Renee Mazin
History has not celebrated the contributions and achievements of women as much as men. This month, Book Nook wants to set the record straight by highlighting some of these women who deserve more recognition. Instead of examining the exact historical record, many authors represented in the SaddleBrooke Libraries collection tell the stories of these unsung women through the lens of historical fiction.
The most prolific of these authors have forged careers by writing about these women. Marie Benedict has explored the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosalind Franklin, Lady Clementine Churchill, Agatha Christie, Hedy Lamarr, Bella da Costa Greene, and Mileva Einstein-Maric. Jennifer Chiaverini was interested in the lives of Ada Lovelace, Mary Todd Lincoln, Mildred Fish, and Elizabeth Van Lew.
Then there is our second tier of writers with at least three historical fiction novels in our collections. Melanie Benjamin has written about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Mary Pickford, and Blanche Auzello. Stephanie Dray’s books include titles about Francis Perkins, E. S. Hamilton, and women of the French Revolution. Ariel Lawhon unearths the lives of Anastasia, Nancy Wake, and Martha Ballard. Paula McLain likes the women of the 1930s: Beryl Markham, Martha Gelhorn, and Hadley Richardson.
Quite a few of these women may be unfamiliar to many readers, but that is why Google is here to help you. To find the works by these authors, check the online catalog through sblibraries.com.
Search by author, click on a title, and a description of the book will appear. Another easy way to learn about these titles is to go to any of the SaddleBrooke Libraries where a list by author indicates the title and the subject (woman) of the book.
If you prefer investigating specific titles about women in history, here are some other suggestions. Contemporary women (20th century) include Jackie and Me (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis), Bridal Chair (Ida Chagall), Diva (Maria Callas), By Her Own Design (Anne Lowe), Diamond Eye (Lyudmila Pavlichenko), and The Magnificent Life of Marjorie Post. Going back further in time to the 19th century: Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba (Evangelina Cisneros), To Slip the Bonds of Earth (Katherine Wright), The Secret Life of Sunflowers (Johanna Bonger), and The Engineer’s Wife (Emily Roebling). Going back even further, explore books about Mary Tudor (Passionate Tudor), Elizabeth of York (Last White Rose), and Lucrezia de Medici (Marriage Portrait).
The SaddleBrooke Libraries have more than 50 historical fiction titles about women! Many of these selections have been read and enjoyed by our 25-plus book clubs right here in our community. We appreciate your support to keep bringing these books and women into your lives with lively book discussions. Please consider joining and supporting Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries at www.sbfsl.org.
Now for a personal recommendation by me: A bonus for those of you able to download podcasts on your phone—try searching for “the history chicks.” Two smart gals, Beckett and Susan, discuss the lives of over 75 women and their role in history. This is mostly real women in history with some fictional women: Barbie, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland! They also have a website with pictures at thehistorychicks.com.