Meet Some Amazing Women in March!

Sometimes you have the time to savor a novel or a juicy non-fiction title, but other times you just want something that you can devour in quick bites whenever you have a few free minutes. Collective biographies are great if you enjoy meeting a variety of fascinating people. In honor of Women’s History Month, here are some books that contain collections of short sketches about interesting women. And if any of these women pique your interest and you want to learn more about them, check to see if we have a full length biography. Some of these books may be shelved in the children’s section, but don’t let that dissuade you. You won’t want to miss out on meeting these outrageous, uppity women.

If you want to meet some of the most famous and influential women who have ever lived, check out Herstory: Women Who Changed the World or Lives of Extraordinary Women: Rulers, Rebels (and What the Neighbors Thought).

Perhaps you would like to meet some of the lesser known, more eccentric women of history. Then you should check out a book in the “Uppity Women” series or the “Outrageous Women” series. The “Uppity Women” books are written for adults and include Uppity Women of Ancient Times, Uppity Women of Medieval Times, Uppity Women of the Renaissance and Uppity Women of the New World. The “Outrageous Women” books are written for a younger audience (but still well worth a look for grownups) and include Outrageous Women of Ancient Times, Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages, Outrageous Women of Colonial America and Outrageous Women of Civil War Times.

If you are in the mood for tales of adventure and daring, check out these tales of explorers and trail blazers: No Place For a Lady: Tales of Adventurous Women Travelers; Women of the World: Women Travelers and Explorers; Off the Beaten Track: Three Centuries of Women Travelers; Women Explorers of the Mountains; Women Explorers of the Air and Women Explorers of the World.

And if you would like a tale of a brave and innovative woman to share with a child this month, check out one of these excellent picture book biographies: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa; Alice Ramsey’s Grand Adventure; Mother to Tigers; Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman and Brave Harriet: The First Woman to Fly the English Channel.

You won’t regret taking a few minutes to meet these amazing women.


Written by Laura of the Erna Fergusson Library staff.