Books on Inspiring Women

• Charu Chhitwal
• 04 Mar 2019
• Reviews ,Books

Picking just 8 books about inspiring women, was difficult. Especially when thousands of women have fought for education, voting rights, careers and even for the right to breathe freely. We have had courageous women; like goddess Kali in our Indian mythology, warrior queens like Chaand Bibi, healers like Florence Nightingale, entrepreneurs like Bertha Benz and achievers like Mary Kom recently. And yet, I had to choose 8 books in honour of 8th March.

                         

So here are the 8 absolute must-read books about women who have launched a thousand ideas in other people's heads. Each idea changed lives. Each idea gave birth to more mind-blowing women:

1) Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China
- A New York Notable Book-
Author- Jung Chang
Publisher- Penguin
Book Details- A biography that follows the unbelievable journey of a 16-year-old concubine to a monarch. Cixi is and will always be the most powerful women in the history of China. One, who is credited with the modernisation of the country of dragons. She saw her country through wars and invasions. She is an icon of feminism and the one who put an end to the gruesome custom of foot-binding. She understood the boon of infrastructure, the necessity of weapons and the politics of co-existence with other countries. Read about this awe-inspiring leader, today. 

    2) Becoming:
Author: Michelle Obama
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group 
Book Details- Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama is a global icon. But a lot of credit goes to her persona, her intelligence, her warmth than just being married to President Barack Obama. And Becoming is the book that makes you fall in love with her. All over again. This inspiring memoir makes you see the world of an aspiring young girl, an ambitious attorney, a focussed mom and then a content individual. The book is honest and the author witty! Inspires us to do the same.

    3) The Ranee of Jhansi
Author: D.V. Tahmankar
Publisher: Rupa & Company, 
Book Details- A little girl is married to be a queen. Her courage, determination and a fearless spirit made her an iconic warrior queen. One who fought for the freedom of her nation. Manikarnika or the Rani of Jhansi was feared by the Britishers and she fought till her last breath. Read about this courageous woman in this well-written and researched book. 

    4) I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Author: Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Book Details: If there is one face that stands for the right to education- It is Malala's. A young Pakistani girl who refused to give up her love for books. Even when she was threatened by the Taliban that took control of her home town. At fifteen she was shot in the head at point-blank range. At sixteen she won the Nobel Peace Prize and ignited the hunger for education in millions of other girls. Pick this book and fall in love with her courage. 

    5) Straight on Till Morning: The Biography of Beryl Markham
Author: Mary S. Lovell
Publisher: St Martins Pr
Book Details: Many know this fiesty woman as Africa's first female leading racehorse trainer. Many grew up on the legends of her beauty. The privileged though know Beryl Markham as the first person to fly solo from England to America. Read her biography to discover more and more about her. 

    6) Girl Boss
Author: Sophia Amoruso 
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Details: The life of Beryl Markham reads like rags to riches story. It is not even one per cent of the story. Read how Sophia Amorus, Founder & CEO of Nasty Girl fought all odds to be the successful woman that she is today. This is no fairytale read. This is real. And every woman has an iota of self-doubt, needs to read this book. Now. 

    7) Leading Ladies: Women Who Inspire India
Author: Sudha Menon
Publisher: Fortytwo Bookz Galaxy
Book Details: This book is an ode to the new-age women who are not afraid to turn their dreams into reality. Are there rules they played to be on the top? Did they get a level playing field? Or do the women even need one? Read about the journey taken by successful Indian Women like Kiran Mazumdar- Shaw, Meher Pudumjee, Mallika Sarabhai, Anu Aga, PT Usha, Shubha Mudgal, Priya Paul and more. 

    8) The Story of My Life, Helen Keller
Author: Helen Killer
Publisher: Random House USA Inc. 
Book Details: A fighter by birth, she lived through a deadly illness that left her permanently deaf and blind. She fought a physical and psychological war and inspired generations thereafter. Read her autobiography to celebrate her graduation from Radcliffe College. And the activist soul she was born with. And of course her honorary degrees including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

All these women wrote their own destinations. And that is the first step towards achieving anything in life. So celebrate yourself!

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Join us for our annual Women's History Month series, celebrating the contributions and accomplishments of women around the world! Don't miss our series from last year, 2017, 2016 and 2015, and find even more posts on our Women's History board on Pinterest: Follow Multicultural Kid Blogs's board Women's History on Pinterest. Participating Blogs Biracial Bookworms on Multicultural Kid Blogs Great Family Reads Mama Tortuga: Latin American Women that Transcended | Bilingual MommyMaestra: 5 Printable Packets for Women’s History Month Alizehmysoul: What’s need and the ways to record women’s history of our own family Ketchupmoms Living Ideas Mommy Evolution: Children’s Books About Women in Science Don't miss our Women's History Month Activity Printables, on sale now!