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

A Mighty Girl's top picks of new biographies about Mighty Women for adult readers.

Moms can be an incredible source of inspiration, but that doesn’t mean they can’t use a little inspiration themselves! Stories of the incredible women of past and present aren’t just great to share with young readers: they’re also a great gift when you want to honor a special woman in your life. With that in mind, we've gathered a selection of new biographies for adult readers in a blog post which tell the stories of Mighty Women, all perfect for Mother's Day gift giving!

The biographies featured, all of which were published in 2020 and 2021, showcase a diverse array of women from around the world in fields including science, entertainment, politics, athletics, and more. Some of the featured women are famous figures from the past, while others are women who are active today, boldly continuing to change the world. All of them have a fascinating story to tell and each one shows the power of an individual to make a difference in her unique way.

New Biographies and Memoirs For Adult Readers

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race

Written by: Walter Isaacson
Recommended Age: Adults

Jennifer Doudna discovered the wonders and mysteries of DNA in sixth grade after reading The Double Helix and she was eager to learn more. More importantly, she wanted to turn discoveries into practical inventions that could make the world better. As an adult, she and her collaborators learned how to use a bacteria's immune defense mechanism to create "genetic scissors" that could edit genes: CRISPR. Their discovery changed science forever, earning Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier a Nobel Prize, but it also opened up many moral questions — and Doudna was more than willing to grapple with them. This thrilling biography explores the life and mind of a brilliant woman who has launched a new scientific revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, have healthier babies, fend off viruses, and possibly transform the future in unimaginable ways.

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Amazon.ca
C$22.94 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£30.50 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$34.84 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$15.14 (USD)

Eleanor

Eleanor

Written by: David Michaelis
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Amazon.ca
C$21.00 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£15.99 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$26.96 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$16.99 (USD)

Sensational: The Hidden History of America's “Girl Stunt Reporters”

Sensational: The Hidden History of America's “Girl Stunt Reporters”

Written by: Kim Todd
Recommended Age: Adults

At the end of the 19th century, publishers like Hearst and Pulitzer were battling it out for readers — and when Nellie Bly stunned the nation by going undercover at an insane asylum to reveal the conditions there, the world of the "girl stunt reporters" was born. These women used disguises to expose everything from child labor to corrupt politicians to inequities in medical treatment — and they sold thousands of papers. They also championed labor and women's rights and redefined journalism. Then, just as suddenly, backlash turned "stunt reporter" into a shameful term... but their influence lingered. This powerful social history of these trailblazing women journalists pays tribute to how they changed journalism — and their country — forever.

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Amazon.ca
C$22.67 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£21.86 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$48.24 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$23.49 (USD)

Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic

Hudson Bay Bound: Two Women, One Dog, Two Thousand Miles to the Arctic

Written by: Natalie Warren
Recommended Age: Adults

Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho set themselves a challenge: follow the 2,000-mile route from Eric Sevareid's 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree. If they achieved it, they would be the first women to make the expedition. But in addition to all the physical challenges they faced — from weather and hunger to snake nests and polar bears — they also faced the emotional strain, at one point communicating only by written notes. Still, the beauties of the wilderness and the strength of their friendship helped see them through. Warren tells this story with verve, capturing the highs and lows of their historic trip, in a tribute to the power of friends to get through just about any challenge.

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C$34.99 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£17.65 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$54.78 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$23.15 (USD)

Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage

Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage

Written by: Anne Lamott
Recommended Age: Adults

When dark times surround us — bad news, personal crises, and more — how do we cope? Bestselling author Anne Lamott argues that we do so by embracing what makes us human... and recognizing that the dark must end. Telling her own stories — including the story of marrying for the first time after she already had a grown son and a grandson — she describes how her optimistic outlook led to the good things she enjoys today. With her trademark honesty and humor, Lamott encourages readers to contemplate life, faith, and how we can find joy in unexpected times and places.

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C$27.00 (CAD)
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£13.35 (GBP)
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A$31.02 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$8.99 (USD)

Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine

Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine

Written by: Olivia Campbell
Recommended Age: Adults

In the early 1800s, many women avoided medical care. Male doctors were often rough and demeaning with female patients; they were ignorant about women's biology; and the stigma of a diagnosis could hold them back from marriage, jobs, and more. As a result, women often died of preventable, treatable illness. Three women — Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Sophia Jex-Blake — decided to demand the right to become doctors themselves. Not only would they earn medical degrees, paving the way for other women to do the same, but they would also create women-run facilities and colleges that changed the way women receive medical care. This book, perfect for fans of Hidden Figures and The Radium Girls, celebrates three women who changed medicine forever.

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C$20.30 (CAD)
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(Unavailable)
Amazon.com.au
A$34.94 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$11.69 (USD)

Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR

Written by: Lisa Napoli
Recommended Age: Adults

For a woman in the workplace in the 1960s and 70s, it was hard to break out of secretarial roles, no matter what the law said — and that was particularly true in journalism, where the old boys club kept women relegated to the "women's pages." Then came a pioneering nonprofit, National Public Radio, and four women determined to make a difference. Cokie Roberts brought a spirit of public service; Susan Stamberg pushed for work-life balance; Linda Wertheimer fought for her spot on-air like she fought for her education; and Nina Totenberg provided unique Supreme Court coverage the world had never seen. Based on extensive interviews with these pioneering women and people who know them, Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie is a powerful portrait of four women who changed the news forever.

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C$25.60 (CAD)
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£18.87 (GBP)
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A$30.79 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$10.49 (USD)

Every Day Is a Gift

Every Day Is a Gift

Written by: Tammy Duckworth
Recommended Age: Adults

Senator Tammy Duckworth knows what it means to serve your country. While serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as one of only a handful of female helicopter pilots there, an RPG downed her Black Hawk and left her with brutal injuries. She spent thirteen months recovering and learning to walk on prosthetic legs. Then, she found a new mission: serving in the halls of power, first in Congress, then in the Senate. In this compelling memoir, she reflects on her childhood — during which she faced discrimination because of her biracial family, poverty, and war — and the resilience that allowed her to make it through all the trials ahead of her. This is Duckworth in her own words, capturing why it's always worth pushing forward — and pushing for a better life for those who come after you.

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C$6.39 (CAD)
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£22.06 (GBP)
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A$52.11 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$21.57 (USD)

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine

Written by: Janice P. Nimura
Recommended Age: Adults

When Elizabeth Blackwell decided to study medicine, she was defying stereotypes about what women were capable of in the mid-1800s — but her determination and intelligence won out, and she became the first woman in America to receive an M.D. in 1849. Shortly afterward, her sister Emily followed in her footsteps. The two Blackwell doctors founded the first hospital staffed entirely by women, the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, but while the success of the hospital was largely due to Emily's brilliance and hard work, Elizabeth's strong personality often overshadowed her. In this fascinating dual biography, Janice P. Nimura explores a story about breaking barriers and a sisterhood that changed the field of medicine forever.

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C$27.83 (CAD)
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£13.78 (GBP)
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A$39.07 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$16.05 (USD)

Conversations with RBG

Conversations with RBG

Written by: Jeffrey Rosen
Recommended Age: Adults

From the 1990s to shortly before her death, Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a series of intimate conversations with Jeffrey Rosen, the head of the National Constitution Center. Now, in Rosen's book, he shares those conversations with the world. In this book, Rosen shares Ginsburg's thoughts on everything from Roe v. Wade to #MeToo, as well as lessons from her life: being a good listener and bringing compassion to everything you do. At turns funny, wise, heartfelt, and thought-provoking, this is a very personal portrait of a woman who changed American history.

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C$21.39 (CAD)
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£11.99 (GBP)
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A$17.31 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$9.99 (USD)

To the Greatest Heights

Facing Danger, Finding Humility, and Climbing a Mountain of Truth

To the Greatest Heights

Facing Danger, Finding Humility, and Climbing a Mountain of Truth

Written by: Vanessa O'Brien
Recommended Age: Adults

Vanessa O'Brien was used to overcoming incredible obstacles: first she struggled her way to survival as a Detroit teenager when her family imploded, and then she found new goals after losing a high-powered corporate career to the 2009 economic crisis. O'Brien started climbing the world's most infamous mountains, achieving record after record as she climbed the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent, and skiied to both the North and South Poles. But her story isn't just one of outdoor adventure: it's also one about having the courage to keep going when your world is falling apart. At times both funny and tense, and always inspiring, this is a powerful look at how these physical challenges helped O'Brien find purpose and resilience.

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C$22.88 (CAD)
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£24.00 (GBP)
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A$41.57 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$14.70 (USD)

Suffrage: Women's Long Battle for the Vote

Suffrage: Women's Long Battle for the Vote

Written by: Ellen Carol DuBois
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$16.92 (CAD)
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£4.42 (GBP)
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A$26.72 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$11.31 (USD)

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist

Recommended Age: Adults

Judy Heumann fought polio at 18 months of age — but her bigger battle would be against a world that didn't want to allow her in. As a child, her family had to argue for her right to go to grade school, where one objection was that she might be a "fire hazard." She had to take the New York City school system to court because they wouldn't give her a teacher's license because she was paralyzed. These experiences convinced her that Americans with disabilities deserved better: they deserved legislation that would explicitly protect them. In this stirring memoir, Heumann describes her leadership for the Section 504 Sit-In, the longest takeover of a government building in American history, and of her lobbying for the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act. Heumann's story is also available in a young reader's edition, Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution for ages 10 to 14.

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C$22.13 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£12.76 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$34.09 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$10.79 (USD)

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics

Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$57.21 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£52.50 (GBP)
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A$57.63 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$27.45 (USD)

Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance

Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance

Written by: Mallory Weggemann
Recommended Age: Adults

In 2008, Mallory Weggemann went in for a routine medical procedure — and a complication paralyzed her from the waist down. But the dedicated athlete was determined to keep competing; by the 2021 Paralympic Games, she held fifteen world records. Then, another setback: after a fall, she severely injured her left arm. After two more surgeries and extensive rehabilitation, she returned to the international athletic stage and won three medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships. In this empowering book, Mallory shares her own story and explores how we can all redefine our limitations and embrace our comebacks — even if they look different than we expected.

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C$19.41 (CAD)
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£18.40 (GBP)
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A$22.03 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$2.99 (USD)

Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue

A Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union

Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue

A Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union

Recommended Age: Adults

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September 2020, America lost a pioneer in law and a fierce advocate for equality: someone who was determined to ensure the law allowed everyone the chance to succeed. In this powerful collection, Ginsburg and Berkeley Law professor Amanda L. Tyler (one of Ginsburg's former law clerks) share both conversations and historical documents that capture Ginsburg's life, career, and influence. From notable briefs to her favorite speeches, this is a unique and personal look at this trailblazer which celebrates her enduring optimism: the belief that America could become "a more perfect Union."

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C$25.35 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£16.99 (GBP)
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A$34.61 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$13.76 (USD)

Three Ordinary Girls

The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins and WWII Heroes

Three Ordinary Girls

The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins and WWII Heroes

Written by: Tim Brady
Recommended Age: Adults

When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940, three teenage girls were determined to resist. Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, formed their own, all-female underground squad in Haarlem, and they resolved to fight the occupying forces in any way they could. They sheltered fugitives; sabotaged bridges; secretly transported weapons; and lured both German soldiers and Dutch sympathizers and traitors, then assassinated them. Historian Tim Brady captures the stunning story of these three girls who fought and spied like seasoned agents, no matter the risks — and no matter the cost.

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C$33.71 (CAD)
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£20.99 (GBP)
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A$40.25 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$20.25 (USD)

Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir

Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder: A Memoir

Written by: Julia Zarankin
Recommended Age: Adults

When Julia Zarankin became curious about stereotypical birdwatchers and their fervor for nature, she had no idea she would find meaning for her own life while hunting for birds through binoculars! She was recently divorced and under stress in her career, and she found a metaphor for her own life in the migratory patterns of birds. She also found an unexpected community and discovered a love of the outdoors that she couldn't have imagined as the child of Russian concert pianists. Thoughtful, witty, and full of moments of unexpected joy, this memoir is a tribute to finding your place — even when it's not where you thought it would be.

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C$23.98 (CAD)
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£23.97 (GBP)
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A$40.62 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$13.59 (USD)

You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War

You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War

Written by: Elizabeth Becker
Recommended Age: Adults

In the midst of the Vietnam war, three very different women arrived to cover the story of the war: Australian Kate Webb, French Catherine Leroy, and American Frances FitzGerald. They faced peers who thought they were unfit to be foreign correspondents, and sexist rules imposed by the military. But they were determined to unveil the true story of Vietnam — and do it on their own terms. Author Elizabeth Becker, who herself arrived in Vietnam during the last years of the war, explores the buildup, conflict, and aftermath through the eyes of these women and their work, capturing the sacrifices they made as they fought for their place... and how they changed war reporting forever.

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C$35.00 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£18.60 (GBP)
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A$61.99 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$13.99 (USD)

Dare to Make History: Chasing a Dream and Fighting for Equity

Dare to Make History: Chasing a Dream and Fighting for Equity

Recommended Age: Adults

Twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando have loved hockey since they started playing with their four older brothers on a North Dakota pond. They played on boys teams when they had to, and then as they proved their mettle on the national and international stage, they got to win World Championship and Olympic medals. But they also had to fight USA Hockey over gender inequities — a fight that nearly threatened their ability to play at the 2018 Olympics. In this memoir, the Lamoureux twins talk about their lives — everything from the joy of being role models to the challenges of returning to training after giving birth — providing a reminder that fighting for justice is always something to be proud of.

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C$23.85 (CAD)
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£16.50 (GBP)
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A$46.45 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$13.11 (USD)

Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir

Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir

Written by: Lacy Crawford
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$23.99 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£15.10 (GBP)
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A$21.11 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$16.60 (USD)

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

Written by: Sarah Smarsh
Recommended Age: Adults

During her childhood in America's heartland of Kansas, Sarah Smarsh saw the women around her — women who struggled with poverty, early pregnancy, and stigma of being "trailer trash" — as the strength that held their community together. And country songs by female artists paid tribute to those ignored women — especially songs by Dolly Parton. In this book, which is part biography and part examination of how our culture dismisses the contributions of those from the "wrong" gender and class, the best-selling author of Heartland pays tribute to Parton's remarkable life, her philanthropy, and the spirit of feminism that she embodies in both her actions and her music.

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C$6.00 (CAD)
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£9.89 (GBP)
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A$17.70 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$9.89 (USD)

All The Young Men

All The Young Men

Recommended Age: Adults

Ruth Coker Burks was 26 years old when she saw a hospital room that none of the nurses wanted to enter: the room of an AIDS patient. It was 1986, and stigma against both homosexuality and the disease itself was raging. As she sat with the man as he died, calling out for her mother, she found a new calling. Over years, she would nurse thousands of men, sometimes burying them herself when she couldn't find a funeral home willing to take their bodies. The gay community rallied around her, helping fundraise and spreading the word: there is a woman who will help when everyone else abandons you. This deeply moving memoir is a tribute to Burks' compassion and to the lives she fought for when no one else would.

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C$23.95 (CAD)
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£14.73 (GBP)
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A$36.48 (AUD)
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$10.79 (USD)

The Life She Wished to Live

A Biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of The Yearling

The Life She Wished to Live

A Biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of The Yearling

Written by: Ann McCutchan
Recommended Age: Adults

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was born in DC and educated in Wisconsin — and she wasn't willing to settle for a conventional life. After buying an orange grove in Cross Creek, Florida, she set her sights on becoming an author, capturing the Florida dialect and the emotional life of people in the poor, rural village. And with The Yearling, a story about a Florida boy and his pet fawn, she created a beloved coming-of-age tale that still resonates today. In this meticulously researched biography, Ann McCutchan draws on Rawlings' correspondence and early writings to capture a portrait of the author herself, her friends and contemporaries — including folklorist and author Zora Neale Hurston — and the Florida that she came to call home.

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C$11.22 (CAD)
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(Unavailable)
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A$44.62 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$15.74 (USD)

Paving the Way: The First American Women Law Professors

Paving the Way: The First American Women Law Professors

Written by: Herma Hill Kay
Recommended Age: Adults

Women had to fight to be included in the law — including as law professors. In this powerful book, Herma Hill Kay, former Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law and the fifteenth woman law professors at an ABA- and AALS-accredited law school, tells the stories of the fourteen women who came before her. Their stories are often forgotten, but their impact lives on, not only at the schools where they taught but also in the over 2,000 women law professors working today. With historical context, details of their lives and work, and connections to the second wave of women professors of the 1960s and 70s who carried the torch, and including an introduction by Kay's close colleague, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, this is an important chronicle of women who broke new ground in law schools across America.

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C$40.69 (CAD)
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£28.00 (GBP)
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A$60.62 (AUD)
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$24.80 (USD)

Alice Neel: The Art of Not Sitting Pretty

Alice Neel: The Art of Not Sitting Pretty

Written by: Phoebe Hoban
Recommended Age: Adults

Born at the turn of the 20th century and raised by a proper Victorian family, Alice Neel defied convention at every turn. As the art world turned to abstraction, she painted realistic portraits — and she selected diverse subjects, from her Spanish Harlem neighbors to luminaries like Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling. Her determination helped her survive personal tragedies: the death of one infant daughter, separation from a second, and mental illness. Yet it wasn't until the 1970s that people began to recognize how she had chronicled the Depression, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution, and second-wave feminism. The first paperback edition of author Phoebe Hoban's authoritative biography is an unflinching portrait of a pioneering American artist.

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C$34.52 (CAD)
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£20.43 (GBP)
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A$38.50 (AUD)
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$25.56 (USD)

Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters

Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters

Written by: Andrew Morton
Recommended Age: Adults

As children, Elizabeth and Margaret were sisters and friends — until the woman Margaret fondly called "Lillibet" became Queen. Suddenly, their roles changed: now Elizabeth was the one who had to address Margaret's frustrations with the royal system, including giving her the ultimatum that marrying a divorced man would force her to give up her title and royal allowances. In this fascinating biography, Andrew Morton explores the lives of these two sisters and how they diverged when Elizabeth took the throne. Perfect for fans of The Crown, this is an intriguing look at navigating family relationships while under the spotlight of royalty.

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C$24.50 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£10.00 (GBP)
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A$44.42 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$14.71 (USD)

The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights

The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights

Written by: Dorothy Wickenden
Recommended Age: Adults

When Harriet Tubman served as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, she depended on two other women: Martha Wright, Quaker mother of seven, and Frances Seward, wife of William H. Seward — who was first a Governor, then a Senator, then Secretary of State. These three unexpected friends formed a bond based on their mutual desire to fight for the abolition of slavery and the establishment of women's rights. In this remarkable book, drawn from the letters the three wrote to one another, acclaimed author Dorothy Wickenden explores how these women's lives changed — and how their country changed around them.

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C$31.91 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£20.08 (GBP)
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A$36.00 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$18.66 (USD)

Grace & Steel: Dorothy, Barbara, Laura, and the Women of the Bush Dynasty

Grace & Steel: Dorothy, Barbara, Laura, and the Women of the Bush Dynasty

Written by: J. Randy Taraborrelli
Recommended Age: Adults

The Bush family is one of America's political dynasties — and while many people are familiar with First Ladies Barbara and Laura Bush, there were many other women in the family who deserve their due! In this book by bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli, readers will learn about the lesser-known women of the Bush family: Dorothy Bush, Barbara's mother-in-law; Laura's daughters, Jenna and Barbara; the reserved Columba Bush, who quietly supported the arts, addiction recovery, and domestic violence shelters; and Sharon Bush, who fought back during an ugly divorce. This hidden history of the Bush women is a powerful story of determination, equality, and carving your own path.

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C$24.82 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£27.63 (GBP)
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A$37.39 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$14.14 (USD)

The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free

The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free

Written by: Paulina Bren
Recommended Age: Adults

From the time it was built in 1927 — at the height of the Roaring Twenties, with newly liberated "Modern Women" eager to forge their own paths — the Barbizon offered something special: a residential hotel, exclusive to women, that offered a safe haven and a comfortable space to live for women who wanted a room of their own. From famous names like Titanic survivor Molly Brown and actresses like Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, and Phylicia Rashad, to interns at Mademoiselle and young models from the Ford Modeling Agency, generations of women dreaming of careers in the arts found their homes at the Barbizon. In this fascinating and impeccably researched book, author Paulina Bren pays tribute to a unique space that helped set women free.

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Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am

Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am

Written by: Julia Cooke
Recommended Age: Adults

To be a Pan Am stewardess in the late 1960s and early 1970s, you had to fit their very specific job description: under 26 years old, between 5'3" and 5'9", between 105 and 140 pounds. Oh, and have a college education and speak at least two languages. But for the women who fit the criteria, Pan Am offered an unexpected life of both glamour and independence. And then, in the Vietnam War, they not only ferried soldiers on R&R from Saigon to Hong Kong, but they also played a critical role in Operation Babylift, the evacuation of 2,000 children when Saigon fell. Author Julia Cooke explores the real-life stories of the Pan Am stewardesses and how their jet-set lives offered the chance for a life lived on their own terms.

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The Girl Explorers

The Untold Story of the Globetrotting Women Who Trekked, Flew, and Fought Their Way Around the World

The Girl Explorers

The Untold Story of the Globetrotting Women Who Trekked, Flew, and Fought Their Way Around the World

Written by: Jayne Zanglein
Recommended Age: Adults

"Women are not adapted to exploration," claimed the president of the male-only Explorers Club in 1932 — but the female students he was speaking to at Barnard College knew he was wrong! In The Girl Explorers, author Jayne Zanglein chronicles the founding and work of the Society of Women Geographers. Its members were determined to show that women were capable of discovering the world, just like men: they climbed mountains, sailed treacherous oceans, and more, all while recording their travels. And in addition to their daring feats, they advocated for women's rights, proving that they could go where no one (man or woman) had gone before. This is an inspiring story of the women who showed that a woman's place is wherever she chooses to go.

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Winter Pasture: One Woman's Journey with China's Kazakh Herders

Winter Pasture: One Woman's Journey with China's Kazakh Herders

Written by: Li Juan
Recommended Age: Adults

Li Juan had a quiet life running a convenience store in Northwestern China with her mother when she decided to try something new: she would join a family of Kazahk herders on their journey to a winter pasture for their flocks: 30 camels, 500 sheep, and over 100 cattle and horses. The journey would be difficult: navigating endless dunes, keeping the animals in line, and ensuring they had shelter and water were all constant battles. And yet, there was also joy, love, and laughter, especially as Li developed increasing respect for the family she followed, including Kama, the teenage daughter who dreams of college. This best-selling book has just been translated into English for the first time, allowing a new audience to explore this stunning, faraway world.

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Radiant: The Dancer, The Scientist, and a Friendship Forged in Light

Radiant: The Dancer, The Scientist, and a Friendship Forged in Light

Written by: Liz Heinecke
Recommended Age: Adults

In the early 1900s in Paris, a dancer named Loie Fuller became a symbol of the Art Nouveau movement. The American performance artist created hypnotic choreography, accented with theatrical effects the world had never seen, and she lived her life boldly off stage, too, openly living with a female partner. Then she heard about a discover by the scientist Marie Curie — an element that glowed blue — and dreamed of using it on stage. The question brought the dancer and the scientist together... sparking an unlikely lifelong friendship. This is a story of innovation, curiosity, and the friendship of women, that celebrates the power of art and science together.

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The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice

The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice

Written by: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Recommended Age: Adults

In 2014, the Islamic State had swept across Syria, leaving devastation — and raping, kidnapping, and selling women — as it went. But in a small town called Kobani, one group of women was determined to fight back. This small Kurdish militia helped fight off the insurgents, and grew into a serious fighting force... but they also started advocating for equal rights for women, not just in times of war but afterward. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews and years of on-the-ground reporting, this powerful book is a celebration of a courageous group of women who are winning victories both on the battlefield and in the minds of people throughout the Middle East.

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Australian Women Pilots: Amazing True Stories of Women in the Air

Australian Women Pilots: Amazing True Stories of Women in the Air

Written by: Kathy Mexted
Recommended Age: Adults

Just like their peers in Europe and North America, Australian women pilots had to fight to be taken seriously! In this tribute to ten pioneering aviators, Kathy Mexted explores the obstacles they faced, the dangers they braved, and the extraordinary stories they left behind. She shares the lives of heroes like Gaby Kennard, the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world, and Deborah Wardley, who was told by Ansett airlines that women weren't capable of being pilots. She follows pilots who worked with Britain's Air Transport Auxiliary during the war, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. With soaring highs — adventure and excitement — and heartstopping lows — crashes and even deaths — this thrilling book is a celebration of women who took to the sky.

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Vera Rubin: A Life

Vera Rubin: A Life

Recommended Age: Adults

When Vera Rubin died in 2016, she was considered one of the most influential astronomers of her day for her observations that confirmed the existence of dark matter — the mysterious substance that affects the universe but can't be seen by a telescope. But it wasn't just her research that changed the world: it was also her tireless work to mentor women scientists, and change attitudes to women in STEM. In this first ever biography of Rubin, Jacqueline Mitton and Simon Mitton draw from Rubin's correspondence and papers to describe both her groundbreaking research and her activism for women researchers, capturing a portrait of a woman driven by a deep desire to learn more about the universe.

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Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of King Edward Longshanks

Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of King Edward Longshanks

Written by: Kelcey Wilson-Lee
Recommended Age: Adults

Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks, had five daughters — Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary and Elizabeth. By the idealized image we have of the medieval noblewoman, they were humble, quiet, and subdued... but that's not the full picture. These five women had their own roles to play: through marriages that cemented alliances and territory, but also through household management, careful diplomacy, and more. Some of them even had the courage to defy their father to pursue their own goals. In this vivid biography of these five royal women, author Kelcey Wilson-Lee captures a nuanced, complete portrait of what it was really like to be a princess.

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The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing

The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing

Written by: Sonia Faleiro
Recommended Age: Adults

Padma and Lalli were teenagers and the best of friends, growing up together in Uttar Pradesh, India. Then, they disappeared — and were found hanging dead from trees in the orchard. Rumors started to circulate: they had been using cell phones in public, a sign they were looking for inappropriate liaisons; Padma was in love a man from a different caste; or perhaps the girls had killed themselves As Sonia Faleiro, journalist and author of the best-selling Beautiful Thing looked into their story, she found a tragedy that affected more than just the two girls: one wrapped up in codes of honor, caste systems, poverty, and political maneuvering. This is an unflinching examination of what it's like for girls in northern India who dare to imagine a different life — and defy what is expected of them.

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The Princess Spy: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones

The Princess Spy: The True Story of World War II Spy Aline Griffith, Countess of Romanones

Written by: Larry Loftis
Recommended Age: Adults

Aline Griffith was a young college graduate when the US entered World War II, and she was eager to help the war effort. By chance, she met Frank Ryan at a dinner party, who saw her potential and helped her join the Office of Strategic Services — the forerunner to today's CIA. Griffith was sent to Spain to be a coder, but as her talents became obvious, she was given an additional task: infiltrate high society — officials, diplomats, and nobles — to track down enemy agents, recruit intelligence assets, and counter Nazi tactics. She even married the Count of Romanones, one of Spain's richest men, and still continued her espionage work. This real-life spy story, better than any Hollywood film, chronicles the dazzling glamor and risky maneuvers of this incredible American spy.

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Just as I Am: A Memoir

Just as I Am: A Memoir

Written by: Cicely Tyson
Recommended Age: Adults

Cicely Tyson was a pioneering actress, famous for her stunning portrayals of both real and fictional African American women: abolitionist Harriet Tubman, civil rights activist Coretta Scott King, the fictional Jane Pittman from The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, the mother of Kunta Kinte in Roots. She frequently rejected stereotypical roles so that she could be true to her vision of Black women on screen — often not working for months or years as a result. Now, in her own words, she gets to tell her story, creating an authentic and vibrant portrait of a trailblazing woman who brought nobility and strength to every character she played.

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Fighting For Space

Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight

Fighting For Space

Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight

Written by: Amy Shira Teitel
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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The Other Mothers: Two Women's Journey to Find the Family That Was Always Theirs

The Other Mothers: Two Women's Journey to Find the Family That Was Always Theirs

Written by: Jennifer Berney
Recommended Age: Adults

Jenn Berney always wanted to be a mother, but when she and her wife Kelly went to a fertility clinic, she realized that the medical establishment had one model of parenthood: one man, one woman. When they spoke to doctors about options, the responses ranged from embarrassed to belittling. So Berney decided to explore what else was available — and in the process stumbled across a secret history of how the LGBTQ+ community has redefined what it means to be family. Through her own story, and those of others she met, Berney explores parenthood, patriarchy, and the hope for a future where joyful families form in all sorts of ways.

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The Strong Ones: How a Band of Civilian Women Made Their Mark on the Army

The Strong Ones: How a Band of Civilian Women Made Their Mark on the Army

Written by: Sara Hammel
Recommended Age: Adults

In 1995, the U.S. military still insisted that women were not suitable for combat: they just weren't strong enough. But 45 civilian women were determined to prove them wrong. The band of Massachusetts women had little in common except for a belief that they could prove they were up to the challenge of ruck marches, trailer pulls, and much more. Sara Hammel was a reporter and one of the subjects of the study, and now, in the The Strong Ones, she explores how the women persevered through the obstacles they faced, what happened to them afterward, and how their work changed military policy forever. Part memoir and part military history, this empowering story is perfect for fans of Ashley's War.

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When Women Invented Television

The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today

When Women Invented Television

The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today

Recommended Age: Adults

When the television industry began, the men of the Golden Age of radio had no interest — why would they, when they were making millions in ad revenue already? But four visionary women saw promise in the new medium. Irna Phillips created daytime serials (with mostly female casts); Gertrude Berg took her radio show and turned it into a Jewish family comedy that led to multiple spinoffs; Hazel Scott became the first African American to host a national evening variety program; and Betty White became one of the first women to produce, write, and star in her own show. And then, as TV became more lucrative, they were sidelined — but their legacies still influence the industry today. Bestselling author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong captures the story of these four women and how they shaped the shows we know and love in this sometimes infuriating, often inspiring history.

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Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight

Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight

Written by: Julia Sweig
Recommended Age: Adults

When people talk about great First Ladies, it's easy to forget Lady Bird Johnson — but her work had an enormous impact! She was her husband's most trusted political strategist; her memo when he ran for president highlights her incredible political talent. She ran the East Wing like a professional office, and took on issues like environmentalism, women's liberation, and more. And during a time of turmoil, including the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, she projected a sense of calm when the country needed it most. Author Julia Sweig draws on Lady Bird's White House diaries to capture the previously hidden side of this little-appreciated woman, creating a portrait of a gift, complex woman whose story deserves to be told.

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I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, a Movement

I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, a Movement

Written by: Jessica Zucker
Recommended Age: Adults

Psychologist Jessica Zucker's career was devoted to reproductive and maternal health — and when she had a miscarriage sixteen weeks into her second pregnancy, that work suddenly became even more real. The experience brought home the stigma directed at pregnancy loss, as well as the expectation that parents would silence their grief and hide their experiences. In her book, she draws on both her own journey and the stories of other women into a thought-provoking look at how miscarriage affects us, why we need to speak up, and how our society can better support people through the emotional and physical pain of miscarriage.

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The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany

The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany

Written by: Gwen Strauss
Recommended Age: Adults

Across World War II France, nine women — all under 30 — had joined the resistance against the Nazis. Each of them helped however they could, whether they were smuggling weapons, harboring spies and Jewish fugitives, or coordinating communication. And each of them was caught by French police and interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo before being deported to Germany for imprisonment. Along the way, these nine women met, becoming close friends, even as they faced the infamous Ravensbrück concentration camp and forced labor. And when they were forced onto a death march in the final days of the war, one of the women, Hélène Podliasky, led the nine in a daring and heart-stopping escape. Told by Podliasky's grandniece, author Gwen Strauss, this is a stunning story of resistance, friendship, and the will to survive.

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Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir

Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir

Written by: Natasha Trethewey
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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No Man's Land

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

No Man's Land

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

Written by: Wendy Moore
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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One Life

One Life

Recommended Age: Adults

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."

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The Indomitable Florence Finch

The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs

The Indomitable Florence Finch

The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs

Written by: Robert J. Mrazek
Recommended Age: Adults

As a 7-year-old mestiza — the multiracial daughter of an American serviceman and a Filipina woman — Florence Finch had to rely on her own wits and courage to survive alone. She would depend on them again in the midst of World War II, when the man she loved, American naval intelligence agent Charles "Bing" Smith, was killed in battle — and she joined the resistance against the Japanese occupiers. Finch's plan was as dangerous as it was bold: divert fuel from the Japanese military, sell it on the black market, and use the money to provide food and medicine for hundreds of American POWs. And yet, when she died in Ithaca, New York at the age of 101, only her children knew her story. In this action-packed account by award-winning military historian Robert J. Mrazek, Florence Finch's heroism gets lifted from obscurity so she can take her rightful place as one of America's wartime heroes.

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The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir

Written by: Wayétu Moore
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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The Women with Silver Wings

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

The Women with Silver Wings

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

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Written by: Donovan Moore
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism

A House in the Mountains: The Women Who Liberated Italy from Fascism

Written by: Caroline Moorehead
Recommended Age: Adults

In 1943, Italy was fracturing. Catastrophic military losses — and two decades of brutal Fascist rule under Mussolini — had battered the country, and a Partisan resistance began to emerge.... one which included many Italian women. Told through the eyes of four Piedmontese women, Ada, Frida, Silvia and Bianca, who lived in secret in the mountains near Turin as they risked their lives for the Partisan, this powerful account explores Italy's civil war and the part that women played in it. Historian Caroline Moorehead, the acclaimed author of A Train in Winter, drew on previously untranslated sources to create this stunning account of this little-known story of women resisters in the midst of the war.

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Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis

Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis

Written by: Jeffrey H. Jackson
Recommended Age: Adults

In the midst of occupied Paris during World War II, two women took a bold step: creating their own subversive anti-Nazi campaign. Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe — better known by their artist names, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore — were lesbian partners; Lucy was half-Jewish, and they had communist affiliations. In other words, they were everything the Nazis labeled "degenerate." They created "paper bullets": insults against Hitler, calls to rebel, and demoralizing fiction, which they quietly slipped into the pockets of soldiers and hid inside magazines in newsstands. Even when they were imprisoned by the German police, they continued to spread a message of hope to their fellow prisoners. This remarkable, previously untold World War II story is a celebration of the power of art and the importance of resistance.

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Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit

Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger: A Memoir

Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger: A Memoir

Written by: Lisa Donovan
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War

The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War

Written by: Catherine Grace Katz
Recommended Age: Adults

In February 1945, the Yalta Conference was perhaps the last hope for the strained alliance between America, England, and the USSR. Politicians and world leaders hoped to save the alliance and the victory in World War II that it promised — and three of them brought their daughters. Kathleen Harriman, daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, was a champion skier and war correspondent; Sarah Churchill, daughter of Winston Churchill, was an RAF officer and a savvy politician in her own right; and Franklin Roosevelt controversially chose to bring his daughter Anna Roosevelt instead of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, trusting her to keep political secrets as she'd kept his personal ones. Author Catherine Grace Katz explores the story of these three remarkable young woman, their relationships with their fathers, and how this historic gathering resonated through the 20th century.

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Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court

Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy

Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy

Written by: Leslie Brody
Recommended Age: Adults

"Sometimes you have to lie" is one of the most stunning lines in Louise Fitzhugh's book Harriet the Spy — but it also speaks to Fitzhugh's own life. After a childhood in segregated Memphis, she traveled to New York and was thrilled by the diversity and potential there: lesbian bars in Greenwich Village, the postwar art scene, and avant-garde writers including Maurice Sendak and Lorraine Hansberry. Her writing for children defied everything children's literature "should" be, resisting conformity and authority, even as she felt pressures to conceal her own life and nature. This extraordinary biography is a compelling look at Fitzhugh, her creation Harriet, and the meaning of lies, truth, and individuality.

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

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

Written by: Dita Kraus
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Uncrowned Queen: The Life of Margaret Beaufort, Mother of the Tudors

Uncrowned Queen: The Life of Margaret Beaufort, Mother of the Tudors

Written by: Nicola Tallis
Recommended Age: Adults

Lady Margaret Beaufort was not a queen — but that did not mean she had no power. She dreamed of seeing her son, Henry, on the throne, ending the War of the Roses and starting a new dynasty in England. Through savvy manipulation and political intrigue, she took decades to solidify their position, and when Henry VII became the first Tudor king of England in 1485, she was queen in all but name. Historian Nicola Tallis has captured a stunning portrait of a brilliant woman who successfully ensured that her family would hold an integral place in English history.

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

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.

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Teacher in Space: Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger Legacy

Teacher in Space: Christa McAuliffe and the Challenger Legacy

Written by: Colin Burgess
Recommended Age: Adults

When Christa McAuliffe was selected to be NASA's first teacher in space, she became a hero to millions of people across the country. She was going to perform science projects in orbit to be telecast to students across America, encouraging an interest in STEM and their dreams of the stars. Then, 73 seconds after the space shuttle Challenger lifted off on January 28, 1986, it exploded, killing McAuliffe and the other six astronauts on board. McAuliffe's legacy, however, survived, with people around the world creating their own programs in her honor. This compelling book, revised and updated in 2020, celebrates McAuliffe's ongoing influence in education — one which still touches today's students.

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Dr. Mary Walker's Civil War

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

Dr. Mary Walker's Civil War

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

Written by: Theresa Kaminski
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England

Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England

Written by: Gemma Hollman
Recommended Age: Adults

In 15th century England, seemingly out of nowhere, four royal women were all accused of witchcraft. Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg and Elizabeth Woodville were alleged to have turned to dark arts to kill or influence the king... by people who wanted to use the accusations for their own political gain. In this fascinating book, historian Gemma Hollman explores the cases of these four "witches" — tried nearly two hundred years before witch hysteria swept through England — to highlight the blurring between science and magic and how gender plays a part in witch trials, in an intriguing and complex account of four women tied by family, court politics, and the envy of others.

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

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

Written by: Julie C. Suk
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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The Sediments of Time: My Lifelong Search for the Past

The Sediments of Time: My Lifelong Search for the Past

Recommended Age: Adults

As the daughter-in-law of renowned paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey, Meave Leakey had big shoes to fill — and she did so with gusto. Alongside her husband, Richard, Leakey faced all the challenges of an anthropologist in the field, including wild life, armed herders, and more, on her quest for a fossil that would change history. And when Richard's plane crashed, likely due to sabotage, he called on her to continue the field operations when he couldn't. Along the way she made astounding findings, including evidence of how climate change drove the evolution of pre-human species. This is the story not just of Leakey's life and discoveries, but also of how our species' past could help us define and understand our future.

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The Power of Adrienne Rich: A Biography

The Power of Adrienne Rich: A Biography

Written by: Hilary Holladay
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss

Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss

Written by: Jenna Bush Hager
Recommended Age: Adults

Jenna Bush grew up with four grandparents who left indelible marks on her life. George H.W. and Barbara Bush were Gampy and Ganny, who taught her her about respect, kindness, and service. Harold and Jenna Welch were Pa and Grammee, who taught her to see beauty in simple and small things. In this collection of personal essays, Bush, the co-author of Sisters First, reflects on the difficult year in which her family lost three of these four inspiring people, and tells family stories with humor and love. For anyone who has been shaped by the wisdom and grace of grandparents, this book is a volume to treasure.

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

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

Written by: Laura Kumin
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson

These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson

Written by: Martha Ackmann
Recommended Age: Adults

Emily Dickinson is an enigma, even though her poems are beloved today: she wrote 1,789 poems that she put in a dresser drawer; she wrestled with faith, self-doubt, and despair; and she defied her reputation for isolation by reaching out to a famous editor, writing to an unidentified "Master," and forming a friendship with fellow writer Helen Hunt Jackson. In this incisive look at Dickinson's life, Martha Ackmann explores ten key episodes in the poet's life as a way of examining her remarkable inner landscape and her startlingly original poetry. Drawing on archival letters and poems, and including 16 pages of never-before-seen photos, this is an intimate and revealing look at this enduring poet.

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

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

Written by: Sarah Frey
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Dressed for a Dance in the Snow: Women's Voices from the Gulag

Dressed for a Dance in the Snow: Women's Voices from the Gulag

Recommended Age: Adults

Across the Soviet Union, forced labor camps called gulags "corrected" everyone from petty thieves to political prisoners with brutal treatment and grinding hardship — and women were not exempt from incarceration there. Author Monika Zgustová inteviewed nine women who lived through the gulags, capturing not only a chronicle of survival, but also a stunning portrait of resilience and hope. In many of their stories, the arts helped to sustain them, from a girl born in the gulag who read a hand-stitched copy of Little Red Riding Hood, to a woman who sent poetry to the male prisoner she loved. Intimate and heart-rending, their stories are a reminder of both the viciousness of the Soviet regime and of the power of hope to sustain humanity at the worst of times.

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I'll Be Seeing You: A Memoir

I'll Be Seeing You: A Memoir

Written by: Elizabeth Berg
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Written by: Doris Stevens
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

Written by: Victoria James
Recommended Age: Adults

Victoria James got her first restaurant job at age 13 — a necessity to provide for herself and her siblings, since she couldn't rely on her neglectful father. She endured all the abuse that is common in the restaurant industry, but she also discovered a love of wine, and at the age of 21, she became the country's youngest sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Still, behind the media acclaim and the thousand-dollar bottles, there was plenty of ugliness — and when Victoria hit bottom, she knew she had to rediscover herself and her passion. This clear-eyed memoir explores the truth behind the fancy facades at America's best restaurants, and the power of a passion to rejuvenate your life.

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Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines

Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines

Written by: Henrietta Heald
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir

Written by: Sara Seager
Recommended Age: Adults

Sara Seager is an MIT astrophysicist who was used to scanning the sky for exoplanets — tiny, distant worlds that might offer the promise of life. But when her husband died unexpectedly, leaving her a single mother with two young boys, she felt alone for the first time. She found comfort in her work, focusing on the challenges of identifying tiny hints of a planet's presence, and on Earth, where she received support from both expected and unexpected quarters. This is a stunning look at grief and life after loss, as well as the one-in-a-billion chances that happen in every life.

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

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

Written by: Maria Konnikova
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Written by: Adam Hochschild
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Written by: Cassie Chambers
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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The War Queens: Extraordinary Women Who Ruled the Battlefield

The War Queens: Extraordinary Women Who Ruled the Battlefield

Recommended Age: Adults

When women rule, they often go to war — and prove themselves as able for the task as any king. In this intriguing book, father-daughter pair Jonathan W. and Emily Anne Jordan explore the stories of queens at war, both past and present. They evoke the stories of Elizabeth Tudor and Queen Nijinga of Angola, of Indira Gandhi and Golda Meir, and many more, exploring the moments that challenged their countries and how their decisions either saved or condemned their reigns — and their lives. Thrilling and terrifying in equal measure, these stories remind us that women leaders have always had their part to play.

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The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir

The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir

Written by: Michele Harper
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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A Silenced Voice: The Life of Journalist Kim Wall

A Silenced Voice: The Life of Journalist Kim Wall

Recommended Age: Adults

When 30-year-old Swedish journalist Kim Wall was pursuing a story in 2017, she thought it would be another article to add to her increasingly impressive portfolio. Instead, she ended up dead — killed by the Danish entrepreneur she planned on interviewing. In this powerful memoir, Wall's parents Ingrid and Joachim not only relate their personal struggles, coming to terms with the loss of their beloved daughter, but also capture a portrait of the woman whose voice was silenced: loving, clever, complicated, and determined to seek out truth. Now translated into English, this is a story not just about surviving loss, but also about the importance of remembering everything Wall stood for.

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

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

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Code Name Madeleine: A Sufi Spy in Nazi-Occupied Paris

Code Name Madeleine: A Sufi Spy in Nazi-Occupied Paris

Written by: Arthur J. Magida
Recommended Age: Adults

Noor Inayat Khan was raised by pacifists and devoted herself to music and writing — but when the Nazis invaded France, her childhood home, she was determined to act. She joined the British Special Operations Executive and trained as a wireless operator, but her instructors doubted if she had the mettle for the job. She proved them wrong, not only communicating critical information that set the stage for D-Day, but also fighting heroically when she was finally captured, attempting escape twice and enduring torture without revealing her secrets. This stunning, deeply researched tribute to an unlikely World War II hero celebrates the courage and faith that drove her to give her life for peace.

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$9.46 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Tana Wojczuk
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$9.40 (USD)

Olive the Lionheart: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman's Journey into the Heart of Africa

Olive the Lionheart: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman's Journey into the Heart of Africa

Written by: Brad Ricca
Recommended Age: Adults

In 1910, 30-year-old Olive MacLeod learned that her fiance, naturalist Boyd Alexander, had disappeared in Africa. The Scottish aristocrat made a bold decision: she would go and find him. With two companions by her side, MacLeod dared dangerous wildlife, met local chiefs and leaders, and even adopted a pair of lion cubs. She also discovered the forces that were trying to win control over Africa, including colonial governments and a warlord who might know what had happened to Boyd. Using MacLeod's letters and diaries, this book explores MacLeod's journey, as well as her inner life as she is forced to ask herself why she really came to African after all.

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$21.41 (USD)

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing

Written by: Jacqueline Winspear
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$7.95 (USD)

Sisters and Rebels: A Struggle for the Soul of America

Sisters and Rebels: A Struggle for the Soul of America

Written by: Jacquelyn Dowd Hall
Recommended Age: Adults

Elizabeth, Grace, and Katharine Lumpkin were sisters who grew up steeped in the white supremacy of the South — but only one of them would remain there. Grace and Katharine left their home, traveling north and devoting themselves to race and labor issues, as well as to exploring the divide between North and South. Meanwhile, Elizabeth extolled Confederate veterans and remained "an eternal loyalist." In this fascinating book, award-winning historian Jacquelyn Dowd Hall traces the paths of all three sisters, exploring the revolutionary zeal that drove so many Southerners away from home — and the difficult experiences of sisters with diverging beliefs. Epic in scope and nuanced in presentation, this is a unique look at America's struggles through the eyes of three sisters.

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

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

Written by: Anne Glenconner
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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This Is All I Got: A New Mother's Search for Home

This Is All I Got: A New Mother's Search for Home

Written by: Lauren Sandler
Recommended Age: Adults

When Camila was 22 years old, she gave birth to a son. With no family, no partner, and no home, she had no choice but to rely on New York City's shelter system — a system that madee it impossible for her to find the stability and safety she needed to achieve the life she dreamed of. In this stunning book, journalist Lauren Sandler follows Camila from her son's birth to his firth birthday, capturing her intelligence and resilience, but also the incredible obstacles that seem designed to prevent her from changing her life for the better. Both a celebration of Camila — and the many mothers like her — and a call to action to improve our social safety net, this is a book that will linger with you long after the last page.

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$7.68 (USD)

Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer

Alice Adams: Portrait of a Writer

Written by: Carol Sklenicka
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel

Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel

Written by: Rachel Holmes
Recommended Age: Adults

Sylvia Pankhurst fought for women's right to vote by her mother's side, but when suffrage became law, she wasn't done. She wanted reproductive rights, freedom of sexual expression, equal pay, and more — for women and for other oppressed groups — ideas that made even her mother Emmeline Pankhurst think of her as radical. But her work would change lives around the globe, whether she was fighting against apartheid, working for Irish independence, arguing for rights for refugees, or combating racism. In this detailed and astonishing biography, author Rachel Holmes depicts Pankhurst's rebellious and visionary life, showing how this woman's ideas leave their mark on the world today.

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$28.87 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Sierra Crane Murdoch
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Boots in the Ashes: Busting Bombers, Arsonists and Outlaws as a Trailblazing Female ATF Agent

Boots in the Ashes: Busting Bombers, Arsonists and Outlaws as a Trailblazing Female ATF Agent

Written by: Cynthia Beebe
Recommended Age: Adults

Cynthia Beebe was an independent girl who grew up to find herself in a groundbreaking role: one of the first female special agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). As a young woman, she faced obstacles not just in the crimes she was attempting to solve, but also within the ultra-masculine, unwelcoming world of ATF agents. But she proved her mettle, and over 27 years, she investigated violent crimes, unearthed the evidence necessary to convict, and proved women belonged on the ATF front lines. Through the lens of six of her most important cases, and through riveting, never before revealed details, Beebe explores what humans are capable of — and what it takes to catch the people who commit these dreadful crimes.

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

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

Written by: Heather Clark
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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In Her Footsteps: Where Trailblazing Women Changed the World (Lonely Planet)

In Her Footsteps: Where Trailblazing Women Changed the World (Lonely Planet)

Written by: Lonely Planet
Recommended Age: Adults

History is full of inspiring women who are rarely celebrated — which means that our world is full of places where women made history! In this unique guidebook from Lonely Planet, readers learn about dozens of women who made their mark in activism, arts, politics, science, and more, and about the places where they lived, worked, and drew their inspiration. From Queen Hatshepsut of ancient Egypt to Jacinda Ardern's work today, these stories will inspire readers to learn more about these trailblazing women, and visit the secretly feminist sites around the world. For anyone with a yen to travel and a desire to learn more about women's history, this book is a must-have title!

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$19.09 (USD)

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Written by: Sonia Purnell
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Written by: Tina Cassidy
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention

Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention

Written by: Kathryn D. Sullivan
Recommended Age: Adults

Stunning pictures from the Hubble Telescope have changed the way we see our universe — but to get them, a team of astronauts, engineers, scientists, and more hand to leave their handprints (both literal and metaphorical) on the cutting age satellite. In this memoir, Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to conduct a space walk, recounts not only her own story of her journey to NASA — and to orbit — but also the story of Hubble's rocky start and triumphant success. Conversational and compelling, this is an inspiring look at the power of innovation and teamwork to achieve new heights for humanity.

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

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

Written by: Heather Dune Macadam
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II

Written by: Robert Matzen
Recommended Age: Adults

Audrey Hepburn is known as both a glamorous movie star and a compassionate humanitarian — and according to her son, Luca Dotti, "The war made my mother who she was." In this fascinating book, author Robert Matzen draws on interviews, personal reminiscences, wartime diaries, and more to capture Hepburn's life-changing experiences during the Nazi occupation of Holland. The war brought violence, including the execution of her uncle, near starvation during the infamous Hunger Winter, and dangerous roles working with the Dutch Resistance. But there were triumphs as well, including newfound fame as a ballerina. Intimate and intense, this powerful story illuminates the childhood that drove Hepburn's incredible contributions to the world.

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$12.39 (USD)

What You Become in Flight: A Memoir

What You Become in Flight: A Memoir

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$14.76 (USD)

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper

Written by: Hallie Rubenhold
Recommended Age: Adults

The mystery of Jack the Ripper looms large in popular culture, but the story of his victims is nearly forgotten. From early on, London newspapers spread the story that the Ripper killed prostitutes — the sort of woman society wouldn't miss — giving readers license to gasp in delighted horror at his crimes. Historian Hallie Rubenhold looks further at the stories of Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane, revealing complex lives, intriguing stories, and dreams shattered by the prejudices against women they faced every day. Shedding new perspective on one of the world's most famous crime stories, this book's most important question asks: why don't we care about the women the Ripper destroyed?

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$10.69 (USD)

Isabella of France: The Rebel Queen

Isabella of France: The Rebel Queen

Written by: Kathryn Warner
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$16.20 (USD)

Inge's War: A German Woman's Story of Family, Secrets, and Survival Under Hitler

Inge's War: A German Woman's Story of Family, Secrets, and Survival Under Hitler

Written by: Svenja O'Donnell
Recommended Age: Adults

Svenja O'Donnell knew her grandmother Inge as a distant figure — until she visited Kaliningrad, where Inge lived as a child, and suddenly her story spilled out. Living in what was then Königsberg, Germany, Inge and her parents looked the other way during Hitler's rise to power. As Inge tells her about the horrors of war, fleeing the invading Russian army, struggling through the post-war years, and more, O'Donnell wrestles with how Inge's trauma has affected her family, and the intermingled pride and guilt of her German identity. Unlike most war books, which focus on heroic defiance, this book tackles the reality of those who chose careful ignorance and protective inaction. Stunning and raw, this is a unique look at the aftermath of the war and how we steer ourselves towards the future.

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Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law

Written by: Haben Girma
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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

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

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$14.13 (USD)

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

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

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$15.73 (USD)

Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote

Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote

Written by: Susan Ware
Recommended Age: Adults

The story of the fight for suffrage in America is often poorly understood and oversimplified, with most people knowing the names of a few key figures and perhaps a handful of significant moments. In truth, the 72 year-long movement was complex, fractious, and far more diverse than any superficial history shows! In this compelling book, Susan Ware shines a light on nineteen often overlooked activists, including Rose Schneiderman, Mary Church Terrell, Mary Johnston, Emmeline W. Wells, and more. It also shows a few of the many places where the suffrage movement unfolded such as church parlors, meeting rooms, and the halls of Congress, but also on college campuses and even at the top of Mount Rainier. Moving, inspiring, and empowering, this is a testament to political action, the bond between women, and the power of raising your voice.

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The Yellow House: A Memoir

The Yellow House: A Memoir

Written by: Sarah M. Broom
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Know My Name: A Memoir

Know My Name: A Memoir

Written by: Chanel Miller
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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More Myself: A Journey

More Myself: A Journey

Written by: Alicia Keys
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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$14.99 (USD)

First: Sandra Day O'Connor

First: Sandra Day O'Connor

Written by: Evan Thomas
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$24.71 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£18.22 (GBP)
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A$43.33 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$16.54 (USD)

Madame Fourcade's Secret War

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

Madame Fourcade's Secret War

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

Written by: Lynne Olson
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Amazon.ca
C$27.00 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
(Unavailable)
Amazon.com.au
A$58.74 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$16.53 (USD)

The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick

Written by: Mallory O'Meara
Recommended Age: Adults

Even as a teen, Mallory O'Meara loved The Creature from the Black Lagoon — and she was delighted to discover that her beloved creature had been designed by a woman. But Milicent Patrick, its creator, had disappeared from film after her contributions had been claimed by a male colleague. So when she joined the horror movie industry, she decided to track down the incredible true story of Patrick's life, her work as one of Disney's first female animators, and where she went after her film career was cut short. This exciting story, which reminds readers that Hollywood culture still has a long way to go, celebrates a female (and feminist) pioneer in film.

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C$23.99 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£13.72 (GBP)
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A$41.12 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$16.99 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Carolyn Forché
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$24.00 (CAD)
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(Unavailable)
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A$46.95 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$10.84 (USD)

The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty

The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty

Written by: Susan Page
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$19.98 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£7.24 (GBP)
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A$47.24 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$9.98 (USD)

The Queens of Animation

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

The Queens of Animation

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

Written by: Nathalia Holt
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$23.75 (CAD)
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£14.99 (GBP)
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A$23.09 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$15.37 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Caroline Van Hemert
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$20.30 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£13.97 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$36.98 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$18.99 (USD)

Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For

Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For

Written by: Susan Rice
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$21.06 (CAD)
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£14.45 (GBP)
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A$19.18 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$11.39 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Stephanie Land
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$24.99 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
(Unavailable)
Amazon.com.au
A$34.07 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$11.80 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Ryan Leigh Dostie
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$20.00 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£13.44 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$23.90 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$13.99 (USD)

A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis

A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis

Written by: Françoise Frenkel
Recommended Age: Adults

Françoise Frenkel dreamed of opening a bookshop, and in 1921, the Polish-born Jew realized that dream by opening La Maison du Livre, Berlin's first French bookshop. But around her, Nazi ideology was taking root. By 1935, she was facing bureaucratic obstacles and book confiscations — and although La Maison du Livre was spared during Kristallnacht in 1938, she knew she had to escape. Paris, her first stop, turned out to be no safer, and as she ran from one safe house to the next, Françoise witnessed the horrors of war first hand. This compelling account, originally published in 1945, was rediscovered almost sixty years later. Now, this story of courage and survival is available as a reminder of the evil of hate and oppression and as an inspiring testament to human resilience.

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C$23.00 (CAD)
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£13.27 (GBP)
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A$29.22 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$9.90 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Sarah Rose
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$37.00 (CAD)
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£30.00 (GBP)
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A$47.28 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$15.89 (USD)

In The Country Of Women: A Memoir

In The Country Of Women: A Memoir

Written by: Susan Straight
Recommended Age: Adults

When Susan Straight, a book nerd and future author, married Dwayne Sims, an African American basketball player, their new combined family bore the legacy of many indomitable women. On Sims' side, there were stories of women fleeing violence in post-slavery Tennessee or Jim Crow Mississippi — or in their own homes, from abusive husbands and fathers. On Straight's side, there were women from Switzerland, Canada, and Colorado who pushed for new futures in strange lands. In this social history, Straight explores how the legacies of these women have affected her own family — including her three daughters. This powerful and thoughtful book is a celebration of courageous women and the American dream.

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C$23.00 (CAD)
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£16.29 (GBP)
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A$42.90 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$8.91 (USD)

State: A Team, A Triumph, A Transformation

State: A Team, A Triumph, A Transformation

Written by: Melissa Isaacson
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$23.93 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£14.10 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$40.82 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$7.41 (USD)

Renia's Diary: A Holocaust Journal

Renia's Diary: A Holocaust Journal

Written by: Renia Spiegel
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$17.99 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£13.75 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$43.18 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$8.99 (USD)

Inside Out: A Memoir

Inside Out: A Memoir

Written by: Demi Moore
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$20.83 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£5.79 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$19.25 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$9.99 (USD)

Save Me The Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

Save Me The Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

Written by: Ruth Reichl
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$23.81 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£15.26 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$29.58 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$10.99 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Julie Yip-Williams
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$19.99 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£16.42 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$38.34 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$13.25 (USD)

Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior

Matilda: Empress, Queen, Warrior

Written by: Catherine Hanley
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$29.89 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£10.99 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$20.75 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$22.00 (USD)

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir

Written by: T Kira Madden
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Amazon.ca
C$24.04 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£23.57 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$41.79 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$15.49 (USD)

Year of the Monkey

Year of the Monkey

Written by: Patti Smith
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Amazon.ca
C$19.59 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£9.89 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$39.60 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$11.79 (USD)

Sontag: Her Life and Work

Sontag: Her Life and Work

Written by: Benjamin Moser
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Amazon.ca
C$27.00 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£15.29 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$25.65 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$14.99 (USD)

Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir

Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir

Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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Amazon.ca
C$21.95 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
£10.99 (GBP)
Amazon.com.au
A$20.75 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$9.89 (USD)

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

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

Written by: Alexandra Jacobs
Recommended Age: Adults

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.

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C$18.38 (CAD)
Amazon.co.uk
(Unavailable)
Amazon.com.au
A$30.94 (AUD)
Amazon.com
$14.76 (USD)

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