This powerhouse booklist features fiction books with strong female characters and non-fiction books written by inspiring women. Be prepared to be awed and uplifted!
In honor of Women’s History Month and Rosina, the strong female lead character in Until Next Sunday, this fierce booklist features female characters that both amaze and impress us as readers.
With so many incredible choices for strong female leads, this booklist draws from only a selection of fiction containing iconic female characters and nonfiction books written by inspiring women.
In fiction, strong female characters dazzle us with their storylines. Revisit the classic Little Women in its 150th Anniversary Edition. Read again the first book from the bestselling series, The Hunger Games. Or discover a new favorite female lead in the fictional account of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, in The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.
For nonfiction lovers, you’ll find books with real-life women whose personal stories empower us. Choose from a selection of female powerhouses, from Michele Obama to Katie Couric to Malala Yousefzai. And be inspired to overcome obstacles by the real-life stories of athlete Lolo Jones and journalist Clarissa Ward.
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What are the best books with strong female characters?
What are the best Fiction Books with Strong Female Leads?
Little Women (150th Anniversary Edition): With Foreword and 200 Original Illustrations by Louisa May Alcott (Author), Frank Merrill (Illustrator), Alice L. George (Foreword)
Looking for a classic? In the world of books with strong female characters, Little Women is an excellent choice. It has not one but three strong female characters.
Loosely based on the life of author Louisa May Alcott and her three sisters, Little Women follows the lives of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, from childhood to womanhood.
Initially published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, Little Women was written for girls. However, it gained a broader audience and became an immediate commercial and critical success.
And its success continues to this day through its adaptation into movies, TV, Broadway, and even the opera. The latest release was in 2019 with an all-star cast.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This New York Times Bestseller follows the story of the strong female lead, Liesel Meminger. Liesel is a foster girl living outside Munich during Nazi Germany in 1939. She survives her difficult existence by stealing.
When Liesel discovers books, she can’t resist stealing more and more of them. Although she initially struggled to read well, her accordion-playing foster father helped her improve her skills.
Inspired by the escape these books provide during bombing raids, Liesel shares her stolen books with her neighbors. She also shares them with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
You may be familiar with the 2013 film version of The Book Thief.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel by Maria Semple
Looking for an amusing and entertaining read? Where’d You Go, Bernadette is a great choice.
Characters Bernadette Fox and her 15-year-old daughter, Bee, more than qualify as strong female characters. When once-successful architect-turned-agoraphobic mother Bernadette vanishes, it’s up to Bee to piece together where she went.
I read it a few years ago and enjoyed how the story is told through various formats, from emails to letters to different documents. Where’d You Go, Bernadette was made into a movie starring Cate Blanchett and Kristen Wiig in 2019.
The Great Alone: A Novel by Kristin Hannah
This historical fiction novel set in 1974 follows a family seeking a new beginning in the wilderness of Alaska, only to come up against difficult odds when the season changes. The mother and daughter duo Cora and 13-year-old Leni must brave both the perils of winter in Alaska and the dangerous situation within their own home.
Aside from the independent community in this wild, remote corner of Alaska, Cora and Leni are on their own to survive the long, dark winter.
The Great Alone portrays a bevy of strong female characters. Kristin Hannah is a fantastic storyteller and one of my favorite authors.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Set in the late 1960s in a quiet town on the North Carolina coast, this story follows sensitive and intelligent Kya, the so-called Marsh Girl. Although Kya has survived alone in the marsh for years, all of that is about to change.
When handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, Kya becomes a suspect. The New York Times Book Review describes it as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative, and a celebration of nature.”
Where the Crawdads Sing is a New York Times Bestseller, a Reese’s Book Club Pick, and an excellent choice for a book with a strong female lead. Plus, the 2022 movie version has stunning landscape scenes of coastal Carolina.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
You’ll discover two strong female leads in this enticing novel: the aging, reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo and the unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant.
Evelyn has selected Monique to write her biography for reasons unknown to her. As Monique listens in fascination with the actress telling her story, she learns that her own life intersects with Evelyn’s in tragic and astounding ways.
I’m putting this novel on my “want-to-read” list!
City of Girls: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert
You may be familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert from her wildly popular novel turned film, Eat, Pray, Love.
In City of Girls, Gilbert writes the fictional account of the strong female character, Vivian Morris. Set in the theater world of 1940s New York City, this story has glitz, glamour, and sexy adventure.
But the natural appeal of this novel is the underlying message, “Life is both fleeting and dangerous, and there is no point in denying yourself pleasure or being anything other than what you are.”
I read this novel and loved it from start to finish.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
“This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.” As The Secret Life of Bees is one of my all-time favorite novels and a great choice for a book with strong female characters, I couldn’t agree more with this blurb from the Amazon description.
The Secret Life of Bees is set in 1964 in rural South Carolina and tells the story of Lily Owens. After her mother is killed and her “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three racists, they escape to Tiburon, South Carolina.
This town has secrets about Lily’s mother’s past and an eccentric trio of Black beekeeping sisters who worship the Black Madonna.
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Paris Wife is the fictional account of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife. Author Paula McLain does a phenomenal job of portraying Hadley as the strong female lead, just as she must have been in real life.
Set primarily in the Jazz Age of Paris in the 1920s, this story is so much more than a marriage destined to fail. It follows their love story from Chicago to Paris along with all the glamour and the drama.
McLain was inspired to write this story when she read the line about Hemingway’s early years in Paris in the final pages of his memoir, A Moveable Feast. He writes of Hadley, “I wished I had died before I ever loved anyone but her.”
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 1) by Suzanne Collins
I included The Hunger Games because I discovered it’s ranked first and shelved over 51 times with the “strong-female-protagonist” tag on Goodreads.
Of course, the strong female character of sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is the reason why it has earned so many votes. I mean, you’ve got to be strong to willingly take your sister’s place in the annual Hunger Games and enter a fight to the death.
This newly released special edition includes an extensive interview with Suzanne Collins, behind-the-scenes secrets, and answers many questions fans have posed since its original release.
What are the Best Nonfiction Books Written by Inspiring Women?
Going There by Katie Couric
In this memoir, Katie Couric reveals what went on behind the scenes in her personal and professional life. This book chronicles Katie Couric’s life and parallels the historical moments that she has covered.
Plus, Katie shares both the tragedies that impacted her own life and the gender inequality she encountered in her career (cough – Matt Lauer). And, she lets us in on how she found love again in mid-life.
I’ve been a Katie Couric fan since she was the Today co-host, way back when she was trying to figure out this new thing called email and how to use the @ symbol.
In Going There, Katie indeed “goes there.” This one looks like a juicy read by a very likable personality.
Sorry Not Sorry by Alyssa Milano
I grew up watching Alyssa Milano on Who’s the Boss? But her life hasn’t been defined solely by the title of “child actress.” Today, Milano acts as a humanitarian, a fighter, and a leader.
Rather than a traditional autobiography, Milano shares her life stories and the wisdom she has gained through essays best described as “elegant, funny and heartbreaking, and utterly real.”
Sorry Not Sorry takes on significant issues such as #metoo, racism, abortion, and the current state of American society.
Over It: How to Face Life’s Hurdles with Grit, Hustle, and Grace by Lolo Jones
You may know Lolo Jones from her devastating fall at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she was favored to win gold in the 100-meter hurdles.
But Lolo Jones isn’t defined by that moment! She picked herself up before that day, on that day, and every day since then.
In her book, Over It, Lolo shares how she has overcome adversity repeatedly. Prepare to be inspired!
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
The moniker “strong, inspiring woman” only barely begins to describe Malala. At the age of fifteen, Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban because she refused to be silenced and denied an education.
Not only did Malala survive, she now thrives as a champion for women’s rights worldwide. As it states in the Amazon description, “At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
This is the story of Malala’s and her father’s plight to stand up to terrorism and fight for girls’ access to education.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This memoir by the former first lady, Michelle Obama, reaffirms why she is one of the most well-liked women ever to serve our country.
Becoming chronicles Michele Obama’s childhood in the South Side of Chicago through marrying a future president, motherhood, and finally residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
This memoir covers it all, from moments of success to deep disappointments, both public and private, in an honest, open manner.
On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist by Clarissa Ward
Clarissa Ward is no stranger to the front lines of hot spots throughout recent history and the world. In her revealing memoir, we learn what makes Ward a truly strong and inspiring woman.
On All Fronts is the story behind the story of Clarissa Ward’s career and journalistic endeavors in some of the most extreme and violent places on our planet.
It includes her accounts of assignments in Syria and Egypt. Plus, it describes her experiences based in Baghdad, Beirut, Beijing, and Moscow. Clarissa Ward is the recipient of multiple Peabody and Murrow awards.
Limitless: The Power of Hope and Resilience to Overcome Circumstance by Mallory Weggemann
Imagine going in for a routine procedure for back pain and waking up paralyzed. That’s exactly what happened to Mallory Weggemann when she was a young swimmer.
This would-be tragic event didn’t hold back Weggemann, who went on to break world records at the Paralympic Games.
Even more inspiring, Weggemann suffered a severe arm injury after a fall and still went on to win two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships. Plus, she walked down the aisle on her wedding day, yet again defying the odds.
Limitless is the perfect title for this memoir, that’s soon to be a feature film and a documentary.
Final Thoughts: Books with Strong Female Characters by Inspiring Women
Well, I can say one thing for sure, writing about these strong fictional characters and real-life inspiring women has inspired me! I hope you found a great read (or two or three) to add to your booklist for March. If you read any of these picks or have a book to add to the list, leave a comment and let me know!
