March is Women’s History Month in the United States. Since 1987, this month has been officially designated as a time to honor the numerous contributions women have made to society. It’s also a time to learn about the important role women have historically played in shaping the world we live in today.
Did you know?
* The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, passed on August 26, 1920.
* Women’s History Month began in California in 1978 as Women’s History week.
* In Canada, Women’s History Month is celebrated in October.
* International Women’s Day, set aside to acknowledge women’s global achievements, takes place on March 8 and is recognized in many countries around the world.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight some women-related books in the Bookshare collection. We hope to provide a selection of titles for all ages that will educate, entertain, and inspire you as you learn a little more about the many accomplishments women have made.
Books for Children and Teens
…If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights, by Anne Kamma. For grades 4-6. This book tells the exciting story of how American women worked to get the rights that they have today.
100 Women Who Shaped World History, by Gail Meyer Rolka. A comprehensive collection of one page synopses about 100 women of major importance in our history.
A Long Way to Go: A Story of Women’s Right to Vote, by Zibby Oneal. In this fictional story, Eight-year-old Lila deals with the women’s suffrage movement that rages during World War I.
Breaking Barriers: The Feminist Revolution from Susan B. Anthony to Margaret Sanger to Betty Friedan, by Jules Archer. For grades 9-12. An exploration of the women’s movement, with biographies of Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, and Betty Friedan.
Fighting for Equal Rights: A Story about Susan B. Anthony, by Maryann N. Weidt. Born a Quaker, Susan B. Anthony grew up being taught that women were equal to men. During her lifetime, she was a teacher, a newspaperwoman, and an activist.
Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (And What the Neighbors Thought), by Kathleen Krull. Grades 4-6. The biographies of twenty outstanding ladies, who triumphed over history and are still remembered today.
The Nineteenth Amendment, by Judy Monroe. Traces the history of the women’s rights movement in the United States which culminated in 1920 with the passage of the constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote.
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote, by Ann Bausum. For grades 5 and up. Over the course of seven compelling, fact-filled chapters… the story of a brave struggle unfolds, showing how women used the democratic system that excluded them in order to become full voting citizens of their nation.
Women’s Rights, by Natasha Thomsen. For students in grades nine and up, Thomsen presents information on the history and current state of women’s rights in the US and different contexts abroad, specifically Denmark, China, Afghanistan, and Kenya.
Women’s Roles In Twentieth-Century America, by Martha May. For teens – Surveys the roles of women of different classes and ethnicities as workers, parents, artists, and other roles in 20th century America.
Books for Adults
Amazing Women: Inspirational Stories, by Charles Margerison. In this unique story collection from The Amazing People Club, the real lives of iconic women including Coco Chanel, Sojourner Truth, Maria Montessori, Eva Peron and Helen Keller come to life.
Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970, by Lynne Olson. History of the role of women in the Civil Rights movement.
Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation, by Cokie Roberts. Roberts presents a blend of biographical portraits and behind-the-scenes vignettes chronicling women’s public roles and private responsibilities in founding our nation.
The Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem, by Carolyn G. Heilbrun
The Feminine Mystique , by Betty Friedan. First published in 1963, “The Feminine Mystique” ignited a revolution that profoundly changed our culture, our consciousness, and our lives.
The Road to Seneca Falls: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the First Woman’s Rights Convention, by Judith Wellman. This book examines the factors that led up to the convention, woven together with the story of Cady Stanton’s life.
Tidal Wave: How Women Changed America at Century’s End, by Sara M. Evans. Historian draws on an extraordinary range of interviews, archives, and published sources to tell for the first time the incredible story of the past forty years in women’s history.
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, by Gail Collins. Collins recounts the sea change women have experienced since 1960. A comprehensive mix of oral history and Collins’s keen research, this is the definitive book about five crucial decades of progress.
Women Who Changed the World: Fifty Inspirational Women Who Shaped History, from Quercus Publishing. A celebration of the achievements of women, this book honors 50 amazing women and the incredible impact they have had on our world.
Women’s Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present, by Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler. Historical events of the last three centuries come alive through these women’s singular correspondences–often their only form of public expression.
Also good reading are “Almost Astronauts” and “Promised the Moon” about the Mercury 13 astronauth candidates. These were women pilots who passed the psychology and physical tests but NASA was not ready to accept.
I’ve personally heard the story from one FLAT, Irene Leverton, and it’s a fascinating saga of women, jobs, danger, and politics.
There are probably other “women and space” books, such as bio of Sally Ride.
Enjoy!