March 10-13: Women’s History Month

“Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal,” wrote the famous Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad. Jasmin Darznik’s debut novel Song of a Captive Bird is based on Foorkhzad’s short life, starting in the 1930s and '40s in Tehran, when as a girl she was told that women were meant to be obedient - and not poets. Darznik’s novel captures the quiet desperation of trying to live beyond societal bounds: Farrokhzad fled an oppressive marriage to follow her passion for arts and literature to become one of Iran’s most celebrated writers. This work of historical fiction rings with beauty and independence, with author Darznik interspersing some of Farrokhzad’s poetry throughout the book. Song of a Captive Bird is a beautiful portrait of an extraordinarily talented woman - and it was a super engaging audiobook that held my attention.

I’m going to focus on a picture book author again, and this time it’s Laurie Wallmark, a newer voice in picture book nonfiction. Her debut, Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, came out in 2015 and she’s been highlighting fascinating women from history almost every year since then. Grace Hopper, Queen of Computer Code tells the story of the pioneering mathematician who taught computers to recognize English words instead of only binary. Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life illuminates the glamorous Hollywood actress’s work as an inventor and developer of a groundbreaking communications system during World War II. And Numbers in Motion, due later this year, looks to take an equally fascinating look at mathematician Sophie Kowalevski. Personally, I can’t wait to see who Laurie Wallmark decides to cover next.

The Firebrand and the First Lady by Patricia Bell-Scott recounts the remarkable friendship of civil rights activist Pauli Murray, and First lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Starting with a letter Murray wrote to Roosevelt in 1938 protesting racial segregation in the South, the book uses personal correspondence, journals, interviews, and previously unpublished works to illustrate the powerful work both women did to push for equality for women and African Americans. The book focuses mostly on Murray, a fascinating and brilliant woman who challenged the world around her and accomplished amazing things. If you read this and like me, want to learn even more about Pauli Murray, you can pick up the 2017 bio Jane Crow by Rosalind Rosenberg, which is a more in depth portrait of Murray, including her early life, education, and struggles with what would likely today be called transgender identity.