March is Women’s History Month, and has been proclaimed so by the president of the United States every year since 1987.
It is a time to celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States. It encompasses International Women’s Day (March 8), a day to honor achievements of women across all aspects of life, while advocating for gender equality since 1911. Since March is fast approaching, let’s look at some acclaimed books which highlight the accomplishments (and misdeeds!) of women from around the world.
Michelle Duster has written numerous books and articles about civil rights and feminism, but her book Ida B. the Queen is more personal: the subject, activist Ida B. Wells, is Duster’s great grandmother. Wells’ life was amazing, as was her work in many fields. She was born into slavery, freed as an infant, and worked as a teacher, journalist, newspaper publisher, anti-lynching activist, suffragette, anti-segregationist, and even ran for a seat in U.S. Senate. This book tells her inspirational story, as well as putting her life into a broader context of the American feminist and civil rights movements.
Mindy’s Johnson’s Ink & Paint: The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation is a book about the unsung women who helped create some of the world’s most beloved films and build this pop culture juggernaut from the ground up. This book highlights the impact of women on the work of Disney from the 1920s to the present, in many different specialties: drawing, painting, storytelling, filming, acting, singing, and experimenting with new technologies. (One note about the book: it is a large, coffee table-style book, so maybe it’s not for bedtime reading).
From the near-present to the distant past, History vs. Women: The Defiant Lives They Don’t Want You to Know by Anita Sarkeesian and Ebony Adams looks at an unlikely cavalcade of powerful and influential women from around the world. Peruvian swashbucklers, Egyptian astronomers, Japanese novelists, Italian painters, British politicians, and all manner of rebels and groundbreakers are featured in this book. Many of these figures were people I had never heard of, who made a huge impact on their societies and the future itself.
And finally, for those interested in women’s history but also have a love of true crime, there’s Jennifer Wright’s She Kills Me: The True Stories of History’s Deadliest Women. The book begins with tales of female serial killers, but then moves on to other types of killers. We learn about female cult leaders, vigilantes, soldiers, tyrants, and the vengeful. The chapters are short, but there’s no shortage of characters with a taste for violence.
All of these titles are available to read online or in person, check sdcl.org.
You can also find out more about your own history and the women who shaped it with MyHeritage genealogy database, available for free with your library card. Visit the La Mesa Library for a library card and to enjoy our many programs for all ages, including yoga, storytimes, crafts and concerts.
Visita sdcl.org/lamesa para detalles.
Crédito de la foto: Pixabay.com
