20 Best Women History Books of All Time - Women's Day 2024

Read the best books for Women's History of all time, and use history as a mirror to know the ups and downs. Women also need to read some Best Women's History Books of All Time to learn more about history. 

Women's Day is coming in 2024, and there are always endless topics about women, and there are too many expectations.

On the "March 8th" International Women's Day in 2024. On this day, the whole society is expressing respect for women. Women can be "gentle, beautiful, and kind" or "strong, brave, and progressive." Celebrating this festival is not only to commemorate women's hard work in fighting for their own rights but also to encourage women to continue to move forward for equality and freedom. 

A vital aspect of comprehending the roles women have played throughout history lies in reading works dedicated to their stories. 

By absorbing accounts of their accomplishments and challenges, individuals can develop a more extensive perspective of history that includes women's essential contributions. 

These works can also imbue women with the power to take control of their lives and communities, promoting equity and advancement. 

Therefore, it is imperative to prioritize literature focused on women's history, including classic and contemporary works, biographies and autobiographies, and children's books, to fully grasp the extent to which women have impacted society and transformed the world.

Looking forward to becoming beautiful, good, elegant, strong, and becoming what we like in the end.

Today I recommend 20 books about women's history. These three books run through a girl's different lives interpreted by the word fate from youth to maturity, and then to disappear into dust and smoke.

ReadingAndThinking.com compiled a list of Women's Day books. The types of these books cover women's self-growth, spiritual exploration, political philosophy interpretation, social survival enlightenment, etc. It is hoped that the world depicted in these books can bring all women courage and strength.

Women's Day Book List 2024｜Light a lamp for those who bravely explore the Women's History Month Books

1. Life's Work by Rachel Cusk

"Life's Work": A Life’s Work: On Becoming a Mother is Rachel Cusk’s funny, moving, brutally honest account of her early experiences of motherhood. When it was published in 2001, it divided critics and readers. One famous columnist wrote a piece demanding that Cusk’s children be taken into care, saying she was unfit to look after them, and Oprah Winfrey invited her on the show to defend herself. 

As a woman, what is it like to be a mother? What's it like to take care of a young baby? And when the child grows up and has his own consciousness, how does the mother feel? 

British writer Rachel Cusk recorded her multifaceted experience in that year: personal freedom, the end of sleep and time, a new understanding of humanity and hard work, the pursuit of the true meaning of love, wandering in madness and death In between, the emotional experience of infants and young children, and the thinking about breastfeeding... 

"Life's Work" faithfully presents this period of life. It is a process in which ordinary life changes from invisible and imperceptible to intense passion, love, and slavery. It is also a kind of bondage and a kind of compromise.

2. Inseparable by Simone de Beauvoir

"Inseparable": The author of The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir, had never published the manuscript of the novel before her death and published the simplified Chinese version for the first time. 

This is a novel "Sentenced to Death" by Sartre, based on Zaza, Beauvoir's best friend from her girlhood, mourning the most unforgettable friendship in her life: when she was nine years old, Sylvie met for the first time girl Andrea. 

She had never seen such a cool girl. Unlike the obedient "good student" Sylvie, Andrei is smart but rebellious, and she is indifferent to everything. She has suffered horrific burns and bears the mark of fire on her body. In order to refuse to participate in social activities, she did not hesitate to cut herself with an axe. They became inseparable. 

The emotion is intense, deep into the soul. Starting from disobeying the school order together, Sylvie, who followed the rules, walked towards freedom step by step; Andre, who was born unruly, struggled step by step under the constraints of family and etiquette and gradually became a trapped animal.

3. Love in Five Acts by Daniela Krien

"Love in Five Acts": "On the day when their lives were suddenly destroyed, they learned to hug themselves tightly again." 

This is the story of five women, who are daughters, wives, and mothers. The table of contents pages, each chapter featuring a woman, who writes about her life, and their lives intersect with each other. 

Everyone has their own difficulties and their own bright moments. The book has been published in more than 20 languages. 

4. Eyes on the Street: The Life of Jane Jacobs by Robert Kanigel

"Eyes on the Street": This book is a comprehensive personal biography of the extraordinary woman Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), which is introduced to the mainland for publication for the first time. 

Jane Jacobs raised three children, wrote seven books, saved her community, was arrested twice, and took part in thousands of debates without ever losing. 

Looking back, she was still a student who challenged her teachers, a "poet" in high school, and a writer who honed her writing skills in magazines such as Vogue, Iron Age, and Architecture Forum after she first arrived in New York. 

She observed street life in the diverse metropolis of New York and absorbed knowledge until she wrote the famous masterpiece "The Death and Life of Great American Cities". 

She actively participates in discussions and campaigns about urban planning, criticizing and protesting inappropriateness. She opposed the New York highway plan of American urban planning giant Robert Moses, as well as the renovation plan under the wave of urban renewal, which will force major changes in the lives of real residents. 

She stood up for this and organized resistance. Received vocal support from President Roosevelt Jr.'s wife and others. Because of her, the individual life of the neighborhood residents was not destroyed, and the city of New York was able to retain the neighborhood style it is today.

In this book, the author shows us an outstanding woman who is always curious about how the city works, always puts the people living in the city first, challenges authority with common sense and independent thinking, and also brings us into the 20s. 

In the second half of the 21st century, the intellectual era that dared to ask questions faced challenges and was willing to speak out for the benefit of others.

5. Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons

"Odd Girl Out": In this book, scholar Rachel interviews girls who were once bullied and bullied and confronts the deformed social culture that has brought trouble and even trauma to countless women. 

Compared with boys, girls often carry more social requirements: being liked is more important than expressing true thoughts, and being a "perfect girl" is more important than having an independent personality. 

The avoidance of conflict and anger makes girls accustomed to dealing with disputes in an "alternative aggressive" way, and it also makes them frequently fall into the quagmire of interpersonal wars. 

"Girls' Underground Warfare" hopes to reconstruct society's perception of female bullying and provide parents and schools with practical solutions.

6. Expectation A Novel by Anna Hope

"Expectation": the traps in growing up, the disadvantages in the workplace, the physical restrictions of pregnancy, the absence of spouses who raise children, the pressure from the outside world, and the heart never stops... 

This book is the answer sheet handed in by three women in their thirties. Hannah, a strong woman, always properly plans her career and the future of her family, but finds that parenting cannot be planned; Lisa, a literary youth, believes that she deserves better, but she can never afford her ideal life; Kate, a top student, is married to an ordinary husband, but finds it difficult to integrate into his family. 

This book has touched the hearts of many readers, and it is planned to be made into a film and television work. The text is introduced to mainland China for publication for the first time.

7. The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II by Svetlana Alexievich 

"The Unwomanly Face of War" is the memoir of women who participated in the war, such as Soviet female soldiers and medical staff during World War II. 

These women, who were only 15-30 years old, experienced the cruel war firsthand. "Women's war memory is the strongest lighting performance according to their own emotional tension and pain," said the author of this book and Nobel Prize winner Alexievich. 

"They remember other things, Something else entirely different. But women can see things that men can't."

8. Anna In w grobowcach świata by Olga Tokarczuk

"Anna In w grobowcach świata" is Tokarchuk's favorite work. This novel is mainly adapted from the story of "Inanna's Descent into the Underworld". 

Inanna is the god of love and war in Sumerian mythology, also known as the queen of heaven and earth. The name of the protagonist of the novel, Anna In, is derived from the split and inversion of Inanna.

Goddess Anna Yin takes the elevator down to the tomb of the world. Even though she is the twin sister of the goddess of the tomb, she must follow the law of never returning. Jewelry eventually dies. 

On the basis of this story framework, Tokarchuk used more pen and ink to describe the story of Anna In's best friend Nina Shubu, who went to the place of the gods above the city to seek help in order to rescue Anna In. 

According to Ma Ling, a professor of journalism at Fudan University, this work carries feminist thinking and re-empowers women. It is women who help women and women who save women.

9. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

"Hidden Figures": I think the small push movie is pretty good, but the novel is really hard to describe. It has been two months, interspersed with business trips, exams, etc. 

The story is finally over, and the progress is not yet 70%. For my existing vocabulary (probably less than 6000 vocabularies), it is a bit difficult. 

The content of the novel and the movie are not the same. The movie is more inclined to the struggle history of three black women, while in the novel, the stories of the three people are told separately, it seems that there is no connection, and the history of American spaceflight and the history of black Americans interspersed in the middle, even when the Soviet Union and the United States competed for outer space. 

It has been mentioned that the story is not very strong, so it was very difficult to read, which made me want to give up for a while, in the end, I still stumbled and finished reading it, but I really didn't understand much! 

I feel that the author is justifying the contribution of black women in the aerospace industry, especially since the author has something to say, which is particularly obvious, emphasizing that without these black women, there would be no American aviation industry today! 

If the vocabulary is acceptable, it is recommended, but I must read simple ones next, and I can't stand guessing.

However, because the whole book is a biography, there is actually no big main line or the like. But that doesn't stop you from trying to read it.

10. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

"The Radium Girls": In the time since radium was discovered to treat cancer, the market has been filled with mythologized products containing radium, such as lip balms, condoms, and drinking water that contain radium.

A group of female workers between the ages of 14 and 16 was hired to coat watch dials with radium-containing paint that glowed at night. These underage children knew nothing about the radioactivity of radium. 

They smoothed the tip of the colored pen with their tongues so that the brush could paint more accurately. In the laboratory separated from the factory by a wall, scientists who study radium wear lead-protective clothing and use special tools to carefully contact radium.

Once radium enters the human body, it will be easily absorbed into the bones by the body as calcium. In the long run, the radioactivity produced will turn the bones of these girls into hornets' nests. 

Soon after, the female workers began to lose their teeth and jaws and even developed tumors all over their bodies. When people opened their coffins later, the bones were still glowing green.

The sick female workers began to sue their employers, but the other party refused to admit that these diseases were related to their products. Some doctors and researchers also refused to publish the test results of the patients as ordered. The causes of the female workers were even deliberately led to the then notorious syphilis.

In the end, the matter intensified under media publicity and public protests. In order to avoid an unfavorable judgment, the company decided to settle out of court. The five female workers who sued received a total of US$10,000 in compensation.

These girls used their lives to promote the safety reform of the factory and the improvement of the legal system. But to this day, many similar stories are still being repeated in reality. This also makes people can't help but question whether it has to involve life and death in order to attract people's attention to some things.

11. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

"Little Women": In Friends, Rachel said that "Little Women" is her favorite book, and she has read it countless times. So curious, I went to the library to borrow this book.

The first half is very warm, the kind that makes people smile unconsciously. Oh, I love Jo and Beth the most. Beth is simply a little angel, always thinking of others, and giving silently behind her back. 

The two episodes that brought me to tears in the book were about Beth when her mother went to visit her father, and the sisters slacked off not wanting to see their poor neighbors. Even though Beth was very unwell that day, she still put on her big hat and went out alone in the cold and snowy weather to visit her sick neighbor. 

After returning home, he suspected that he was infected with scarlet fever, so he crawled into the room alone to find medicine. God, I have never seen such a kind, cute little angel. 

When Joe learned that Amy was selected to go abroad, she was sad and regretted her performance in front of her relatives that day. Beth knew that her life was slowly passing away. 

She said softly: Although this is a bit selfish, I am very sorry. I'm glad you didn't get to go abroad, but you can stay with me. 

The second half, especially the ending, is simply inexplicable. Joe and Laurie are childhood sweethearts, and Jo leads Laurie into their world, warming the lonely little boy. 

Jo triumphs in the middle as Laurie and Grandpa get angry. Joe and Laurie, Laurie and Joe. Playing the truth in the game, Laurie said that the most beautiful lady here is Meg, and his favorite is Jo. 

In most of the chapters that appear in the first half, Laurie is always related to Joe. Joe's Teddy, Joe's boy. Childhood sweetheart, a childhood sweetheart.

The book Little Women is a book that had a great impact on my life. Now, I will recommend this book to little girls. It can be said that it is a must-read classic for girls. 

I started reading this book when I was in elementary school. In the long time that followed, I read it countless times. In the late nights of disappointment and insomnia, when I reread this book, I felt that life was extremely beautiful and everything was possible.

12. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

"The Diary of a Young Girl": When I first read Anne's diary, I still dismissed the diary-for me, it is simply too much trouble to write something every day. 

But after reading this book, rather than saying that I was shocked and moved by the huge contrast and sadness between the innocent and happy Anne in the book and such a tragic background of the times, it is better to say that I re-recognized the role of diaries in human life. 

The weight it carries: for some, it's just entertainment, but for others, it's all they need to survive after they leave this world.

After I closed this book, I started to write a diary. I tried to record every bit of my daily life. I didn’t expect that after I left, there would still be people paying attention to my words like Annie’s diary. 

What I hope is that when I am so old that I can no longer remember the past days, I can look through my diary and slowly find myself.

13. When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt by Kara Cooney

"When Women Ruled the World": Ancient Egypt was considered to be an ancient society with "the largest class differences, but the most gender equality", because at that time people believed that women had "religious power", and they could ensure the smooth transition of male kingship when necessary (such as when the emperor was young): this One point is proven in the myth that Isis resurrected Osiris and raised Horus. 

But most of the time, women are still subordinate to men. The author of this book is a female historian (UCLA). 

By intercepting the images of six "strong women" in ancient Egypt, he strung together history from a new perspective. 

Her writing also has a delicate female perspective, making it easy for readers to blend into the hearts of the characters. So I wrote a small note to summarize my impressions.

The above paragraph uses words such as "strong woman" and "female perspective"; for these words, the author emphasized at the beginning of this book that we should treat them with caution. 

She said that when she taught "History and Women" at UCLA in her fourth and fifth years, she stopped asking students to point out which behaviors and characteristics of characters were "feminine" and which were "masculine." 

Because this approach can only strengthen "gender stereotypes" and does not make much sense for historical discussions.

However, gender stereotypes exist in different eras of history. As for how to discuss them, this book sets an example: don't look at them from the perspective of modern people, but look for references to "gender" images from the history of the characters. 

For example, when discussing the first female pharaoh Neferusobek (Sebek Neferu, Twelfth Dynasty), and the second Hatshepsut (Hatshepsut, Eighteenth Dynasty) in Egyptian history, the author will inherit them Compared with the statues before the succession, and also compared with the statues of earlier male pharaohs, the stereotype of "male rights" in ancient Egypt and how women in power need to change to cater to male power.

14. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks": The author of this book, Rebecca Skrull, first heard about this "immortal" cell in biology class when she was 16 years old. As an inquiring girl, she was hooked. She wanted to know what kind of entangled story was behind this cell. 

From 1988 to 2009, through more than 20 years of investigations and interviews, consulting literature, and historical materials, the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks in front of me is the best answer. 

As soon as it was published, it won unanimous praise from the publishing industry and readers.

This book is not only an excellent scientific and humanistic work, but also a documentary literature work. The author starts with a single cell and traces the story behind it—the entry point is very small, but the history and stories that can be excavated are very shocking.

I won't go into the details, but it's worth reading. First of all, this is a documentary, not a biography or a novel. The author uses detailed descriptions to bring readers into the age and environment of Hela's life. 

These details are written by the author after research, rather than random imagination and speculation by many unserious authors; During the book, difficulties such as racial barriers, source of livelihood, and even life danger were overcome, and all the people at the end. 

Compared with many authors who feel that they are the most tragic, unfortunate, and groaning without illness in the world, the author, as a woman, and freelance writer, and her earnest attitude of going deep into the life and family of the subject of writing is very worthy of my study as a woman.  

15. Becoming by Michelle Obama

"Becoming": I've thought of this book a lot over the past year, especially the author's time from law school to the White House, it's so moving.

Impressive points:

One is that Michelle never thought that she would give up her career as a lawyer before she met Obama. If she hadn't met him, she might have been a successful female partner who achieved class transition step by step. 

It can be said that Obama's words and deeds have influenced her, making her think about what she and others have experienced, and finally changed her life and career trajectory. 

Michelle spent a whole year looking for a job in her last year at the law firm, and some of her inner thoughts were very real and sincere.

The second is Obama, in Michelle's writing/or in Obama's eyes, even if he did not become the president in the end, the young man who "walks in the garden, calm and detached, but never far from a stronger sense of responsibility" is really charming. 

As the president of magna cum laude and HLR, being a SCOTUS clerk was considered the right way, but obviously, his firm self-confidence and political enthusiasm led him to another path: after graduation, he rejected many job invitations, wrote a book, and then I went directly to the public interest law firm. It seems that they lived in the small apartment that Michelle rented (?) for many years.

The third is the period when Obama worked in the community and participated in local elections. According to Michelle, he has failed many times, and not many people know him outside that small place. 

Before the last election, Michelle said that he could not continue to be so poor. If he could not make a name for himself this time, he would go to work for the foundation. What he did was meaningful, and at least he could earn some money. 

Obama said yes. Fortunately, it didn't fail this time, and then it took off. These conversations, these struggles, are so real.

The CEO of Goldman Sachs said in his speech that he likes to read biographies the most because the most attractive thing about biography is that the characters in the book will not know that he/she will be in the first fifty pages in the early stage of their lives.

16. The Women's History of the World by Rosalind Miles

"The Women's History of the Modern World," tells the history of women in the world, starting from the righteous goddess and father god in the beginning, then marriage, domination, and labor, the situation of working-class and noble women, and now professional women, lesbians, Sexual equality, including women in various religions, the rise of the penis, sexual repression in the Victorian era...

"The Women's History of the Modern World" is a deafening feminist work. Miles puts women's history in a huge time or space context, starting from the goddess and father god who had the right way in the beginning, to the current professional women, lesbians, gender equality, and women, males and females in various religions. 

The rise of animals, and sexual repression in the Victorian period...the purpose is to affirm the importance of women's contribution to human evolution and women's outstanding achievements in all levels and fields, and also reveals the ignorance and cruelty of women in history The consequences of suffering.

The primary purpose of Women's History is to affirm the magnitude, power, and importance of women's contributions to human evolution, the contributions women have made in the public and private spheres, and women's contributions at all levels—cultural, commercial, Outstanding achievements in the fields of family, emotion, society, and sexuality. 

The unsung heroine's life has the allure of "the greatest untold story". Human life is being created all the time, and when it comes to creating achievements, who will return to women? 

From the queen who conceived comfortably and pampered her confinement child, to the peasant woman who gave birth in a hurry and then returned to the fields with her child on her back, the renewal of human beings is all thanks to women. But this labor, performed entirely by women, is largely unrecognized.

17. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"Pride and Prejudice": The next book that I want to talk about is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. this book is a classic book as everyone knows, everyone has heard of this book and it's the story of the Bennett sisters, the Bennett family basically there are five Bennett sisters and their mother wants to get them all married off and she's very obsessed with getting her daughters married off to some rich guy who can basically save them from their impoverished life. 

This book honestly the only reason you need to read it is for the main character Elizabeth Bennett who is one of the best female characters ever written in my opinion she's witty, she's fierce, and doesn't care about what society has to think of her. she's a little bit nerdy and she goes after what she wants and she goes after what her heart wants plus she does all this. 

In the 1800s English society was extremely patriarchal and extremely unfair towards women and she is such a breath of fresh air she's just an amazing character to read about I absolutely loved her character and loved the way her story was written and actually read all of Jane Austen books because jane Austen really had the knack to write some amazing female characters amazing strong female characters for that time period. 

Of course, if you look at it from like a 2021 point of view some of the things some of the actions seem a little bit traditional and still patriarchal but from an 1800s English society point of view, these characters were groundbreaking and just absolutely amazing so definitely check out pride and prejudice if you haven't already and read all of Jane Austen books. Detail Book Reviews

18. Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

19. Difficult Women by Helen Lewis

"Difficult Women": Divorce, women's suffrage, sexual inequality, abortion, work, education.. etc. mainly analyzed from the perspective of Britain and Ireland. 

I really like the way Helen writes the book. It seems to be intellectual popular science but actually hides a lot of my own views, rational and humorous. 

In fact, she is considered a privileged middle class. She became the editor-in-chief of a magazine at the age of 28. The two parties divorced smoothly without adultery, and live in black heath with her current husband. 

But her ideas and focus on marginalized people are rare, and it fits me well. Love the manifesto in the last chapter, I nod like crazy. "No woman can fight these battles alone, no matter how difficult she is."

The whole book revolves around various issues of women's rights, focusing on historical figures in the history of the British feminist movement to expound views and tell stories. 

Compared with rigorous historical works, you can feel the author's, particularly clear standpoint. Time, sex, and Safety are the three chapters that inspired me the most - I was more often looking for some explanations about the places in my life that confused me. 

For example, discussions about housewives on the Internet seldom emphasize that they are actually doing unpaid work, which not only assists men in their regular jobs but also supports social development. 

For example, from the male perspective of the porn industry—women are auxiliary roles, and the Lesbian porn rationalization method is to become existence for the pleasure of men. 

What resonates most is the author's description of how women in life encounter feminist issues: We can feel many subtle wrongs, but it is difficult to express these wrongs.

20. Haben by Haben Girma

"Haben": The main content of this book is the author Harben Gilmar's review of how he became the first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School and how he achieved this.

First of all, as far as the content is concerned, the writing style is relatively immature, there are no gorgeous words, and the things told are very simple. What is worth reading is that these are the author's own personal experiences, which can encourage people to move forward.

Through this book, I learned what kind of state the author Hal Gilma is in. First of all, she is a deaf-blind person. She was not completely blind from the beginning. But the voice of the other party must be loud enough to be heard. However, Hal Gilma's hearing and vision have gradually become worse and worse with age.

It's a physical handicap, and there's another one on top of that, and that's Harben Gilma being black. Her parents are from Ethiopia and Eritrea. 

In the author's description, I learned that these two places have been fighting, so she was originally an African and later immigrated to the United States, is, African-American. As we all know, the problem of racial discrimination in the United States can be said to be extremely serious. The author's own physical disability and her blackness make it difficult to enter American society.

However, Halma never gave up on herself, on the contrary, everything she did was enough to prove that she was no worse than ordinary people. When she was in high school, she left her parents and worked with a non-profit organization to build a school in Africa. 

It took a lot of courage, and Gilma's parents were very worried at first. The organizer of the public welfare organization agreed to let her go after talking with her parents. We can see her record of this incident in the book. She is not worse than others because of her disability, and her partners are also very kind to her.

Another awe-inspiring thing is climbing icebergs. Ordinary mountain climbing can make people exhausted, let alone iceberg climbing, and if a person with visual and hearing impairments climbs, the probability of icebergs being dangerous is also high. Much bigger than ordinary mountain climbing, but she did it.

The most powerful thing must be that she was admitted to Harvard Law School and graduated successfully. Her "reality" in the school cafeteria also made us notice how ordinary behaviors in our opinion are to people with disabilities. the inconvenience. 

After graduation, she is also committed to doing things for the disabled from the legal level and speaking out for the disabled.

Halma told us from her actual experience that "a person can be destroyed, but not defeated". The content of this book can attract the attention of disabled people in our team, and some of the author's own ideas are also useful for us to communicate with disabled people.

Conclusion: Best Women History Books of All Time

In conclusion, these best books for Women's History Month are not just mere collections of pages and ink, but rather a celebration of the resilience, courage, and spirit of women throughout history.

Their women's history stories serve as a reminder that women are integral to our societies and should be told, read, and remembered for generations to come.

After arduous research and contemplation, I have arrived at a conclusion to recommend the 20 Best Women History Books of All Time for Women's Day in 2024.

Prepare yourself for a torrent of linguistic ingenuity as I recommend to read divulge unto you the most superlative and preeminent women's History Month novels chronicling the history of womankind throughout the ages.

Brace yourself for a tumultuous and chaotic expedition through the murky depths of women's history as I present to you unequivocally paramount and unparalleled novels/works of literature chronicling the struggles, triumphs, and lives of women throughout time.