The Mighty Women Reading List for Adults

Breaking Through: My Life in Science

When the world was desperate for a vaccine for COVID-19, mRNA ended up providing the solution — thanks to a little-known Hungarian-born scientist named Katalin Karikó. Karikó had grown up in postwar communism without running water, but had a love of science from an early age. She traveled to America to pursue her dream, but found a cold welcome, especially when she started focusing her research on messenger RNA. She was threatened with deportation, denied funding, and told her research was useless, but she believed it could save lives and proved herself right. This powerful memoir is a glimpse into a close-minded system that was defeated by one woman's determination.

Brave the Wild River

The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon

In 1938, no one had ever surveyed the plant life of the Grand Canyon — so when two women, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, declared they were traveling the Colorado River to do just that, everyone proclaimed their expedition would fail, perhaps with the deaths of its leaders. Clover and Jotter, though, were up to the challenge, and they were determined to be the first. Drawing on the letters and diaries of these pioneering women, science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny follows them along all 43 days of their journey. It's a thrilling story of adventure, scientific discovery, and defying gendered expectations, all set in the American West just as it was being changed forever by human contact.

My Friend Anne Frank

The Inspiring and Heartbreaking True Story of Best Friends Torn Apart and Reunited Against All Odds

In 1933, Hannah Pick-Goslar and Anne Frank met for the first time. Hannah's family had fled Nazi Germany, but the two girls knew little of that rising worry; they only knew that they were the best of friends. Then, in 1942, Anne and her family disappeared, leaving unmade bed and unwashed dishes... and Hannah wondering if her beloved friend was safe, or gone for good, for two long years. It wasn't until her own family was transported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp that the two friends had an all too short reunion. In this long-awaited memoir, readers see the Holocaust through the eyes of a child who had no idea that her beloved friendship would become an icon of hope in the midst of an unspeakably tragic time.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir

Maggie Smith's stunning poem "Good Bones" has touched the heart of millions: "I am trying/ to sell [my children] the world. Any decent realtor/... chirps on about good bones: This place could be beautiful, right?/ You could make this place beautiful." Now, in her lyrical memoir, she explores how the end of her marriage affected her art — and how her personal heartbreak relates to the experiences of today's women, struggling with entrenched gender roles that seem impossible to root out. Touching on her love for her children, her determination to love herself, and the power of possibility, this book is a tribute to the empowerment that comes with writing your truth and living your own life — a beautiful one.

Sisters in Resistance

How a German Spy, a Banker's Wife, and Mussolini's Daughter Outwitted the Nazis

One of the most important documents of World War II was preserved thanks to the efforts of three very different women. One, Edda Mussolini, was the daughter of a tyrant determined to save her husband; Galeazzo Ciano: she threatened her father, Benito Mussolini, and Hitler himself with releasing her husband's journals, packed with details about their plans. German spy Hilde Beetz was sent to take the diaries; instead, she became a double agent, and joined forced with Edda. And when Ciano was executed, she helped Edda flee to Switzerland, where "accidental" American spy Frances De Chollet provided the final link in the chain, getting the journals to the Allies and making multiple Nuremberg convictions possible. Historian Tilar J. Mazzeo captures a tale worthy of a spy thriller in this little-known story of three courageous women.

Driving Home Naked: And Other Misadventures of a Country Veterinarian

For Dr. Melinda McCall, a day at work means cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, llamas, and more — and all the challenges a large animal vet is likely to face serving client in rural Virginia! She's driven home wearing nothing but rubber boots; had her patients fracture her skull; identified rare zoonotic diseases; and much more. But she wouldn't have it any other way! Both light-hearted and deeply rooted in a love for animals and their care, Driving Home Naked is a fascinating glimpse at the life of a country vet and the wild ride she encounters every single day.

Poor Richard's Women

Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father

Benjamin Franklin is famous as a founding father, a scientist, and an inventor... but in his personal life, he depended on multiple women to support and sustain him. In Poor Richard's Women, Nancy Rubin Stuart introduces the world to these little-known figures. There was Deborah Read Franklin, his common-law wife, whose financial and political savvy was critical during their 44 years of partnership. But there was also Margaret Stevenson, the landlady and household organizer who supported him in London; Catherine Ray, a 23-year-old who exchange passionate love letter with him; and Madame Brillon and Madame Helvetius, who French women who matched wits with him at every turn. This compelling look at a group of fiercely determined women explores how they defied the social order to achieve their own independence.

Fierce Ambition: The Life and Legend of War Correspondent Maggie Higgins

When Marguerite Higgins started working for the New York Herald Tribune, a "girl reporter" was a novelty — and she certainly wasn't going to report on serious issues like war. But she defied those attitudes, and fought her way onto the front during World War II, catapulting herself to fame with her account of the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Her courage and knack for breaking news made her famous, even as her jealous rivals accused her of trading sexual favors for scoops. She even became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for frontline reporting before her untimely death from leishmaniasis. Drawing on extensive research and never-before-published documents, Jennet Conant captures the daring and grit of this pioneer of women in journalism.

White House Wild Child

How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won the Heart of America

Theodore Roosevelt famously said, "I can do one of two things, I can be President of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both." The free-spirited and determined Alice Roosevelt fascinated the world with her antics, from carrying a gun and a green snake in her purse, to climbing to the top of the White House to light up a cigarette when her father told her not to smoke under his roof. She was beautiful, smart, witty, and utterly determined to live life as she pleased. This compelling biography explores Alice Roosevelt's life as one of the most famous women in the world at a time when women were expected to stay quiet, not speak up.

Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir

Rachel Louise Snyder has devoted her career in journalism to advocating for women — including through her groundbreaking book, No Visible Bruises — but few people know that she has personal experience with fighting to survive. After her mother died when Snyder was 8, her father dragged the family into an evangelical, cult-like community across the country. When she rebelled as a teen, she was kicked out, forced to live out of her car at the age of 16. Through sheer determination and good luck, she got into college and became a reporter, traveling to India, Tibet, Niger, and Cambodia to chronicle those who survived domestic violence and patriarchy... then brought her own family back to America to find a home and, surprisingly, healing. This powerful memoir is a reminder of the incredible resilience it takes to survive, and thrive, when everything seems against you.

Ashes and Stones

A Journey Through Scotland in Search of Women Hunted as Witches

In the 17th century, witch panic stalked Scotland — and women just like those who live today became the targets. In this stunning narrative, Allyson Shaw travels across modern-day Scotland in search of the stories of the women accused. She examines the myths of witchcraft, the folklore that fed them, and the political forces that drove them. She finds standing stones, hidden caves, and modern memorials that stand as a reminder of the women the panic destroyed. And she captures the stories of the women who survived, and how their courage and resilience can support women today. This unique book is a tribute to the power of reclaiming those previously destroyed or forgotten.

Woman, Captain, Rebel: The Extraordinary True Story of a Daring Icelandic Sea Captain

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, one captain was renowned for huge catches, wise weather-reading, and a borderline miraculous record of never losing a single crewmember to the sea. Her name was Captain Thurídur, and she defied expectations on both land and sea! From her early days on the water, wearing pants at age 11 in an open rowboat, it was clear she would not stand for prejudiced restrictions or injustice. As an adult, she solved one of Iceland's most notorious robberies, and used the biased court system to fight for women's rights. And even in her sixties, her adventures weren't over: she started hiking the mountains, walking where no one else had dared. Margaret Willson reveals this remarkable story of a woman of courage, intelligence, and independence who refused have her future defined for her.

The First Lady of World War II

Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back

In 1943, the war in Europe was slowly turning in the Allies' favor... but in the Pacific, it continued to be a grueling, traumatic affair, with many US troops desperately short on supplies and unable to get a reprieve from combat zones. So First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt set out on a daring mission: she would travel to the Pacific frontlines to boost the troops' morale and bring news home to America. It was a closely guarded secret until the news finally broke on August 27, stunning a nation that had believed she was secluded at home. In the first book to fully tell this astonishing story, author Shannon McKenna Schmidt captures yet another story of Roosevelt's inspiring compassion, determination, and courage.

The Fly Girls Revolt

The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat

Beginning in World War II, daring women pilots starting to be allowed to fly in the military — but there was a condition: they weren't allowed to fly in combat. Never mind that they were still flying dangerous missions, or as the decades went by, that they were top of their class at pilot schools; less-qualified men were assigned combat aircraft instead. To win their right to fly for their country, the women pilots of the American military had to fight a law of Congress, decades of discrimination, and even other military women. This meticulously researched book tells the stories of the women who campaigned until the prohibition against female combat pilots was dropped in 1993. Although they never had the chance to fly in combat themselves, they paved the way for future women in the US military to soar.

Juliet

The Life and Afterlives of Shakespeare's First Tragic Heroine

Many people claim that Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told — but the character of Juliet is more complex than she first appears. For the time, her story was one of defiance: marrying the man she fell in love with despite the attitude that she was her father's property. And yet she ends up dead, with even Romeo fixated on the beauty of her corpse. Shakespeare scholar Sophie Duncan explores Shakespeare's play, its most immediate source, and the many interpretations of the story, as well as the part Juliet has played in cultures across time and around the world. This is an intriguing and thought-provoking exploration of the character — and of the impact she has made on real-life girls and women around the world.

First to the Front

The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent

From World War II to Vietnam, photojournalist and war correspondent Dickey Chapelle declared, "I side with prisoners against guards, enlisted men against officers, weakness against power." At a time when people sneered at female journalists, she took on dangerous stories that her colleagues wouldn't dare pursue, from capturing the conditions in Eastern Europe after the war to being the first reporter accredited with the Algerian National Liberation Front to marching down the Ho Chi Minh Trail with the South Vietnamese Army. And she suffered consequences for her determination: imprisonment, torture, and eventually, her death in 1965 while covering combat in Vietnam, all while also enduring mockery from male journalists. The first authoritative biography of Chapelle is a tribute to this determined and nearly forgotten woman, and to her determination to document the humanity of those oppressed by power.

Before Mrs Beeton

Elizabeth Raffald, England's Most Influential Housekeeper

Elizabeth Raffald was famous in 18th century England: she transformed the business community in Manchester with two innovations: an A to Z directory and a domestic service registry office — essentially the first temping agency. She was a renowned midwife, and her cookery book The Experienced English Housekeeper ran to over twenty editions and earned her a fortune. And then that fortune was spent by her alcoholic husband, leaving her bankrupted (twice) and forced to spend the rest of her days barely sustaining herself in a seedy coffeehouse. Her book, though, became a must-have title for any British kitchen. In this compelling rise-and-fall story, historian Neil Buttery explores the many forces at play in Raffald's life and subsequent obscurity, from publishing law to the agricultural revolution to the defeminization of midwifery, and pointedly asks why Mrs. Beeton became a household name, while Raffald was forgotten.