During Women’s History Month we honor the trailblazing women who came before us, but there are also plenty breaking down barriers today. In this article we pay homage to both!
Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter
Dr. Jen Gunter is everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood gynecologist! She’s got the frank and funny answers to women’s health questions. In this book she helps women going through menopause learn what is happening to their bodies, why, and what to do about it in a way that is both empowering and reassuring. And if anybody reading this isn’t at an age when this material is useful yet don’t worry, The Vagina Bible is already out and Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation comes out 9/26/2023!
Last to Eat, Last to Learn by Pashtana Durrani and Tamara Bralo
This inspiring memoir follows the journey of Pashtana Durrani from growing up in a refugee camp to becoming a fierce advocate for the education of women in Afghanistan. She was raised by a father who founded a school for girls and believed in the right of women to learn. Pashtana has since founded LEARN, a nonprofit that provides education, healthcare, and humanitarian aid in Afghanistan. Her drive to make a difference has even survived being made a target of the Taliban. Pashtana’s story is one of perseverance and hope, and it is not done yet…
Parent Like a Pediatrician by Rebekah Diamond, M.D.
Sometimes it feels like there is no right way to be a parent with advice flying at you 24/7 in real life and on the internet. That’s why Rebekah Diamond, M.D. , a pediatrician, working mom, and parent advocate wrote this book, so parents can go to one source for authoritative up-to-date research and real-world accessible advice free of judgment and misinformation. Whether you need help with safe-sleep guidelines, breast feeding, and binky addiction to sensory developmental activities, baby products, and the final—and 100% evidence-based—word on the vaccination debate, Rebekah has a you covered.
999 by Heather Dune Macadam
This PEN America Literary Award Finalist tells the true extraordinary and sorrowful story of the women on the first official Jewish transport to Auschwitz. Believing they were going to work in a factory for a few months they had no idea what was waiting fort hem at the end of their train journey in 1942. Only a few survived the concentration camp. Today acclaimed author Heather Dune Macadam reveals their stories, drawing on extensive research and interviews to create an important addition to Holocaust literature and women’s history.
Manifesting Justice by Valena Beety
Valeena Beety’s experience with the Innocence Movement and as an expert litigator informs this brilliantly written and book on the failures of America’s legal system—particularly with regards to women, the queer community, and people of color. Beety’s professional experience as well as her personal experience as a queer woman provide her with a unique perspective and her writing will expand reader’s notion of justice to include not just people who are factually innocent, but those who are over-charged, pressured into bad plea deals, and over-sentenced.
The White Allies Handbook by Lecia Michelle
If you’re ready to stop standing on the sidelines and become anti-racist instead of passively “not racist,” then this book is what you need. Lecia Michelle provides a clear guide with actionable steps readers can take to begin making a real difference in the fight for racial justice. The only way to end racism is to educate ourselves about it, unlearn our own biases, and make positive change going forward.
Dismissed by Angela Marshall and Kathy Palokoff
The bad news is that race, gender, sexual orientation, age, body size, income, and other cultural factors have a significant bearing on whether you will be diagnosed and treated correctly. The good news is that there are steps you can take today to combat medical bias. The only book on this subject written by a primary care doctor who is a woman of color, readers will not only learn about medical biases they did not understand before, they will also learn how to move forward and address them, whether they are patients or health-care practitioners.
A Haunted History of Invisible Women by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes
Explore the history behind America’s female ghosts, the stereotypes and myths around them and what their stories reveal about us. Tales whispered in darkness often divulge more about the teller than the subject and America’s most famous female ghosts, like New Orleans voodoo priestess Marie Laveau, and Bridget Bishop, the first person executed during the Salem witchcraft trials, mirror each era’s fears and prejudices. Whether you are a believer or not, these tales enthrall and enlighten.
Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books.
