Famous or infamous, aristocratic or common-born, biographies provide insight into history and human nature. These biographies of fascinating women are available to borrow from the Lititz Public Library.
Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation by Judith Mackrell
In the 1920s, ideals of conventional femininity were shattered by flappers such as Lady Diana Cooper, Nancy Cunard, Tallulah Bankhead, Zelda Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker and Tamara de Lempicka.
Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod
The author saved her money and left for Paris where she found romance and a determination never to return to the corporate world.
Dancing Through It: My Journey in the Ballet by Jenifer Ringer
A New York City Ballet principal dancer discusses her career, her childhood and typical experiences of a classical ballet dancer’s day.
The Scarlet Sisters: Sex, Suffrage and Scandal in the Gilded Age by Myra MacPherson
Two sisters overcame the male-dominated social norms of the late 19th century and achieved a remarkable list of firsts, including the first woman-run brokerage house and the first woman to run for president.
Astor Orphan by Alexandra Aldrich
A direct descendant of the first multi-millionaire in America tells the story of her eccentric, fractured family and her escape from the clan.
Looking for Strangers: The True Story of My Hidden Wartime Childhood by Dori Katz
Now an American academic and poet, the author, who was hidden with a Catholic Belgian family after her father was deported to Auschwitz, decides to find the family that saved her.
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.
The bright, talented daughter of one of the richest men in America inherited a life of untold luxury but became an eccentric recluse who, upon her death at 104, left an estate worth $300 million.
Chickens in the Road: An Adventure in Ordinary Splendor by Suzanne McMinn
Craving a life that would connect her to the land and her family roots, the author and her children left the suburbs and moved to rural West Virginia.
Fields of Grace: Faith, Friendship and the Day I Lost Everything by Hannah Luce
Airplane crash survivor tells what happened in the plane on the day of the tragedy, the loss of four close friends, survivors’ guilt, her crisis of faith and the long road to recovery.
Daughter of Empire: My Life as a Mountbatten by Lady Pamela Hicks
The daughter of Lord Louis and Edwina Mountbatten shares memories of her privileged childhood, her stay with Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt during World War II, experiences in India after the war and selection as a bridesmaid to the future Queen Elizabeth.
Philomena: A Mother, Her Son and a Fifty-Year Search by Martin Sixsmith
In 1952, the author was compelled to enter one of Ireland’s convents where pregnant teenagers were sent to give birth and her son was forcibly given up for adoption.
Priscilla: The Hidden Life of an Englishwoman in Wartime France by Nicholas Shakespeare
The author investigates why his aunt, married to a French aristocrat, was interned in a prisoner-of war-camp during World War II.
Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir by Linda Ronstadt
Iconic singer shares the story of her origins in Tucson, Arizona and her rise to stardom in the Southern California music scene during the 1960s and 1970s.
The Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore
Benjamin Franklin’s youngest sister provides a wholly different account of the founding of the United States.
Originally published on April 4, 2014 in the Lititz Record Express.