10 Inspiring True Stories About Women, as Curated by an Amazon Books Editor

The Rules Do Not Apply: A Memoir by Ariel Levy

Thirty-eight-year-old New Yorker writer Ariel Levy had it all: great career, beautiful wife, baby on the way. But she upended it all, starting with an affair that dramatically changed the trajectory of her life. In this emotionally raw memoir, Levy talks about surviving bad decisions, coping with loss and taking responsibility for your mistakes.

A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee’s Incredible Story of Love, Loss and Survival by Melissa Fleming

After the boat she is escaping in capsizes, 19-year-old Doaa Al Zamel clings to a flimsy inflatable raft as two toddlers cling to her; their relatives had drowned. For days, she floats and struggles to stay alive, knowing they will all perish if she fails. A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea is Al Zamel’s stirring, heartrending story — and the story of the lengths to which refugees like her go to to find a better life. 

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

On October 9, 2012, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head at point-blank range as punishment for denouncing a Taliban edict that girls not be educated. Remarkably, she recovered, fled Pakistan for America and ultimately became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Yousafzai continues to advocate for the education of women, and this book is her rallying cry.

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

In this fearless memoir, filmmaker and actress Lena Dunham eschews convention and encourages women to be themselves. Sounds like a simple premise, but anyone with a couple of X chromosomes will tell you that societal pressure to conform to prescribed gender roles is strong, and it requires courage and a healthy amount of intestinal fortitude to resist them. Ms. Dunham hasn’t always been successful in this endeavor, but she’s not afraid to look the fool if it’ll help you.

Love, Loss and What We Ate: A Memoir by Padma Lakshmi

Writer, producer, actress and all-around Renaissance woman Padma Lakshmi is probably best known for her long reign as the host of Bravo’s Top Chef. Her intimate memoir is, among other things, an inspiring immigrant story that traces her humble beginnings in India to a successful career in television and beyond. It’s also a lovely homage to the people who helped her along the way and the foods that give this globe-trotting celebrity a sense of home.

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy

Madonna isn’t the only person famous for striking a (power) pose. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy advocates for the same in Presence, a book based on her 2012 TED talk, “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.” It may sound silly, but assuming the assured body language of Wonder Woman or that “manspreader” on the bus can literally change your body chemistry and make you feel more confident in anxiety-inducing situations. This is something that hits home for Cuddy, who overcame a traumatic brain injury to become a respected professor and researcher at Harvard Business School, a feat she once thought inconceivable.

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein

We all have different ways of dealing with stress. Some people exercise, some people eat doughnuts and some people become punk rock icons. In this deeply personal memoir, Carrie Brownstein, of recent Portlandia fame, talks about how music became a tonic for a tumultuous family life. It’s a testament to finding your voice and using it when circumstances are determined to drown it out.

My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

If you’re not familiar with the Supreme Court justice striking the somber pose on the cover of My Own Words, you might be surprised to learn that her nickname is “The Notorious RBG.” She did not earn this moniker for wearing a flashier robe collar than Clarence Thomas. In this collection of writings, infused with her signature wit and intellectual aplomb, Ruth Bader Ginsburg holds court on everything from gender equality to the opera. It’s a fascinating peek into the mind of one of the most influential women in America.    

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

Mental illness is no laughing matter — unless you’re Jenny Lawson. In Furiously Happy, she chronicles her struggles with depression and crippling anxiety and tells how she is determined to not let these things suck the joy from her life. Sure, her methods for doing so can be a bit unconventional (she fought off a fear of travel by holding a koala in Australia while wearing a koala costume), but that’s the point. Combating the difficult things in life — be they depression, heartbreak or something equally horrible — requires bravery, audaciousness and good madness. Lawson has that in spades.

The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

In this collection of essays, writer, producer, director and comedian extraordinaire Amy Schumer reveals that she’s fallen in love in the airport security line (that’s how long the lines have gotten) and that she’s actually an introvert. I’m guessing she’s also a Stieg Larsson fan. More importantly, you will learn what has given Schumer the courage to be what actress Tilda Swinton describes as “an honesty bomb,” a feminist phenom and someone who is influencing the cultural conversation one clever barb at a time.