Browsing: Notable Women

A New York Times bestseller: When a Michigan hairdresser founded a beauty school in Afghanistan, she became part of a community of women that would change her life… This vivid memoir is “witty and insightful” (Publishers Weekly starred review), with over 3,900 five-star ratings on Goodreads!

This New York Times bestselling collection compiles six memoirs from author and activist Maya Angelou — including the celebrated work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. “Maya Angelou is a natural writer with an inordinate sense of life” (Kirkus Reviews).

“A funny yet touching portrayal of the indignities of aging” (Kirkus Reviews): In this endearing memoir, Meg must supervise her mother and her new stepfather as they adjust to the onset of dementia. “Deeply moving” (New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani).

In this New York Times bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize–winning author illuminates the life of Catherine the Great, who rose from a minor noble family to rule a nation. This biography, which has over 36,000 five-star ratings on Goodreads, “will transport history lovers” (People).

In this New York Times bestselling memoir that inspired the acclaimed Netflix series, a young Hasidic Jewish woman braves the unknown to escape the confines of her strict religious community. “Brave, riveting… Harrowing, yet triumphant” (Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle).

A New York Times bestseller hailed as “simply the best memoir by a chef ever” (Anthony Bourdain): With candor and comedy, a culinary master traces the twists and turns that led to her success. “Dazzling… Brilliantly written” (The New York Times), with over 6,500 five-star Goodreads ratings!

This “searing exploration of evil and trauma” (The New York Times Book Review) follows a journalist’s decade-long investigation into the brutal murder of a young English woman at the hands of a killer “as brilliant and terrifying as the fictional Hannibal Lecter” (The Wall Street Journal).

“Mesmerizing” (Chicago Tribune): Between 1915 and 1970, nearly six million Black Americans left the South. A Pulitzer Prize–winning author explores the migration through the eyes of three individuals in this “brilliant and stirring epic” (The Wall Street Journal) with over 46,000 five-star Goodreads ratings. “A landmark piece of nonfiction” (The New York Times).

“Extraordinary” (The New York Times Book Review): As the daughter of Joseph Stalin, Svetlana grew up amid tyrannical control — and her experiences turned her into an outspoken dissident. Her heartbreaking yet fascinating story is revealed in this “excellent and engrossing biography” (Library Journal).

In this “astonishing and deeply moving story” (Booklist), a National Book Award–winning author shares the tale of her two grandmothers — Jewish women whose lives were transformed by the Holocaust, Stalin, and communism — and how they found a sustaining friendship with one another.