The Power of Her Story

Eleanor Roosevelt said it best: “A woman is like a tea bag — you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” And when you really think about it, it’s so true. Women have been taking the reins quietly — or not so quietly — throughout history.

And they make for great reading, in fiction and fact!

For example, how about a wonderfully detailed saga of two of the most influential and glamorous women in 19th-century Europe? Nancy Goldstone offers up “The Rebel Empresses,” a dual biography about Empress Eugenie of France and Elizabeth of Austria, writing of their influences on history, social movements and war. Balancing historical context with private details, the book — featuring some of the most scandalous and pivotal moments in European history — shows these rulers as modern women who rejected tradition and championed progressive causes.

Next up, America’s founding era is reconsidered through the lives of two women, familiar to those who saw the musical “Hamilton.” In “Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution,” Amanda Vaill introduces us to Angelica and Elizabeth Schuyler, born to wealth and privilege during the latter half of the 18th century. They were raised to marry well and run huge households. Instead, they got involved in the fight for America’s freedom and rebelled, each in different ways, against the destiny mapped out for them.

Staying with politics, did you know a woman ran for president of the United States in 1872? Learn that and much more in “The Improbable Victoria Woodhull: Suffrage, Free Love, and the First Woman to Run for President” by Eden Collinsworth. Woodhull, the daughter of a con artist, achieved remarkable success in finance, journalism and politics. A spiritualist, suffragist and proponent of free love, Woodhull was an iconoclast who fought for her beliefs no matter how controversial. Kirkus Reviews calls this “a zesty biography of a colorful woman in the raucous Gilded Age.”

Woodhull was just the tip of the iceberg. In “She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street,” Paulina Bren tells the story of how women infiltrated Wall Street from the swinging ’60s to 9/11, starting at a time when “No Ladies” signs hung across the doors of its lunch clubs and inside its brokerage houses and investment banks. If the wolves of Wall Street made a show of their ferocity, the she-wolves did it with subtlety and finesse. The lives of these women should never be forgotten.

You probably don’t think about librarians as powerful, but you’ve likely never heard of Amanda Jones. Jones lays out her case in “That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America.” She’s faced death threats and attacks from all sides after standing against book banning at a public library board meeting. This book is part memoir and part manifesto from a Louisiana librarian who continues to advocate for free speech on the front lines of the culture wars.

It’s never too early to introduce the younger set to women who seize the moment for themselves. Local author Erin Entrada Kelly introduces us to Joey Guerrero, a brave, little-known Filipina who helped the Allied Forces win World War II while living with Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy. Because of her condition, she was rarely searched by Japanese soldiers, which allowed her to carry secret messages, including an invaluable minefield map that she taped to her back. “At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom” is an intriguing, well-told account of an extraordinary life.

Another local author says stand back, women are coming through! In “Girls to the Front,” Niña Mata highlights the lives and achievements of 40 women of Asian American descent. From politics to the U.S. Navy, from laboratories to boardrooms, these girls and women lead every line. Booklist calls this “an engaging celebration of Asian American ingenuity and triumph.”

How about an inspiring biography of one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of all time? In “Epic Athletes: Caitlin Clark,” Dan Wetzel details Clark’s journey from multiple sports star in Iowa to making college basketball history and being named the WNBA Rookie of the Year. It’s a story of dedication, hard work, competitiveness and belief that has made her a barrier-breaking hero to people across America and beyond. Little girls will love it!

These books are just a small sampling of what’s waiting for you at your local bookstore. So get out there and start reading — and learning!

Shelley Laurence is a bookseller a Main Point Books, an independent bookstore with a handpicked selection for every member of the family. Check out their events, book groups and children’s activities at MainPointBooks.com or on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Order online for delivery or pickup. 484-580-6978; 116 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne.