Celebrate Women's History Month by reading books about some amazing women from our world's history!
YA Women's History Month
Compiled by:
Lizzy S.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 She)
The 100 revolutionary women featured in this illustrated book were bad in the best sense of the word: they challenged the status quo and changed the rules for those who followed. From ancient times through present day, from pirates to artists, scientists to spies, these courageous women achieved unprecedented feats and left a permanent mark on human history.
(Adult Nonfiction - 364.374 Yol)
Harlot or hero? Liar or lady? There are two sides to every story. Meet twenty-six of history's most notorious women, and debate alongside authors Yolen and Stemple--who appear in the book as themselves in a series of comic panels--as to each girl's guilt or innocence.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Mccullo)
Rome, 1605: After her mother's death, Artemisia Gentileschi had a stark choice: a life as a nun in a convent or a life grinding pigment for her father's paint. She chose paint. Artemisia became one of Rome's most talented painters-- and her father took all the credit. Five years later, in the aftermath of a rape, Artemisia faced another terrible choice: a life of silence or a life of truth, no matter the cost. Through the ensuing trial and torture, she is buoyed by her mother's stories of strong women of the Bible.
(Graphic Novel - GN 920 Bag)
With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Penelope Bagieu profiles the lives of these feisty female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the stories in this comic biography are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Lee)
Based on Mackenzi Lee's popular weekly Twitter series of the same name, Bygone Badass Broads features 52 remarkable and forgotten trail-blazing women from all over the world. Starting in the fifth century BCE and continuing to the present, Lee introduces readers to bold and inspiring women who dared to step outside traditional gender roles of their time.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Smith)
During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
(Adult Nonfiction - 750.922 Tsj)
The Artists brings together the stories of 48 brilliant woman artists who made huge yet unacknowledged contributions to the history of art.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Tsj)
The Leaders weaves together 48 unforgettable portraits of the true pioneers and leaders who made huge yet unacknowledged contributions to history.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Tsj)
The Scientists celebrates 48 unsung scientific heroines whose hugely important, yet broadly unacknowledged or incorrectly attributed, discoveries have transformed our understanding of the scientific world.
(Adult Nonfiction - 800.922 Tsj)
The Writers celebrates 48 unsung genius female writers from throughout history and across the world. Including writers from across a wide spectrum of disciplines including poets, journalists, novelists, essayists and diarists.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Jac)
Filled with beautiful full-color illustrations, a groundbreaking compendium honoring the amazing true stories of fifty inspirational women who helped fuel some of the greatest achievements in space exploration from the nineteenth century to today.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 920 Fav)
To the rebel girls of the world: dream bigger, aim higher, fight harder, and, when in doubt, remember you are right.
(Adult Fiction - Griffit)
Hildis born into a world in transition. In seventh-century Britain, small kingdoms are merging, usually violently. A new religion is coming ashore; the old gods' priests are worrying. Edwin of Northumbria plots to become overking of the Angles, ruthlessly using every tool at his disposal: blood, bribery, belief. Hild is the king's youngest niece. She has the powerful curiosity of a bright child, a will of adamant, and a way of seeing the world--of studying nature, of matching cause with effect, of observing human nature and predicting what will happen next--that can seem uncanny, even supernatural, to those around her. She establishes herself as the king's seer. And she is indispensable--until she should ever lead the king astray.
(Adult Nonfiction - 305.42 Sar)
Sarkeesian and Aster introduce readers to a range of dynamic women across many different races, countries, time periods, and classes. You'll be hearing about many of them for the first time, but they made impacts on their societies. Why have their historical contributions been lost? The authors know that it is easier to learn about white, Western people-- especially males-- than of people of color, queer and trans folks, and people with disabilities. They hope to reframe the history you thought you knew.
(Adult Nonfiction - 364.1523 Tel)
Inspired by author Tori Telfer's Jezebel column "Lady Killers," this thrilling and entertaining compendium investigates female serial killers and their crimes through the ages.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Pie)
This inspiring collection honors one hundred exceptional women throughout history and around the world.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 920 Har)
Based on her popular Instagram posts, debut author/illustrator Vashti Harrison shares the stories of 40 bold African American women who shaped history.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Berry)
In mid-thirteenth century Provence, Dolssa de Stigata is a fervently religious girl who feels the call to preach, condemned by the Inquisition as an "unnatural woman," and hunted by the Dominican Friar Lucien who fears a resurgence of the Albigensian heresy; Botille is a matchmaker trying to protect her sisters from being branded as gypsies or witches--but when she finds the hunted Dolssa dying on a hillside, she feels compelled to protect her, a decision that may cost her everything.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Dun)
In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside -- and sometimes in command of -- their male counterparts.
(Adult Nonfiction - 709.7209 Wal)
Tapping into the Rebel Girl and Bad Girl publishing trend, this is the first book to cover the female role within art. A fabulous introduction to the Pre-Raphaelite movement, through the muses and artists that helped shape the era.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 920 Sch)
In Rad Women Worldwide, writer Kate Schatz and artist Miriam Klein Stahl tell fresh, engaging, and inspiring tales of perseverance and radical success by pairing well researched and riveting biographies with powerful and expressive cut-paper portraits.
(Young Adult Fiction - Y Radical)
An anthology of historical short stories features a diverse array of girls standing up for themselves and their beliefs, forging their own paths while resisting society's expectations.
(Adult Nonfiction - 920.72 Por)
Rejected Princesses dismisses the 'pretty pink princess' stereotype and profiles, through biography, imagery, wit, and humor, badass women throughout time and from all around the world. Warrior queens, soldiers, villains, spies, revolutionaries, and many more.
(Adult Nonfiction - 202.114 Hod)
Meet mythology’s fifty fiercest females in this modern retelling of the world’s greatest legends.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 920 Ign)
A collection of artworks inspired by the lives and achievements of fifty famous women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, from the ancient world to the present, profiles each notable individual.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 796.092 Ign)
A charmingly illustrated and inspiring book, Women in Sports highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable women athletes. Covering more than forty sports, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about notable women's teams throughout history, pay and media statistics for female athletes, and muscle anatomy. Women in Sports celebrates the success of the tough, bold, and fearless women who paved the way for the next generation of athletes.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 920.72 Ske)
This new compilation of brief biographies features women throughout history who have risked their lives for adventure―many of whom you may not know, but all of whom you'll WANT to know!
(Adult Nonfiction - 920 Mag)
Smart women have always been able to achieve amazing things, even when the odds were stacked against them. In Wonder Women, author Sam Maggs tells the stories of the brilliant, brainy, and totally rad women in history who broke barriers as scientists, engineers, mathematicians, adventurers, and inventors. Plus, interviews with real-life women in STEM careers, an extensive bibliography, and a guide to women-centric science and technology organizations—all to show the many ways the geeky girls of today can help to build the future.
