home Resources and Services Celebrating Women’s History Month at Mizzou Libraries

Celebrating Women’s History Month at Mizzou Libraries

This month we are appreciating all the wonderful works by women. This month’s theme is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. 

We asked our Mizzou Librarians what stories they’d like to celebrate. Below are just a few of the recommendations, all of which are available to request.

You can view the full list here.

 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, Southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters’ storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing.

 

The Gilda Stories : A Novel by Jewelle Gomez

This remarkable novel begins in 1850s Louisiana, where Gilda escapes slavery and learns about freedom while working in a brothel. After being initiated into eternal life as one who “shares the blood” by two women there, Gilda spends the next two hundred years searching for a place to call home. An instant lesbian classic when it was first published in 1991, The Gilda Stories has endured as an auspiciously prescient book in its explorations of blackness, radical ecology, re-definitions of family, and yes, the erotic potential of the vampire story.

 

Matrix by Lauren Groffmatrix by lauren groff

Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life, seventeen-year-old Marie de France is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease. At first taken aback by the severity of her new life, Marie finds focus and love in collective life with her singular and mercurial sisters. In this crucible, Marie steadily supplants her desire for family, for her homeland, for the passions of her youth with something new to her: devotion to her sisters, and a conviction in her own divine visions. Marie, born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders, is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads and protects. But in a world that is shifting and corroding in frightening ways, one that can never reconcile itself with her existence, will the sheer force of Marie’s vision be bulwark enough? Equally alive to the sacred and the profane, Matrix gathers currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy in a mesmerizing portrait of consuming passion, aberrant faith, and a woman that history moves both through and around

 

The Power by Naomi Aldermanthe power by naomi alderman

A rich Nigerian boy; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. When a vital new force takes root and flourishes, their lives converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls and women now have immense physical power– they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And everything changes.

 

 

Disability Visibility: first-person stories from the Twenty-first century by Alice Wongdisability visibility

According to the last census, one in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some are visible, some are hidden–but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together an urgent, galvanizing collection of personal essays by contemporary disabled writers. There is Harriet McBryde Johnson’s “Unspeakable Conversations,” which describes her famous debate with Princeton philosopher Peter Singer over her own personhood. There is columnist s. e. smith’s celebratory review of a work of theater by disabled performers. There are original pieces by up-and-coming authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma. There are blog posts, manifestos, eulogies, and testimonies to Congress. Taken together, this anthology gives a glimpse of the vast richness and complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own assumptions and understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and past with hope and love

 

Tasting the Sky by Ibtisam Barakattasting the sky

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home. Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.

home Resources and Services Books That Pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test

Books That Pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test

Originally written by Danielle Gorman in Spring 2021

From Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, how many books do you know that barely pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test? The Bechdel-Wallace Test is a measurement used to determine the representation of women in media. There are only three requirements needed for a piece of media to pass this test. It must have at least two female characters, they must both have names, and they must talk to each other about something other than a man. While that may seem easy enough, some of the most popular pieces of media are still struggling to pass the test. This month, for Women’s History Month, we are highlighting some books that not just pass the Bechdel-Wallace Test but surpass the three requirements and focus on strong female-led stories by fantastic female authors! You can find these reads available at Mizzou libraries or request through our website.

 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

If you are looking for a classic read to celebrate Women’s History Month, then Little Women is the perfect choice for you. This story follows four sisters—Meg, Amy, Beth, and Jo March— as they come of age during the Civil War. The timeless novel tackles themes such as first love, friendship, grief, and the bond of family; any reader can find themselves hidden inside these pages and characters. Perfect for any age, you’ll leave this story feeling heart-warmed and emotionally invested in this lively story.

 

Circe by Madeline Miller

This bestselling novel takes one of the most infamous Greek figures and turns her story on its head, leaving the reader routing for a newfound hero. Perfect for those interested in mythology and action-packed novels, Madeline Miller weaves a hypnotic and captivating story filled with beautiful language and characters. Circe will leave you attached to Miller’s mastery of storytelling and entranced by the power of a well-written female lead.

 

 

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to read this highly praised novel, this month is an excellent time to grab it from one of our libraries! The Handmaid’s Tale is an unforgettable, must-read novel that is great for readers looking for a heartbreaking yet eye-opening story. Set in dystopian America, this story follows Offred’s perspective, one of the women forced into the role of a “Handmaid”; women used to help reproduce children for the Republic of Gilead. Atwood’s writing is captivating and devastating. She perfectly crafts a page-turning story that leaves the reader searching for answers on every single page.

 

 

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The first novel in the four-part series, The Neapolitan Novels, My Brilliant Friend, tells the heartbreaking yet touching story of two young girls growing up in Naples in the 1950s. Elena Ferrante is a master at her craft, perfectly capturing the story of two best friends who come-of-age during a time where it feels like everything around them is falling apart. This novel leaves you aching for these characters’ struggles and places you directly onto the page with them. It is a must-read for those looking for a novel with strong friendships and characters that stick with you long after you close the book.

 

 

Sula by Toni Morrison

In this brilliant novel, Toni Morrison beautifully captures the female experience inside of a short 200-pages. We follow the story of Sula and Nel, two childhood best friends who grow apart in adulthood due to an unforgivable betrayal. This novel shows the unbreakable bond that can last between two women through all the good and bad experiences of life. Sula is a tragic and sometimes upsetting novel that is told with both love and bitterness. Morrison mixes all the messy emotions of life and creates a stunning story that leaves the reader comforted and wounded by its impact. This novel is truly a must-read piece of literature!

By Danielle Gorman / English Intern / Spring 2021
TAGS:

Taira Meadowcroft

Taira Meadowcroft is the Public Health and Community Engagement Librarian at the Health Sciences Library at the University of Missouri.

home Resources and Services, Special Collections and Archives 5 Women Printers and Booksellers of the 17th Century

5 Women Printers and Booksellers of the 17th Century

In honor of Women's History month, this post takes a look at five women printers and booksellers from the seventeenth century in Special Collections.  Women during this period sometimes inherited printing offices or booksellers' shops from their fathers or husbands. Once in charge of their establishments, they were able to operate as independent businesswomen, responsible for operations, finances, and the supervision of pressmen and compositors.

The book below was printed by a woman printer for a woman bookseller! Mary Clark was the widow of Andrew Clark, a printer.  She maintained a printing business in Aldersgate, London, from 1677 to 1696.  Ann Mearn (also spelled Mearne) was part of an influential family of booksellers and bookbinders.  Her husband, Samuel Mearne, was a former warden and master of the Stationers' Company, stationer to Charles II. Her sons and husband were part of the group book historians refer to as the "Queen's Binder," known for the high quality and intricacy of their gold tooled designs.

AAB-128

Life and Reign of Henry VIII

Hannah Allen was born into a family of booksellers and bookbinders, and she married Benjamin Allen, a bookseller, when she was probably in her early teens.  After the death of her husband in 1646, Hannah Allen inherited his business.  Her name appears on imprints as the proprietor for about five years.  She published works by radical puritan authors and worked with a wide variety of stationers, a fact that suggests her press was successful and financially independent.  After freeing her apprentice, Livewell Chapman, in 1650, she married him, and her name disappears from the press's imprints. Legally, the business became his upon their marriage, although it's likely she was still involved.

IMG_0452

IMG_0451

Sarah Griffin had a longer career than Hannah Allen, and rather than being a radical printer, she was at the head of an established printing house founded in 1590.  Her mother-in-law, Anne Griffin, was in charge of the business from 1634 to 1643, and she gradually transferred the business to her son Edward (Sarah's husband), beginning in 1638.  Sarah in turn inherited the business when Edward died in 1652, and began printing jointly with her son, Bennett, in 1671.  She is recorded as a printer in the Stationers' Company records until 1673.

IMG_0453

Anne Seile (also spelled Anna and Ann) inherited the bookselling business of Henry Seile when he died in 1661.  She published books under her own name until 1667.  This edition of Heylin's Cosmography, with its large size and engraved maps, would have been expensive to produce.  Anne Seile must have been one of the primary financial backers of this publishing venture, since her name is the only one listed on the engraved title page.

IMG_0444

IMG_0443

IMG_0446

IMG_0447

IMG_0448

There are works by many other women authors, booksellers, printers, and artists in Special Collections. Come by and take a look!