Had your fill of fiction? From women’s rights champions to an iconic fashion heroine, here’s our must-read list of inspiring memoirs about and by six formidable women.
Had your fill of fiction? From women’s rights champions to an iconic fashion heroine, here’s our must-read list of inspiring memoirs about and by six formidable women.
BECOMING BY MICHELLE OBAMA
Intimate and insightful, Becoming is the memoir of former first lady and political powerhouse Michelle Obama. Chronicling her childhood, motherhood, and her time spent in the White House, it is a warm and wise read, guaranteed to inspire.
EDUCATED BY TARA WESTOVER
In this coming-of-age memoir, Tara Westover charts her journey from growing up as part of a survivalist family in rural America and never attending school, to studying her way to Havard and Cambridge. Through this transformation, she found herself or, as Westover puts it in the final line of the book: "I call it an education".
MY OWN WORDS BY RUTH BADER GINSBERG
A powerful and enduring voice in law, women's rights and public opinion, this is Ruth Bader Ginsburg's first book since becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 1993. Offering a fascinating glimpse into her life, it features a collection of speeches and writings on topics ranging from gender inequality and the workings of the Supreme Court to law and lawyers in the opera.
HOW TO BE A WOMAN BY CAITLIN MORAN
"There's never been a better time to be a woman: we have the vote and the Pill, and we haven't been burnt as witches since 1727. However, a few nagging questions do remain..." In this funny and astute memoir, award-winning columnist Caitlin Moran examines everyday womanhood, from botox to being a mother.
MY PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY BY ZEBA TALKHANI
28-year-old Muslim feminist Zeba Talkhani recounts her journey from growing up amid the patriarchal customs of Saudi Arabia to finding freedom in India, Germany and the UK. By rejecting the traditional path her culture had chosen for her and forging her own, Talkhani became financially independent and married on her own terms in the UK.
GRACE: A MEMOIR BY GRACE CODDINGTON
A witty and charmingly forthright memoir from Grace Coddington, Vogue's former creative director and one of fashion's enduring heroines. Illustrated throughout with vintage photographs and exclusive line drawings, the book shares the excitement and vision that go into producing iconic fashion images.