March 6, 2020– On March the eighth, we celebrate International Women’s Day, but as far as I’m concerned, women should be celebrated every day. There have been so many women that have gone before us, and many of which will come after us, that have changed the world and will continue to do so. We appreciate them. Let’s take a look at some female writers and characters who refused to be boxed into an ideal of what society says they should be and women who were fearless enough to tell their stories.
1) Let’s start with our own, Duty’s Daughter by K.G. Watson. Anna-Helena is a woman who gets pregnant in the 1800s before marriage and this all but destroys her family’s social status in the community. She marries a man who her father doesn’t approve of, sneaks into territory that is forbidden, and she lives life on her terms. She is courageous, brave, and fearless throughout her life. She says what she thinks and doesn’t care who agrees or disagrees.
2) The Diary of Anne Frank. In 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in German-occupied Amsterdam. They were discovered by soldiers in 1944 and sent to concentration camps. The only person to survive was Anne’s father. Anne’s diary of her family’s experience, which was first published in 1947, is one of the most widely read accounts of the Holocaust and has been translated into 70 languages.
3) Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser. This book is about the legends and lives of the women that have led armies and empires. Cleopatra, Isabella of Spain, Margaret Thatcher, and Indira Gandhi, among others, are featured. A must-read and an “intelligent and artful study of women rulers who have commanded in battle.“- NY Times.
4) The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou. “This book combines the best and worst of the American experience in an achingly personal way. Angelou has chronicled her remarkable journey and inspired people of every generation and nationality to embrace life with commitment and passion.”- Penguin Randomhouse. This is a beautiful soul-bearing memoir and is definitely on my to-read list.
Happy International Women’s Day to each and every woman who strives to make the world a better place. X LLB
