Madeline
As a powerful and successful women myself, I am always looking for books about extraordinary women. These are stories I can mirror my own life from and stories that give me the “if she can do it, so can I” attitude. There are a number of content out there about beautiful and extraordinary women, so I have put together this is a list of books that have hit that mark for me when it comes to beautiful and extraordinary women.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
This book is exactly what one can expect from Michelle Obama. If drama and suspense is what tickles your fancy, this is not the book for you. Obama goes through her life in Chicago, getting into Princeton, meeting Barak as her subordinate, her life up to, in, and after the white house. There is a ton of “you go girl” in this book to feed a small country and I love it!
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
The book starts with a horrible breakup. As a therapist herself, Gottlieb finds herself a seasoned therapist outside of her therapist circle. She discusses her experience in therapy and being on the other side. The moral of the story is that no matter who you are, what your “issue” is, and how you feel about therapy, everyone should spend some time discovering themselves in therapy, even powerful and successful women. Now that I’ve said therapy ten thousand times, it’s time to move on to other extraordinary women.
Read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
Educated by Tara Westover
No schooling. No medicine. And no outside world. This is the story of Tara Westover’s upbringing in a sheltered family. Growing up in a world that rejected the outside world and turned a blind eye to violence and other dangerous activities, Westover was aware that her only chance of leaving was education. As her only option, she taught herself enough grammar and mathematics to leave the only world she knew and get a proper education in a US university. She went against the norm of what she knew and became an extraordinary women.
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
Susannah Cahalan lived a very normal life in New York. She had a great job as a journalist, a fantastic boyfriend, and a family who loved her. And she almost threw it all away when an autoimmune disease started making her act weird. Like really weird. With paranoia, hallucinations, and psycho psychotic behavior. It was not until her doctors and parents pushed to know more that she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease.
When Cahalan was initially diagnosed, it was estimated that only 10% of people with this disease were diagnosed. Since her book came out in 2014, bring awareness to the world, diagnoses has increased dramatically.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
This is the original “You Go Girl” book in the tech industry like I am. When this book came out it was one of a kind. There were not many other books out there that encouraged women to work as a boss AND run a family. As someone who has chosen the first out of a long time personal decision, I cannot completely relate to this book. However, there was a lot of great tidbits of being a women and women leader in the workplace to encourage other extraordinary women.
Read Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
After reading about Sophia Amoruso in the media and listening to her on her podcast, I honestly think her story has more to do with luck than skill. That being said, what I liked about this book is that this girl had NO ambition. Her goal in life was to do as little as possible. But she found something she liked to do and got successful at it. Like really successful. After she sold her company, she continues to start businesses and continues to look for new avenues of success.
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison
Many people may want to debate as to why this book is on this list, but I think it does. It was brave of Holly Madison to speak up about the underground life of the Playboy Mansion. She spoke out about the emotional abuse she went through, and although she didn’t realize the harm at the time, she is now saying “never again.” Not just for her self but for all women. And for that reason, she deserves to be noted as an extraordinary women.
Read Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny
