Books for Women's History Month

Today marks the beginning of Women's History Month! Here's some information from eLibrary, one of our research databases, about its origins:

"The roots of National Women's History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions. International Women's Day was first observed in 1909, but it was not until 1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the president has issued a proclamation."

If you want to learn more about women's history and some of the women who have made an impact on the world, come by the library and check out one of the books below.

WHEELS OF CHANGE: HOW WOMEN RODE THE BICYCLE TO FREEDOM (WITH A FEW FLAT TIRES ALONG THE WAY) BY SUE MACY: "Combines text with vintage photographs, advertisements, cartoons, and songs to examine how women have used bicycles throughout history to improve their lives."

I AM MALALA: THE GIRL WHO STOOD UP FOR EDUCATION AND WAS SHOT BY THE TALIBAN BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI WITH CHRISTINA LAMB: "Malala Yousafzai's describes her fight for education for girls under Taliban rule, the support she received from her parents to pursue an education, and how the Taliban retaliated against her by trying to kill her."

WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED: THE AMAZING JOURNEY OF AMERICAN WOMEN FROM 1960 TO THE PRESENT BY GAIL COLLINS: "Examines the history of women in America from the 1960s and into the early twenty-first century, discussing politics, fashion, popular culture, economics, sex, families, the workforce, and related topics."

MY BELOVED WORLD BY SONIA SOTOMAYOR: "Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor shares details about her life, discussing her childhood, education, health, career, appointment, and more."

FOR HER OWN GOOD: TWO CENTURIES OF THE EXPERTS' ADVICE TO WOMEN BY BARBARA EHRENREICH AND DEIRDRE ENGLISH: "Examines the constraints that have been imposed on women over the last two centuries in the name of science, discussing how pseudoscience has been used to tell women how to live since the early nineteenth century."

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS BY MAYA ANGELOU: "Autobiography covering the childhood of a woman who has been a professional dancer, actress, poet, journalist, and television producer."

WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS BY CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE: "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century."

BOLD SPIRIT: HELGA ESTBY'S FORGOTTEN WALK ACROSS VICTORIAN AMERICA BY LINDA LAWRENCE HUNT: "The story of Helga Estby and her daughter Clara's journey by foot from Spokane, Washington, to New York City in 1896."

HEADSTRONG: 52 WOMEN WHO CHANGED SCIENCE--AND THE WORLD BY RACHEL SWABY: "Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day, Rachel Swaby's profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and illustrate how each one's ideas developed, from their first moment of scientific engagement through the research and discovery for which they're best known."

HALF THE SKY: TURNING OPPRESSION INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE BY NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF AND SHERYL WUDUNN: "Tells the stories of women in Africa and Asia who have been victims of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality, and shows how girls' education and micro-finance can change their lives while providing a boost to the economies of developing countries."