Alte Friedman
When our minds picture strength we see most of the time a big, hulking, comically muscly and absurdly strong man literally beating every obstacle in his path into submission and accomplishing his mission through sheer will and brawn. That’s a strength, so it’s fair.
But we should often equally picture the quiet strength that comes from within, from an immutable character capable of standing tall in the middle of the storm in a dignified manner and that is not easily scared by brute threats.
IT is this more, subdued, calm, and ultimately durable form of strength which women tend to foster. Not out of some stoic philosophy, but out of necessity, since they are the weaker sex physically. As the following books will tell you, strong females are all about resiliency in the face of adversity which you can learn about while reading these books.
#1 Elizabeth I CEO: Strategic Lessons from the Leader Who Built an Empire
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I bought this one as a gift for my boss about a decade ago.it still holds up well and at the time he loved it. He’s a researcher and history buff who in addition to his day job, specializes in studying aspects of female leadership & queenship. |
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#2 Queen of the Flowers by Dela Cerpa
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This book is all about strong women, and the matriarch Mama is one of the central figures. Queen of the Flowers is a charming coming-of-age story about young Garîn who loses her Papá as an infant. He becomes a haunting figure in her life even though she has no memory of him.
The loss and impact put Mamá, now a widow, in charge of her 10 children’s upbringing. Garín though has an incredible childhood surrounded by her brothers and sisters. Readers learn about the culture and experience growing up in an agrarian society full of natural wonders, and the deep bonds created through the people so closely connected to the land. |
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#3 Searching for God in the Garbage
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Searching for God in the Garbage is a raw and candid memoir based on the actual diary entries of a female Harvard grad who develops and eventually recovers from eating disorders. It is a game-changing book because it demonstrates how to fill the pervasive inner emptiness by joyfully nourishing one’s soul. |
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#4 WOWsdom! The Girl’s Guide to the Positive and the Possible by Donna Orender
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WOWsdom! The Girl’s Guide to the Positive and the Possible is jam-packed with letters, activities, and no-nonsense advice that celebrates the connection of the WOW of girls and the WISDOM of women.
In their letters to themselves, women, men, and girls from all walks of life — artists, athletes, actors, business leaders, entrepreneurs, students, doctors, scientists, and humanitarians — share their hard-earned wisdom for girls who are seeking guidance and inspiration as they begin their personal and professional journeys. Using the power of authentic storytelling of personal stories from influencers, WOWsdom! provides the type of support and uplifting advice that women and girls need right now. |
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#5 The 10 Smartest Decisions a Woman Can Make Before 40 By Tina B. Tessina
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This no nonsense guide shows women how to stop being led by life, and to create the futures they want for themselves by making more successful choices. Readers will follow the lives of eight diverse women who learn-and live-The 10 Smartest Decisions that every woman can make to improve her personal, professional and financial situation. A series of practical exercises guides women through implementing priorities, maintain motivation, and acquire the skills they need to fulfill their promise. |
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#6 The Ten Smartest Decisions a Woman Can Make After Forty By Tina B. Tessina
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In mid-life, many women find themselves in new circumstances. Women with grown children discover more free time or consider returning to school, or a new career. Movers and shakers may want to consider the possibility of setting up their own businesses. Women of all sorts will find themselves thrust into the role of caretakers to their parents and grandparents. This practical and effective book helps them map their options and outline their strategies for taking complete control of their lives. |
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#7 The Anna Meares Story-When Courage Triumphs Over Disaster by Anna Meares
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The Anna Meares Story is the story of the grit and determination of a young woman who overcame major life-threatening trauma to realise what she had barely been able to dream about. Olympic track cyclist Anna experienced a career-stopping heavy fall during a time trial at the World Cup in Los Angeles in January 2008, less than eight months out from the Beijing Olympic Games. Falling on the hard, wooden velodrome floor at a speed of 65 kilometres an hour, she suffered a fractured neck, and a dislocated shoulder, torn ligaments. She was millimetres away from permanent injury. |
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#8 Depression Hates a Moving Target by Nita Sweeney
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This inspiring memoir of a 49-year old, grief-stricken and chronically depressed woman who takes up running with her dog will entertain and motivate any reader who has ever fallen into deep despair. Sweeney finds a way through the darkness by pounding the roads with her canine companion. Whether or not readers want to follow in her footsteps, they will be enthralled with her journey. |
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#9 Be F*#%ing Amazing!: 70 Healing Insights to Live Your Full Life
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I went from being drugged up asleep on my couch taking 18prescription medications to all-natural vitamins/supplements. After I cleanedup my lifestyle, I had so many people ask me how I did it. I also realizedthere are many people living unfulfilled lives. I was inspired to create aHealth & Wellness website to teach others how to Live A Full Life!
My5-Step Process which includes Detox, Releasing Emotion, Mindset, ReprogrammingYour Mind, and Exercise/Physical Activity is the foundation of my Healing Insights70-Day Course and The 5-Step Process For Fibromyalgia Relief. I also developedThe Wellness Plan, a monthly subscription plan to maintain lasting change, toapply the 5- Steps to daily life. The 5-Step Process was designed to helpothers harness the power of the mind, positive thoughts, and an abundantmindset to improve all area of their lives. I released my self-help book,titled Be F*#%ing Amazing! 70 Healing Insights to Live Your Full Life whichbecame #1 New Release and #3 on Amazon’s Best-Selling List November 15, 2018. |
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#10 I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
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for anyone who doubts that one person can make a change in the world Malala’s story serves to prove them wrong. Malala is the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and is a testament to the fact that an individual can change the world. In her touching and inspiration must-read story she documents the transition from your idyllic childhood to when the Taliban rose to power and the fateful day that she was shot on her way to school and her recovery and her journey of fighting for the rights of girls around the world to be educated. She has become the symbol or hope, resilience, bravery and inspiration. For anyone looking for inspiration from strong women you can’t go past Malala’s story. |
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#11 Broken Brain, Fortified Faith: Lessons of Hope Through a Child’s Mental Illness
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Broken Brain, Fortified Faith: Lessons of Hope Through a Child’s Mental Illness is a true story set in rural Iowa. It detailed the struggles of one woman as she found the inner strength to keep her family intact when schizophrenia manifests in her adult daughter. With no experience with mental illness, this mother searched for proper treatment and financial assistance for her daughter to create an environment where recovery took place. The family also encounter additional health challenges at the same time. The book illustrates one woman’s journey to find the strength, wisdom, and courage needed to find to tackle her family’s problems. |
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#12 What Queen Esther Knew by Connie Glaser
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I have given the book as a gift to many young women I have mentored as well as female colleagues. It contains excellent tips, wrapped in an intriguing and motivating story, about effective communication, positioning ideas, and navigating politics. The book is also a great pre-read for a women’s discussion group or networking events. |
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#13 From Ivy League to Stripper Life by Elona Washington
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Can you embrace the past and use your pain to forge a new path in life? Elona Washington did just that and found a way, not only to heal from the pain she suffered as a child, but to be proud of who she became, despite it not being quite the path that her family may have hoped for her. |
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#14 The Book of Awesome Women by Becca Anderson
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Women hold up half the sky and, most days, do even more of the heavy lifting including childbearing and child-rearing. All after a long day at the office. Women have always been strong, true heroes ─ sheroes, oftentimes unacknowledged. As we shake off the last traces of a major patriarchal hangover, women are coming into their own.
In the 21st Century, all women can fully embrace their fiery fempower and celebrate their no-holds-barred individuality. It is time to acknowledge the successful women of the world. From the foremothers who blazed trails and broke barriers, to today’s women warriors from sports, science, cyberspace, city hall, the lecture hall, and the silver screen, The Book of Awesome Women paints 200 portraits of powerful and inspiring role models for women and girls poised to become super women of the future. |
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#15 Badass Affirmations: The Wit and Wisdom of Wild Women by Becca Anderson
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If you affirm yourself every day, you can rule the world. More importantly, you can live a life filled with love, joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction thanks to your own positive self-regard. Badass Affirmations is the ultimate motivating, encouraging, and uplifting book to enjoy and share. Create your own ideal life and build your self-esteem with these positive daily affirmations. These very wise words have the power to touch our hearts, build confidence, make us laugh, and alleviate our stress―all while realizing the vast potential life has to offer.
Becca Anderson, bestselling author of The Book of Awesome Women, serves up a memorable and inspirational banquet of positive self-affirmations, delicious bon mots, quips, and unforgettable quotes from movie stars, musicians, politicians, and women writers. Everyone from Malala to Madonna to Michelle Obama weighs in on the meaning of life with badass wit and timeless wisdom. |
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#16 Badass Women Give the Best Advice by Becca Anderson
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Women’s Studies scholar Becca Anderson has gathered the wisdom from a chorus of fabulous femmes for this one-of-a-kind advice book. From housewives to Hollywood starlets, from standup comedians to startup entrepreneurs, from feminists to Facebook queens, these badass women offer unvarnished and unabashed opinions about love, life, word, men, and sex and share their very frank and forthright thinking on the wild world of relationships.
This delightfully dishy gathering of gal pals is like having a heart-to-heart with 200 of your closest friends. Garrulous girls and loquacious ladies of from every walk of life unleash their wicked wit in this humorous and enlightening compilation and tell it like it is. Topics include What the World Needs Now, Love Hurts, Lost Love, and Are Men Really Necessary and cover sex, personal ads, blind dates, break ups, weddings, and the prerequisites for the perfect kiss. Sidebars include quizzes, love and sex bucket lists and topics like “Size Really Does Matter,” and “Cry Me a River, The Weepiest Romantic Movies Ever.” Wait, there’s more–true tales about wild women of yore that entertain as much as they enlighten. From Anais Nin to Lily Tomlin, from Amy Bloom to Dorothy Allison, from Drew Barrymore to Chrissy Teigen and beyond, there’s no shortage of sass, sarcasm, or sizzle and a few shocks along the way! |
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#17 Growing Wild by Kathryn Vigness
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Every day life is raw, messy, and shapes who you are. In this beautiful memoir, Kathryn shares her journey of becoming exactly who she’s meant to be, by unbecoming someone she’s not. She holds true to her heart-breaking life experiences, growing wildly through them and choosing to live her life wide open. There are parallels with this book that we can all recognize in our own lives. We all are who we choose to become, and Kathryn’s book and life story encourages just that; to show up for the hard parts and live for the beautiful ones. |
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[su_box title=”Contributors to this article” box_color=”#ffcad7″ title_color=”#000000″ radius=”0″]George Gillies from Insightlink Communications
Michelle Gamble from 3L Publishing
Bracha Goetz from Bracha’s Books
Audrey Aviles from WOWsdom
Tina B. Tessina from TinaTessina
Kelsey Duran from BabySensei
Amy Eisenbach from Amy E Ax
Deborah Lucero from Live Your Full Life
Patricia Russell from FinanceMarvel
Virginia Pillars from forward for Andrea Berns
Laura Craven from Imperial Dade
Elona Washington from ElonaWashington
Brenda Knight from Mango Publishing
Kathryn Vigness from KathrynVigness
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