Don't Miss Lists and Other Reading Resources

See History in a New Way - Women's History

Anderson, Bonnie S. A HISTORY OF THEIR OWN. Volume II: WOMEN IN EUROPE FROM PREHISTORY TO THE PRESENT. Oxford University Press, 2000. 305.4094 An23h2.
The central focus of this book is that gender has been the prime factor in shaping the lives of European women.

Anderson, Bonnie. JOYOUS GREETINGS: THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MOVEMENT, 1830-1860. Oxford University Press, 2000. 305.4209034 An23j.
Explores the early (1800s) alliances of feminists from the United States, France, Great Britain, Sweden, and Germany.

Bacon, Margaret Hope. MOTHERS OF FEMINISM: THE STORY OF QUAKER WOMEN IN AMERICA. Harper & Row, 1986. 289.6088042 B135m.
This account of Quaker women, their contributions and influence, provides a comprehensive historical study.

Banner, Lois W. WOMEN IN MODERN AMERICA: A BRIEF HISTORY. Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005. 305.409730904 B226w4.
A shortened look at the history and impact of women in America.

Beals, Melba. WARRIORS DON'T CRY: A SEARING MEMOIR OF THE BATTLE TO INTEGRATE LITTLE ROCK'S CENTRAL HIGH. Pocket Books, 1994. 370.19342 B368w.
In 1957, Beals was one of the nine black teenagers who integrated Little Rock's Central High.

Beals, Melba. WHITE IS A STATE OF MIND: A MEMOIR. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999. 379.2630976773 B368w
Sequel to WARRIORS DON'T CRY.

Berkin, Carol. REVOLUTIONARY MOTHERS: WOMEN IN THE STRUGGLE FOR AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE. Knopf, 2005. 973.3082 B455r.
A well-written account of women’s roles in the American Revolution.

Browder, Laura. HER BEST SHOT: WOMEN AND GUNS IN AMERICA. University of North Carolina Press, 2006. 305.4896920973.
A historical look at and discussion of guns, masculinity, women, and conflict within America.

Brown, Carrie. ROSIE'S MOM: FORGOTTEN WOMEN WORKERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR. Northeastern University Press, 2002. 331.4097309041 B812r.
An account of the women who forged into a male-ruled society before "Rosie the Riveter" appeared during World War II.

Brownmiller, Susan. IN OUR TIME: MEMOIR OF A REVOLUTION. Dial Press, 1999. 305.420973 B823i.
Brownmiller reflects on her own experiences and interviews with other feminists to present a history of the women's movement.

Christophe, Francine. FROM A WORLD APART: A LITTLE GIRL IN THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS. University of Nebraska Press, 2000. 940.5318092 C467c.
The Holocaust from a young girl’s perspective.

Clift, Eleanor. FOUNDING SISTERS AND THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT. John Wiley, 2003. 324.623092273 C613f.
A chronicle of the suffrage struggle and the brave individuals who championed the cause.

Collingridge, Vanessa. BOUDICA: THE LIFE OF BRITAIN'S LEGENDARY WARRIOR QUEEN. Overlook Press, 2006. 936.204092 B661c.
The life of the Iceni Queen, Boudica, and how her struggle influenced later women leaders.

Collins, Gail. AMERICA’S WOMEN: FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF DOLLS, DRUDGES, HELPMATES, AND HEROINES. William Morrow, 2003. 305.40973 C693a.
A social history of American women presenting fascinating detail of everyday life.

De Veaux, Alexis. WARRIOR POET: A BIOGRAPHY OF AUDRE LORDE. W.W. Norton, 2004. 811.54 L884d.
The story of Audre Lorde's life; her struggles with society and herself.

Dodson, Lisa. DON'T CALL US OUT OF NAME: THE UNTOLD LIVES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN POOR AMERICA. Beacon Press, 1998. 305.42086942 D668d.
Narratives about the struggles of poor women and girls in today's economy.

Douglas, Susan J. THE MOMMY MYTH: THE IDEALIZATION OF MOTHERHOOD AND HOW IT HAS UNDERMINED WOMEN. Free Press, 2004. 306.87430973 D747m.
Follows the ties between mass media, government, and standards for mothers.

Druett, Joan. SHE CAPTAINS: HEROINES AND HELLIONS OF THE SEA. Simon & Schuster, 2000. 387.54044082 D841s.
A maritime history that presents the lives of women at sea who were captains, pirates, sailors, and warrior-queens.

Eickhoff, Diane. REVOLUTIONARY HEART: THE LIFE OF CLARINA NICHOLS AND THE PIONEERING CRUSADE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS. Quindaro Press, 2006. 305.42092 N515e.
A peer of Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone, Nichols strove for equal rights in the early nineteenth century.

Fialka, John J. SISTERS: CATHOLIC NUNS AND THE MAKING OF AMERICA. St. Martin's Press, 2003. 271.90073 F441s.
The work of Catholic nuns in the last two centuries.

Franck, Irene. WOMEN'S WORLD: A TIMELINE OF WOMEN IN HISTORY. HarperPerennial, 1995. 305.409 F847w.
A chronology of the woman's side of history, which recognizes thousands of long-obscured events.

Fraser, Antonia. MARIE ANTOINETTE: THE JOURNEY. N.A. Talese/Doubleday, 2001. 944.035092 M337f.
A new look at the last queen of France who never said, ‘Let them eat cake.’.

Freeman, Jo. A ROOM AT A TIME: HOW WOMEN ENTERED PARTY POLITICS. Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. 305.420973 F877r.
Freeman focuses on women's political activities and their gradual move to party politics.

Garza, Hedda. LATINAS: HISPANIC WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. Franklin Watts, 1994. 305.48868 G1991.
Garza portrays women and events in Hispanic history that have long been neglected.

Goldsmith, Barbara. OTHER POWERS: THE AGE OF SUFFRAGE, SPIRITUALISM, AND THE SCANDALOUS VICTORIA WOODHULL. A.A. Knopf, 1998. 305.42092 W858go.
A spiritualist and a political radical, Woodhull demanded sexual equality for women and was the first woman to open a Wall Street brokerage house.

Gorn, Elliot J. MOTHER JONES: THE MOST DANGEROUS WOMAN IN AMERICA. Hill and Wang, 2001. 331.88092 J721g.
An activist who provoked many strikes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; known as the “miners angel.”

Guttmann, Allen. WOMEN'S SPORTS: A HISTORY. Columbia University Press, 1991. 796.0194 G987w.
Guttmann traces the history of women's sports from ancient times to present.

HERSTORY: WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD. Viking, 1995. Reference 970.72 H439h.
This book presents biographies of one hundred and twenty women with summaries of the status and lives of women in three historical periods, from prehistory to present.

Kroeger, Brooke. NELLIE BLY: DAREDEVIL, REPORTER, FEMINIST. Times Books, 1994. 070.92 B629k.
Elizabeth Jane Cochrane was a flamboyant character, but also paved the way for women journalists and the development of investigative reporting.

Latham, Angela J. POSING A THREAT: FLAPPERS, CHORUS GIRLS, AND OTHER BRAZEN PERFORMERS OF THE AMERICAN 1920s. University Press of New England, 2000. 305.409730904 L346p.
A portrayal of women testing the bounds of American culture in the 1920s.

Leckie, Shirley. ELIZABETH BACON CUSTER AND THE MAKING OF A MYTH. University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. 973.82092 C967l.
A portrait of Elizabeth Custer, a personification of the 19th century ideal woman, who bolstered her husband's military career and as his widow, perpetuated the myth of George Custer.

Ledbetter, Suzann. SHADY LADIES: NINETEEN SURPRISING AND REBELLIOUS AMERICAN WOMEN. Forge, 2006. 305.4209 L498s.
Stories of independent-minded women who went against the grain of contemporary society.

Mankiller, Wilma Pearl. MANKILLER: A CHIEF AND HER PEOPLE. St. Martin's Griffin, 2000. 973.049750092 M314m 2000.
The life story of the first woman chief of the Cherokee nation.

Markus, Julia. ACROSS AN UNTRIED SEA: DISCOVERING LIVES HIDDEN IN THE SHADOW OF CONVENTION AND TIME. Knopf, 2000. 920.7209034 M342a.
Markus tells the story of a group of brilliant, artistic Victorian women who often challenged traditional roles.

Matthews, Jean V. THE RISE OF THE NEW WOMAN: THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN AMERICA, 1875-1930. Ivan R. Dee, 2003. 305.420973 M427r.
Beginning in the 1970s, this book follows the development of the women’s suffrage movement.

Miedzian, Myriam. GENERATIONS: A CENTURY OF WOMEN SPEAK ABOUT THEIR LIVES. Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997. 305.42092273 M585g.
Women from a variety of backgrounds and generations tell how their lives have changed through the past century.

Nakano, Mei. JAPANESE AMERICAN WOMEN: THREE GENERATIONS, 1890-1990. Mina Press, 1990. 973.04956 N145j.
The history of Japanese American women told by three generations of women.

NO SMALL COURAGE: A HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. Oxford University Press, 2000. 305.40973 N659n.
Historians offer a collection of essays portraying women in American history; this volume includes many illustrations.

Oates, Stephen B. A WOMAN OF VALOR: CLARA BARTON AND THE CIVIL WAR. Free Press, 1994. 973.775 O8w.
Clara Barton's work and dedication during the Civil War are recounted.

O'Brien, Lucy. SHE BOP II : THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN ROCK, POP, AND SOUL. Continuum, 2002. 781.64082 Ob6s v2.
Volume 2 of a thorough history of women in the music industry: chronology, issues, trends, and themes.

Olsen, Kristin. CHRONOLOGY OF WOMEN'S HISTORY. Greenwood Press, 1994. Reference 305.409 Ol8c.
This chronology presents landmarks in women's history from 20,000 BC to 1993.

Olson, Lynne. FREEDOM'S DAUGHTERS: THE UNSUNG HEROINES OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT FROM 1830-1970. Scribner, 2001. 323.092275 Ol8f.
A portrait of dozens of heroines from the Civil Rights movement whose contributions are often left untold.

Pakula, Hannah. AN UNCOMMON WOMAN: THE EMPRESS FREDERICK, DAUGHTER OF QUEEN VICTORIA, WIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE OF PRUSSIA, MOTHER OF KAISER WILHELM. Simon & Schuster, 1995. 943. 084092 V666p.
This distinguished biography offers the epic story of Empress Frederick and the making of modern Europe.

Pierpont, Claudia Roth. PASSIONATE MINDS: WOMEN REWRITING THE WORLD. Alfred Knopf, 2000. 810.992870904 P613p.
Essays about twentieth-century women writers and how their works "changed the way people thought and lived."

Roberts, Cokie. FOUNDING MOTHERS: THE WOMEN WHO RAISED OUR NATION. William Morrow, 2004. 973.30922 R541f.
The stories of wives, sisters, daughters, and mothers of early American leaders.

Rowbotham, Sheila. A CENTURY OF WOMEN: THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES. Viking, 1997. 305.40904 R783c.
Organized by decade, this history narrates events in the lives of British and American women.

Sanger, Margaret. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARGARET SANGER. Dover Publications, 2004. 363.96092 Sa58s
Margaret Higgins Sanger was a strong activist for birth control and the founder of the American Birth Control League, later Planned Parenthood.

SECOND TO NONE: A DOCUMENTARY OF AMERICAN WOMEN. Volume I: From the 16th Century to 1865; Volume II: From 1865 to the Present. University of Nebraska Press, 1993. 305.40973 Se24s.
Women's history told through a wide-ranging array of documents.

Sherr, Lynn. FAILURE IS IMPOSSIBLE: SUSAN B. ANTHONY IN HER OWN WORDS. Times Books, 1995. 324.623092 An86s.
A collection of speeches and letters by Anthony, who fought for 50 years to gain the vote for women.

Spain, Daphne. HOW WOMEN SAVED THE CITY. University of Minnesota Press, 2000. 305.420973 Sp15h.
Women have been changing the urban landscape for over a hundred years primarily through voluntary, social organizations.

Swabey, Ffiona. MEDIEVAL GENTLEWOMEN: LIFE IN A GENTRY HOUSEHOLD IN THE LATER MIDDLE AGES. Routledge, 1999. 305.40902 Sw12m.
An examination of the domestic life of Alice de Bryene who lived in the later fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries.

Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn. AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN THE STRUGGLE FOR THE VOTE, 1850-1920. Indiana University Press, 1998. 324.62308996073 T27a.
Terborg-Penn examines the role of African American women in the woman suffrage movement.

Trager, James. THE WOMEN'S CHRONOLOGY: A YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD FROM PREHISTORY TO THE PRESENT. H. Holt, 1995. 305.409 T677w.
This chronology integrates women's role in world history.

UNEQUAL SISTERS: A MULTICULTURAL READER IN U.S. WOMEN’S HISTORY. Routledge, 2000. 305.40973 Un2u.
The third edition of this work expands and expresses the diversity of women's experiences.

Vare, Ethlie Ann. PATENTLY FEMALE: FROM AZT TO TV DINNERS: STORIES OF WOMEN INVENTORS AND THEIR BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS. Wiley, 2002. 609.2273 V423p.
A sequel to Mothers of Invention, this book is a continued discussion of creative, inventive women throughout history.

WE HAVE COME TO STAY: AMERICAN WOMEN AND POLITICAL PARTIES, 1880-1960. The University of New Mexico Press, 1999. 320.082 W369w.
Essays detail women's participation in politics and political parties.

Weir, Alison. ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE: A LIFE. Ballantine Books, 2000. 942.031092 E125w.
Weir's biography conveys the history and intrigue of a woman who was a powerful duchess, wife of two kings, and mother of ten.

Wells-Barnett, Ida B. THE MEMPHIS DIARY OF IDA B. WELLS. Beacon Press, 1995. 323.092 W462w.
Born a slave, Ida Wells became a celebrated journalist, civil rights activist, and anti-lynching crusader.

Wertheim, Margaret. PYTHAGORAS’ TROUSERS: GOD, PHYSICS AND THE GENDER WARS. Times Books, 1995. 306.45 W498p.
Wertheim provides a cultural history of physics with a provocative theory of why women were excluded from this science.

WOMEN IN SPIRITUAL AND COMMUNITARIAN SOCIETIES IN THE UNITED STATES. Syracuse University Press, 1993. 335.973 W842w.
The authors relate experiences and perspectives of women participants in communal endeavors.

WOMEN IN THE CLASSICAL WORLD: IMAGE AND TEXT. Oxford University Press, 1994. 305.409 W842wo.
A study of women in classical antiquity portraying their art, literature, medicine, politics, and society.

WOMEN’S AMERICA: REFOCUSING THE PAST. Oxford University Press, 2000. 305.40973 W842w5.
A collection of articles and documents which offers a rich selection and understanding of women’s history.

Yalom, Marilyn. A HISTORY OF THE WIFE. HarperCollins, 2001. 306.872 Y12h.
An exhaustive history about European and American women and their role as wives.

 

Videos (VHS & DVD)

 

Websites

National Women’s History Project
The official website for the National Women’s History Project; kept up-to-date and provides information on upcoming events and faqs.

Websites for Women’s History Month
A vast collection of digital libraries, online resources, and images grouped together and arranged alphabetically. Great resource.

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