Fiction 101: Women in History

Fiction 101: Centering Women’s Stories

by Shelby D., Evening Supervisor

Hello and welcome back to Fiction 101, the place where we talk about all things fiction (and nonfiction). In the past we’ve covered Black history, classics with a twist, cozy fantasy, folk horror, science fiction and fantasy, and more.

March is Women’s History Month! In its honor, we encourage you to engage with women’s stories. With that in mind, for this edition of Fiction 101 we will suggest some books centered around notable women in history. We will include some historical fiction and some nonfiction.

The Beanstack Book Club logo

If you start any of these titles, log them in our Beanstack Book Club to earn a badge! It’s a digital, no-stress club that challenges you to read books on a new theme every month. For March, read books by and/or about women!

To help you find some books to read, here are 10 suggestions, starting with historical fiction books inspired by real women. There are so many extraordinary women—check out these titles and more at the Morgantown Public Library.

Historical Fiction

  • Empress Orchid by Anchee Min: This historical fiction tells the story of Empress Dowager Cixi, China’s last empress.
  • The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict: Hedy Lamarr was an actress and a brilliant inventor. In this book, follow her rise to stardom and her work in science that forms the basis for many telecommunications today.
  • Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was an all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps. They worked to sort and deliver mail through dangerous conditions during WWII. This book follows two characters as they act as a part of the “Six Triple Eight.”
  • Radar Girls by Sarah Ackerman: This is another book that follows women during WWII. This time, read about the Women’s Air Raid Defense. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, women volunteers formed a defense unit stationed in Hawaii.
  • Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander: Josephine N. Leary was an amazing historical figure. She was emancipated at the end of the Civil War. She built a life, businesses, and raised a family while facing segregation and prejudice. This novel tells a fictionalized version of her story.

Nonfiction: Biographies and Histories

  • The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights by Dorothy Wickenden: This is a biographical account of Harriet Tubman, Martha Wright, and Frances Seward: three staunch abolitionists and advocates for women’s rights.
  • A Black Women’s History of the United States: Revisioning American History by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross: A broad overview of the history of the United States, this book centers Black women. Featuring writings from throughout history, this book tells the varied stories of Black women’s rich history.
  • In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet: This book talks about the witch hunts of the past and draws on the parallels between historical reasons for which women were accused of witchcraft and the misogyny of today.
  • The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore: In the 1920s the new element radium was used in many things. This bookis about the women who worked in factories that used radium-infused paints. As the workers began to fall ill, they had to fight for justice as companies ignored illnesses and delayed legal settlements.
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: Lacks’ story was untold for a long time. Her cells were taken without consent and used in many scientific breakthroughs, including the polio vaccine. Skloot was fascinated when a lecturer in college described “HeLa” cells, briefly mentioning that they were cells taken from a woman named Henrietta Lacks. This book tells her story and the story of her family.