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March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor the achievements, struggles, and voices of women who have shaped the world. And what better way to celebrate than by diving into books that bring their stories to life? Here are some newer non-fiction titles about the women who defied the odds, shattered ceilings, and made history—one story at a time.

 

The Swans of Harlem by Karen Valby

The forgotten story of a pioneering group of five Black ballerinas and their 56 sisterhood, a legacy erased from history—until now.

 

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Satow

A glittering, glamorous portrait of the golden age of American department stores and of three visionary women who led them.

 

Normal Women by Philippa Gregory

A landmark work of feminist nonfiction that radically redefines our understanding of the extraordinary roles ordinary women played throughout British history.

 

The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy

A thrilling and monumental history of the CIA that reveals how women have always played crucial, often unacknowledged roles in American spycraft. A hidden “sisterhood” of spies, analysts, operatives, and manhunters kept the free world safe and, more than once, saved it.

 

Femina by Janina Ramírez

The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints, and kings: a patriarchal society which oppressed and excluded women. But Oxford and BBC historian Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women’s names struck out of historical records. Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women like Jadwiga, the only female King in Europe; Margery Kempe, who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety; and the Loftus Princess, whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England. 

 

The Cure for Women by Lydia Reeder

After Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school, more women demanded a chance to study medicine. Barred entrance to universities like Harvard, women built their own first-rate medical schools and hospitals. Their success spurred a chilling backlash from elite, white, male physicians who proclaimed in bestselling books that women should never be allowed to attend college or enter a profession because their menstrual cycles made them perpetually sick. Into the midst of this turmoil marched Mary Putnam Jacobi, the first woman to be accepted into the world-renowned Sorbonne medical school in Paris. As one of the best-educated doctors in the world, she returned to New York for the fight of her life. Aided by other prominent women physicians and suffragists, Jacobi conducted the first ever data-backed, scientific research on women’s reproductive biology. The results of her studies shook the foundations of medical science and higher education. 

 

Brave the Wild River by Melissa L. Sevigny

In the summer of 1938, botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter set off down the Colorado River, accompanied by an ambitious expedition leader and three amateur boatmen. With its churning rapids, sheer cliffs, and boat-shattering boulders, the Colorado was famed as the most dangerous river in the world. But for Clover and Jotter, it held a tantalizing appeal: no one had surveyed the Grand Canyon’s plants, and they were determined to be the first. Through the vibrant letters and diaries of the two women, science journalist Sevigny traces their 43 day journey.

 

Jen Pace Dickenson is the Youth Services Librarian for Polk County Public Libraries. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit polklibrary.org or call (828) 894-8721.