This list is not a list of my all-time favorite biographies. That list would be difficult to write because there are so many excellent ones, as in recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in writing about “forgotten women” in history. And I AM HERE for it.
This list is a list designed to capture biographies of women from across the world and of various different ethnic backgrounds. There are many books I gave five stars to and absolutely loved and others I gave three stars to. All of these I enjoyed, however.
A few years ago, I realized that a lot of the books I read were about and written by white, abled, Judeo-Christian, European/American women. I made a conscious effort to read about women from various ethnicities and regions of the world and religions. This list is the result of those efforts.
Note: I still have many holes to fill and a lot more expanding to do. But this is a start.
Note: I often choose to listen to biographies in audiobook format. All of these were good on audio. All of these I found at my local library too.
Note: They are loosely listed by favorite to least favorite within each category.
ASIA/PACIFIC ISLANDS
The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee (North and South Korea/China)
(Currently available on Kindle Unlimited)
The Indomitable Florence Finch: The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs by Robert J. Mrazek (Philippines)
Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China by Jung Chang (China)
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (China)
A Thousand Miles to Freedom by Eunsun Kim (North and South Korea)
MIDDLE EAST
The Last Girl by Nadia Murad (Iraq)
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan)
Note: The picture book Malala’s Magical Pencil is also really good.
Young Reader’s edition (Note: I haven’t read this edition)
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali (Yemen) (YA)
The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri (Iran)
Daring to Drive by Manal Al-Sharif (Saudi Arabia)
The Favored Daughter by Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan)
AFRICA
How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
(Democratic Republic of the Congo) (YA)
Stolen Girls by Wolfgang Bauer (Nigeria)
She Persisted: Wangari Maathai by Euacabeth Odhiambo (Kenya)(Children)
The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya (Rwanda)
I Am A Girl From Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayro (Zimbabwe)
LATINA/SOUTH/CENTRAL AMERICA
Once I Was You by Maria Hinojosa (Mexico)
In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic)
(YA-fiction but including)
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor (US-Puerto Rico)
When I was Puerto Rican Esmeralda Santiago (US-Puerto Rico)
A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernandez (Colombian-Cuban)
US/CANADA (MINORITIES/DISABILITIES)
Becoming by Michelle Obama (Black)
A Knock At Midnight Brittany Barnett (Black)(more non-fiction than bio)
Being Heumann by Judith Heumann (Disabled)
Haben by Haben Girma (Black Disabled)
Proud by Ibtihaj Muhammad (Black Muslim)
Heart Berries by Terese Malihot (Canada Indigenous)
UNITED STATES/EUROPE
Other than the ones I’ve carved out above to signal some sort of diversity, here are a few others for US/Europe.
The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell
Note: Clementine by her is also really good.
Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Lynne Olson
The Woman they Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Abigail Adams by Woody Holton
Half Drafted 