Admire strong women in history? You might want to read these . . .
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
by Rebecca Skloot Fascinating but heartbreaking, this is the story of Henrietta Lacks, a working class African-American woman whose cancer cells were taken without her or her family’s knowledge and became one of the most important tools in medicine. Her cancer cells are the source of one of the most critical cell lines in medical research. This book raises important questions about the moral and ethical implications around scientific discovery, and also the effects of racism and injustice. It is because of Lacks that countless lives have been saved.
HEDY’S FOLLY
by Richard Rhodes
Hollywood glitz and glamour meets cuttingedge technology and invention. Hedy Lamarr was best known as an exquisitely beautiful film star. However, the most remarkable and interesting thing about her is she was a selftaught inventor — youthful experimentation resulted in a tablet that, when dissolved in water, created a carbonated soft-drink. But significantly, Lamarr had a major hand in inventing the technology that allows us the use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology today. A jawdroppingly juicy and riveting story.
ROSA PARKS
by Lisabeth Kaiser
Part of the “Little People Big Dreams” series for children designed to introduce them to the life stories of important women and role models in history. This edition sheds light in simple language on the inspirational story of African-American Rosa Parks, who in segregated Alabama in 1955, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus when the “whites only” section was full. Her actions changed the face of history.
SHARP: THE WOMEN WHO MADE AN ART OF HAVING AN OPINION
by Michelle Dean
An entire book dedicated to a selection of wonderful and fierce women — who were not necessarily liked, perhaps even feared — who forged careers from having strong opinions. Sharp celebrates some of the 20th century’s finest cultural and intellectual thinkers. What links these women is that they have all been referred to as being “sharp.” They include Dorothy Parker, Hannah Arendt, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion and Janet Malcolm.