Memoirs and biographies are vital for preserving women’s voices, offering deeply personal narratives of their struggles, triumphs, and legacies that inspire current and future generations.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve put together a list of audiobooks spotlighting powerful, courageous, and resilient women who have shaped our past and present.
Black Women Taught Us
Black Women Taught Us reclaims essential history, highlighting Black women’s overlooked contributions to liberation movements. Through eleven essays exploring figures from Harriet Jacobs to Audre Lorde, Jackson repositions Black women’s intellectual and political work at the center of today’s activism. It serves as a reminder of Black women’s pioneering role in fighting racism and imagining a more just world.
Horse Barbie
Geena Rocero’s Horse Barbie follows her from a young trans woman in 1990s Manila to a successful model in the United States. Initially mocked as “Horse Barbie” in Filipino trans pageants, Rocero embraced the nickname. After moving to the US at 18, she went stealth to protect her modeling career. It is a celebratory story of survival, love, and joy from a central figure in trans history.
All That She Carried
“I really loved the concept for this book. Miles’s deep dive into a single historic item and drawing potential conclusions through every aspect of its construction was truly magical. Her in depth research was heartfelt and illustrated how much was lost of Black history throughout time. The audiobook was wonderfully narrated by Janina Edwards.”
— Kimi • Buttonwood Books and Toys
In the Shadow of the Mountain
“In the Shadow of the Mountain intertwines the lives of sexual assault survivors with Vasquez-Lavado’s experience leading these survivors to summit Mount Everest. A collective story of perseverance, community, and healing.”
— Clancey D’Isa • Seminary Co-op Bookstores
Coming Home
“Brittney Griner writes with honesty and bravery. The story of how a simple mistake turned into a nine-month-long fight for freedom is only a small piece of her larger story. Brittney talks in-depth about the people who kept her going while imprisoned, and what it was like to return to the country that fought so hard for her release. Her story will both make you angry and renew your faith in humanity. #WeAreBG ignited the movement of a lifetime for this accomplished basketball player and Olympian. It continues to inspire and call for the release of American citizens who have been taken into custody abroad. This book is not only the memoir of someone who endured a horrific nightmare but also an anthem to keep fighting for justice.”
— Lily • Eagle Harbor Book Co
How to Say Babylon
“Jamaican-born poet Safiya Sinclair’s memoir about growing up in a strict Rastafarian household is one of the most powerful stories I have experienced in a long time. I learned so much about Jamaica, Rastafarianism, and this extraordinary woman listening to How to Say Babylon. Sinclair’s exquisite prose, heard in her own voice, is ravishing. Her story of growing up in a culture broadly shaped by the shackles of colonialism and a household ruled by a violent, authoritarian father obsessed with his daughter’s purity is terrifying and ultimately triumphant.”
— Claire • Honest Dog Books
Recollections of My Nonexistence
“Over Rebecca Solnit’s 30 years of writing, readers like me have fallen in love with her seismic, world-shifting essays, and I was not disappointed by this memoir, her first longform writing in seven years. True to her form, this is a memoir not necessarily of the events of Solnit’s coming of age, but rather the greater influences in her development as a feminist, an activist, and a writer in 1980’s San Francisco. In these pages, Solnit describes the formation of her own powerful voice while interrogating the culture that routinely silences women through violence and disregard. By sharing these formative years, Solnit is sure to inspire and vindicate generations of women of all ages and offer much-needed encouragement to people of all genders to invest in voices long suppressed.”
— Megan • Underground Books
The Radium Girls
“Lip. Dip. Paint. Three little actions with devastating consequences for The Radium Girls, a select group of glamorous girls employed as watch dial painters during the early 20th century. This is the tragic, true account of young women, promised wealth and prominence as an employee of the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation, yet delivered unexplained pain and suffering, betrayal and injustice. Determined to seek retribution for their impending death sentences, these gutsy gals fight for their families and for future safety standards for all. The sacrifices made by these brave women are awe-inspiring and unimaginably awful at the same time and will haunt my thoughts indefinitely.”
— Kristin McLean & Eakin Booksellers
Make It Count
CeCé Telfer’s memoir, Make It Count, shares her journey from a challenging upbringing in Jamaica to becoming the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA title. Facing transphobia on and off the track, she pursued her Olympic dreams while experiencing homelessness, discrimination, and personal growth. This inspiring story highlights her resilience, athleticism, and fight for inclusion, offering a powerful testament to living authentically despite adversity.
Hidden Figures
“Every so often I find myself blindsided by history, in this case by a wealth of information lurking unseen below the surface about the African-American female mathematicians working at NASA from its very inception being just the tip of the iceberg. What I found when I delved into Shetterly’s well researched and lovingly written homage to the women who inspired her was not only the history of integration in this country as seen through the lens of one organization and the many lives it touched. I was also reminded that not all heroes have plaques, and sometimes it’s about getting up and showing up, tirelessly and ceaselessly demanding one more inch of dignity. I was humbled by the stories of these women, and there were more of them than you would believe, who fought so that their children and indeed all of America could go yet farther.”
— Jax • Bookshop Santa Cruz
Lab Girl
“This book has it all: nature, love, science, drama, heartbreak, joy, and plenty of dirt. Not since Cheryl Strayed’s Wild have I read such a rich and compelling nonfiction narrative. Lab Girl is the story of Jahren’s life in science, and her writing on the wonders of nature will renew your sense of awe. But more than that, it is an exploration of friendship, mental illness, parenthood, and the messiness of life. The only flaw—these pages fly by too quickly, leaving you wondering what you could possibly read next that will be just as good.”
— Pete Mulvihill • Green Apple Books
Becoming
In her memoir, former first lady Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
Heart Berries
Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar II disorder, Terese Marie Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way out of trauma. The result is Heart Berries, a memorial for Mailhot’s mother, a social worker and activist who had a thing for prisoners; a story of reconciliation with her father—an abusive drunk and a brilliant artist—who was murdered under mysterious circumstances; and an elegy on how difficult it is to love someone while dragging the long shadows of shame. As she writes, she discovers her own true voice, seizes control of her story, and, in so doing, reestablishes her connection to her family, to her people, and to her place in the world.
Unbound
From the founder and activist behind one of the largest movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the “me too” movement, Tarana Burke shares a powerful memoir about her own journey to saying those two simple yet infinitely powerful words—me too—and how she brought empathy back to an entire generation in one of the largest cultural events in American history.
Learn more about fighting for women’s rights
The stories above play an important role in empowering and inspiring activism and leadership. We’ve included below a few additional audiobook recommendations that highlight the importance of women’s rights, and how we can keep pushing for them.
Hood Feminism
“Hood Feminism touches on many subjects that mainstream feminists may not think of as feminist issues. Issues like food and housing insecurity, parenting, and disability rights, among others. Mikki Kendall calls out mainstream feminism as existing only for the advancement of white women, to the detriment of women of color. Some of my biggest takeaways were that white women are reliant on upholding the patriarchy for their protection— although this is counterintuitive—and that the “strong,” “powerful” Black woman is a harmful stereotype that denies such women the care and rest that they deserve. White liberal allies, beware of performative activism. Take notes while you listen to this book, step up to become angry accomplice intersectional feminists, and step aside to allow the voices of marginalized women to be heard.”
— Mary • Raven Book Store
Undue Burden
Undue Burden investigates the aftermath of Roe v. Wade’s overturning in 2022. By 2024, abortion was restricted or unavailable in 21 states. The audiobook follows four individuals facing difficult pregnancy decisions, including a teenage girl, a struggling mother, a woman with a life-threatening condition, and a trans man. Shefali Luthra reveals how abortion restrictions create a domino effect across the country, impacting access to reproductive healthcare and forcing patients to make risky decisions.
Minor Feelings
Minor Feelings blends memoir, cultural criticism, and history to explore racialized consciousness in America. Through seven essays, Cathy Park Hong introduces the concept of “minor feelings,” the dissonance experienced when societal optimism contradicts racial realities. Drawing from personal stories and broader cultural analysis, she examines identity, shame, and systemic racism with vulnerability and humor. This work redefines Asian American identity and challenges perceptions of race in America.
How We Get Free
The Combahee River Collective was one of the most important organizations to develop out of the antiracist and women’s liberation movements of the 1960s and 70s. In this collection of essays and interviews edited by activist-scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, founding members of the organization and contemporary activists reflect on the legacy of its contributions to Black feminism and its impact on today’s struggles.
Wordslut
Amanda Montell, reporter and feminist linguist, deconstructs language—from insults and cursing, gossip, and catcalling to grammar and pronunciation patterns—to reveal the ways it has been used for centuries to keep women and other marginalized genders from power.
The Intersectional Environmentalist
The Intersectional Environmentalist examines the inextricable link between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and promotes awareness of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people — especially those most often unheard. Written by Leah Thomas, a prominent voice in the field and the activist who coined the term “Intersectional Environmentalism,” this book is simultaneously a call to action, a guide to instigating change for all, and a pledge to work towards the empowerment of all people and the betterment of the planet.
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What are the best audiobooks to read in honor of Women’s History Month?
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