The books on this list compiled by Reader Advisor Carol Mathews feature famous, and sometimes infamous, women who have played an important role in history.
Babe: The Life and Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Susan E. Cayleff.
Biography of Mildred (Babe) Didrikson, who was a success at every sport she tried. In 1932 she won javelin toss and hurdles at the women's Olympic Games, and later she became golf pro. Babe created her public image first as an androgynous star and then as a more feminine wife of wrestler George Zaharias, while keeping the nature of her relationship with young golfer Betty Dodd a secret. Babe died of cancer at forty-five.RC 41027.
Catherine, the Queen by Mary M. Luke.
A biography of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, who held the allegiance of the English people even when she could not hold the love of the King. The focus is on their marriage and the far reaching political and religious effects of their divorce in England and abroad. RC 9564.
Chanel: A Woman of Her Own by Axel Madsen.
Born illegitimate in 1883, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was soon penniless and orphaned. Yet when she died in 1971, she was one of the wealthiest women in the fashion world. She spent most of her life disavowing her roots and creating the "little black dress," Chanel No.5, and the Chanel suit for which she is known. And along the way she found time to be friends with many of the rich and famous. RC 33310.
Cleopatra by Don Nardo.
Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C., became a legend in her own time. Her intimate relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, two of the most powerful men of her day, make her controversial. Noting that she was called greedy, dishonest, immoral, and a poor ruler by some and resourceful and an able ruler by others, the author attempts to separate fact from fiction in this biography. For junior and senior high and older readers. RC 39806.
The Divine Sarah: A Life of Sarah Bernhardt by Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale.
French actress Sarah Bernhardt was born in 1845 to a courtesan mother. Bernhardt gained worldwide fame for her work on stage and in silent films with such coveted roles as Lady Macbeth and even Hamlet. She contributed to fictionalized accounts of her life to help create her image. With the aid of newly published love letters, the authors explore the truth behind the legend. RC 34238.
East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart by Susan Butler.
Describes Earhart as an adventurous child who grew up to be the most famous female pilot of the 1920s and 1930s. Butler provides details about Earhart’s private life and the men in it besides her husband. She traces Earhart’s role in aviation history and discusses her disappearance in the Pacific during her around-the-world flight in 1937. RC 45559.
Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 1, 1884 to 1933 by Blanche Wiesen Cook.
This volume covers most of the first five decades in the life of the former first lady, leaving her at the White House steps. Unhappy and lonely as a child, Eleanor developed into an outgoing woman who lent more than her name to causes such as women’s rights and social justice. She formed strong friendships and learned to cope with her position as a political wife and a mother while enjoying an active career of her own. RC 34892.
Elizabeth: A Biography of Britain’s Queen by Sarah Bradford.
An in-depth portrait of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Offers inside views-including scandals--of her parents and other forebears, sister, husband, and four children. Tells how the queen copes with the pressures of being head of state, wife, and mother in an era of tumultuous political and social change. RC 51345.
Evita, First Lady: A Biography of Eva Peron by John Barnes.
Account of the illegitimate, mediocre actress who became one of the most powerful, feared, and idolized women in the world. Contends that as Col. Peron’s wife "Saint Evita" carried him to the presidency by enlisting the Argentinian workers--her beloved "shirtless ones"--in a campaign for economic justice and women’s rights.RC 14429.
Florence Nightingale, 1820-1910 by Cecil Blanche Fitz Gerald Woodham Smith.
Using private papers and letters as references, the author presents a portrait of the founder of the modern nursing profession. Praised for her services during the Crimean War, Miss Nightingale brought about reforms in army hospitals. RC 23160.
Golda: Golda Meir, the Romantic Years by Ralph G. Martin.
Following Golda Meir’s life from her impoverished childhood in the 1890s in Russia to Palestine in the 1940s, Martin concentrates on Meir’s romantic side. However, he also discusses her courage, strength, and political brilliance, which played an important role in the founding of the state of Israel. RC 29324, BR 7685.
Imelda, Steel Butterfly of the Philippines by Katherine W. Ellison.
The author, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her reports about the tracing of the Marcos fortune around the world, now offers a detailed biography of the fallen first lady of the Philippines. Ellison captures the dream world that Imelda helped to create and depicts how the "Steel Butterfly," in her selfishness, made a comic opera out of a historic opportunity for greatness. RC 29526.
Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi by Katherine Frank.
Biography of India’s first woman prime minister. Discusses Indira Gandhi’s (1917-1984) sad childhood and her reluctance to enter politics even though her father was former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Portrays the woman who sublimated her personal inclinations to serve her country and was assassinated by her own bodyguards. RC 58613.
Joan of Arc: Her Story by Re´gine Pernoud and Marie-Ve´ronique Clin.
The historically documented life of the unschooled young French woman Joan of Arc (1412-1431), who led military troops to victory while still a teenager. Includes details of her imprisonment and execution for heresy at nineteen and the nullification trial decades after her death that reversed the earlier decision. RC 52731.
Lizzie Borden: The Legend, the Truth, the Final Chapter by Arnold R. Brown.
A native of the Borden family’s hometown, Fall River, Massachusetts, Brown has researched and written an account of the murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother. Based on the recollections of a man who claimed to know the real murderer, Brown’s scenario exonerates Lizzie. Text includes Lizzie Borden’s inquest testimony. RC 33773.
Lucrezia Borgia: A Biography by Rachel Erlanger.
Recounts the life of the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI who became Duchess of Ferrara. Although she is considered one of the most evil and immoral women in history, Erlanger offers evidence that suggests otherwise. She also believes that Lucrezia was a victim of her times and position, not her own character. RC 15252.
Madame Curie: A Biography by Eve Curie.
A biography of the shy, dedicated woman who discovered radium. Written by Curie’s daughter. RC 30659.
Maggie: An Intimate Portrait of a Woman in Power by Chris Ogden.
Traces the life and career of controversial British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Beginning with a short political history of postwar Britain, the biography describes Thatcher’s growing up as the daughter of a Grantham grocer, her marriage and family life, her early political career, and her performance as prime minister. RC 32762.
Margaret Bourke-White: A Biography by Vicki Goldberg.
In-depth portrait of the woman photojournalist who achieved fame working for "Life" and "Fortune" magazines during the turbulent eras of the depression and World War II. Analyzes her professional achievements and her personal life, focusing upon her drive and daring, her love affairs, and her life as a celebrity. RC 24973.
Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser.
Biography of Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), the fifteenth child of Empress Maria Teresa of Austria. Describes Antoinette’s court life, her marriage at fourteen to the future Louis XVI of France, their subsequent problems, and the political intrigues that led to their fall. RC 53134.
Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham by Agnes de Mille.
Biographer, choreographer, and friend, De Mille creates a portrait of the modern dance artist who died at 96 in 1991. Martha Graham thought of herself primarily as a dancer, but the relatively new field of modern dance forced her to choreograph also. Hardworking Graham’s limited personal life, including her failed marriage to dancer Erick Hawkins, also centered on the world of dance. RC 33824.
Martha Washington: An American Life by Patricia Brady.
Biography of widow Martha "Patsy" Dandridge Custis (1731-1802) who married Virginia planter George Washington in 1759 when both were in their late twenties. The author uses primary sources to explore Martha’s influence on her husband, her involvement during the Revolutionary War, and her role in developing the presidency. RC 61531, BR 16431.
Mary Queen of Scots: The Fair Devil of Scotland by Jean Plaidy.
Biography of ill-fated queen of Scotland Mary Stuart (1542-1587), executed on the order of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England. Chronicles her childhood in France, her multiple marriages, and the religious and political unrest that plagued her rule. RC 58800.
Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist by Brooke Kroeger.
Kroeger, a well-traveled reporter, reconstructs the life and career of Nellie Bly, a journalist with a pseudonym borrowed from a Stephen Foster song. Hired by a Pittsburgh paper, Bly soon joined the New York World and earned front page coverage with stories that required considerable daring on her part. Among Bly’s exploits was a foray as an inmate in an insane asylum, about which she wrote a series that triggered reforms. RC 38476.
Power, Privilege, and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story by Carol Felsenthal.
In the 1930s, Eugene Meyer bought the Washington Post, the smallest of several Washington dailies. Pleased when daughter Katharine married attorney Phil Graham, Meyer turned the paper over to him while Katharine languished in the background. Then Graham’s breakdown and suicide in 1963 left Katharine in charge. The Post’s role in Watergate and the Pentagon Papers turned the paper around. Strong language. RC 38588.
Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England by Alison Weir.
British historian recounts the life of Isabella of France (1292-1358), who wed homosexual King Edward II of England when she was twelve. Chronicles how, after bearing four children, Isabella escaped to France, became the lover of exiled traitor Roger Mortimer, and successfully invaded England to overthrow her husband. RC 62232.
Queen Victoria: A Portrait by Giles St. Aubyn.
The author of several books on Britain’s royal family, including Edward VII: Prince and King (RC 15046), provides a portrait of the woman who came to the throne in 1837 as an unknown girl and who was, when she died in 1901, mourned by the whole world. St. Aubyn represents Victoria’s development in six distinct stages: princess, young queen, bride, wife, widow, and ruler of a vast empire. RC 35805.
Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature by Linda Lea.
Portrays the life of a pioneer environmentalist, whose 1962 book, Silent Spring (RC 20184), alerted the world to the risks of chemical poisoning. Traces her early years studying marine biology, her careers as government scientist and writer, and her influence in changing peoples’ attitudes and public policy on ecology. RC 45361.
The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart by Mary S. Lovell.
Amelia Earhart, world renowned for her feats as a female pilot, was born in 1879 in Atchison, Kansas. She disappeared in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean, during a flight around the world. The author tells the story of Earhart’s tomboy childhood, her love for her alcoholic father, and her fascination with airplanes, but the emphasis is on her symbiotic relationship with George Putnam, her husband and publicist. RC 33805.
Tokyo Rose, Orphan of the Pacific by Masayo Duus.
Iva Toguri, stranded in Japan by World War II, takes a job there although she wanted to return to her family in California. After the war the U.S. government tried her as Tokyo Rose, the temptress with the sultry voice who lured GIs to desert their posts on the Pacific battlefront. She served five years in jail, but the author believes she is innocent. RC 16581.
A Useful Woman: The Early Life of Jane Addams by Gioia Diliberto.
Biography of the first thirty-nine years of the social reformer’s life--from her birth in 1860 through the 1889 founding of Hull House to 1899, when she gained national recognition. Discusses influences during her formative years, her private life, and her meaningful career in an age when women had few choices. RC 50429.