On Their Own Terms: Stories of Strong Women

One of the many great things about books is that they reflect the human experience back at us in so many kaleidoscopic ways. There are times we learn about new people and places and at others, seek validation in a story, to see maybe a bit of ourselves mirrored back at us.

This is one of the drivers for creating a list of books featuring real-life women who led life on their own terms. Each and every one of these gems serves to remind us just how much women can -- and have -- achieved over the years. What's more each woman's circumstance will provide ample fodder for your next book club meeting. We hope you  -- guys included -- see the best of your own selves reflected in these capable heroines.

Circling the Sun: A Novel by Paula McLain Hardcover & ebook Jul 2015. 384 pages. Published by Ballantine Books. You've heard the phrase "a woman before her time." They probably had Beryl Markham, the real-life daredevil aviator in mind. The daughter of British parents, her unconventional upbringing in Kenya among local tribes sets the stage for a clash of wills when societal constraints threaten to shape her life in seemingly unwanted ways. Beryl's story is a testament to the capacity and limitations of sheer will and spirit. More about this book

Belle Cora: A Novel by Phillip Margulies Paperback Oct 2014, also in ebook. 608 pages. Published by Anchor Books. If it is a man's world real-life historical character Belle Cora will learn to play by the rules of that game. When life deals her one poor hand after the other, Belle decides to make her way through by using the one thing that will chart a steady course: her femininity. Throwing the playbook back at the very system that moulds her personality in irrevocable ways, Belle's internal moral compass remains strong even as she adopts a certain level of cunning to forge her own path ahead. More about this book

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent Paperback Apr 2014, also in ebook. 352 pages. Published by Back Bay Books. In the nineteenth century in Iceland, an ordinary workmaid, Agnes Magnúsdóttir, is charged with murder and awaits beheading. Agnes knows she is innocent but being poor and disadvantaged, she has no platform to make her case. But when Tóti, a spiritual advisor, tends to her last days, a ray of hope slowly takes shape. Based on real life, this meticulously paced story shines light on just what remains in the shadows when preconceptions set in before the truth has had a say. More about this book

Fever by Mary Beth Keane Paperback Mar 2014, also in ebook. 320 pages. Published by Scribner. What if you're the vector for a disease that has the potential to kill thousands? How does it derail your carefully laid out life plans? That's exactly what Typhoid Mary finds out the hard way in this moving novel based on a real-life strong woman who struggled with the weight of her fate and her calling in readily relatable ways. The hysteria in early twentieth-century New York was real and makes us wonder how it would have gone down in today's hyper-saturated clickbait landscape. More about this book

Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen by Mary Sharratt Paperback Oct 2013, also in ebook. 288 pages. Published by Mariner Books. Imagine having your life's calling set out for you at the tender age of eight. That's pretty much what happened to legendary Benedictine abbess Hildegard von Bingen when during the Middle Ages, she is promised to the Church and assigned to a constraining order. This dramatic story of resilience against overwhelming odds shows how the barest threads of hope are enough to hang on to until it's time for real deliverance. More about this book

The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Kimberly Cutter Paperback Oct 2012, also in ebook. 304 pages. Published by Mariner Books. The story of the legendary Joan of Arc who lead her devastated country to victory despite the shambles of the Hundred Years War is a tale that carries deep resonance to this day. This powerful book based on the real-life saint takes a peek at a more personal side of the heroine, dissecting her less than perfect childhood and revealing a woman who found a way to glory against staggering odds and yet met a deeply tragic end.

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin Paperback Apr 2012, also in ebook. 448 pages. Published by Random House. In a society where image is everything, two-feet-eight-inch tall Mercy Lavinia "Vinnie" Bump stood tall for her refusal to let her size dictate her life's final outcomes. By marrying a fellow star, General Tom Thumb, Vinnie impressed the famous P. T. Barnum and became a national celebrity in her own right. This moving story is proof that success does come in all sizes and that a generous dose of chutzpah is sometimes more than enough to write your own story. More about this book

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran Paperback Dec 2011, also in ebook. 464 pages. Published by Broadway Books. These days Madame Tussaud might sadly be better known for the great number of wax museums in tourist hotspots all over the world but the talented sculptor's backstory is an insightful look at the class distinctions in eighteenth-century France. Set on the cusp of the French Revolution, this gripping story is a marvelous exploration of talent and derring-do and the compromises one woman must make to preserve her true self. More about this book

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel by C. W. Gortner Paperback May 2011, also in ebook. 432 pages. Published by Ballantine Books. Was the controversial queen of France truly a savior of the monarchy? Or was she nothing more than a calculating conniver? This fictional take on one of history's famous figures is a nuanced look at the life of the great royal and outlines just what it took to achieve success in a relentlessly patriarchal society -- lessons which ring true even today. More about this book

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler Paperback Mar 2014, also in ebook. 384 pages. Published by St. Martin's Griffin. She was from the South. He was a Yankee. She was lively and outgoing. He was an introverted writer. But, as the saying goes, opposites attract. Zelda Fitzgerald, one half of the Jazz Age's most famous literary couple, leaps from the page in this moving exploration of marriage, womanhood, femininity and will. The compromises Zelda made to her own writing career and her caged desperation at the end of it all are themes that are universal and timeless. More about this book

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin Paperback Nov 2013, also in ebook. 448 pages. Published by Bantam Books. "Mrs." Anne Morrow might have been the first female licensed glider pilot in the U.S. but was known to the world as Charles Lindbergh's wife. Further smothered by a powerful and rich father and a headstrong older sister, Anne's quiet spirit might sometimes be taken for pliability but this adventurous woman knew how to soar on her own wings, as this fictional take on a real-life heroine confirms. More about this book

Curated by Davina Morgan-Witts. Written by Poornima Apte.