March marks the month of Women’s History Month in the United States and includes International Women’s Day, which is celebrated globally. In honor of these celebrations of womanhood, here are some of the most captivating memoirs written by some of the most powerful people across the world. Take inspiration from these women who defied their odds and lived to tell the stories. 

“Somebody’s Daughter” by Ashley C. Ford

In this moving piece, Ashley C. Ford details her confusing childhood and teenage years as she navigates the world in the absence of her incarcerated father.  

“My Story” by Kamala Suraiyya Das 

Published in 1973 and still one of the best-selling autobiographies in India, this feminist classic portrays the hypocrisies Kamala Suraiyya Das experienced while finding her place as a woman in India. 

“It Was Me All Along” by Andie Mitchell

Author and food blogger Andie Mitchell honestly shares her journey of finding a healthy relationship with food and the crucial realizations made along the way. 

“Educated” by Tara Westover

Tara Westover beautifully illustrates the importance of education and the different perspectives it offers in “Educated.” Born into a family of Mormon survivalists, Westover tells of the obstacles she must endure to go to college and experience the world outside of what she always knew. 

“When Heaven and Earth Changed Places” by Le Ly Hayslip

In this heart-wrenching memoir, Le Ly Hayslip recounts her early teenage years during the Vietnam War, surviving and escaping to the United States and returning to the place she once called home almost two decades later. 

“Aftershocks” by Nadia Owusu

Reciting her traumatic recollections of childhood loss in a poetic way, Nadia Owusu describes her complex feelings of growing up confused about her identity in “Aftershocks.” 

“Torn from the Roots: A Partition Memoir” by Kamaḷābahena Paṭela

“Torn from the Roots: A Patrition Memoir” chronicles the 1947 operations and organizations established to recover children and women abducted during the Partition of India; the first-hand experience of Kamaḷābahena Paṭela offers important insight on a part of history often overlooked. 

“All You Can Ever Know” Nicole Chung

Born into a Korean family then adopted and raised by a white couple, Nicole Chung shares her experiences of prejudice, feeling like she didn’t belong and the long road to self-discovery.  

“A Stolen Life” by Jaycee Dugard

In this true-crime memoir, Jaycee Dugard holds nothing back as she depicts the harrowing details of being taken at 11-years-old and held captive for 18 years. This book tells the story of her time in captivity, giving birth to her captor’s children and surviving all those years. 

“Unbowed” by Wangari Maathai

Winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai describes her inspiring life as a feminist and activist in Kenya.