Recollections of My Life as a Woman by Diane di Prima

Shahina Piyarali, reviewerĪndrea Davis Pinkney is the author of numerous books for children and young adults. Like Ginsburg, Mistry has a steel-trap mind and a passion for activism. Sorabji is the inspiration for Perveen Mistry, Sujata Massey's memorable female protagonist in The Widows of Malabar Hill (Soho Crime, $15.95). She represented women who, observing the Islamic tradition of purdah, could not meet with male lawyers.

Grimké's potent words, quoted from her letters of 1837, were used to powerful effect by Ginsburg: 'All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks.'Ĭornelia Sorabji became British India's first female advocate in 1923. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin, $17) is based on the life of Sarah Grimké, a feminist and abolitionist with a sharp legal mind. Historical fiction is a delightful way to acquaint oneself with trailblazing women. Collectively, they transformed the attitudes of society toward women lawyers. In Stories from Trailblazing Women Lawyers: Lives in the Law (NYU Press, $22), Norgren curates the remarkable histories of 100 senior female attorneys who spent their careers on the feminist frontlines pursuing gender equality in the legal profession. This first generation of female attorneys debated calling themselves 'lady lawyers,' a term that didn't stick (but I rather wish it had).

Rebels at the Bar: The Fascinating, Forgotten Stories of America's First Women Lawyers (NYU Press, $26) by legal historian Jill Norgren highlights the accomplishments of women who chose legal careers in the late 19th century, despite opposition from family, society and the legal profession itself. It's been a comfort to read about some of the fearless women who paved the way for her career as a lawyer and jurist. Ruth Bader Ginsburg's passing marks the end of an era for the first generation of female U.S.

Recollections of My Life as a Woman by Diane di Prima