Sponsored by Spirit Run by Noé Álvarez, on sale now from Catapult.
Spirit Run is the electrifying debut memoir of a son of working-class Mexican immigrants who fled a life of labor in fruit-packing plants to run in the Peace and Dignity Journey—a Native American marathon from Canada to Guatemala—challenging himself to reimagine North America and his place in it.
It’s Women’s History Month! It’s the history of half the human race. Which is rather broad. This week, we’re sticking with a broader view of women’s history as opposed to dialing down into the realm of solo biographies (that’s for later this month!). Enjoy these awesome women-focused reads.
Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win by Rachel Ignotofsky. I sometimes find myself avoiding compilations because they lack a narrative arc, but when I do read them, I find the briefer stories stay with me. With that in mind! Here’s a compilation of 50 stories about women athletes, including Billie Jean King, Simone Biles, and “skateboarding pioneer” Patti McGee. I looked up Patti McGee and she is iconic.
Women, Race, and Class by Angela Y. Davis. Sure, women in 1960s and ’70s America were being liberated, but which women? This modern classic by Angela Davis looks at the women’s movement in America from the mid-19th century to the early ’80s and shows the racism and classism that have been woven in since the beginning.
Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History by Canyon Sam. Sam travels through Tibet, gathering oral histories of life under Chinese occupation from women elders, and speaks to educators, child brides, gulag survivors, aristocrats in exile, and more. Sam is a third-generation Chinese American and also discusses her own experience as she takes the new Chinese sky train through Tibet.
Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber. Just because you don’t read about women in ancient times doesn’t mean they weren’t there or that they didn’t have a powerful impact on society. Barber’s book starts with the idea that 20,000 years ago, women were “making and wearing the first clothing created from spun fibers,” and that until the Industrial Revolution, “the fiber arts” were a huge part of the economy. If you want more info on this extremely overlooked contribution to society at large, check this out.
So excited about this month! I hope you’re ready for some amazing women-centered nonfiction reads, because they will be coming at you every Friday. As always, you can find me on Twitter @itsalicetime and co-hosting the For Real podcast with Kim here at Book Riot. Until next time! Enjoy those facts, fellow nerds.