history of ancient China, to Hypatia, a rare woman teacher in Alexandria, to Angela Davis and the American Black Power Movement, these women's minds left their mark... even when we don't know their names. With vibrant, stylized illustrations that bring each women to life, this is an inspiring volume that's sure to pique your interest about the other untold stories of neglected thinkers.

Lady Romeo: The Radical and Revolutionary Life of Charlotte Cushman, America's First Celebrity

Charlotte Cushman was determined to live life her own way — even if that meant defying every norm of the 1800s! She left Boston for a career on the stage, performing in New Orleans, New York, and London and impressing luminaries like Walt Whitman, President Abraham Lincoln, and Louisa May Alcott, who even based a character on her in Jo's Boys. And she set gossips talking by rejecting marriage, living publicly as a queer woman, and supporting her family with her own income. In this vivacious biography, Tana Wojczuk draws on new research, including little seen letters and documents, to capture a portrait of this unique woman and her remarkable life.

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing

Today, Jacqueline Winspear is the author of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series — but before she was a writer, she was the child of a family struggling with secrets, poverty, and finding their place in post-war England. In this personal memoir, she explores family stories, from her paternal grandfather's shellshock and its influence on the family, to her parents' struggles during World War II, to her own childhood helping pick hops and fruit in Kent. And yet, despite the aftereffects of the war and a constant battle to have enough money to survive, her family was full of love. This poignant and evocative book is an intriguing look at the childhood behind the artist and how a family's resilience can mean everything.

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.

Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer

Alice Adams was famous for her writing about women — stories that came from both her own experiences and the rapidly shifting culture around her. Raised during the Great Depression, coming of age in wartime, and then finding herself a divorcee and single mother, she worked as a secretary for two decades before she could support herself with her writing. Once she could, though, she became renowned for her compelling characters, her powerful love stories, and her independent girls and women. In the first full-scale biography of Adams, packed with analyses of her writing and interviews with Adams' family and friends, Carol Sklenicka creates a fascinating vision of both this prolific writer's life and the shifting American culture around her.

Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country

Lissa Yellow Bird returned to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota after she was released from prison — and found her home irrevocably changed. The Bakken oil boom had promised prosperity but also brought corporate control, violence, and addiction to her community. Then, in 2012, a young white oil worker named Kristopher "KC" Clarke disappeared — and nobody but Lissa seemed to care that he was missing. In this stunning book, Sierra Crane Murdoch explores a gripping true story of a man's murder and a woman's obsession with finding justice, one which forced us to confront the systematic damage done to tribal nations... and the possibility of redemption and healing.

Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath's remarkable writing changed poetry in English — but her literary contributions have almost been overshadowed by her personal life and tragic death. Now, author and historian Heather Clark draws on previously unaccessed materials, including unpublished letters, court and psychiatric records, and new interviews, to create a new portrait of Plath: one that refuses to view her whole life through the lens of her death. Defying long-held myths and creating a more nuanced picture of Plath's childhood in the shadow of World War II, her relationship with Ted Hughes, and her art itself. This is a complex and intriguing biography of an equally complex and intriguing figure.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey weren't the first reporters to hear tales about Harvey Weinstein's treatment of women; rumors had circulated for years. Their 2017 investigation — which would win the Pulitzer Prize — involved confidential interviews with actresses and employees, which not only revealed allegations, but also the web of payouts, nondisclosure agreements, and legal threats that kept women silent. And even that didn't prepare them for the cultural response to their New York Times story, which galvanized the #MeToo movement as women around the world told their own stories of harassment and abuse. In this thrilling story of the power of investigative journalism, Kantor and Twohey tell their story and reflect on how they hope it will change the world for future generations of women.

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.

More Myself: A Journey

Alicia Keys skyrocketed to stardom with her extraordinary music, becoming one of the most celebrated musicians in the world — but behind the stage shows and CDs were many personal struggles. In this unflinching book, which is part memoir, part narrative documentary, Keys explores — both through her own eyes and the eyes of those who know her — some of those challenges: her relationship with her father, reconciling the loss of privacy and unattainable expectations that come with fame, and the dangers of her people-pleasing nature. From a childhood in Hell's Kitchen and Harlem to the world stage, this book follows her every step of the way, encouraging readers to take their own journeys to self-definition.

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 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.

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.

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.

D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II

In the midst of World War II, it appeared that the Nazis were unstoppable — especially with almost every man in England already fighting on the front. So the Special Operations Executive took a bold step and recruited women as spies. Thirty-nine women answered their call, including Andrée Borrel, Odette Sansom, and Lise de Baissac. In D-Day Girls author Sarah Rose draws on recently declassified documents, diaries, and more to create a compelling portrait of these three women and their motivations for risking everything in order to make the D-Day invasion possible — and pave the way for the Allied victory.

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.

Inside Out: A Memoir

As long as she's been in the public eye, Demi Moore has wrestled with doubt and insecurity. Even as she rose to fame and became the highest paid actress in Hollywood, she questioned her value — and struggled with body image, addiction, and trauma. In this compelling and frank memoir, Moore opens up about her past and her present; about the difficulty of finding a place to belong when you're constantly being followed (and torn apart) by tabloids; and about the power of choosing your own path. It's a unique look at an often-private woman's inner life that celebrates resilience and urges readers to remember that they are all good enough.

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.

Sontag: Her Life and Work

Susan Sontag was a suburban girl who made it in the big city, and left a spectacular legacy of writing. She was present for some of the biggest moments of the 20th century, but behind the determined public face there was insecurity, struggles with sexuality, and moral debates about how to respond to her country when it stepped on the wrong path. In this stunning volume, complete with nearly one hundred images, Benjamin Moser draws on Sontag's restricted archives and interviews with people who have never spoken publicly about their relationships with Sontag before to create a stunning portrait of a groundbreaking figure from American culture.

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.