Books like A Difficult Woman by Alice Kessler-Harris

Betty Friedan’s 1963 classic uncovers the invisible barriers that kept women confined to domestic roles, sparking a cultural awakening that reshaped ideas about equality and personal fulfillment in the United States.

The Woman Warrior is Maxine Hong Kingston’s lyrical memoir of her Chinese‑American upbringing in California, juxtaposing her mother’s folk tales of fierce women with the everyday sexism she faces.

Judith Butler’s seminal text challenges essentialist views of sex and gender, proposing that identity is constructed through repeated social performances.

FBI agent Matt D'Angelo hunts for the elusive Jenna Moon, whose wild tale draws him in. As protector, he confronts his own doubts and desires for a life he had denied himself.

With a single shot from a pistol small enough to conceal in his hand, John Wilkes Booth catapulted into history on the night of April 14, 1865. The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln stunned a nation that was just emerging from the chaos and calamity of the Civil War, and the president's untimely death altered the trajectory of postwar history. But to those who knew Booth, the event was even more shocking – for no one could have imagined that this fantastically gifted actor and well-liked man could commit such an atrocity. In *Fortune's Fool*, Terry Alford provides the first comprehensive look at the life of an enigmatic figure whose life has been overshadowed by his final, infamous act. Tracing Booth's story from his uncertain childhood in Maryland, characterized by a difficult relationship with his famous actor father, to his successful acting career on stages across the country, Alford offers a nuanced picture of Booth as a public figure, performer, and deeply troubled man. Despite the fame and success that attended Booth's career – he was billed at one point as "the youngest star in the world" – he found himself consumed by the Confederate cause and the desire to help the South win its independence. Alford reveals the tormented path that led Booth to conclude, as the Confederacy collapsed in April 1865, that the only way to revive the South and punish the North for the war would be to murder Lincoln – whatever the cost to himself or others. The textured and compelling narrative gives new depth to the familiar events at Ford's Theatre and the aftermath that followed, culminating in Booth's capture and death at the hands of Union soldiers 150 years ago. Based on original research into government archives, historical libraries, and family records, *Fortune's Fool* offers the definitive portrait of John Wilkes Booth.

Imani Perry’s biography unearths Lorraine Hansberry’s vibrant life, from her groundbreaking work on civil rights and politics to her candid identity as a lesbian, offering a comprehensive view beyond her famous play.

Mona, a young woman scarred by abuse, turns to murder when her desperate situation brings her to hard‑boiled detective Dillon. Their uneasy partnership drives a brutal hunt for the money hoarded by Mona’s cruel aunt.

John Lahr’s biography offers an intimate, thoroughly researched portrait of Tennessee Williams, exploring his family, creativity, sexuality, and legacy as a transformative American playwright.