SJPL Picks: Women's Memoirs & BiographiesLike this list

40 items

• My Name Is Barbra

  Streisand, Barbra,

  Add My Name Is Barbra to your for later shelf

  The long-awaited memoir by the superstar of stage, screen, recordings, and television Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment.

• Burnt

  a Memoir of Fighting Fire

  Frank, Clare,

  Add Burnt to your for later shelf

  California's female chief of fire protection looks back at her pioneering path in a male-dominated field, taking readers inside station houses, on daily calls, and along on wildfire campaigns.

• Oh My Mother!

  a Memoir in Nine Adventures

  Wang, Connie,

  Add Oh My Mother! to your for later shelf

  A mother-daughter adventure around the world in pursuit of self-discovery, a family reckoning, and Asian American defiance.

• A Well-trained Wife

  My Escape From Christian Patriarchy

  Levings, Tia,

  Add A Well-trained Wife to your for later shelf

  A Well-Trained Wife is an unforgettable and timely memoir about a woman's race to save herself and her family and details the ways that extreme views can manifest in a marriage.

• What Looks Like Bravery

  An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love

  Braitman, Laurel,

  Add What Looks Like Bravery to your for later shelf

  The author shares how, in the years following her beloved father's death, she denied her suffering and lived with the constant fear of loss that left her terrified of love and intimacy until she set out on a journey to confront the grief…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cher

  the Memoir. Part 1

  Cher, 1946-

  Add Cher to your for later shelf

  After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail, in a two-part memoir.

• The Light We Carry

  Overcoming in Uncertain Times

  Obama, Michelle, 1964-

  Add The Light We Carry to your for later shelf

  Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Undaunted

  How Women Changed American Journalism

  Kroeger, Brooke, 1949-

  Add Undaunted to your for later shelf

  An essential history of women in American journalism, showcasing the most renowned trailblazers since 1840.

• A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman

  Elkins-Tanton, Lindy,

  Add A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman to your for later shelf

  A memoir from a world-renowned planetary scientist explores her remarkable life story, the struggles she faced as a woman in the field, and her work as the leader of NASA's Psyche mission to explore the largest known metal-rich…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Twice as Hard

  the Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, From the Civil War to the 21st Century

  Brown, Jasmine,

  Add Twice as Hard to your for later shelf

  No real account of black women physicians in the US exists, and what little mention is made of these women in existing histories is often insubstantial or altogether incorrect. In this work of extensive research, Jasmine Brown offers a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Proving Ground

  the Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World's First Modern Computer

  Kleiman, Kathy,

  Add Proving Ground to your for later shelf

  After the end of World War II, top-secret research continued across the United States as engineers and programmers rushed to complete their confidential assignments. Among them were six pioneering women, tasked with figuring out how to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Brave Hearted

  the Women of the American West 1836-1880

  Hickman, Katie,

  Add Brave Hearted to your for later shelf

  The true-life story of women's experiences in the Wild West is more gripping, heart-rending, and stirring than all the movies, novels, folk-legends, and ballads of popular imagination. Hard-drinking, hard-living poker players and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Moment

  106 Women on Fighting for Themselves

  Add My Moment to your for later shelf

  In this empowering collection of essays--a natural extension of the #MeToo movement--a diverse group of women, including Gloria Steinem, Joanna Gaines, and Beanie Feldstein, reflect on the moment they realized they were ready to fight for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bold Women of Medicine

  21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs

  Latta, Susan M.,

  Add Bold Women of Medicine to your for later shelf

  Meet 21 determined women who have dedicated their lives to healing others. In the 19th century, Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton—the “Lady with the Lamp” and the “Angel of the Battlefield”—earned their nicknames by daring to enter…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Women of Rothschild

  the Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty

  Livingstone, Natalie,

  Add The Women of Rothschild to your for later shelf

  From the East End of London to the eastern seaboard of the United States, from Spitalfields to Scottish castles, from Bletchley Park to Buchenwald, and from the Vatican to Palestine, Natalie Livingstone follows the extraordinary lives of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Female, Gifted, and Black

  Awesome Art and Literary Pioneers Who Changed the World

  Anderson, Becca,

  Add Female, Gifted, and Black to your for later shelf

  Whether you learned about these women in school or not, these Black historical figures changed society and inspired future generations. Read all about these powerful women in black history such as Amanda Gorman, Alice Walker, Warsan Shire,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Book of Awesome Black Women

  Sheroes, Boundary Breakers, and Females Who Changed the World

  Fièvre, M. J. (Michèle-Jessica),

  Add The Book of Awesome Black Women to your for later shelf

  "Whether you learned about these women in school or not, these Black women changed society and inspired future generations. Read all about women such as Sojourner Truth, Anita Hill, Wangari Maathai, Aretha Franklin, Simone Biles, Naomi…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Empress of the Nile

  the Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples From Destruction

  Olson, Lynne,

  Add Empress of the Nile to your for later shelf

  In the 1960s, the world's attention was focused on a nail-biting race against time--an international campaign to save over a dozen ancient Egyptian temples, built during the height of the pharaohs' rule, from drowning in the floodwaters of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Crying in the Bathroom

  a Memoir

  Sanchez, Erika L.,

  Add Crying in the Bathroom to your for later shelf

  From the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, an utterly original memoir-in-essays that is as deeply moving as it is hilariously funny"-- Growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants in Chicago…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finding Me

  Davis, Viola, 1965-

  Add Finding Me to your for later shelf

  Finding Me is Viola Davis’ story, in her own words, and spans her incredible, inspiring life, from her coming-of-age in Rhode Island to her present day. Hers is a story of overcoming, a true hero’s journey. Deeply personal, brutally…Read moreRead more of this annotation