From the former First Lady of the United States to scientific geniuses, here's a list of books written by women that you need to read
Stories of great strength tend to emerge from some of the darkest moments in history—each tale incredibly different, yet equally as important.
From the tale of a woman's spirit surviving a childhood in North Korea and sexual slavery in China, to the unique and unimaginable story of India’s renowned bandit queen, we've rounded up seven books from across the globe that speak to the incredible level of strength and spirit women hold.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
You don’t have to be a scientific genius to understand the heart of Rebecca Skloot’s highly acclaimed novel. Based on the life — or rather, the cells — of Henrietta Lacks, the eponymous book guides its readers through themes of poverty, racism, and the politics of medicine.
The book, which centres around HeLa cells taken from Lacks’ cervix without her permission, is exemplary in the lucid way it details both the science and the story. Now, through interviews with Lacks’ successors, Skloot pieces together two narratives that detail the scientific success of the HeLa cells while juxtaposing it to the Lacks family’s hardships after their mother’s death.
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