Reading Recommendations: Women’s History Month Reads
Hello everyone! In celebration of Women’s History Month I decided to compile yet another list of reading recommendations. You can see the previous post here. This list is a compilation of historical fiction novels from Children to Adult books that feature diverse, strong, admirable female protagonists in order to celebrate this month and women’s accomplishments from the past to the present. Here are some recommendations of female empowered books to add to your reading list!
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden were good at math…really good.
They participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes, like providing the calculations for America’s first journeys into space. And they did so during a time when being black and a woman limited what they could do. But they worked hard. They persisted. And they used their genius minds to change the world.
In this beautifully illustrated picture book edition, we explore the story of four female African American mathematicians at NASA, known as “colored computers,” and how they overcame gender and racial barriers to succeed in a highly challenging STEM-based career.
Though this is a picture book aimed at children, this is still a great resource for people of all ages. I love the stunning, colorful illustrations by Laura Freeman that brings the history to life. It walks you through these amazing women in STEM field and their careers while also explaining the techonology of that time. It’s a fast-paced read with lots of information that doesn’t overwhelm the reader. Most imporantly it inpsires young minds to get interested in the STEM field and what it has to offer.
Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to two different Ivy League schools. When he mysteriously goes missing, his little sister, 13-year-old Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal. Why isn’t his story all over the news? And why do the police automatically assume he was into something illegal?
Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s old closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. There was far more to Quinton, it seems, than she ever knew. He’s left her a nomination for a summer tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies somewhere inside, if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarves, yetis and magicians all being real things, something she has to instantly confront when she is given a weredragon as a roommate.
Amari must compete against some of the nation’s wealthiest kids—who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives and are able to easily answer questions like which two Great Beasts reside in the Atlantic Ocean and how old is Merlin? Just getting around the Bureau is a lesson alone for Amari with signs like ‘Department of Hidden Places this way, or is it?’ If that all wasn’t enough, every Bureau trainee has a talent enhanced to supernatural levels to help them do their jobs – but Amari is given an illegal ability. As if she needed something else to make her stand out.
With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.
What I loved most about this book is that it is infused with Black Girl Magic and a cast of diverse characters. I wish there were more stories like this growing up and I think Amari’s representation of going on a fantasy adventure is so important for young readers. Alston adds the most intricate details to make this such a immersive reading experience. There were tons of mythical creatures, magical talking elevators, and secret spell books. Plus Amari is an admirable heroine that uses her inner strength to conquer evil foes.
Shayla Lawson is major. You don’t know who she is. Yet. But that’s okay. She is on a mission to move black girls like herself from best supporting actress to a starring role in the major narrative. Whether she’s taking on workplace microaggressions or upending racist stereotypes about her home state of Kentucky, she looks for the side of the story that isn’t always told, the places where the voices of black girls haven’t been heard.
The essays in This is Major ask questions like: Why are black women invisible to AI? What is “black girl magic”? Or: Am I one viral tweet away from becoming Twitter famous? And: How much magic does it take to land a Tinder date?
With a unique mix of personal stories, pop culture observations, and insights into politics and history, Lawson sheds light on these questions, as well as the many ways black women and girls have influenced mainstream culture—from their style, to their language, and even their art—and how “major” they really are.
Timely, enlightening, and wickedly sharp, This Is Major places black women at the center—no longer silenced, no longer the minority.
This is Major is a book full of essays about the author’s experience as a Black woman and her thoughts of Black women in the media, pop culture, legacy, and so much more. There’s a lot to unpack in this collection of thoughts, but I enjoyed it thoroughly from beginning to end. There are so many important narratives, awareness about many issues are brought to light, there are fun musings on life’s experiences, and an overall deeper conversation about race.
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, “Dear Miss Sweetie.” When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society’s ills, but she’s not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender.
While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta’s most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.
This one is set in Atlanta during the “Gilded Age” with our main character, Jo Kuan. She is a fiery young woman whose opinions can sometimes get her in trouble, but always she stands up for what she believes in. Even though life is hard for Jo, she is determined to have a better future. Jo knows that it’s dangerous for her to write for the paper and expose herself, but she wants to be heard. As a writer myself, I really admired Jo’s writing style!
Jennifer Hosten went to the 1970 Miss World pageant on a lark, representing the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada, and came home with the crown and a place in history. What was supposed to be a light-hearted affair, with a parade of the world’s most beautiful women vying for the attention of the judges and comedian/host Bob Hope, turned out to be the most controversial, politically-charged, and consequential pageant ever. Women’s liberation activists blew up a BBC broadcast truck and stormed London’s Royal Albert Hall in an attempt to sabotage the show, which they deemed a “cattle market.” They threw rotten vegetables in the auditorium and hit Bob Hope with a flour bomb. When order was restored, Jennifer Hosten made history as the first women of colour to win the title. The broadcast introduced its massive audience to both a militant new brand of feminism and a new ideal of beauty, one in which the whole world could share. Ms. Hosten followed her triumph with a successful career as a diplomat and public servant in Grenada and Canada. Her book tells the stories of the epochal 1970 contest and her life with grace and an amused modesty.
This is interesting book that chronicles Jennifer Hoston’s time at the Miss World 1970 pageant and how she won the crown. This was a historic occasion as she was the first woman of color to win the pageant which broke barriers for this competition. The book starts off where she decides to enter into the competition and the what happened after she won. The book also delves into how the competition changed her life and ultimately led to her work as a diplomat for her home country of Grenada. Hosten has done so much in the entirety of career and it was interesting to read about what she has accomplished over the years.
As a member of the Jade Society, twelve-year-old Faryn Liu dreams of honoring her family and the gods by becoming a warrior. But the Society has shunned Faryn and her brother Alex ever since their father disappeared years ago, forcing them to train in secret.
Then, during an errand into San Francisco, Faryn stumbles into a battle with a demon–and helps defeat it. She just might be the fabled Heaven Breaker, a powerful warrior meant to work for the all-mighty deity, the Jade Emperor, by commanding an army of dragons to defeat the demons. That is, if she can prove her worth and find the island of the immortals before the Lunar New Year.
With Alex and other unlikely allies at her side, Faryn sets off on a daring quest across Chinatowns. But becoming the Heaven Breaker will require more sacrifices than she first realized . . . What will Faryn be willing to give up to claim her destiny?
Set in San Francisco, The Dragon Warrior, follows the story of Faryn who is a part of the Jade Society. The society was created to make a group of warriors to take down demons. Things change for Faryn when she is revealed to be a Heaven Breaker. This is a novel about family, growing up, self-love, and finding your voice. Each of the characters goes on their own self-growth journey throughout the big adventure. Facing their greatest obstacles in the missions they’ve been given by the Gods and Deities helps them to break their own boundaries. I loved that this book was full of such rich Chinese culture and how it explored the Diaspora through folklore.
That concludes this year’s reading recommendations for Women’s History Month! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
