We’re back at ya with another book list with the help (once again) from the Bronco Shop. Here is a list of inspiring books to read throughout Women’s History Month and beyond. Enjoy!
1) Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time
by Taynya Lee Stone
“Girl Rising started as a film, profiling nine unforgettable girls coming of age in the developing world and confronting the barriers to their education. Powered by these stories of resilience and determination, the film exploded into a global campaign for girls’ education. This book—which can stand alone—is an expansion of that film. Author Tanya Lee Stone deftly integrates raw interview footage from the filmmakers with her own research to illuminate the facts and stories behind the girls in the film and more than twenty-five others around the world—girls who are conquering obstacles, becoming empowered, creating their own possibilities.”
Buy Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time
2) In Praise of Difficult Women: Life Lessons from 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules
by Karen Karbo
“Smart, sassy, and unapologetically feminine, In Praise of Difficult Women is an ode to the bold and charismatic women of modern history. Best-selling author Karen Karbo spotlights the spirited rule breakers who charted their way with little regard for expectations: Amelia Earhart, Helen Gurley Brown, Edie Sedgwick, Hillary Clinton, Amy Poehler, and Shonda Rhimes, among others. Their lives – imperfect, elegant, messy, glorious – provide inspiration and instruction for the new age of feminism we have entered. Karbo distills these lessons with wit and humor, examining the universal themes that connect us to each of these mesmerizing personalities today: success and style, love and authenticity, daring and courage. Being “difficult,” Karbo reveals, might not make life easier, but it can make it more fulfilling-whatever that means for you.”
Buy In Praise of Difficult Women: 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules
3) Becoming a Dangerous Woman
by Pat Mitchell
“Raised in a small town in Georgia with no money or connections, Pat Mitchell challenged expectations to become one of media’s most admired leaders – the first woman president of PBS and CNN productions, an award-winning film and TV producer, and the co-founder and curator of TEDWomen.”
Buy Becoming a Dangerous Woman
4) Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World
by Jennifer Palmieri
“Dear Madam President is an empowering letter from former Hillary Clinton Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri to the first woman president, and by extension, to all women working to succeed in any field. By using lessons learned during her experiences with Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and Elizabeth Edwards – to name a few – Palmieri through each chapter creates a forward-thinking framework of inspirational and practical advice for all women everywhere – from boardrooms to living rooms – who are determined to seize control of their lives, their workplaces, and their country. Dear Madam President will turn the results of the 2016 election into something incredibly empowering for future female leaders and independent thinkers everywhere.”
Buy Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World
5) Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
by Penelope Bagieu
“With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of these feisty female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the stories in this comic biography are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.”
Buy Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
5 ½) Before you dive in, feel empowered by this short poem by Maya Angelou
“Phenomenal Woman”
by Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.