March is Women’s History Month, and despite the DEI paranoia, I’m celebrating in style… with books of course! Funny thing – my daughter and I agree that we didn’t really like history in school. “It was just memorizing dates and men fighting wars,” daughter said. But we are both finding a new love for history through reading – historical fiction, autobiography, and biography. Books have opened our eyes to the courageous people who lived before us and helped us get where we are. And they offer comfort in a tumultuous time. Our country and the world have been rocked by division and difficulty before and have survived. We will again.
In honor of Women’s History Month, I have four great books to recommend.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
Set in 1950s Washington DC, The Briar Club follows the lives of seven women living in a boarding house during the McCarthy era. The Briar Club opens with a murder (or, more accurately, a body), and follows an unusual structure, including short “interstitials” from the point of view of the house itself! The overarching question – who committed the murder? – is supported by a cast of well-drawn and compelling characters facing unique challenges and fighting for self-worth. Until Grace March arrived at Briarwood House, every tenant kept to herself. But with her weekly Thursday night dinner parties, Grace pulls the women (and a few men) into friendship via food and fellowship. Author Quinn even includes recipes!
The Briar Club explores the theme of trust, both interpersonal and public. Some of the language and rhetoric of our present day reflects eerily in this novel of 1950s America. Quinn weaves real people and events into her narrative. My favorite reference was to the June 1, 1950 “Declaration of Conscience” speech given by Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine. Among other things, she told the Senate:
Mr. President, I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national condition.
It is a national feeling of fear and frustration that could result in national suicide and the end
of everything that we Americans hold dear. It is a condition that comes from the lack of effec-
tive leadership either in the legislative branch or the executive branch of our government…
I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and selfish political opportunism…I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some real
soul searching and to weigh our consciences as to the manner in which we are performing our
duty to the people of America and the manner in which we are using or abusing our individual
powers and privileges.
The Briar Club is a worthy and entertaining read. It was a nominee for favorite historical fiction in the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards.
Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray
Many today consider Social Security benefits a non-negotiable part of American life, something we’ve always had and will have. But Social Security wouldn’t exist without the hard work of Ms. Frances Perkins, the first woman who served on a presidential cabinet as FDR’s Secretary of Labor. During the throes of The Great Depression, Ms. Perkins’ persistence in the face of personal tragedy, political criticism, and blatant misogyny not only gave Americans the New Deal, but also paved the way for women who wished to serve in public office.
And yet, until I read Stephanie Dray’s Becoming Madam Secretary, I had never heard of Frances Perkins. Anyone interested in history, public service, and the evolving role of women in America during the 20th century should read Dray’s historical fiction. To read my full review from 2024, see this post. Becoming Madam Secretary comes out in paperback March 18, 2025.
Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of Friendship by Nina Totenberg
This memoir, by NPR Legal Correspondent Nina Totenberg, focuses on the value of friendship and relationship. Totenberg met Ruth Bader Ginsberg before Ginsberg earned an appointment to The Supreme Court, and their friendship only got stronger while Totenberg covered the court. Dinners with Ruth testifies to the importance of relationship, with those we love and even those with whom we disagree. It’s also a testament to women who, like Katharine Graham, shattered professional barriers for women during the 20th century. Like Personal History, Dinners with Ruth drops a lot of names, but overall inspires positive feelings. It’s a great read for when you are feeling overwhelmed or discouraged by the news.
Personal History by Katharine Graham
Personal History is the autobiography of Katharine Graham, whose father bought The Washington Post in the 1930’s. Graham or her relatives operated The Post until financial concerns forced the family to sell it to Jeff Bezos in 2013. After the suicide of her husband, Phil Graham, in the 1960s, Katharine or “Kay” Graham took over the business and guided it through a time of national upheaval that included the Kennedy Assassination, The Vietnam War, and most importantly, Watergate. She served as CEO in a time when few women did, and her insights into the business world and political life during her tenure at The Post are fascinating.
Personal History requires a commitment. Its 625 pages abound with references to people and dates that make the reading dense and tiresome. About midway through, after Phil Graham dies and Kay takes over the helm of The Post, the book gets interesting. I particularly enjoyed her stories about JFK, Lyndon Johnson, and Watergate.
Of McCarthy, Graham said:
By now, McCarthy was growing even more sinister and more powerful. Playing on the fears stemming from the Cold War, he made outrageous charges… After a while, we in the media learned to carry the other side and to put his charges in perspective, but he was a new phenomenon with which the press had to learn to cope, and it took a while to catch up with his methods.
Later in her book, Graham shares the details of how The Post navigated frequent attacks from the Nixon administration and uncovered the details of The Watergate scandal. She said:
We all began to worry more and more about freedom of the press and about the Nixon administration’s imperious attitude that the authority to determine what the American people should know rests exclusively with the government. We also felt, as Ben [Bradlee, famous news editor at The Post] later said, that if the press was the target “the victim is the public.”
More than once while reading Graham’s words, I was struck by how relevant they still are today. Personal History overlaps the time frames of all of the other books I’ve reviewed here. I recommend skimming/ quick reading until chapter 21.
What about you? Can you recommend a book appropriate for Women’s History Month? Have you read any I shared here? Share your thoughts!
Thanks for getting nerdy with me!
