This March we’re not only celebrating International Women’s Day but World Book Day too.
Reading is a crucial element of a child’s education but in some parts of the world, schooling isn’t a given for young women and girls. Even at home, reading enjoyment among children has plummeted in the last two decades, leading to worries of a national literacy “crisis”.
And yet within the pages of books are the life lessons and inspirational female characters that provide young readers with role models to look up to and dreams to strive for.
At Jane Smith, we’ve been thinking about our favourite books by powerful women who inspire us.
Here are just five.
1. The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (as chosen by Jo)
This Sunday Times bestseller was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize and the 2018 Costa Book Awards.
Winn and her husband Moth become homeless just a few days after Moth receives the devastating diagnosis of a rare neurodegenerative disease. With nowhere to call home, the pair decide to walk the 630-mile-long South West Coast Path.
Armed with only cheap rucksacks and sleeping bags, a light tent from eBay, and very little money, what follows is a journey that Costa judges described as “An absolutely brilliant story […] about the human capacity to endure and keep putting one foot in front of another.”
Battling wind and rain as they try to come to terms with Moth’s diagnosis and their perilous financial position, the book becomes a testament to the couple’s love and the human ability to find joy and triumph in despair.
2. Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (as chosen by Leanne)
Leanne chose Everything is Figureoutable because she “believes in the statement” and after reading this book, you likely will too.
Whether you’re an expert procrastinator, struggle to follow through on great ideas, or find it hard to make significant leaps in your career or relationships, there’s one simple message that could help.
Once you acknowledge and accept that everything is “figureoutable”, you’ll be able to break your goal into manageable chunks and attack each step with positivity, knowing that your end game is always attainable.
Filled with inspiring thoughts on everything from managing criticism and overcoming imposter syndrome to why perfection is the enemy of done, Everything is Figureoutable could be a mantra to live by in 2025.
3. A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry (as chosen by Lauren)
Voted a 2024 Sunday Times, Guardian, New Statesman, Evening Standard, Uncut and Rough Trade book of the year, A Thousand Threads has also been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.
From her December 1988 performance of ‘Buffalo Stance’ on Top of the Pops at seven months pregnant, to her most recent The Versions album, Cherry has become a music and style icon.
In her incredibly personal, frank, and beautiful new memoir, Cherry opens up about the highs and lows of fame, and the relationships, addictions, and family ties that shaped her.
Cherry’s life as a musician, an activist, and a mother is an inspiration to Lauren and millions of fans worldwide.
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama (as chosen by Amy)
Becoming has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide and is a number-one bestseller.
In it, former first lady Michelle Obama frankly reflects on the life experiences that have made her the person she is today. From growing up on the South Side of Chicago to a high-flying career and eight years living at the world’s most famous address, Becoming is about love, life, and family.
Chronicling the highs and lows that life inevitably deals us all, she was taught early on that there was value in her story, and there’s immense value in reading it too.
5. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (as chosen by Nicola)
Wild Swans mixes biography and memoir to tell the story of three generations of the author’s family. It becomes a chronicle of China in the 20th century as well as a universal tale of courage, upheaval, tragedy, and the power of family.
A multiple-award winner, it has been translated into 37 languages and sold more than 13 million copies.
In the 1920s, a young girl is forced into marriage to a local warlord while years later, at the age of 15, her daughter joins the Communist Party of China. In turn, her daughter (Jung Chang herself) lives her teen years during the time of the Cultural Revolution.
An incredible true story about three brave and inspirational women, it’s a real must-read and one of Nicola’s favourites.
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