A CELEBRATion of FEMALE AUTHOrs during women’s history month
“Women writers, with their
singular voices and perspectives, have not only enriched the literary world but also inspired generations to look beyond the surface and explore the heart of
the human experience.
Their vision, transformed into
incredible stories, serves as an
enduring reminder of resilience, creativity,
and the infinite possibilities that emerge when words take shape.” ~Epica.com
For centuries, women have taken pen to paper.
First, literally. Today, digitally, as well.
Their stories provide unique views to the world around us, offering the strength, passion, wisdom and more that we walk with each day. Stories that men are unable to share and can only imagine or deduce.
According to a study by University of Minnesota economist Joel Waldfogel, fewer than 1 in 5 new books in the U.S. were written by women in the 1970s. However, by 2021, “women-authored books were outselling those by men,” more than 50% of all authors. In the UK, women make up 60% of all authors, 62% in Canada.
In the spirit of empowering storytellers, shades Magazine contributor and avid reader Laurie Wolfe has again shared some of her favorite books by female authors highlighting a diverse mix of voices, topics and viewpoints.
The Personal Librarian
By Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Penguin Random House, 2021
This work of historical fiction is about American financier John Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene – a Black woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation.
Known for her intellect, style and wit, this story shares the lengths she must go to – for the protection of her family and her legacy – preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story
of America’s Shining Women
By Kate Moore
Sourcebooks, 2018
This nonfiction piece highlights the hundreds of girls who worked and spent hours in factories, painting radium watch dials and hands with self-luminous paint. After being told that the paint was harmless, the women all ingested deadly amounts of radium as they were instructed to “point” their brushes on their lips in order to give them a fine tip. It was business as usual until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.
A great read for feminists, history enthusiasts and anyone looking for a compelling story of resilience and empowerment.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By Rebecca Skloot
The Crown Publishing Group, 2010
In 1951 at age 31, Lacks — an African-American woman — died following a battle with an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Prior to that, cells were taken from her tumor, cultured in a lab and found to be “immortal.”
Following her death, her HeLa cells (named for first two letters in her first and last name) were mass-produced and sold for scientific research to laboratories around the globe. The family has received settlements in 2023 and 2026, since this book was published.
Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist
By Judith Heumann with Kristen Joiner
Beacon Press 2020, Penguin Random House, 2021
Paralyzed from polio at 18 months, Heumann’s battle for equality began in grade school when her grade school deemed she was a “fire hazard.” She later won a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher’s license because of her paralysis.
One of the most influential disability rights activists in U.S. history, she tells her life story fighting for the right to receive an education, have a job and just be human
This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman
By Ilhan Omar with Rebecca Paley
HarperCollins Publishers, 2020
Aspirations, disappointments, successes and surprises are shared by Omar – an immigrant and Muslim who went from a childhood in Mogadishu, Somalia; spent four years at a Kenyan refugee camp; finally making her way to America with no money and unable to speak English.
This compelling memoir highlights Omar’s journey to becoming the first African refugee, the first Somali-American and one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, representing Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Finding My Way: A Memoir
By Malala Yousafzai
Simon and Schuster, 2025
Yousafzai’s second memoir looks at the life of a young woman who is taking charge of her destiny while being unapologetically herself. She does this by taking readers through some of her darkest moments, sharing how she came out the other side a freer individual.
The Pakistani female education activist is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize awardee at age 17 and since 2017, has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace to help raise awareness of the
importance of girl’s education.
The Small and the Mighty
Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
In this collection of stories, McMahon ordinary people are often those who are the most “remarkable” … and interesting.
From a formerly enslaved woman on a mission to reunite with her daughter, to a poet on a train; a teacher who learns to work with her enemies and a woman who rides down Pennsylvania Avenue on a white horse are just few of the pieces you’ll read.
Laurie Wolfe is a retired book lover and social activist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is an occasional guest on shades Magazine’s #RealTalkPlus podcast show on Clubhouse.