Spearheading activist movements. Breaking literary norms. Inspiring future generations. During Women’s Month and every month, female authors deserve to be honored for their contributions to the Bookish community. I asked the Bookstr team what female authors inspire them creatively, personally, and professionally. Check out their responses below!
Temple Grandin
She’s written so many books on protecting the cattle industry and people with Autism. I actually got to join her webinar in December last year called Navigating Sensory Challenges During the Holidays. I have her book Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism. I still haven’t read this book yet, but I will (eventually). In her webinar, she spoke about her childhood, including how her mother taught her to overcome sensory overload. Temple made me feel less alone and made me feel understood when I watched that webinar. I still aspire to be that kind of change that she is.
Kinsey Krachinski, Editorial Department
Mary Higgins Clark
This American author is deemed the Queen of Suspense for her special flair for crafting mystery thriller novels. Higgins Clark’s work ethic is what inspires me the most. Her first novel was unsuccessful, but rather than letting that experience discourage her forever, she took it as an opportunity to chase her passion for suspense stories. Higgins Clark truly embodied the concept of loving her work. She published over fifty suspense novels before her death in 2020, often publishing multiple books in one year. I am currently building a personal collection of her books and hope that one day I will be just as driven in my creative pursuits as she was.
Kaija Strong, Editorial Department
Julia Quinn
Author of the Bridgerton series, Julia had no idea back then that this series would become a hit TV series franchise on Netflix in the future. However, she wrote her series with a white majority of characters. While she wrote the series in the early 2000s, she agreed with Shondaland for diversity in the cast. It’s a beautiful show, and still a beautiful contemporary romance series.
Kinsey Krachinski, Editorial Department
R.F. Kuang
Born in Guangzhou China, she is an American fiction and fantasy novelist who has consistently won awards for her novels. Her first book, The Poppy War, was published when she was just 21 years old. The Poppy War was followed by The Dragon Republic and The Burning God. The way she has melded a historical Chinese society with fantasy is incredible. She also published Babel in 2022 which was an instant bestseller, and won the Nebula Award for Best Novel. She has also written Yellowface. She is highly educated, getting her first degree from Georgetown and she is currently studying for a PhD at Yale. Her ability to blend her extensive knowledge of politics and China within her novels is something that the “classics” even struggled to pull off. She inspires Asian Americans, and all others, to keep writing and keep pursuing their goals.
Arcas Moore, Editorial Department
Louisa May Alcott
I read Little Women years ago and still adore it. Jo is one of literature’s greatest characters, and I’ve always admired Alcott’s decision not to marry her off to Laurie. I realize this is a controversial take, but in a world where any form of closeness between men and women is supposed to signal romance, the strength of Jo and Laurie’s friendship really stands out. More than that, though, I love how it celebrates all four sisters, each a very different personality with a very different experience of girlhood and womanhood, but forever united by their love for each other.
Phoebe Pineda, Editorial Department
Mona Hanna-Attisha
Born during the tyrannical Baath regime, Mona Hanna-Attisha and her parents fled to the United States. She is a pediatrician for Hurley Medical Clinic in Flint, Michigan. Mona spearheaded the movement for the Flint Water Crisis to end and built a team to help aid her progress. Mona wrote a detailed account in her memoir What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City.
I met her in college and sat in the front row of a large lecture hall in 2022. I’ll never forget that her first words were, “It’s so nice to see people, talk to them, and touch them.” She then came forward and touched my hand, and proceeded to deliver one of the best presentations about the Flint Water Crisis ever. She’s unstoppable — that’s how I want to be.
Kinsey Krachinski, Editorial Department
Jessica Day George
Jessica Day George is the author of the Dragon Slippers series — a personal favorite from my childhood. I had the pleasure of meeting George when she came to my elementary school for a book signing. She spoke to me for over an hour, answering every question my little girl head could think of when it came to writing. George was so kind and encouraging to me. I will never forget the time I spent with her. In an era where it is all too common for women to push each other down, George reminded me that there is room for all of us at the top — even a little girl with nothing but a pen and a dream.
Kaija Strong, Editorial Intern
From activism to mystery to romance, these authors have emerged as trailblazers in their genres and as powerful voices for their readers. Pick up one of their novels this March — you might just find the inspiration you need.
Click here for advice on how to tackle your TBR list.
Want more Bookstr team recommendations? Check out our bookshelf on Bookshop.
