Happy Women’s History Month! To celebrate the occasion, we have collected reading recommendations from some of Heritage Conservancy’s staff members, who enjoy reading about history and ecology. From historical fiction to outdoor inspiration, here are a few volumes to add to your reading list.

Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation by Tiya Miles

Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation is a depiction of young girls finding self-understanding in the natural world, and then becoming women who changed America. Discussing the stories of Harriet Tubman, Louisa May Alcott, Dolores Huerta, and many more, award-winning historian Tiya Miles shares their experiences in a new light — through the prism of the natural world and their relationship to it.

This book recommendation comes by from Heritage Conservancy Facilities Manager, Laura Hornby:

“What has resonates with me is that, similar to me, Harriet Tubman had a passion for the outdoors. I lead a Trailblazer Girl Scout troop and volunteer as an outdoor skills trainer for Girl Scout leaders, so getting women and girls outdoors confidently is a passion of mine. I appreciate the perspective of the author who sees getting outdoors as something that is accessible to all, but is also experienced very differently among women of different times, places, and backgrounds.”

This book thoughtfully considers how important historic women found liberation, empowerment, and meaning in their navigation of the natural world.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Belle da Costa Greene may be one of the most interesting people you have never heard of, and The Personal Librarian illuminates her story. Though it is historical fiction, authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray fastidiously researched Greene, the librarian and right-hand woman to J.P. Morgan as he built his world-famous collection of historic books. Greene oversaw the critical final years of building his collection, which includes three Gutenberg Bibles, a broad collection of William Caxton volumes — some of the first English-language books to be printed by press, precious illuminated manuscripts, and objects of art from across time and cultures.

Communications Manager Andrea Szyper recommends this book (along with a trip to the Morgan Library in Manhattan):

“Belle was a woman ahead of her time in so many ways. She was interfacing with museum directors, art historians, authors, and dealers at a time when she was the only woman in the room and needed to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. She represented Morgan in auctions in the U.S. and Europe and used her business acumen and deep knowledge to acquire a stunning collection of manuscripts and Renaissance art. She was self-taught and had an amazing eye and curatorial sense that helped build the collection and eventually make it accessible to the public. The fact that she was hiding her race the entire time is mind-blowing.”

Belle was the daughter of the first African-American man to graduate from Harvard. When her parents split, her mother changed the family’s last name and they lived as white. Greene helped open the Morgan Library as a museum and served as its first director, but as racism remained a threat, she lived the remainder of her life “passing” as white.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

In her groundbreaking 1962 book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson exposed the dangers of DDT pesticides, which were widely used in forests, farms, and residential settings. They were believed to be safe, so no one was asking questions. Carson, a marine biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service, documented how the chemicals contaminated the food supply and endangered people and animals.

This book was not only instrumental in the banning of DDT in the U.S., but it is lauded by many for starting public conversations that launched the environmental movement. It is a classic and was formative for Heritage Conservancy Senior Development Associate Emily Bonavitacola:

“What resonated with me the most was how Carson tied humans to the world of ecology — a common thought today but not so back then. She understood that the balance of nature is built on a series of relationships between living things and their environment and made a call to action at a time when women in science were not considered or significantly recognized. Her courage, foresight, and tenacity paved the way for positive change.”

“This impact is in place today with the work Heritage Conservancy does to understand the ever-growing relationship between humans and our natural environment.”