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Off the Shelf: Here’s a reading list for Women’s History Month

Off the Shelf

How did you celebrate Women’s History Month this March? I discovered several great books written by women authors who are celebrating and illuminating the experiences of women through their writing.

Kayleen Schaefer, author of “Text Me When You Get Home,” explores the nature of female friendship, including how female friendship and the way it is viewed by society have changed over time, especially in our present moment of female empowerment and the Time’s Up and Me Too movements. She suggests that a woman’s request for her friends to “Text me when you get home” is not just about confirming the safety of her friends but about the desire to keep talking, build their friendship and be a substantial part of each other’s lives.

Karen Karbo’s “In Praise of Difficult Women: Life Lessons from 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules” discusses women who have broken the rules in their quests for self-discovery and success. I loved learning more about iconic women such as J.K. Rowling, Coco Chanel, Jane Goodall, and Josephine Baker. Their stories left me inspired and in search of more stories about great women, which I found in graphic novelist Penelope Bagieu’s “Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World.” Through stories and drawings Bagieu celebrates the lives of women who were bold and rebellious, including Nellie Bly, Peggy Guggenheim, and Temple Grandin.

I didn’t stop with nonfiction heroines and moved right on to these great novels about strong women by women authors.

In “Daughter of the Pirate King,” Alosa’s all-women crew of pirates must capture the last piece of the map that will guide them to the sirens’ treasure. Once Alosa discovers the secret of her mother’s identity and witnesses just how ruthless her father the Pirate King can be, she must decide if she will strike out against her father and seek the treasure for herself. Author Tricia Levenseller’s female characters are brave, daring, and ambitious!

Daniel Ortberg’s “The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror” turns a feminist lens on classic fairy tales. You’ll be delighted with his retellings when you realize how cleverly he spins old storylines with new twists and a modern sensibility. Ortberg wrote under the name Mallory Ortberg until recently, when he publicly shared that he is transgender.

Martha Hall Kelly’s “Lilac Girls” tells the story of three women connected during WWII by unimaginable circumstances. Kasia, a Polish Catholic teenager, is sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp, where she becomes the subject of horrible medical experiments conducted by German doctor Herta Oberheuser. American Caroline Ferriday hears of Kasia’s plight and works relentlessly to right the atrocities committed during the war. Kelly tells the story of women who choose not to give up when adversity seems insurmountable and how their efforts to help one another aid their healing.

Women authors continue to amaze me, and I am looking forward to several upcoming 2018 books by and about women, including “Women in Sunlight” by Frances Mayes, “Just the Funny Parts: … And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club” by Nell Scovell, “From the Corner of the Oval: A Memoir” by Beck Dorey-Stein, “You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Train Wrecks, & Other Mixed Messages” by Carina Chocano, and “The Glitch” by Elisabeth Cohen. Stop by the library to check these out (or get your name on the holds list) and to discuss your favorite women authors and characters; I’m always looking for more suggestions!

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