Far too often, the contributions women have made to society go unnoticed. Women’s History Month was established in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter, who said “the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was a vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.” It is important to learn about these women, and what better way than through books?
Becca Jordan, Maria’s Bookshop book seller, recommends Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Powers. Consisting of 100 stories about influential women in history, from Mariya Oktyabrskaya (after her husband’s death, she sold all of her belongings, bought a tank and proceeded to fight the Nazis) to Wu Zetian (the only female emperor in China’s history), it is a fantastic place to start.
“Rejected Princesses is great because it upends this assumption that women have always been oppressed and relegated to secondary roles, and that only recently have women made advances toward equality,” says Jordan. “In reality, women have always fought, always ruled and have always been challenging the status quo. Rejected Princesses illustrates these real-life women and highlights them as the protagonists of their own tales. Reading about the women who stood up and made a difference gives us ground to stand on and empowers women to make a difference in the future.”
Kirbie Bennett highly recommends Kate Evans’ Red Rosa, a graphic novel about “a Marxist economist, anti-war activist, outspoken supporter of liberation for women and indigenous peoples, and a revolutionary socialist who put her life at risk for these causes.” The art is beautiful, and her story is extremely important. “Rosa Luxemburg’s life was cut short when she was murdered by the Freikorps – the German paramilitary group that was a precursor to Nazism. Her murder is a reminder that fascists are immersed in misogyny,” says Bennett. “Celebrating the achievements of women as well as continuing to support justice and liberation for all women and oppressed peoples, as Luxemburg devoted her life to, is a punch in the face to fascism.”
Stories like hers remind us how hard the fight for equality has been in the past and can inspire us to challenge the issues that we face in the present.
Women have made vital contributions throughout history, from leading countries to making important scientific discoveries. If we don’t learn about their contributions and sacrifices, our knowledge of the past is incomplete, and what we can learn from it will be limited. This shortcoming is easily remedied through the compelling stories about these women.
These books, and others about women in history, can be found at the Durango Public Library, and your favorite independent bookstore.
Want more?
Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly
Cleopatra, by Stacy Shiff
Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan
I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai
Mother of All Questions, by Rebecca Solnit
Snapshots of Dangerous Women, by Peter Cohen
Bad Feminist, by Roxanne Gay
The Witches: Salem, 1692, by Stacy Shiff
Jaime Cary
