Great Books for Women's History Month, Updated for 2014

Happy Women's History Month 2014! In March 2011, I wrote "Great Books For Women's History Month" for David Weisman's book blog Breaking in Before Breaking Down. It's still a great list, so please don't be out off by the fact that it's labeled 2011.

The original list included:

A Woman's Book of Life: The Biology, Psychology, and Spirituality of the Feminine Life Cycle

- The author, Joan Borysenko, also wrote the wonderful A Woman's Journey to God. Visit this post to read a short excerpt from that one.

Feminist Fairy Tales

Goddesses in Everywoman

- Read more about this one in "Twilight of the Goddesses."

Letters to Ms., 1972-1987

QPB Anthology of Women's Writing

Sacred Voices

She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll

- You can read little excerpts of this one in my book review of Dead is a Battlefield and this post about Jewish lesbians.

The American Women's Almanac

- Read a snippet of this one in the post that links James Jones' Whistle to The Hite Report.

The Great Women Superheroes

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets

- I use this encyclopedia as a reference book All. The. Time. The last book on the original list is

Wild Women: Crusaders, Curmudgeons, and Completely Corsetless Ladies in the Otherwise Virtuous Victorian Era

...and since then, I've added these little beauties to the stable of women's history and feminist books.

In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler

Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

What are your favorite books for Women's History Month?

Enter to win Midsummer Night - Pagan Spirits Book 2 - from Goodreads through March 27

For National Day of Prayer 2010

The Breast-Plate of St. Patrick, Paganized and feminized:

"I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea, Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

"I arise today
Through Brighid's strength to pilot me:
Brighid's might to uphold me,
Brighid's wisdom to guide me,
Brighid's eye to look before me,
Brighid's ear to hear me,
Brighid's word to speak for me,
Brighid's hand to guard me,
Brighid's way to lie before me,
Brighid's shield to protect me,
Brighid's host to save me
From snares of evil spirits,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude."

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

"Lady, Mother, my maker, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Mistress, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console,
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved, as to love,
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are reborn to eternal life."

Both of these are traditional prayers from my Catholic upbringing. slightly tweaked to reflect the divine feminine. Both reflect universal concerns to people of faith. For more diverse, multicultural and woman-centered prayers, I recommend 2 books by Mary Ford-Grabowsky: WomanPrayers and Sacred Voices.