It's no secret that women are a force to be reckoned with. Many influential women are recorded in history books for their extraordinary achievements—some even have entire books dedicated to their stories. There are so many to list, in fact, that some of the books below serve almost as anthologies of these amazing women, their hard work, and hard-earned recognition.

It can be said that any achievement attributed to a woman is breaking boundaries set for us by society—from women who’ve transcended literature and pioneered genres to women who’ve helped pave the way for our future. It’s especially remarkable when you consider there was a time when it was unthinkable for a woman to do any of this. But despite society’s constraints, we’ve made our mark in fields like science, theater, politics, art, literature, music, philanthropy, civil service, television, business, and more. We’ve put our stamp on history, and the month of March is now dedicated to women and our achievements.

Delight in these 10 books about women around the world who’ve broken barriers and made the world better for it.

The Rover by Aphra Behn

It’s believed that Aphra Behn was born around 1640 in Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom. She’s revered as the first professionally recognized woman writer in English and was one of the first female authors to be paid to write and earn her living through it. She lived through a civil war, a plague, and a spy recruitment by a King of England. Some of her original work still exists at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

All female authors have prevailed in part because of her. Virginia Woolf put it perfectly when she said, “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn… for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.”

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
🎧 Audiobook

The quote above by Virginia Woolf was actually taken from this essay written by her. With this essay, she’s accredited with pioneering the stream of consciousness writing style. She made the case that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” She fervently felt that a woman’s independence was paramount to her success.

Published in 1929, this essay has served as guide to aspiring female authors for close to a century. Woolf was considered a major literary figure during the early 20th century with other works such as Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
🎧 Audiobook

Mystery lovers may not have even realized they were consuming a piece of the female history when reading one of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels. Murder on the Orient Express is considered to be one of the most widely read mysteries of all time. Agatha is well known for her murder mysteries that feature the famous detective Hercule Poirot. She’s represented on this list as the bestselling fiction author of all time. She’s simply the best at what she does.

The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin
🎧 Audiobook

Since we’re all about the books at Libby Life, we had to feature a title about a publishing trailblazer. Judith Jones first got her start at Doubleday’s office in Paris during 1949. Her most notable achievement is typically considered grabbing Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl from the reject pile and begging her boss to publish it. She worked with Jean-Paul Sartre, Julia Child, Edna Lewis, James Beard, John Updike, and Sylvia Plath. She’s a James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award winner and is very deserving when you think of all the stories she helped bring to readers. Sara does a remarkable job of showing us all the profound ripple in the water created by Judith.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
🎧 Audiobook

Alice Walker is a spectacular addition to this list. She has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for this book and was the first African American woman to receive this award. The Color Purple also won her the National Book Award and was adapted into a motion picture featuring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. (It’s almost like they just talked about it at the 2025 Oscars a few days ago...).

Alice is also accredited as the founder of Womanism which is the feminist movement that highlighted the struggle of Black women. This book is a PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick, making it a fantastic choice for Women's History Month.

Sula by Toni Morrison
🎧 Audiobook

This novel is one of Toni’s most famous literary masterpieces. I say “one of” because Toni is a groundbreaking powerhouse, creating masterpiece after masterpiece. With her breathtaking portfolio, she’s won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and was the first Black woman of any nationality to win the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature. She’s also a Northeast Ohio native which is the setting for most of her stories.

Sula was published in 1973 and explores the duality of friendship when two women who are exact opposites still find themselves seeking connection with one another.

Books for kids

Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired The World written and illustrated by Rachel Ignotofsky

Rachel’s illustrations are magically colorful and additionally delightful. With her drawings, she brings to life 50 different women who’ve gained notoriety for painting, photography, sculpting, fashion, architecture, film directing, and more. This is one of the three installments to Rachel’s Women In series. It includes descriptions of the artists' lives mixed with fundamental facts about art. This is a great book to inspire young creators.

Warriors, Witches, Women: Mythology’s Fiercest Females by Kate Hodges, illustrated by Harriet Lee-Merrion
🎧 Audiobook

Here are 50 more females in history who have shaped much of mythology and folklore in our world. This is another book full of beautiful illustrations and images accompanied by the background of these legends. Kate and Harriet bring to life witches, warriors, spirits, goddesses, priestesses, princesses, queens, fairies, and so much more. The book has figures like Hecate the Greek goddess and Medusa the Greek/Roman monster. This one is a treat for the inner historian.

Sonia Sotomayer: A Judge Grows in the Bronx/La juez que creció en el Bronx by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Edel Rodriguez

Sonia Sotomayer is best known as the first Latina Supreme Court Justice of the United States of America. With Puerto Rican-born parents, she grew up in the South Bronx of New York City. She went on to graduate from Princeton University and Yale Law School. She’s an inspiration to Hispanic women everywhere and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019.

This illustrated title presents her life story in English and Spanish side by side, allowing young Hispanic readers to enjoy her story as well.

Who Is Kamala Harris? by Kirsten Anderson
🎧 Audiobook

Well, she’s the first African American and South Asian American female Vice President of the United States of America. Sworn in on January 20, 2021, she made history then and there. As Vice President, she championed women’s rights and voices.

This title includes her life story, accompanying illustrations, and the story of a woman who will be remembered for the progress she represented. This book is the perfect inspiration for young readers.

*Title availability may vary.

Check out these inspiring books by and about trailblazing women who changed the world from your library on the Libby app.

RELATED READ: 5 books you didn’t know were written by women