Absorbing Fiction Based on the Fascinating Lives of Real Women from History

by Lynn Cullen

In 1940s and 50s America, where polio is as dreaded as the atomic bomb, Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, as some of the world’s best minds race against each other to find a vaccine, must decide what is forgivable, and how much should be sacrificed, in pursuit of the cure. 

by Debra Magpie Earling

Stolen from her village and then gambled away to a French Canadian trapper and trader, Sacajewea, determined to survive and triumph, crosses a vast and brutal terrain with her newborn son, the white man who owns her and a company of men who wish to conquer the world she loves.

by Jasmin Darznik

Celebrating the life and career of photographer Dorothea Lange, this novel explores the wild years in San Francisco that awakened her career-defining grit, compassion and daring.

by Gail Tsukiyama

Arriving in Hollywood to become an actress, Anna May Wong discovers her beauty and talent aren’t enough to overcome the racism that relegates her to supporting roles and, over the years, fights to win lead roles, accept risqué parts and keep her illicit love affairs hidden—even as she finds global stardom.

by Emily Franklin

Based on the life of an eccentric trailblazer who lived life on her own terms, this deeply evocative novel follows Isabella Stewart Gardner who, exploring the world of art, ideas and letters, developed a keen eye for paintings and objects, scandalizing Boston’s polite society and transforming the city itself. 

by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Initially drawn together because of their shared belief in women’s rights and the power of education, civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt fight together for justice and equality, holding each other’s hands through tragedy and triumph.

by ReShonda Tate

The first African American woman to win an Academy Award, Hattie McDaniel, when the Oscar curse sets in, is thrust in the middle of two worlds—black and white—and is not welcomed in either but, through it all, continued her fight to pave a path for other Black actors. 

by Ruth P. Watson

Describes the true story of Maggie Lena Walker, the determined daughter of a 19th century laundress who was dismayed by the racial disparities in Richmond, Virginia and worked to found a newspaper, bank and department store where black customers were treated with respect.

by Daisy Goodwin

Describes the scandalous love affaire between the legendary opera singer, Maria Callas, and the fabulously rich Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, whose relationship ended suddenly with the shocking news that he was to marry Jacqueline Kennedy. 

by Alexandra Lapierre

New York in the 1900s. A young girl fascinated by rare books defies all odds and becomes the director of one of the country's most prestigious private libraries, the Morgan. Flamboyant, brilliant, beautiful, Belle Green is among New York society's most sought after intellectuals. She also hides a secret. Although she looks white, she is African American. Torn between history's ineluctable imperatives and the freedom to belong to the society of her choosing, Belle's drama, which plays out in a violently racist America, is one that resonates forcefully, and illuminatingly even today.

by Joyce Carol Oates

A bold reimagination of the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker—the child, the woman, the fated celebrity, and idolized blonde the world came to know as Marilyn Monroe. In a voice startlingly intimate and rich, Norma Jeane tells her own story of an emblematic American artist—intensely conflicted and driven—who had lost her way. 

by Maya Rodale

In 1887 New York City, Nellie Bly has ambitions beyond writing for the ladies pages, but then the New York World challenges her to an assignment she'd be mad to accept and mad to refuse: go undercover as a patient at Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for women. Once inside, Nellie befriends her fellow patients who help her uncover shocking truths about the asylum. It’s a story that promises to be explosive—but will she get out before rival reporters get the scoop?

by Susan Wittig Albert

Based on research into a massive collection of over 700 letters, documents, media reports and historical accounts, this novel, set in 1940, centers around Georgia O’Keeffe and Maria Chabot—a young and naïve would-be writer, exploring the dimensions of friendship and the debts we incur to those who make our lives easier.