A selected list of notable fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels for young adults about women's history and experience, chosen by LAPL librarians.


Book cover for Afar

Afar

Del Duca, Leila.
Call Number: 740.9999 D331
Book cover of Alebrijes

Alebrijes

Higuera, Donna Barba
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Asking for it

Asking For It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture—And What We Can Do About It

Harding, Kate
Call Number: 364.153 H263
Harding interrogates ideas about rape culture, including excusing the accused, victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and putting the onus of responsibility on women to protect themselves from rape in this provocative and timely read.
Book cover for Assata : an autobiography

Assata : an autobiography

Shakur, Assata.
Call Number: 322.4092 S527 2001
A biography of Assata Shakur, U.S. revolutionary who was a leader of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and early 1970s and fought for civil rights for African Americans and to end racism.
Book cover for Audacity

Audacity

Crowder, Melanie.
Call Number: YA
This novel in verse is inspired by the real story of Clara Lemlich, an immigrant who fought for factory workers’ rights in turn-of-the-century New York.
Book cover for Bee and Puppycat. created by Natasha Allegri ; written by Natasha Allegri & Garrett Jackson ; illustrated by Natasha Allegri with additional colors by Patrick Seery ; letters by Britt Wilson ; cover b

Bee and Puppycat, Vol 1

Allegri, Natasha
Call Number: 740.9999 B4145 v.1
20-something year old Bee can’t seem to hold down a job. After being fired from her last one, she stumbles upon a fluffy white creature that looks like a cat but smells like a dog...named Puppycat! This graphic novel follows the adventures of Bee as she works as a Magical Girl Temp Worker, helping Puppycat with odd jobs across dimensions!
Book cover for Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

Bagieu, Penelope
Call Number: 740.9999 B145-1

A graphic novel that is a compendium and retelling of stories about strong women throughout history. Some are famous, some infamous and some ought to be famous. Fabulous gift for those needing an uplifting book about women’s history.

Book cover for A bride's story. Kaoru Mori. Vol. 1/

A Bride's Story, Vol. 1

Mori, Kaoru
Call Number: 740.9999 B8517 v.1

Graphic novel that details the daily life of a young woman, Amir, in early 19th Century Turkey.

Book cover for Climbing free : my life in the vertical world

Climbing free : my life in the vertical world

Hill, Lynn, 1961-
Call Number: 796.012 H646
In the testosterone fueled rock climbing scene of the 1980’s and 90’s Lynn Hill rose to the top becoming a legend in the sport. Her crowning achievement was free climbing the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite, a nearly vertical 2,900 foot climb so difficult that it was said to be inconceivable. This is her life story in her own words; full of adventure, hard earned lessons, and larger than life people.
Book cover for Code name Verity

Code name Verity

Wein, Elizabeth.
Call Number: YA

After two British girls, a pilot and a spy, crash their plane in Nazi-occupied France, the spy is captured and imprisoned by the Germans. She is forced to give up her secrets and reveal her mission in writing. Instead, she tells the story of her friend Maddie, the pilot of the crashed plane, whom she assumes is dead. But nothing can be assumed in this story, and nothing is as it seems.

Book cover for The cure for dreaming

The cure for dreaming

Winters, Cat.
Call Number: YA
When the father of a teenage feminist and suffragist in 1900 Oregon takes her to a hypnotist to squash her rebellious nature, she comes away with the supernatural ability to see people’s true natures - and more determined than ever to fight for women’s rights.
Book cover for Far From the Tree

Far From the Tree

Benway, Robin.
Call Number: YA

Three teens, who have the same biological mother, have always known that they were adopted, or were in foster care, but they did not know they had siblings. When Grace puts her own baby up for adoption, she searches out her biological family to ensure she made the right choice. Maya, the youngest sibling, has a great adopted family, with secrets. Joaquin, the oldest, who was never adopted, keeps to himself. Together the teens discover what family really means, and it’s not always conventional.

Book cover for A Fierce and Subtle Poison

A Fierce and Subtle Poison

Mabry, Samantha.
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Goldie Vance: Volume 3

Goldie Vance: Volume 3

Larson, Hope, creator,
Call Number: 740.9999 G6195La v.3
Book cover for The good girls revolt : how the women of Newsweek sued their bosses and changed the workplace

The good girls revolt : how the women of Newsweek sued their bosses and changed the workplace

Povich, Lynn.
Call Number: 331.4 P879

Soon to be an Amazon series, Povich describes in an engrossing narrative the story of what happened to the women who worked for Newsweek in the 1970s before and after they banded together to sue the magazine for discrimination because they were systematically denied promotions and newsroom positions.

Book cover of Great or nothing

Great or Nothing

McCullough, Joy
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World

Call Number: 301.412973 H5425
Book cover for Hunger makes me a modern girl : a memoir

Hunger makes me a modern girl : a memoir

Brownstein, Carrie, 1974-
Call Number: 789.14 B8853
Rock goddess and Portlandia Actress-Writer-Producer Carrie Brownstein returns to her childhood and musical beginnings in the Riot Grrrl feminist movement of the 1990s when she co-founded the iconic musical group Sleater-Kinney. Brownstein describes contending with how she was perceived by journalists and audiences being a woman in a rock band in this heartfelt and honest exploration of her professional and personal lives.
Book cover for I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood up for Education and Changed the World

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood up for Education and Changed the World

Yousafzai, Malala
Call Number: 370.95491 Y82-1

Learn the story of the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner ever, who risked her life to fight for the rights of girls in Pakistan to attend school. Malala was a young girl who would not be denied an education, despite being threatened by the Taliban, who shot her in the head. She lives in exile and continues to speak out for justice and human rights. In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Book cover for Inheritance: A Visual Poem

Inheritance: A Visual Poem

Acevedo, Elizabeth
Call Number: 811 A173
Book cover for Lakota Woman

Lakota Woman

Brave Bird, Mary.
Call Number: 301.41292 M393 2011
A biography of Mary Crow Dog of the American Indian Movement who, along with 250 other Sioux, occupied Wounded Knee for 71 days in 1973 to expose mistreatment by local and federal governments.
Book cover for Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Lo, Malinda
Call Number: YA

This historical fiction is set in San Francisco, in 1954, when Chinese Americans and immigrants had to live under increased paranoia, racism, and suspicion for having Communist ideas. Lily is interested in discovering what’s outside her Chinatown home. Her parents warned her not to leave their immediate neighborhood, but Lily ventures forth to various places, such as the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar. This is where she slowly discovers herself and a relationship with her first white friend, Kathleen. All of this means that Lily may end up in dangerous situations and more than she bargained for.

Book cover for Lean in : for graduates

Lean in : for graduates

Sandberg, Sheryl.
Call Number: 658.31242 S213-1 2014
Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg offers encouragement and advice to college graduates on finding and getting the most out of a first job and what it takes to find and commit to a job that they love.
Book cover for Lies We Tell Ourselves

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Talley, Robin
Call Number: YA

As one of the first African American students to attend Jefferson High School in 1959 Virginia, Sarah faces discrimination and abuse on a daily basis. When she and the white daughter of a rabid segregationist are forced to work together on a school project, however, the two girls begin to realize they have feelings for one another.

Book cover for The lightning dreamer : Cuba's greatest abolitionist

The lightning dreamer : Cuba's greatest abolitionist

Engle, Margarita.
Call Number: 811 E575-2
Nineteenth-century Cuban poet Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda escaped two arranged marriages as a teenager and went on to fight for women's equality and the end of slavery. This fictionalized novel tells her story in gorgeous, lyrical verse.
Book cover for Lucy and Linh

Lucy and Linh

Pung, Alice,
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Lumberjanes / Gotham Academy

Lumberjanes / Gotham Academy

Clugston-Flores, Chynna.
Call Number: 740.9999 L9575-1
Book cover for A madness so discreet

A madness so discreet

McGinnis, Mindy.
Call Number: YA

“Grace Mae knows madness . . . ” Set in 1890, readers plunge head-first into darkness with Grace Mae, a teenager who became pregnant, and at the whim of her father, was imprisoned in an insane asylum. After a chain of events at the asylum causes her to lose her child, a visiting doctor rescues her with an odd proposal: fake her death and become his crime-scene-investigating assistant. This YA historical novel is a piercing look at the madness in ourselves, and in others, and how we all must eventually face that madness. Beautiful and powerful in its delivery. 

 
Book cover for A Map for Wrecked Girls

A Map for Wrecked Girls

Taylor, Jessica, 1985-
Call Number: YA
Book cover for A Million to One

A Million to One

Jaigirdar, Adiba
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Moxie

Moxie

Mathieu, Jennifer
Call Number: YA

Inspired by her mother’s collection of Riot Grrrl memorabilia, Texan teen Vivian starts publishing an anonymous ‘zine in response to her school’s sexist dress code. As her ‘zine gains a following and becomes bigger than just herself, she and her friends find themselves using it to address harassment and assault issues.

Book cover for Ms. Marvel: Vol. 8, Mecca

Ms. Marvel: Vol. 8, Mecca

Wilson, G. Willow, 1982-
Call Number: 741.5 C2547Wi v.8
Book cover for Nice Jewish Girls

"Nice" Jewish Girls

Merberg, Julie
Call Number: 301.4129 M552
Book cover for The Nowhere Girls

The Nowhere Girls

Reed, Amy Lynn,
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Outrun the Moon

Outrun the Moon

Lee, Stacey (Stacey Heather),
Call Number: YA

Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from poverty in Chinatown, and she gains admittance to a prestigious finishing school through a mix of cunning and bribery. She soon discovers that getting in was the easiest part, and must carve a niche among the spoiled heiresses. When the earthquake strikes on April 18, Mercy and her classmates are forced to a survivor encampment, but her quick-witted leadership rallies them to help in the tragedy's aftermath.

Book cover for Radioactive!: How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World

Radioactive!: How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World

Conkling, Winifred,
Call Number: 537.1 C752

Tells the story of two early 20th century female physicists whose groundbreaking contributions were overlooked in their lifetimes and are still largely unknown today despite shaping the field of nuclear science.

Book cover for Sally Ride : a photo biography of America's pioneering woman in space

Sally Ride : a photo biography of America's pioneering woman in space

O'Shaughnessy, Tam E,
Call Number: 629.450092 R544Os
Written by Ride’s partner, this book covers everything from Ride’s career as a physicist and astronaut, her athletic achievements (Ride was a tennis player who almost turned pro), her report cards, and her fight for gender equality.
Book cover of Salt the water

Salt the Water

Iloh, Candice
Call Number: YA
Book cover for She takes a stand : 16 fearless activists who have changed the world

She takes a stand : 16 fearless activists who have changed the world

Ross, Michael Elsohn, 1952-
Call Number: 301.4129 R825
International and intersectional in its focus, this collection of short biographies highlights the achievements of some of the bravest activists you’ve never heard of including Sampat Pal Devi, an activist against violence towards women in India; Kalpona Akter, an advocate for safe conditions in textiles factories; and Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, who stood up for union workers.
Book cover for Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel

Farizan, Sara.
Call Number: YA

Leila’s managed to get all the way to junior year without letting romance complicate her life, but when a beautiful new girl starts attending her school, Leila finds herself taking chances - and figuring out how to come out to her friends and family.

Book cover for A tyranny of petticoats : 15 stories of belles, bank robbers & other badass girls

A tyranny of petticoats : 15 stories of belles, bank robbers & other badass girls

Call Number: YA

With stories written by various popular YA authors such as Marie Lu and Marissa Meyer, this collection follows fifteen extraordinary American women, from the 18th century colonial world of pirates and new discoveries to the tumultuous 1960s.

Book cover for Under a painted sky

Under a painted sky

Lee, Stacey (Stacey Heather).
Call Number: YA

Two teenage girls - one of them Chinese American, the other African American - on the run from the law disguise themselves as boys and set out on the Oregon Trail in this tale of adventure and friendship set during the Gold Rush.

Book cover for The Upside of Unrequited

The Upside of Unrequited

Albertalli, Becky,
Call Number: YA
Book cover for Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Hall, Rebecca
Call Number: 741.5 H1778
Book cover for We Are Okay

We Are Okay

LaCour, Nina
Call Number: YA

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. The book details Marin’s exploration of her sexuality and her complicated relationship with her best friend.

Book cover for West with the night

West with the night

Markham, Beryl.
Call Number: 92 M3448 1983
Beryl Markham was the first person to fly nonstop from Europe to America and the first woman to fly solo (east to west) across the Atlantic. Born in England in 1902, Markham was taken by her father to East Africa in 1906. She spent her childhood playing with native Maruni children and apprenticing with her father as a trainer and breeder of racehorses and learned to fly.
Book cover for When I was Puerto Rican

When I was Puerto Rican

Santiago, Esmeralda.
Call Number: 301.45097295 S235 1994

Esmeralda Santiago was one of eleven children who grew up in a tin-can of a house in Puerto Rico, surrounded by quarreling parents and poverty. While living in Brooklyn with her grandmother, Santiago's ambition and hard work resulted in a Harvard education, and a successful career as a writer and film producer.

Book cover for Woman rebel : the Margaret Sanger story : [graphic novel]

Woman rebel : the Margaret Sanger story : [graphic novel]

Bagge, Peter.
Call Number: 618.391 S225Bag
In an era when working class women had no access to birth control, Margaret Sanger emerged as an advocate for women’s health.
Book cover for Wonder Woman : the hiketeia

Wonder Woman : the hiketeia

Rucka, Greg.
Call Number: 741.5 W872Ru
A confused girl with a troubled past pledges to serve Wonder Woman in the ancient Greek ritual of supplication. Taking her under her protection, Wonder Woman finds herself at odds with Batman, who has been on her ward’s trail.