Book Riot has published recommendations for books about women in history to mark Women's History Month in March 2026. These selections align with the 2026 Read Harder Challenge tasks and include picture books celebrating female athletes following the Winter Olympics. The lists feature memoirs, biographies, and stories highlighting women's achievements and struggles.
March is Women's History Month, and Book Riot's articles from March 9, 2026, offer curated book suggestions that also fulfill tasks from the 2026 Read Harder Challenge. The first piece focuses on diverse nonfiction works about women in history, covering topics from self-defense movements to Black feminism and book banning resistance.
For Task #1, a microhistory, "Her Own Hero: The Origins of the Women’s Self-Defense Movement" by Wendy L. Rouse examines how white women in the early 1900s adopted boxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu for protection, while reinforcing privileges over women of color, as noted by Nicole Hill.
Task #5 highlights "How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective," edited by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, which reprints the 1970s statement from radical Black lesbian feminists in Boston who advocated intersectionality. The collective believed that “If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free,” according to Alice Burton.
In sports, Task #7 recommends "All In: An Autobiography" by Billie Jean King, detailing her 20 Wimbledon championships and 39 grand-slam titles, including her victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” as described by Liberty Hardy.
Other picks include "Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts" by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez for Task #13, exploring Black women's revolts through records and family history; "That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America" by Amanda Jones for Task #15, recounting her 2022 advocacy and legal battles against defamers; and "One Day in June" by Tourmaline for Task #16, a picture book on Marsha P. Johnson's role in LGBTQ+ rights.
A companion article celebrates female athletes with picture books, tying into the 2026 Winter Olympics. Selections feature "How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion" by Ashima Shiraishi and Yao Xiao, emphasizing perseverance; "Ping-Pong Shabbat: The True Story of Champion Estee Ackerman" by Ann Diament Koffsky and Abigail Rajunov, about choosing faith over competition; "Fastest Woman on Earth: The Story of Tatyana McFadden" by Francesca Cavallo and Luis San Vicente, on her Paralympic success despite spina bifida; and "Swimming Toward a Dream: Yusra Mardini’s Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer" by Reem Faruqi and Asma Enayeh, chronicling her path to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
These recommendations encourage year-round diverse reading while honoring women's contributions across history and sports.
