HerStory: Books: Home

Celebrate Women's History Month with the Stump Library! These are just a few of the amazing books we have. Looking for more? Just ask!

The 2019 theme for Women's History Month is Visionary Women: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence, and the books listed below celebrate women who have worked to change the world. Interested in more? Keep scrolling - there are even more books listed!

In the mood for films? They're on display in the reading room!

Looking for more information? Check out our Herstory page!

The Great Woman Singer: Gender and Voice in Puerto Rican Music by Licia Fiol-Matta: Licia Fiol-Matta explores how four great women singers used their voices and performing abilities to transform their options. 

The Art of Feminism: Images that Shaped the Fight for Equality, 1857-2017 by Lucinda Gosling, Hilary Robinson, and Amy Tobin: Delve into some of the artists and the works behind the feminist movement, beginning in 1857.

Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman by Jeffreen Hayes: Delve into the life and art of influential sculptor Augusta Savage.

Josephine Baker in Art and Life: The Icon and the Image by Bennetta Jules-Rosette: Delve into the life and career of Josephine Baker, performer, activist, politician, and philanthropist.

She Begat This: Twenty Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Joan Morgan: Journalist and author Morgan, who coined the term "hiphop feminism," delves into Lauryn Wood's remarkable career in this book about Wood's debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Beyoncé in Formation: Remixing Black Feminism by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley: Step into Black feminism with the professor who teaches "Beyoncé Feminism, Rihanna Womanism"!

Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda by Deborah R. Vargas: The story of Chicana music's "dissonant divas," who used their music to explore gender, sexuality, power, and culture.

If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar: Step into the life of a Pakistani-American woman, including her family's Partition story, in these poems by Chicago author and Brown Girls writer/director Fatimah Asghar. 

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar: In this Pura Belpré-winning novel, Jewish-Cuban immigrant Ruthie must rely on her friends, her family, and books to make it when an accident puts her in a full-body cast.

Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros: Step into borderlands and women's lives in this collection of short stories by Chicago native Sandra Cisneros. 

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves edited by Glory Edim: This anthology of essays by Black women writers delves into the importance of finding oneself in one's reading.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe, translated by Lilit Žekulin Thwaites: Step into Auschwitz's tiny, clandestine library in this novel based on the life of Holocaust survivor - and Auschwitz's underground librarian - Dita Kraus.

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: The young daughter of Marxist intellectuals comes of age during the Iranian Revolution in this award-winning autobiographical novel by Marjane Satrapi. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: You've seen the movie - now read Thomas's novel!

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson: Tired of being singled out at her wealthy, mostly-white private school, Jade would rather participate in its amazing Study Abroad program than join Woman to Woman, a mentorship program for at-risk girls. This is a Coretta Scott King Award winner and a Newbery Honor Book.

Phillis Wheatley Chooses Freedom: History, Poetry, and the Ideals of the American Revolution by G.J. Barker-Benfield: Delve into the life of Phillis Wheatley, the first published African-American poet.

To Tell the Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B. Wells by Mia Bay: There's a street named for her in Chicago - now, learn more about Ida B. Wells' life and career!

Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen Carter: The author tells the story of his grandmother, Eunice Hunton Carter, whose work as a prosecutor would send mobster Lucky Luciano to prison.

Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work by Edwidge Danticat: Haitian-born writer Danticat tells the story of her life in this 2010 memoir.

Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar: The story of Ona Judge, who, despite a massive manhunt, successfully escaped slavery - and lived the rest of her life as a free woman.

Jane Addams and the Dream of American Democracy: A Life by Jean Bethke Elshtain: The life of Nobel winner, public intellectual, activist, Hull House founder, and Chicago institution Jane Addams. 

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaption written by Anne Frank, adapted by Ari Folman, & illustrated by David Polonsky: Step into the life of teenage Anne Frank in this graphic retelling of her famous diary.

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay: Roxane Gay tells her tale of womanhood, food, and the body in this memoir.

Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching by Paula Giddings: Delve deeply into Ida B. Wells' life, her career in journalism, and her anti-lynching activism in this biography.

The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt: A Tyranny of Truth by Ken Krimstein: A graphic novel introduction to the life and work of philosopher Hannah Arendt, best known for her work The Origins of Totalitarianism. 

Becoming by Michelle Obama: Attorney, administrator, and former First Lady Michelle Obama tells the story of her life in this 2018 memoir.

Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol by Nell Irvin Painter: The life of pioneering abolitionist, feminist, and speaker Sojourner Truth.

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor: The first Hispanic Supreme Court justice tells the story of her life, from her childhood in the Bronx to her career in law.

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver: Follow young Lila from Argentina to Alabama in this graphic novel tale of immigration, race, and identity in the Jim Crow South.

Democracy and Social Ethics by Jane Addams: Activist and Hull House founder Jane Addams reflects on ethics and social justice in this work published originally in 1902.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie: In this essay based on her TED Talk, the award-winning author of Americanah and more delves into an intersectional feminism for the twenty-first century.

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale: Native women tell their own stories in this award-winning compilation of prose, poetry, and visual art.

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper: Follow Cooper through an exploration of rage, power, and race.

Transnational Testimonios: The Politics of Collective Knowledge Production by Patricia DeRocher: Delve into the ways in which storytelling builds coalitions in this exploration of feminist testimonios from across the world.

Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar: The story of Ona Judge, who, despite a massive manhunt, successfully escaped slavery - and lived the rest of her life as a free woman.

Chicana Movidas: New Narratives of Activism and Feminism in the Movement Era edited by Dionne Espinoza, María Eugenia Cotera, and Maylei Blackwell: Delve into Chicana activism and organizing of the movement years in this collection of oral histories, interviews, testimonios, scholarly works, and more.

Reshaping Women's History: Voices of Nontraditional Women Historians edited by Julie A. Gallagher and Barbara Winslow: Eighteen scholars and activists tell their own stories in this volume of essays.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay: Follow Gay through pop culture, politics, and feminism in these essays.

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped WIn the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly: You saw the movie - now, learn the true story of the women whose calculations sent astronauts to the moon (and brought them home again, too).

Women's Political Activism in Palestine: Peacebuilding, Resistance, and Survival by Sophie Richter-Devroe: The lives and ongoing political activism of women in Palestine over the past 20 years. 

How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor: In this Lammy-winning oral history, delve into the history of the Combahee River Collective, a group of radical Black feminists of the 1906s and '70s.

Goddess of the Americas: Writings on the Virgin of Guadalupe edited by Ana Castillo: Celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe with these essays, stories, and comics, curated by Chicago writer Ana Castillo. Prefiere leer en español? Se puede leer Diosa de las Américas: Escritos Sobre la Virgen de Guadalupe. 

And the Spirit Moved Them: The Lost Radical History of America's First Feminists by Helen Hunt: The story of some of America's first feminists and their radical, religious approach to equality.

Lucretia Mott Speaks: The Essential Speeches and Sermons written by Lucretia Mott and edited by Christopher Densmore, Carol Faulkner, Nancy A. Hewitt, and Beverly Wilson Palmer: A collection of speeches, remarks, and sermons by the pioneering American Quaker pastor, women's rights activist, abolitionist, and pacifist Lucretia Mott.

And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy: Stories from the Byways of American Women and Religion by Adrian Shirk: A powerful, personal exploration of American women and their theologies, ranging from the author to Marie Laveau, Sojourner Truth, and many more.

Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa: The pioneering Chicana feminist and activist delves into life on the border in this autobiographical collection of essays and poetry.

Women & Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard: Explore the present alongside its roots in the past with these essays.

The Second Sex written by Simone de Beauvoir and translated by H.M. Parshley: Read French theorist de Beauvoir's pioneering take on women and gender.

Communion: The Female Search for Love by bell hooks: Follow theorist and poet bell hooks on a tour of love in America.

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde: Take on sexism, racism, ageism, and more with the pioneering poet and theorist Audre Lorde, whose famous speech "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House" is included in this collection.

Molecular Feminisms: Biology, Becomings, and Life in the Lab by Deboleena Roy: Deboleena Roy, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology and of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Emory University, explores the feminisms of the lab bench.

Middle Grade Novels

Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan: Naomi, her little brother, and her grandmother run to Mexico when Naomi's absentee mother resurfaces to try to claim her.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan: When Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico, they must adjust to the difficult conditions and hard work of the labor camps of Depression-era southern California. 

Picture Books & Easy Readers

Drum Dream Girl written by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael López: A young girl in 1920s Cuba works to become a drummer, despite being told it is only for boys, in this Pura Belpré award-winning picture book inspired by Millo Castro Zaldarriaga and her band Anacoana.

When Marian Sang by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Brian Selznick: The true story of opera singer Marian Anderson, who shattered barriers and encouraged change throughout her life and career.

Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith and illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright: Jenna, whose grandmother is a great jingle dancer, borrows jingles from relatives' dances so she can be a jingle dancer, too.

Danza! Amalia Hernández and el Ballet Folklórico de México written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh: The story of Amalia Hernández, who founded the Ballet Folklórico de México is told in this Américas Award-winning picture book.

Malala's Magic Pencil written by Malala Yousafazi and illustrated by Kerascoët: Malala wished for a magic pencil as a child, but as she grew older, she realized that even without a magic pencil, she could work to make the world a better place for everyone.

These books aren't on our shelves quite yet--but they'll be here soon!

Dear Ijeawele by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie: This short piece offers fifteen suggestions for raising a strong, empowered girl, from the author of Americanah, We Should All Be Feminists, and numerous other works.

Glory in Their Spirit: How Four Black Women Took on the Army During World War II by Sandra M. Bolzenius: The story of four African-American members of the WAC who took on discrimination and inequality in the Army.

Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets by Feminista Jones: Writer, social worker, and activist Feminista Jones explores the ways in which contemporary Black women are changing the world.

The Answer: Including Sor Filoeta's Letter and Selected Poems by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, translated by Electa Arenal and Stephanie Powell: Read Juana Inés de la Cruz's defense of women's education, as well as selected poems, in this new bilingual edition of her seminal text "La Respuesta." 

Delivered by Midwives: African-American Midwifery in the Twentieth-Century South by Jenny Luke: Learn about the work of African-American midwives in the twentieth century American South.

Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical by Sherie M. Randolph: The life, legacy, and political influence of the American lawyer, activist, and radical feminist. 

Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray by Rosalind Rosenberg: The life of pioneering lawyer and activist Pauli Murray.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh: This award-winning picture book tells the story of Sylvia Mendez and her family and their fight against school segregation in California, years before Brown v Board of Education. 

This year's theme is all about peacemaking - but we have so much more! You might be interested in these books, about topics ranging from rage (and war!) to power and the economy.

True Tales

How Do We Look: The Body, the Divine, and the Question of Civilisation by Mary Beard: Explore the history of human beings in art in this book by classicist Mary Beard.

You Play the Girl: On Playboy Bunnies, Stepford Wives, Trainwrecks, and Other Mixed Messages by Carina Chocano: Explore the ways in which women are represented in popular culture in this award-winning work.

Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation by Carolyn Cocca: Delve into representation of women - and female superheroes - in this exploration of gender, power, and representation in mainstream comics. Superwomen won the 2017 Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work!

Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery: Curious about the ways in which the health care system treats women? Want to advocate for yourself when you go to the doctor? You might like this book.

Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, and Helen Frankenthaler: Five Painters and the Movement that Changed Modern Art by Mary Gabriel: The tale of five women who dared to enter the male-dominated world of modern art - and changed it forever. 

Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes: Delve into pregnancy - both its scientific and cultural sides - in this feminist exploration. 

No Time To Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula Le Guin: A collection of essays on life, writing, and aging, by the pioneering science fiction novelist and thinker Ursula K. Le Guin. These are among the last works she published before her death.

Equality for Women = Prosperity for All: The Disastrous Global Crisis of Gender Inequality by Agosto López-Claros and Bahíyyih Nak̲h̲javání: Economics López-Claros and Nak̲h̲javání delve into the direct relationship between women's equality and a country's economic prospects. 

Song of the Stubborn One Thousand: The Watsonville Canning Strike, 1985-87 by Peter Shapiro: Labor journalist Shapiro tells the story of the Watsonville Canning Strike, a labor action led and won almost entirely by Mexican-American women.

Feminism's Forgotten Fight: The Unfinished Struggle for Work and Family by Kirsten Swinth: The story of second wave feminism's fight for equality.

Wages for Housework: A History of an International Feminist Movement, 1972-1977 by Louise Toupin, translated by Kathe Roth: The story of the international drive for wages for housework, which helped bring discussions of gendered household labor to the fore.

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister: Trace the long history - and power - of women's anger as a political force.

Where Are the Women? Why Expanding the Archive Makes Philosophy Better by Sarah Tyson: Explore the ways in which including women's voices can strengthen philosophy.

Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up edited by Claire Wilcox and Circe Heneterosa: Delve inot the ways in which groundbreaking surrealist Frida Kahlo created herself through makeup, clothing, and more.

Fiction & Beyond

Electric Arches by Eve L. Ewing: Chicago poet and scholar Ewing takes readers from 1990s Chicago to a future Chicago in this blend of poetry and narrative, realism and surrealism. 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: The story of two half-sisters born in Ghana in two different villages, Homegoing follows the sisters—and their descendants—from Ghana to Harlem and beyond.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon: Stuck in the slums of a ship that ferries humanity to a mythical Promised Land, Aster learns there may be a way to a better life - if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.