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Writer's pictureNora Curry

Women's History Month



March brings Women's History Month around once again. If these annual months of recognition happen over and over again, how can we make them different? One way is that, as a society, we continuously reframe the ways we talk about gender and what it means to be a woman. And, of course, we see women increasingly add to the incredible wealth of their contributions to our world across history and into the present. This year's official theme for the month, "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope," highlights these more recent contributions while also honoring the past. The National Women's History Alliance describes it as "both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history."


Photo courtesy of the Camden Herald


As we look outward to our country and our world to celebrate women this month, it's of course also worth a local look at the wonderful women right here in Camden—and with an eye toward history, who better to honor than a woman who helped to tell ours? Historian Barbara Dyer was truly beloved in this community as she grew up here and documented the area's history in books and newspapers. Dyer passed away at 97 last month, but her legacy lives on in part on the circulating shelves of our library and in our Walsh History Center, where you can find many of her works to explore.


Now we turn to the reading list! Below you'll find fiction and nonfiction titles written by and about a diverse array of women. Please discover some exciting titles from last year's list (https://camdenpubliclibrary.wixsite.com/booktalkbythesea/post/women-s-history-month) and then delve into some newer acquisitions and discoveries below. We can redefine a bit what this month means to us every year, but one thing doesn't change—the wealth of books available that help us learn about incredible women. After the following list, you'll find a short selection of newer titles linked to our current Picker Room exhibit, "Finding Our Voices," which features portraits of 41 Maine survivors of domestic violence.


Without further adieu...



Roar, Cecelia Ahern

Her Hidden Genius, Marie Benedict

Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler

Dear Miss Metropolitan, Carolyn Ferrell

Libertie, Kaitlyn Greenidge

Matrix, Lauren Groff

Something Wild, Hanna Halperin

The Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila Harris

A Spindle Splintered, Alix E. Harrow

Mirrorland, Carole Johnstone

Notes on an Execution, Danya Kukafka

The Drowning Kind, Jennifer McMahon

Recitatif: A Story, Toni Morrison

Please See Us, Caitlin Mullen

The Swimmers, Julie Otsuka

Island Queen, Vanessa Riley

Ariadne, Jennifer Saint

False Witness, Karin Slaughter

Wayward, Dana Spiotta

Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson

O Beautiful, June Yun




A History of Women in 100 Objects, Maggie Andrews & Janis Lomas

All in: An Autobiography, Billie Jean King

Seeing Serena, Gerald Marzorati

It's Up to the Women, Eleanor Roosevelt

Just As I Am, Cicely Tyson with Michelle Burford

Persist, Elizabeth Warren



Writings in the Sand, Ruth Collins


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