The best 90 Women's Stories books

1
A Radical Awakening

A Radical Awakening

Dr. Shefali Tsabary
Turn Pain into Power, Embrace Your Truth, Live Free
4.0 (21 ratings)

What's A Radical Awakening about?

A Radical Awakening (2021) shows you how to heal by connecting to your authentic self – the person you were meant to be before society’s lies and conditioning morphed you into something else. It speaks from a woman’s point of view, but it doesn’t exclude men. Instead, it seeks to lift everyone from the pain of their past and into a higher consciousness.

Who should read A Radical Awakening?

  • Anyone who wants to heal from their past 
  • Women who’d like to discover their inner power
  • People who feel subjugated by society

2
Antigone

Antigone

Sophocles
An Ancient Greek Tragedy on Civil Disobedience, Morality and Gender
4.6 (12 ratings)

What's Antigone about?

Antigone (c. 441 BC) is a tragedy by Sophocles, one of ancient Greece’s greatest playwrights. After a civil war, two brothers – the leaders of rival factions – are dead. One is remembered as a patriotic hero; the other, as a treacherous usurper. The king of Thebes, Creon, has forbidden anyone to bury the traitor – an order the man’s sister, Antigone, can’t square with her conscience. The stage is set for a conflict pitting the individual against the state, justice against law, idealism against realism, and a defiant woman against a male-dominated world.

Who should read Antigone?

  • Theater enthusiasts interested in the history of drama
  • Fans of classical literature and mythology
  • Anyone interested in exploring themes of morality, family, and power

3
Lessons in Chemistry

Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus
A Novel
4.3 (182 ratings)

What's Lessons in Chemistry about?

Lessons in Chemistry (2022) is the story of Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant scientist who has the misfortune of being a woman in 1950s America. After a frustrating failed academic career, Zott finds success in an unlikely place: as the host of a television cooking show.

Who should read Lessons in Chemistry?

  • Foodies interested in the science behind cooking
  • Feminists looking for a window into the history of women in STEM
  • Anyone who appreciates stories that are sharp and warm-hearted

4
The Light We Carry

The Light We Carry

Michelle Obama
Overcoming in Uncertain Times
4.3 (405 ratings)

What's The Light We Carry about?

In The Light We Carry (2022), former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, tackles complex questions about community, identity, and relationships with trademark warmth and honesty. Obama believes we all carry a light inside us – in this book, she tells us how to shine that light so it illuminates the potential for hope and healing, and pathways toward a better world.

Who should read The Light We Carry?

  • Anyone whose fear is holding them back from living authentically
  • Those who wants to trade disconnection for community and friendship
  • People who need encouragement to keep doing the work in challenging times

5
I Am the Storm

I Am the Storm

Janice Dean
Inspiring Stories of People Who Fight Against Overwhelming Odds
4.0 (29 ratings)

What's I Am the Storm about?

I Am the Storm (2023) is an inspiring dive into what it takes to stand as a David against a Goliath. From a single gymnast who took on a whole abusive system, to a grieving mother who chose to tackle the US opioid epidemic head on, it shows that anyone can make a stand for what they believe in, no matter how big their opponent may seem.

Who should read I Am the Storm?

  • Anyone looking for inspiration to face the challenges in their life
  • People sick of big organizations acting with impunity
  • Believers in the strength of human will

6
Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë
A Victorian Heroine’s Struggle for Self-Realization
4.6 (18 ratings)

What's Jane Eyre about?

Jane Eyre (1874) is an intense, intimate portrait of a young woman’s search to find her place in Victorian society without compromising her passionate ideals. It follows her as she navigates life’s obstacles – and her developing love for the mysterious Edward Rochester.

Who should read Jane Eyre?

  • Hopeless romantics who crave plot twists and turns
  • History lovers keen to get a window into life as a nineteenth-century governess
  • Fans of period dramas like Outlander and Bridgerton

7
Becoming

Becoming

Michelle Obama
The intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States
4.5 (538 ratings)

What's Becoming about?

Becoming (2018) tells the story of Michelle Obama, née Robinson. Born to loving parents in a working-class Chicago neighborhood, she grew into a strong, independent woman, who just happened to meet and fall in love with a man named Barack Obama. This is the life story of a woman who didn’t expect to become the first African-American First Lady, yet found a way to continue exercising her own unique voice under the most unusual and trying of circumstances.

Who should read Becoming?

  • People who enjoy an inspirational story
  • Working moms
  • Anyone eager to make a difference

8
In Order to Live

In Order to Live

Yeonmi Park
A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom
4.7 (25 ratings)

What's In Order to Live about?

In Order to Live (2015) follows the survival story of Yeonmi Park, a North Korean woman who escaped from her home country. In this inspiring memoir, Yeonmi goes through her horrific journey from North Korea to China and finally to South Korea.

Who should read In Order to Live?

  • Human rights activists
  • Those curious about North Korea
  • Anyone looking for an uplifting story

9
Persuasion

Persuasion

Jane Austen
A Captivating Novel on Second Chances in the Early 19th Century.
4.7 (35 ratings)

What's Persuasion about?

Persuasion (1817) is the story of Anne Elliot, a 27-year-old woman whose heart was broken at 19, when she was persuaded not to marry the naval captain Frederick Wentworth – the love of her life. When Anne and Captain Wentworth cross paths again, they are both still unattached. But does the Captain still carry a torch for Anne, or has resentment and time snuffed out the flame forever?

Who should read Persuasion?

  • Romantics
  • Period drama fans
  • Austen readers looking for a quick plot refresher

10
The Urgent Life

The Urgent Life

Bozoma Saint John
My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival
3.9 (19 ratings)

What's The Urgent Life about?

The Urgent Life (2023) is part-memoir, part-manifesto to the importance of showing up in your life, and being fiercely present – no matter the circumstances. Bozoma Saint John has experienced both highs and lows in the course of her life. Through it all, she has learned to stay true to herself and her dreams, and to live as if nothing is guaranteed. In The Urgent Life, she describes the events that have most impacted her, and shares how you, too, can live life with passionate urgency.  

Who should read The Urgent Life?

  • People who are hungry to live more boldly, 
  • Young professionals looking for inspiration on how to navigate the corporate ladder authentically. 
  • Anyone who has experienced loss, and is figuring out how to carry on.

11
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft
A masterpiece of feminist philosophy
4.3 (54 ratings)

What's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman about?

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) is a historical text that details the gender disparities of the eighteenth century. These blinks explain the ways in which women were subservient to men at this time, why the author wanted a fairer world to take shape and how she suggested it could be done.

Who should read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman?

  • Feminists everywhere
  • History and sociology students
  • Men who want a historical look at women’s rights issues

12
Little Women

Little Women

Louisa M. Alcott
A Coming-of-Age Novel about True Love and Finding One's Place in Life
4.8 (16 ratings)

What's Little Women about?

Little Women (1868-1869) tells the story of the four March sisters, and the struggles and day-to-day obstacles they faced while becoming young adults. While the story takes place in the American Northeast, it’s a universal coming-of-age story that has been appreciated around the world.

Who should read Little Women?

  • Fans of stories told from a female perspective
  • Lovers of classic literature
  • Anyone who likes a good young adult story

13
Bedtime Biography: Margaret Thatcher

Bedtime Biography: Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher
The Autobiography
4.6 (196 ratings)

What's Bedtime Biography: Margaret Thatcher about?

Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography (2013) is the definitive account of the Iron Lady. Covering everything from her upbringing to the political battles that defined her time in office, this memoir sheds light on the thinking and values of Britain’s most transformative twentieth-century leaders. 

Who should read Bedtime Biography: Margaret Thatcher?

  • History buffs
  • Anglophiles
  • Politicos

14
The Diary of a Young Girl

The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank
The famous story of a Jewish girl who went into hiding during the Second World War
4.9 (101 ratings)

What's The Diary of a Young Girl about?

The Diary of a Young Girl (first published 1952; this edition 1977) tells the story of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who went into hiding with her family during the Second World War. It offers a remarkable portrait of a maturing young woman forced into an unbelievable situation but rising to the occasion. In her diary, Anne shares her thoughts and dreams, revealing a remarkable talent that was tragically taken from the world, along with millions of other lives during the Holocaust.

Who should read The Diary of a Young Girl?

  • People interested in stories of life during wartime
  • Anyone who likes true stories of resilience and survival
  • Young women looking for inspirational figures

15
We Should All Be Millionaires

We Should All Be Millionaires

Rachel Rodgers
Change Your Thinking, Build Bank, and Claim Your Independence
4.0 (476 ratings)

What's We Should All Be Millionaires about?

We Should All Be Millionaires (2021) shows how women can attain financial success by casting off impostor syndrome and demanding that they be paid what they’re really worth. Here, you’ll learn how the ability to earn, save, and manage money has been denied to women – and why that’s a bad thing for the world as a whole.

Who should read We Should All Be Millionaires?

  • Women looking to empower themselves with wealth
  • Those looking to found companies of their own
  • Any woman who has been underpaid and overworked

16
The Women of the Bible Speak

The Women of the Bible Speak

Shannon Bream
The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today
4.5 (74 ratings)

What's The Women of the Bible Speak about?

The Women of the Bible Speak (2021) tells the story of the women of the Bible, describing their lives in all of their richness. Some of their stories are tragic, some are empowering, some are just very human. But they are all central to the Christian story, and come with their own special lessons and wisdom. The Women of the Bible Speak shows us that even within the rigid hierarchies of the ancient world, women were instrumental.

Who should read The Women of the Bible Speak?

  • Christians
  • Anyone interested in the history of the Bible
  • Those looking for inspiration and wisdom from the ancient world

17
Everything I Know about Love

Everything I Know about Love

Dolly Alderton
A Memoir

What's Everything I Know about Love about?

Everything I Know About Love (2018) is Dolly Alderton’s very funny and painfully honest recollection of her early twenties, and all the bad dates, heartbreaks, grimy flat shares, and steadfast friendships this period of her life entailed. In 2022, the book was adapted for television by the BBC.

Who should read Everything I Know about Love?

  • People on the cusp of adulthood wondering what their twenties will bring
  • Those on the other side of 30, still trying to work out what their twenties meant
  • Anyone who’s a romantic at heart

18
Elizabeth the Queen

Elizabeth the Queen

Sally Bedell Smith
The Life of a Modern Monarch
3.9 (209 ratings)

What's Elizabeth the Queen about?

Elizabeth the Queen (2012) is a brisk yet in-depth exposé of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Tracing key moments in her life, big and small, lighthearted and tragic, it pulls back the curtain on a most singular figure. Elizabeth II was at once a woman who struggled to balance her roles as both mother and monarch; a leader who learned to embody dignity and diplomacy; and the calm epicenter of the drama that ever swirled around her closest relations.

Who should read Elizabeth the Queen?

  • Royal watchers and anglophiles
  • Americans interested in British politics
  • Biography lovers

19
Sacred Woman

Sacred Woman

Queen Afua
A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit
4.7 (12 ratings)

What's Sacred Woman about?

Sacred Women (2000) is a foundational guide to holistic healing for women. Through healing circles, lifestyle changes, and the wisdom of the Divine Creatress, you can chart your own path to a life of joy and purpose.

Who should read Sacred Woman?

  • Spiritual seekers who want to connect to their inner wisdom
  • Women looking for alternative approaches to reproductive health
  • Anyone who’s feeling restless and unfulfilled at work 

20
What I Know for Sure

What I Know for Sure

Oprah Winfrey
Collected life lessons from Oprah's popular column
4.4 (125 ratings)

What's What I Know for Sure about?

What I Know for Sure (2014) outlines the moments that shaped Oprah Winfrey into the phenomenally successful person she is today. Oprah shares her experiences and insights on overcoming hardship and how she used that strength to forge a path toward reaching her full potential.

Who should read What I Know for Sure?

  • People who want to improve their self-esteem
  • Anyone looking for tips to overcome childhood trauma
  • Oprah fans who are interested in her backstory

21
Bedtime Biography: Vindication

Bedtime Biography: Vindication

Lyndall Gordon
A Life of Mary Wollstonecraft
4.6 (222 ratings)

What's Bedtime Biography: Vindication about?

Narrated by Karen Cass

Vindication
(2006) tells the inspiring, thrilling, and often tragic tale of the life of Mary Wollstonecraft, known today as the founder of modern feminism. Drawing on significant moments in Wollstonecraft’s life, from her childhood in an abusive household to her experiences co-founding a school and living in Revolutionary France, it paints a picture of a woman who was as complex as she was brilliant. Throughout every stage of her life, Wollstonecraft was truly an original thinker, and her influence on feminist thought continues to ring out today.

Who should read Bedtime Biography: Vindication?

  • Feminists and people interested in the history of women
  • Fans of stories about tragic heroes
  • Anyone fascinated by the personal lives of famous historical figures

22
The Nightingale

The Nightingale

Kristin Hannah
A Novel
4.9 (21 ratings)

What's The Nightingale about?

The Nightingale (2015) is a historical novel telling the often-neglected story of those left behind when soldiers go off to war. Set in northwestern France during World War II and told through the eyes of two sisters, this sweeping saga reveals the hidden horrors, and heroism, of the survivors.

Who should read The Nightingale?

  • Historical fiction buffs looking for a well-told tale from a new angle
  • Literature lovers craving epic stories of survival
  • Anyone interested in the true costs of war on all fronts

23
A Room of One's Own

A Room of One's Own

Virginia Woolf
An Essential Literary and Feminist Text
4.5 (213 ratings)

What's A Room of One's Own about?

A Room of One's Own (1929) is a perceptive rumination on gender and self-expression. This extended essay explores the social and structural barriers women face when creating art.

Who should read A Room of One's Own?

  • Artists looking for inspiring words
  • Women exploring the history of feminism 
  • Those struggling to understand social injustice

24
Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust

Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust

Hédi Fried
A survivor’s account of Auschwitz
4.6 (83 ratings)

What's Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust about?

Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust (2019) is a survivor’s account of the darkest moment in recent European history. Hédi Fried has spent her life educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions. In this book, she considers those questions one by one, and paints a picture of her nightmarish experience that should act as a warning from history.

Who should read Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust?

  • Anyone worried about the rise of racism and nationalism today
  • Those with relatives affected by the Holocaust
  • People interested in modern European history

25
Bedtime Biography: Madame Curie

Bedtime Biography: Madame Curie

Eve Curie
A Biography
4.7 (147 ratings)

What's Bedtime Biography: Madame Curie about?

Two Nobel Prizes, brilliant scientific breakthroughs, tragic losses, tireless work in the hospitals of the First World War: Marie Curie had an eventful life. In this Bedtime Biography, we will tell the story of Marie Curie, and introduce you to the woman behind the many myths.


Who should read Bedtime Biography: Madame Curie?

  • Those interested in the history of science
  • Fans of biographies
  • Parents in search of female role models

26
She Said

She Said

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement
4.8 (36 ratings)

What's She Said about?

On October 5, 2017, the New York Times ran an exposé detailing years of sexual misconduct by famed film producer Harvey Weinstein. She Said (2019) tells the story behind the story, tracing how two investigative journalists, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, uncovered one of the biggest news events of the decade and helped galvanize the #MeToo moment. Told by the journalists themselves, this book recounts how tenacious reporting can transform decades of abuse into a worldwide movement.   

Who should read She Said?

  • Anyone interested in the story behind the #MeToo movement
  • People intrigued by the world of investigative journalism
  • Those seeking inspiration on how to fight abuses of power and other injustices

27
Jog On

Jog On

Bella Mackie
How running saved my life
4.1 (117 ratings)

What's Jog On about?

Jog on (2019) examines the devastating effects of anxiety disorders and reveals how exercise can help to treat them. These blinks also explore author Bella Mackie’s own mental health struggles and chart her journey to recovery. 

Who should read Jog On?

  • Anyone struggling with anxiety or depression
  • Psychology buffs looking for fresh insights
  • Fans of inspirational true stories

28
The Biggest Bluff

The Biggest Bluff

Maria Konnikova
How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
4.1 (152 ratings)

What's The Biggest Bluff about?

The Biggest Bluff (2020) follows writer Maria Konnikova’s journey to becoming a poker champion under the guidance of Poker Hall of Fame inductee Erik Seidel. Applying her background in psychology to the world of poker, Konnikova reveals the game as a metaphor for life and shares lessons that can be applied on – and off – the tables.

Who should read The Biggest Bluff?

  • Game enthusiasts
  • Psychologists
  • Novices who want to master a new skill

29
Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor

Kate Andersen Brower
The Grit and Glamour of an Icon
4.2 (163 ratings)

What's Elizabeth Taylor about?

Elizabeth Taylor (2022) is an enthralling authorized biography of one of Hollywood's most famous stars. This fascinating and complete portrait of the legend chronicles her life of fame, tragedy, love, and loss.

Who should read Elizabeth Taylor?

  • Elizabeth Taylor devotees
  • Classic Hollywood aficionados
  • Romance fans

30
Dear Girls

Dear Girls

Ali Wong
Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, and Advice for Living Your Best Life
3.9 (51 ratings)

What's Dear Girls about?

Dear Girls (2019) is a loving and hilarious collection of letters from a mother to her daughters about how to deal with the inevitable challenges of life. Detailing the author’s most embarrassing, unpleasant, and momentous experiences, Dear Girls shows us that simply embracing who you are is the first step to self-fulfillment. 

Who should read Dear Girls?

  • Aspiring stand-up comedians
  • Young professionals seeking career advice
  • New or soon-to-be mothers

31
How to Fail

How to Fail

Elizabeth Day
Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong
3.9 (124 ratings)

What's How to Fail about?

How to Fail (2019) is an honest and revealing look at the abundant rewards that come from making it through the toughest of times. Author Elizabeth Day takes us through many of the formative events in her life that some could call failures, yet she is nonetheless grateful for. Many fear failure like the plague, but it is often unavoidable – and for good reason too, because if we didn’t fail, we wouldn’t learn the many important lessons that make us smarter and better at living life.

Who should read How to Fail?

  • Anyone going through a tough time
  • People looking to rebound from a failed project
  • Women thinking about starting a family

32
Hunger

Hunger

Roxane Gay
A Memoir of (My) Body
4.2 (48 ratings)

What's Hunger about?

Hunger (2017) is a personal, open-hearted account of what it’s like to live with a body that’s frowned upon by society.

Who should read Hunger?

  • Victims of abuse and sexual violence
  • Students of psychology and social work
  • Anyone struggling with eating disorders

33
Period Power

Period Power

Maisie Hill
Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working For You
4.5 (70 ratings)

What's Period Power about?

Period Power (2019) is your ultimate guide to periods, hormones, and reproductive health. Menstrual health practitioner Maisie Hill explains how your menstrual cycle influences your mood, sleep, and energy and shows how you can harness the power of your hormones to get the most out of each stage of your cycle. Drawing on science and personal experience, Hill equips you with the tools and knowledge to turn your “women’s problems” into period power.

Who should read Period Power?

  • People with periods who are ready to take charge of their menstrual health
  • Girls and women going through puberty, pregnancy, menopause, or other big hormonal changes
  • Non-menstruating people who want to understand their menstruating partners better

34
Finding Me

Finding Me

Viola Davis
A Memoir
4.6 (260 ratings)

What's Finding Me about?

Finding Me (2022) is the highly anticipated memoir from Oscar-, Tony-, and Emmy-award winning actress Viola Davis. Davis is unafraid to share the rawest, most intimate details of her life story, from the brutal hardship of her childhood on Rhode Island, through her tenacious years as a Broadway stage actor, to her arrival into the upper echelons of Hollywood celebrity. 

Who should read Finding Me?

  • Film fans who loved Davis in Doubt, Fences, The Help, and more
  • Theater aficionados interested in a backstage perspective on Broadway
  • Anyone who can’t resist an inspiring true story of success against all odds

35
Love Warrior

Love Warrior

Glennon Doyle
A Memoir
4.0 (84 ratings)

What's Love Warrior about?

Love Warrior (2017) by Glennon Doyle is a memoir that recounts how one woman battled through addiction, disordered eating, and betrayal by confronting and ultimately owning her vulnerabilities. More than that, it’s a meditation on what pain has to teach us, and how, by embracing our own failings, we can live as our most authentic selves.

Who should read Love Warrior?

  • Women who try not to take up too much space
  • Mothers struggling to reconnect with their own identities
  • Anyone who’s ever hit rock bottom and wanted to get back up

36
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot
How one woman's cells changed scientific thinking forever.
4.2 (94 ratings)

What's The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks about?

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of a poor tobacco farmer who died from cervical cancer, and her cell strand, HeLa, which scientists used to develop a cure for polio and other diseases. In a fascinating and revealing investigation, author Rebecca Skloot uncovers the history of Henrietta and her family, of the exploitation of black Americans by the medical industry, and of Henrietta’s immortal cells.

Who should read The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks?

  • Anyone interested in the history of medicine
  • Anyone interested in the history of the relationship between black Americans and the US medical industry

37
Figuring

Figuring

Maria Popova
An exploration of the surprising connections between historical figures
4.1 (68 ratings)

What's Figuring about?

Figuring (2019) traces the intricate web that connects important figures from human history, from German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and inventor Nikola Tesla to America’s first female astronomer Maria Mitchell and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. These blinks pick up the tapestry of these different lives, trace the impact that they had on the course of history, and reveal the secret driving force that unites them all.

Who should read Figuring?

  • Voracious readers across all genres
  • Poets who love science
  • Scientists who love poetry

38
A Woman of No Importance

A Woman of No Importance

Sonia Purnell
The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
4.7 (80 ratings)

What's A Woman of No Importance about?

A Woman of No Importance (2019) sheds light on the shadowy world of wartime espionage and the career of one of the Allies’ most effective spies in the battle against Nazi Germany – Virginia Hall. In these blinks, we’ll follow Virginia from her Maryland home to the jazz clubs of interwar Paris and the warren-like streets of Lyon, the city in which she learned her trade. Along the way, you’ll discover how the “limping lady” dodged Gestapo agents, martialled the French resistance and revolutionized spycraft.

Who should read A Woman of No Importance?

  • Adventure addicts 
  • History buffs 
  • Francophiles 

39
Hard Choices

Hard Choices

Hillary Clinton
The memoir of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
3.0 (41 ratings)

What's Hard Choices about?

Hard Choices offers a first-hand account of the trials and impressive diplomatic successes of the early years of the Obama administration. In this telling memoir, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton places you at the administration’s negotiating table where key policy decisions were made.

Who should read Hard Choices?

  • Anyone interested in what Hillary Clinton would do differently as president
  • Anyone curious about the Obama administration’s foreign policy legacy
  • Anyone who wants an inside look at high-level political negotiations

40
Code Girls

Code Girls

Liza Mundy
The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II
4.5 (58 ratings)

What's Code Girls about?

Code Girls (2017) is about the thousands of American women who worked as code breakers during World War II. Informed by interviews with over 20 surviving women, archived documents, and recently declassified oral histories, author Liza Mundy details the unprecedented lives of female code breakers in Washington, DC and beyond as well as the American intelligence that led to the success of the Allied war efforts.

Who should read Code Girls?

  • History buffs
  • Espionage enthusiasts interested in the history of cryptography
  • Students of science or gender studies

41
All In

All In

Billie Jean King
An Autobiography
4.3 (26 ratings)

What's All In about?

All In (2021) tells the remarkable life story of Billie Jean King, the woman who led a call for equality in women’s sports that soon reverberated around the world. King’s activism and refusal to back down led to real changes in the US legislature, with results that spread far beyond the realm of sports. All the while, King grappled with personal issues that would only find resolution later in life.

Who should read All In?

  • Sports fans
  • Activists and equal rights crusaders
  • Anyone who loves a good inspirational story

42
The Unwinding of the Miracle

The Unwinding of the Miracle

Julie Yip-Williams
A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After
4.4 (162 ratings)

What's The Unwinding of the Miracle about?

As a blind child, Julie Yip-Williams escaped from the poverty of war-torn Vietnam to the peaceful abundance of Los Angeles. For most people, this would have been their life’s most remarkable event – but Julie wasn’t destined for a normal life. In her candid memoir, The Unwinding of the Miracle (2019), Julie takes us on an extraordinary journey through her equally extraordinary time on Earth – from her birth and blindness to her world travels and battle with terminal cancer.

Who should read The Unwinding of the Miracle?

  • Cancer patients feeling alone in their fight
  • Compassionate souls who want to feel another person’s pain
  • Anybody wanting to be told an uncanny tale 

43
Love, Pamela

Love, Pamela

Pamela Anderson
A Tell-All Memoir of the Actress, Icon & Former Playboy Playmate
4.3 (13 ratings)

What's Love, Pamela about?

In her memoir, Love, Pamela (2023), superstar Pamela Anderson tells her own story behind decades of life in the headlines. Through poetry and insightful storytelling, she shares how her passion for exploring love has guided her journey.

Who should read Love, Pamela?

  • Fans of Pamela Anderson
  • People only aware of Pamela Anderson’s public persona and curious to learn more
  • Anyone interested to what it’s like to live as a global celebrity

44
Unfiltered

Unfiltered

Rachel Pedersen
Proven Strategies to Start and Grow Your Business by Not Following the Rules
4.3 (184 ratings)

What's Unfiltered about?

Unfiltered (2022) blends a practical business handbook with Rachel Pedersen’s inspirational journey from a single-mom on welfare to the CEO of two multi-million dollar companies. Using the challenges she’s faced and the lessons she’s learned along the way, Pedersen gives aspiring entrepreneurs the tools to start and grow their dream business on their own terms.

Who should read Unfiltered?

  • Aspiring entrepreneurs
  • Business owners looking to grow
  • Anyone in need of an inspirational story

45
We Are Displaced

We Are Displaced

Malala Yousafzai
My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World
4.5 (78 ratings)

What's We Are Displaced about?

In We Are Displaced (2018), international activist Malala Yousafzai shares her story of becoming displaced from her homeland of Pakistan. She also shares the stories of some of the women and girls she has met while visiting refugee camps across the globe. With over 68.5 million people currently displaced from their homes worldwide, these stories are a vivid and important reminder of the individuality and humanity of each and every displaced person.

Who should read We Are Displaced?

  • Anyone interested in the stories of refugees
  • People inspired by the resilience of women and girls
  • Those looking to dig deeper into the causes of displacement

46
Lady in Waiting

Lady in Waiting

Anne Glenconner
My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
4.1 (33 ratings)

What's Lady in Waiting about?

In Lady in Waiting (2019), Lady Anne Glenconner draws back the curtain on royal life in Britain. Glenconner was lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret for over 30 years. As companion and confidante to the princess, she gleaned a unique perspective on Margaret’s glamorous, scandalous, and secretive life.

Who should read Lady in Waiting?

  • Royal-watchers keen to go behind closed doors at Kensington Palace
  • Fans of Netflix’s The Crown who want to get the real scoop on Margaret
  • Anyone with an appetite for upper-class English gossip

47
All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days

All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days

Rebecca Donner
The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler
4.6 (152 ratings)

What's All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days about?

All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days (2021) offers a deeply intimate look at individuals who risked their lives by establishing an anti-Nazi resistance movement in Germany. With years of research, and access to letters and declassified documents, this is a detailed story about people who have often been overlooked in the fight against fascism.

Who should read All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days?

  • Fans of real-world espionage stories
  • People curious about life in WWII-era Germany
  • History buffs

48
More Than Enough

More Than Enough

Elaine Welteroth
Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say)
3.6 (37 ratings)

What's More Than Enough about?

More Than Enough (2019) is part memoir, part manifesto. It details the triumphs and travails of Elaine Welteroth’s journey to success, beginning with her small-town childhood and ending with her decision to leave her seat as editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. But it’s more than an inspiring success story. It also offers wisdom, tips, warnings and encouragement to anyone who’s ever been told that they aren’t enough just the way they are. 

Who should read More Than Enough?

  • Aspiring journalists  
  • People who’ve been told they aren’t enough
  • Dreamers struggling to realize their dreams

49
Maid

Maid

Stephanie Land
Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
4.1 (123 ratings)

What's Maid about?

Maid (2019) is a memoir that tells a powerful story about a low-income single mother’s experience raising her daughter, working as a maid and struggling to get by in the United States today. A deeply personal account, it also has broader implications, providing insight into the social, cultural and psychological dimensions of poverty.

Who should read Maid?

  • Those interested in learning about poverty in the United States  
  • Professionals wondering what it’s like to be trapped in a menial job
  • Whoever wants to hear an honest story of resilience

50
Good for a Girl

Good for a Girl

Lauren Fleshman
A Woman Running in a Man's World
4.9 (13 ratings)

What's Good for a Girl about?

Good for a Girl (2023) chronicles the career of pro runner Lauren Fleshman, and the issues with the sports system she encountered along the way. It’s both a memoir detailing her life and a manifesto crying for change.

Who should read Good for a Girl?

  • Aspiring female athletes and coaches
  • Advocates of sports industry change
  • Fans of Lauren Fleshman

51
Inside Out

Inside Out

Demi Moore
A Memoir
4.1 (59 ratings)

What's Inside Out about?

Inside Out (2019) is a memoir by Hollywood actress Demi Moore. Here, she turns inward and reports from memory – from her troubled childhood and her rising fame as a member of the “Brat Pack” in the 1980s, to her marriages to Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher.  

Who should read Inside Out?

  • Pop-culture junkies who want to go behind the scenes of Hollywood history
  • Aspiring actors on the thorny path to stardom
  • Lifelong fans of Demi Moore

52
Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures

Margot Lee Shetterly
The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians who Helped Win the Space Race
4.5 (44 ratings)

What's Hidden Figures about?

Hidden Figures (2016) reveals the untold story of the black female mathematicians who helped send John Glenn on his first orbit around the Earth and Neil Armstrong to the moon. These courageous, trailblazing women answered the call of duty by leaving their teaching jobs in segregated Southern schools behind and helping to shape the modern space program.

Who should read Hidden Figures?

  • Women in engineering
  • Those interested in the true history of the space program
  • Students of politics, science and history

53
The Light of Days

The Light of Days

Judy Batalion
The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos
4.6 (74 ratings)

What's The Light of Days about?

The Light of Days (2021) tells the thrilling and harrowing story of the Jewish women in Nazi-occupied Poland who served as resistance fighters during World War II. These women took up arms in ghetto uprisings and served as important couriers on dangerous missions to transport guns and supplies across a hostile territory.

Who should read The Light of Days?

  • History buffs
  • Anyone interested in forgotten World War II stories
  • People who are inspired by fearless women

54
The Undying

The Undying

Anne Boyer
Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care
3.8 (136 ratings)

What's The Undying about?

The Undying (2019) is a searing, poetic account of the author’s journey through an aggressive form of breast cancer. It’s also a seething appraisal of women’s experience of this illness, in history and literature, as well as in the present-day United States. 

Who should read The Undying?

  • Anyone who has ever suffered illness – from a common cold to cancer
  • People interested in class politics 
  • Lovers of great literature

55
Unstoppable

Unstoppable

Maria Sharapova
My Life So Far
4.6 (35 ratings)

What's Unstoppable about?

Unstoppable (2017) tells the personal story of Maria Sharapova, the internationally renowned and respected tennis star. It chronicles her life, from when her family fled Belarus after the Chernobyl disaster, through to her relocation to the United States and her incredible career achievements. Sharapova’s autobiography offers a testimony to the power of strong will and unwavering determination.

Who should read Unstoppable?

  • Aspiring young athletes
  • Tennis fans and players
  • Dreamers and lovers of inspirational stories

56
Help Me!

Help Me!

Marianne Power
One Woman's Quest to Find Out If Self-Help Really Can Change Her Life
4.1 (189 ratings)

What's Help Me! about?

Help Me! (2018) is a record of one woman’s mission to fix her life through self-help books, from the day she finally said “enough” to the thrilling highs and abysmal lows. These blinks share the money, life, and relationship lessons she uncovered – and how they impacted her.

Who should read Help Me!?

  • People interested in personal development
  • Self-help enthusiasts
  • Anyone who enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Diary

57
Personal History

Personal History

Katharine Graham
Uncover the remarkable story of America’s leading lady of letters
4.6 (15 ratings)

What's Personal History about?

Katharine Graham’s autobiography Personal History (1997) is the illuminating inside story of one of the United States’ most powerful media moguls. Beginning with her at times difficult childhood, which was shaped by her demanding and brilliant mother, this Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir sheds light on Graham’s rise through the ranks of the journalistic profession, all the way to the top of the Washington Post’s hierarchy.

Who should read Personal History?

  • History buffs
  • Journalists
  • Anyone who loves inspiring true stories

58
Know My Name

Know My Name

Chanel Miller
A Memoir
4.6 (29 ratings)

What's Know My Name about?

In Know My Name (2019), Chanel Miller presents her side of what happened when she was sexually assaulted by Stanford student Brock Turner and forced to endure a long and traumatizing trial in the public eye. Drawing parallels between her own experience and the structural mistreatment of women in the court system, she explains what made her determined to share her story and empower other survivors.

Who should read Know My Name?

  • People who want to learn more about the experience of sexual assault survivors in the US court system
  • Memoir-lovers who want to be inspired by the story of a remarkable woman 
  • Activists who want inspiration for effecting political change

59
The Greater Freedom

The Greater Freedom

Alya Mooro
Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes
3.8 (23 ratings)

What's The Greater Freedom about?

The Greater Freedom (2019) chronicles one British-Egyptian woman’s struggle to forge her own identity from the two cultures that raised her. Using stories from her own background, detailed research, and interviews with fellow women of the Arab diaspora, author Alya Mooro examines issues including sexuality, Islam, beauty standards, and immigration. She ultimately finds that there is freedom in choosing to exist in-between established tropes of culture, nationality, and identity.

Who should read The Greater Freedom?

  • Modern women reckoning with their conservative upbringing
  • Anyone who has ever felt self-conscious about their appearance
  • Anyone whose family is more religious than they are

60
Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman

Catherine Clinton
The Road to Freedom
4.6 (16 ratings)

What's Harriet Tubman about?

Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom (2004) sheds light on the fascinating life of Harriet Tubman, a pioneering woman who not only escaped the bonds of slavery, but also helped hundreds of others do the same. In addition, the book offers insights on the vital role she played in the American Civil War, and in the fight for equal rights for women and African-Americans.

Who should read Harriet Tubman?

  • People of all ages seeking an inspirational story
  • Amateur historians who love learning more about the Civil War era
  • Activists and advocates for civil and women’s rights

61
Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale

Cecil Woodham-Smith
1820–1910
4.7 (76 ratings)

What's Florence Nightingale about?

Florence Nightingale (1951) tells the legendary story of the “Lady with the Lamp,” the famed nurse who arrived to soothe the souls of those wounded in the Crimean War. It chronicles her journey to the conflict’s horrific medical barracks, and how she used her experiences to forever change the way hospitals are run and how the sick are treated. 

Who should read Florence Nightingale?

  • People interested in amazing life stories
  • Those curious about life and hardships during Victorian times
  • History buffs

62
What Happened

What Happened

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Learn what went wrong with Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign
3.6 (34 ratings)

What's What Happened about?

What Happened (2017) is the story of the woman at the center of one of the craziest elections the United States has ever seen: the 2016 presidential election. This is Hillary Rodham Clinton’s account of her experience facing, and eventually losing to, Donald Trump – an opponent like no other – and the road that led her to this historic election.  

Who should read What Happened?

  • US voters
  • Activists and advocates
  • Women seeking inspiration

63
Happy Fat

Happy Fat

Sofie Hagen
Taking Up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You
4.0 (41 ratings)

What's Happy Fat about?

In Happy Fat (2019) Sofie Hagen reveals how painful it is to grow up fat in a society filled with prejudice and discrimination. She dispels entrenched myths about fatness, arguing that the correlation between being fat and being unhealthy has been misrepresented and that fatphobia – rather than fatness – is the dangerous social epidemic that we as a society need to challenge.  

Who should read Happy Fat?

  • Comedy lovers who want to learn more about the life of a funny, fresh voice
  • Fat activists looking for resources on how to deal with fatphobia
  • People curious about the commercial interests that fuel the weight-loss industry

64
Trick Mirror

Trick Mirror

Jia Tolentino
Reflections on Self-Delusion
4.0 (56 ratings)

What's Trick Mirror about?

Trick Mirror (2019) is the long-awaited first collection of writer and essayist Jia Tolentino. In nine intertwined stories, she tells of the trends and ideas – as well as the personal and collective delusions – that have shaped her life, our country, and the culture. Examining everything from the internet to workout crazes to modern marriage, Tolentino interweaves the personal and political, calling to mind great feminist writers like Susan Sontag and Joan Didion.

Who should read Trick Mirror?

  • Critical thinkers with an affinity for dissecting cultural trends
  • Lefties and liberals – and those who want to understand them better
  • Anyone who claims the label “feminist”

65
Make Trouble

Make Trouble

Cecile Richards (with Lauren Peterson)
Standing Up, Speaking Out and Finding the Courage to Lead
3.7 (16 ratings)

What's Make Trouble about?

Make Trouble (2018) is the inspiring memoir of maverick and activist Cecile Richards – a woman who’s spent her life standing up for what she believes in. Never one to shy away from a fight, Richard’s mantra is simple: if you want to make change, you have to make trouble. An instant bestseller praised by Hillary Clinton and Vogue, this fascinating story follows Cecile’s path from her precocious school days during the Vietnam War to her battles with the religious right as president of Planned Parenthood.

Who should read Make Trouble?

  • Would-be world changers
  • Politics buffs
  • Women in the trenches of the battle against misogyny

66
My Life in Full

My Life in Full

Indra Nooyi
Work, Family, and Our Future
4.1 (112 ratings)

What's My Life in Full about?

My Life in Full (2021) is the memoir of former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. She reflects on her rise to success and the juggling act it required as she struggled to make time for her family.

Who should read My Life in Full?

  • Working parents
  • Women aspiring to leadership positions
  • Anyone interested in the story of a uniquely successful career

67
The Radium Girls

The Radium Girls

Kate Moore
The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women
4.7 (23 ratings)

What's The Radium Girls about?

The Radium Girls (2016) tells the tragic yet ultimately inspiring story of American female workers in the early twentieth century who endured some of the worst corporate negligence imaginable. Their incredible fight for justice and responsibility continues to be a relevant story to this day.

Who should read The Radium Girls?

  • Those interested in the history of women’s rights
  • Students of corporate law
  • Readers interested in nuclear science

68
Notorious RBG

Notorious RBG

Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
4.6 (29 ratings)

What's Notorious RBG about?

Notorious RBG (2015) chronicles the life story of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. From her childhood in Brooklyn – when she was known by her nickname, Kiki – to capturing the public imagination with her scathing dissents on the bench, these blinks portray one woman’s relentless fight to give American women and men equal rights under the country’s legislation.

New York Times Bestseller

Who should read Notorious RBG?

  • Millennials interested in the life of America’s most unassuming pop icon
  • Students of US history, law, and politics
  • Social activists and feminists looking for inspiration

69
Fast Forward

Fast Forward

Melanne Verveer and Kim K. Azzarelli
How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose
4.8 (12 ratings)

What's Fast Forward about?

Fast Forward (2015) is about one of the most underappreciated resources on earth: women. These blinks, which argue that women will be the key to this century’s greatest achievements, outline many of the myriad problems that women face, as well as the steps we can take to solve them.

Who should read Fast Forward?

  • Feminists and human rights activists
  • Anyone interested in global power politics
  • People who want to make the world a better place

70
Unbound

Unbound

Tarana Burke
My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
4.5 (141 ratings)

What's Unbound about?

Unbound (2021) is a powerful memoir by Tarana Burke, the founder of the Me Too movement. Survivors of sexual abuse stay silent because of shame and victim-blaming around the abuse. The Me Too movement has created a remarkable community of survivors who support each other in challenging stigma and holding perpetrators to account. 

Who should read Unbound?

  • Followers of #MeToo who want to find out where it all began 
  • Survivors of sexual assault looking for an inspiring story about how to heal in spite of obstacles
  • Activists who want to learn more about Burke’s unique approach to fighting for social justice

71
Speaking for Myself

Speaking for Myself

Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Faith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House
3.4 (60 ratings)

What's Speaking for Myself about?

Speaking for Myself (2020) is an insider’s account of Donald Trump’s first two years in office by the woman whose job it was to present the president’s thinking to the world – press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Alongside fascinating snapshots of Trump’s decision-making process, values, and sense of humor, Sanders offers readers a glimpse of the inner workings of the White House and the role of the press in American political life.

Who should read Speaking for Myself?

  • Trump haters interested in the other side of the story
  • Journalists, reporters, and broadcasters
  • History and politics buffs

72
Uncanny Valley

Uncanny Valley

Anna Wiener
A Memoir
3.9 (49 ratings)

What's Uncanny Valley about?

At the peak of the tech boom, Anna Wiener left a dismal professional life in New York for the modern Californian gold rush in Silicon Valley. Looking for money, stability, and social affirmation, she found an industry running on inflated valuations, gargantuan egos, toxic masculinity, and a whole lot of jargon. In Uncanny Valley (2020), you’ll follow her journey through three start-up jobs toward a more realistic valuation of herself.

Who should read Uncanny Valley?

  • Anyone terrified by big tech’s takeover of our lives
  • Those disappointed by the inaction following Snowden's revelations
  • Start-up employees wondering if they've made the right career choice

73
Imagine It Forward

Imagine It Forward

Beth Comstock with Thal Raz
Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change
4.1 (37 ratings)

What's Imagine It Forward about?

Imagine it Forward (2018) charts the successes and setbacks of one of America’s most prolific businesswomen, Beth Comstock. Combining anecdotes from her tenure at General Electric with surprising insights and indispensable practical advice, these blinks explore the life and times of this remarkable change-maker and innovator.

Who should read Imagine It Forward?

  • Anyone looking for tips to instigate effective change
  • Those interested in the lives and careers of extraordinary women
  • Managers looking for fresh leadership insights

74
The Daughters of Kobani

The Daughters of Kobani

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice
4.4 (78 ratings)

What's The Daughters of Kobani about?

The Daughters of Kobani (2021) tells the riveting, edge-of-your-seat tale of a group of Syrian Kurdish women who took up arms against the terror group ISIS. Brimming with pathos and unimaginable courage, it’s a story of women fighting evil and winning, against all the odds. But it’s equally about women defying a culture that would deny them their rights –⁠ and striving toward a better one.

Who should read The Daughters of Kobani?

  • Fans of thrillers and action films
  • Feminists empowered by stories of brave women
  • Students of Middle Eastern conflict and international relations

75
The Truths We Hold

The Truths We Hold

Kamala Harris
An American Journey
4.1 (43 ratings)

What's The Truths We Hold about?

The Truths We Hold (2019) is an intimate self-portrait of one of the rising forces in contemporary American political life: Californian Senator and civil rights activist Kamala Harris. Combining the personal with the political, Harris sheds light on her early years as the daughter of immigrants, her legal career in the Golden State and the causes she has championed as an elected representative in Trump’s America.

Who should read The Truths We Hold?

  • Politics and history buffs
  • Anyone interested in the life and views of a potential presidential candidate
  • Legal professionals and civil rights activists

76
Small Fry

Small Fry

Lisa Brennan-Jobs
A captivating memoir by the daughter of Apple founder Steve Jobs
4.2 (23 ratings)

What's Small Fry about?

Small Fry (2018) is a candid and intimate memoir, tracing the author’s life from her birth to the death of her father, Steve Jobs. Beyond giving readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Apple’s founder, the book offers an incisive portrait of a Californian childhood.

Who should read Small Fry?

  • Fans and critics of Steve Jobs
  • Memoir enthusiasts
  • Tech heads with a literary bent

77
Thick

Thick

Tressie McMillan Cottom
And Other Essays
4.2 (35 ratings)

What's Thick about?

Thick: And Other Essays (2019) is a collection of essays by author Tressie McMillan Cottom that centers on the experiences of African American women. Drawing on her own lived experience as well as that of others, McMillan Cottom’s smart, incisive prose provides a fresh perspective on topics as varied as race, beauty, politics, and capitalism, and sheds light on the most pressing issues of today. Part sociological tract, part polemic, the book reveals the brutal and often absurd paradoxes of modern-day America. 

Who should read Thick?

  • Feminists interested in deeper insight into the experiences of Black women 
  • Activists who want to learn more about the current state of racial inequity 
  • Social scientists and academics interested in current affairs

78
Rise of the Rocket Girls

Rise of the Rocket Girls

Nathalia Holt
The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars
4.5 (18 ratings)

What's Rise of the Rocket Girls about?

Rise of the Rocket Girls (2016) reveals the intriguing and enlightening stories of the women who worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It traces the laboratory from its earliest days through to modern times, from its quirky beginnings to its role as one of NASA’s most important component parts. These women were responsible for crunching numbers and the important calculations that kept the United States in the space race and helped launch rockets, satellites and probes into the farthest corners of the solar system. Their influence cannot be denied. And, more than that, it must be acknowledged.

Who should read Rise of the Rocket Girls?

  • Readers who seek strong female role models
  • Science geeks
  • Space enthusiasts

79
Rise Up, Women!

Rise Up, Women!

Diane Atkinson
The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes

What's Rise Up, Women! about?

Rise Up, Women! (2018) tells the remarkable story of the militant women’s suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. Full of fascinating insights into the women at the heart of the struggle for equality, these blinks illuminate one of the twentieth century’s first great civil rights revolutions.

Who should read Rise Up, Women!?

  • History buffs
  • Feminists
  • Activists

80
Broad Band

Broad Band

Claire L. Evans
The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet
4.1 (130 ratings)

What's Broad Band about?

Broad Band (2018) tells the story of the women who played significant roles in the evolution of computers and the internet. It examines how these women became trailblazers in fields of work that were initially considered boring – but later proved to be of great importance.

Who should read Broad Band ?

  • Young women interested in pursuing a career in computer science
  • Computer scientists and engineers
  • People interested in how women have shaped our world

81
Chasing Hillary

Chasing Hillary

Amy Chozick
Ten Years, Two Presidential Campaigns and One Intact Glass Ceiling
3.9 (10 ratings)

What's Chasing Hillary about?

Chasing Hillary (2018) details journalist Amy Chozick’s deeply personal experience at the New York Times reporting on Hillary Clinton. The book follows not just Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 US presidential election but also her battle with Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party primaries. It delves deep into the Clinton psyche, looking back to the times before she even considered running for high office.

Who should read Chasing Hillary?

  • Journalists
  • People fascinated by US politics
  • Anyone wondering just how Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump

82
Lady Sings the Blues

Lady Sings the Blues

Billie Holiday with William Dufty
The 50th-Anniversay Edition with a Revised Discography
4.3 (128 ratings)

What's Lady Sings the Blues about?

Lady Sings the Blues (1956) is Billie Holiday’s tell-all memoir. The legendary jazz singer recounts her life, from a brutal childhood in Baltimore to the start of her musical career in Harlem and – eventually – stardom tainted by racism and drug addiction. 

Who should read Lady Sings the Blues?

  • Music lovers
  • Anyone curious about Harlem speakeasies
  • Fans of fast-paced, hard-edged memoirs

83
Queen of Fashion

Queen of Fashion

Caroline Weber
What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution
4.5 (20 ratings)

What's Queen of Fashion about?

Queen of Fashion (2006) reveals the untold ways in which Marie Antoinette, with her iconoclastic sense of fashion and her rebellious behavior, challenged the status quo of the eighteenth-century French court. Her daring originality was a way for her to share her voice and personality, and her story tells us a great deal about the revolutionary politics that can be found in the history of both fashion and France.

Who should read Queen of Fashion?

  • Fashionistas wanting to know more about the link between power and clothing
  • Francophiles obsessed with Marie Antoinette
  • History students interested in the French Revolution

84
I Am Not Your Baby Mother

I Am Not Your Baby Mother

Candice Brathwaite
What it's like to be a Black British mother
3.9 (15 ratings)

What's I Am Not Your Baby Mother about?

I Am Not Your Baby Mother (2020) is part memoir and part manifesto about life as a Black British mother. Drawing on Candice Brathwaite’s own journey to parenthood, it describes how she survived everything from postnatal depression to the realization that she could never protect her children from racism. These events motivated her to create space for representations of diverse experiences of motherhood online.

Who should read I Am Not Your Baby Mother?

  • Black mothers looking for narratives of parenthood that more closely reflect their own
  • Activists wanting to learn more about inequality in Britain
  • White parents who want to confront their own privilege and learn about institutionalized racism

85
This Is What America Looks Like

This Is What America Looks Like

Ilhan Omar
My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman
4.4 (44 ratings)

What's This Is What America Looks Like about?

This Is What America Looks Like (2020) is a memoir tracing Ilhan Omar’s incredible, trailblazing journey from war-torn Mogadishu to the floor of the US House of Representatives. In the process, she learned what truly matters to her as a Muslim, mother, American, and human being.

Who should read This Is What America Looks Like?

  • Superfans of The Squad
  • American politics junkies
  • Anyone looking for a modern-day fairytale

86
Abortion and the Law in America

Abortion and the Law in America

Mary Ziegler
Roe v. Wade to the Present
4.4 (127 ratings)

What's Abortion and the Law in America about?

Abortion and the Law in America (2020) offers a comprehensive legal history of abortion rights in the US. It highlights the social and cultural shifts that have contributed to the abortion debate and looks closely at the types of arguments invoked by both sides.

Who should read Abortion and the Law in America?

  • People who want to learn more about the complexity of the American abortion debate
  • Those interested in the relationship between cultural values and law
  • Anyone following US politics

87
Vaxxers

Vaxxers

Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green
The Inside Story of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine and the Race Against the Virus
4.3 (146 ratings)

What's Vaxxers about?

Vaxxers (2021) follows the race to develop a functional vaccine to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Professor Sarah Gilbert and Dr. Catherine Green, of the University of Oxford, deliver captivating and informative insight into the process of designing, testing, and manufacturing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in record time. They recount exciting moments of innovation, as well as the hurdles faced along the way.

Who should read Vaxxers?

  • Anyone fascinated by vaccine development
  • Public health enthusiasts 
  • Futurists looking to prepare for the next big pandemic

88
First They Killed My Father

First They Killed My Father

Loung Ung
A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
4.4 (14 ratings)

What's First They Killed My Father about?

First They Killed My Father (2006) is Loung Ung’s memoir of her childhood experiences living under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the 1970s. She begins her story as the Khmer Rouge take power, forcing her family to flee the country’s capital, Phnom Penh, only to find themselves living as slave laborers, in constant fear that they would be personally targeted by the regime.

Who should read First They Killed My Father?

  • Anyone who’s seen the Oscar-winning film The Killings Fields
  • History buffs
  • Fans of autobiographies and memoirs

89
My Beloved World

My Beloved World

Sonia Sotomayor
The memoir by the first Latina ever to serve on the US Supreme Court
4.2 (78 ratings)

What's My Beloved World about?

My Beloved World (2013) is the memoir of Sonia Sotomayor, the third woman, and first Latina ever, to serve on the US Supreme Court. From her childhood hardships and her unlikely path to Princeton and Yale Law School to her first appointment as a judge, Sotomayor’s story is one of resilience, friendship and lifelong learning.

Who should read My Beloved World?

  • Law students interested in one woman’s road to the supreme court
  • Law professionals who want to know more about one of the supreme court justices
  • Anyone who likes reading about real-life examples of the American dream

90
And the Good News Is...

And the Good News Is...

Dana Perino
Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side

What's And the Good News Is... about?

And the Good News Is… (2015) walks you through the life and times of Dana Perino. These blinks follow Dana’s life – from her early childhood in rural Wyoming to her career on Capitol Hill – and offer applicable advice for success and personal improvement along the way.

Who should read And the Good News Is...?

  • Fans of Dana Perino
  • Anyone who wants a job on Capitol Hill
  • People in every field looking for tips to succeed

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