Starter Pack: Biography Anthologies About Women

Biography anthologies are personally one of my favourite things. It can be amazing to just dip my toes into the waters of history and learn the basics of a significant person’s life. I’ve found that there are biography anthologies that have made me more interested in certain figures, enough so that I have gone on to read more about those people. Given that many facets of history often focus on men, I am especially fond of biography anthologies that solely dedicate themselves to telling the stories of women and their accomplishments.

I have compiled this Starter Pack to provide a good place to begin for anyone interested in reading more biography anthologies about women. I have divided this into two categories; Children’s and Middle Grade and Young Adult and Up. This is so that you can find what you’re looking for, whether you are trying to find something for yourself or for a child.

 

Children’s and Middle Grade

 

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2 by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls and its sequel are both collections of stories about women from around the world and throughout history who have done incredible things. Each woman gets a unique portrait (with dozens of artists from around the world featured in each book) and a full page description of her accomplishments, written like a bedtime story. The stories are fun, educational, and inspiring for all ages.

 

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

Vashti Harrison’s Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History focuses on the incredible stories of black women in history, especially American history. The stories range from activists to scientists to dancers and more. The illustrations are designed so that little black girls everywhere can see themselves in powerful women. The stories and illustrations are suitable for all ages, and especially appealing to read with younger children.

 

What Would She Do?: 25 True Stories of Trailblazing Rebel Women by Kay Woodward

Kay Woodward uses vibrantly coloured illustrations and an equally vibrant narrative style in What Would She Do?: 25 True Stories of Trailblazing Rebel Women to tell the stories of significant women in history. It is especially suitable for readers in the middle-grade spectrum, as it looks at real-world problems as though these powerful women were tackling them, giving kids a glimpse into history and ways to apply it to their lives.

 

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World takes a look at women scientists around the world, throughout time, and across a broad spectrum of science branches. Doctors, physicists, inventors, chemists, and more are all included, and each entry serves as a great introduction. Younger middle graders are the target audience, but I think most readers will find something to learn and to enjoy.

 

Young Adult and Up

 

Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics and Tough Mothers: Amazing Stories of History’s Mightiest Matriarchs by Jason Porath

Both Rejected Princesses and Tough Mothers focus on highlighting fascinating and lesser-known women from history (including some more mythological or literary women). The books do a wonderful job of bringing history to life, providing lesser-known facts about well-known women, or sharing lesser-known women in general, with dozens of entries in each. The books are designed for a more adult audience, but each entry features a maturity rating and relevant content warnings, making it easier to tell which entries might be suitable to read with kids.

 

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

Translated from the original French edition, Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World is a graphic novel that is suitable for teens and adults. The biographies are all clever entries that share the life details of a broad variety of women who have accomplished seemingly insurmountable tasks in their lives. There are artists, writers, scientists, trans rights pioneers, bearded ladies, and more. The graphic novel style for these biographies helps bring them to life, especially for teens and adults who might otherwise struggle to maintain interest in traditional biographies.

 

Fashion Rebels: Style Icons Who Changed the World Through Fashion by Carlyn Cerniglia Beccia

Fashion Rebels contains eighteen full biography entries of women who either changed the world through fashion or whose fashion impacted the world around them. It also contains side entries about the history of the little black dress or the history of women wearing pants. It also features tips on how to emulate the women featured in the book. The book is targeted towards teens, but it would be appropriate for older middle graders or adults who have any interest in the subject.

 

Fight Like a Girl: Fifty Feminists Who Changed the World by Laura Barcella

Fight Like a Girl takes a direct look at feminists from the early days of feminism to the present. The focus is on American women, but other women are addressed throughout. The book serves as an excellent introduction to feminist history by looking at the women who have achieved incredible milestones within feminism and the world. The book is targeted towards teens, but it is a good start in feminist history for adults looking for an introduction.