5 books about forgotten female heroes to celebrate Women's History Month

USA Today

25-03-2025

5 books about forgotten female heroes to celebrate Women's History Month
Women's History Month is almost at a close, but there is still time to add empowering reads to your TBR before March is over.
Stories of unsung female heroes are having a moment, like Kristin Hannah's 'The Women,' which spotlights the 'forgotten' female veterans of World War II.
Kristina McMorris, the author of the bestselling historical fiction novel 'Sold on a Monday' and the upcoming 'Girls of Good Fortune,' told USA TODAY that women's historical fiction is an uplifting space for readers and writers.
'There is something that is very special about having female bonds and friendships (where) we really understand each other and are there to support each other,' McMorris says. 'We are so passionate about shining a light on these stories from the past that it never feels competitive. We are all just there to help lift each other up and spread word about each other's stories and about each other's talents as much as possible. It is an amazing community.'
Here are five books we recommend checking out and the real-life history behind them.
'Harlem Rhapsody' by Victoria Christopher Murray
What's it's about: This novel follows Jessie Redmon Fauset, a high school teacher from Washington D.C. who arrives in Harlem as she becomes the first Black woman named literary editor of The Crisis magazine. But her secret affair with her older boss, W. E. B. Du Bois, threatens her position. Determined to prove herself, Jessie throws herself into helping The Crisis thrive by scouting writers who would someday become literary icons, including Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes and Nella Larsen.
The real history: Fauset became the literary editor of The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP, at Du Bois' persuasion. She edited and published the work of notable Harlem Renaissance writers but was rarely given credit for her role in the artistic movement. Like many others, Fauset's writing was often dismissed because it dealt with 'women's issues' and because she was a woman herself, The New Yorker reported. But scholars and writers alike acknowledge that the movement would not have been possible without her.
'The Women' by Kristin Hannah
What it's about: 'The Women' is the story of the women serving in the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. It follows 20-year-old sheltered nursing student Frances 'Frankie' McGrath, who, while in Vietnam, makes friends and learns that every day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal. When she comes home to a changed America, she has to face a country that wants to forget Vietnam and ignore the women who served in it.
The real history: About 10,000 women served in-country in Vietnam, and 265,000 served in the war efforts overall. Many were nurses, averaging just 23 years old, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. These Vietnam veterans are sometimes called the 'forgotten veterans' because of the hostility and ignorance they faced from Americans who did not believe women served in the war.
'The Rose Code' by Kate Quinn
What it's about: This World War II novel follows three female code breakers at Bletchley Park, working against the clock to solve the puzzle and crack German military codes. If that isn't pressure enough, the women are faced with a mysterious traitor who emerges, years later, as the three friends are torn apart.
The real history: Most think of Alan Turing cracking the Enigma Code when it comes to World War II code breakers, but more than 10,000 women also served for the U.S. Army and Navy in that capacity. At a time when employment opportunities for women were a rarity, code breaking offered jobs to the math- and puzzle-minded. Female code breakers were crucial to the U.S. winning the war.
'The Queen of Sugar Hill' by Reshonda Tate
What it's about: 'The Queen of Sugar Hill' is a fictional portrait of Hattie McDaniel, the Hollywood actress who would become the first Black person to win an Oscar. The story picks up after she receives her award for best supporting actress, only to face unemployment, discrimination and disdain from both white and Black communities.
The real history: The 'Gone with the Wind' actress is far from unknown, but her accolades are wholly underappreciated and overlooked. McDaniel's career was hindered by racism and sexism, especially after 'Gone With the Wind.' Many Black audience members saw her role as 'Mammy' as furthering racist stereotypes. In her later years, McDaniel successfully lobbied against racially restrictive deeds that were pushing Black residents out of neighborhoods.
'Forbidden City' by Vanessa Hua
What it's about: Beginning on the eve of China's Cultural Revolution, 'Forbidden City' follows a teenage girl named Mei who becomes the Communist Party Chairman's muse, lover and confidante. Within the capital, Mei becomes disillusioned with the Chairman and his politics, eventually publicly betraying him and running away. Here, she learns just how much female revolutionaries have been erased and rewritten.
The real history: 'Forbidden City' tells the stories of women who fought and endured during the Cultural Revolution, only to be left in the heavily edited footnotes of history. Mei is a reimagining of the underage girls Mao Zedong slept with during this time. Here, Hua shines a light on the lesser known role of young women in the Cultural Revolution and disillusionment in abusive political figures.
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Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at [e-mail].