Auckland Council Libraries: Influential women of modern history

Influential women of modern history

In keeping with the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Woman’s Suffrage movement in New Zealand, these selected titles celebrate the achievements of women; some famous and others lesser known, but all who have changed our world through their hard work and sacrifices.

The topic Biographies has been added to your favourites.

The topic Biographies has been removed from your favourites.

The topic Biographies will be added to your favourites. What does this mean?

Headstrong

Rachel Swaby

Book

Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day, these 52 profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and illustrate how their ideas developed.

See more

Rocket girl

George D. Morgan

Book

Blending a fascinating personal history with dramatic historical events, this book brings long-overdue attention to a brilliant woman whose work proved essential for America's early space program.

See more

Ada Lovelace

Christopher Hollings

Book

Although it was an unusual pursuit for women at the time, Ada Lovelace studied science and mathematics from a young age. This book uses unpublished archival material to explore her precocious childhood as well as her ambitious young adulthood.

See more

Power in numbers

Talithia Williams

Book

Prepare to be inspired. This volume takes on the forgotten influence of women on the development of mathematics over the last two millennia. This book is an affirmation of female genius and a celebration of the boundless applications of mathematics.

See more

Glass universe

Dava Sobel

Book

The Glass Universe is the hidden history of a group of remarkable women whose vital contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.

See more

On a farther shore

William Souder

Book

This extraordinary new biography gives an indelible new portrait of the founder of the environmental movement: Rachel Carson. This book reveals a shy passionate woman and captures the true essence of one of the greatest reformers of the 20th century.

See more

My sister Rosalind Franklin

Jenifer Glynn

Book

Rosalind Franklin is famous in the history of science for her contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA. In this family memoir her sister, Jenifer Glynn, paints a full picture of Rosalind's life.

See more

A warrior of the people

Joe Starita

Book

The story of an Indian woman who became the chief of an entrenched patriarchal tribe by crashing through thick walls of ethnic, racial and gender prejudice. She spent her life using a unique bi-cultural identity to improve the lot of her people.

See more

Thérèse Vanier

Ann Shearer

Book

Therese Vanier was a distinguished haematologist and she was the first woman consultant at St Thomas's hospital in London. This biography serves as a tribute to her life and as an inspiration to others to follow her example.

See more

Desert rose

Edythe Scott. Bagley

Book

Desert Rose details Coretta Scott King's upbringing in a family of proud, land-owning African Americans with a profound devotion to the ideals of social equality and the values of education, as well as her later role as her husband's trusted adviser.

See more

Our Auntie Rosa

Sheila McCauley. Keys

Book

In this intimate portrait of a great American hero, the family of Rosa Parks describes the woman who was not only the mother of the civil rights movement, but a nurturing mother figure to them all.

See more

Daring to drive

Manal Al-Sharif

Book

Daring to Drive offers a rare glimpse, from the inside, of women's lives in modern Saudi Arabia. It is a remarkable exploration of resilience and a celebration of female solidarity.

See more

Michelle Obama

Peter B. Slevin

Book

An inspiring story of a modern American icon, here is the first comprehensive account of the life and times of Michelle Obama. From the lessons she learned in Chicago to the messages she shares as one of the most recognizable women in the world.

See more

The firebrand and the First Lady

Patricia Bell-Scott

Book

A ground breaking book that tells the story of how a brilliant writer-turned-activist, and the first lady of the United States forged an enduring friendship that changed their lives and helped to alter the course of race and racism in America.

See more
Auckland Council Libraries:Book list Recommended reading lists about different topics and genres to help you find new books to read.