Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
The true story of black American women mathematicians at NASA , who experienced discrimination and were not recognised for their accomplishments. They made a major contribution to America's space achievements. This story has also made into a film, released in 2017.
"Before a computer became an inanimate object and before Sputnik changed the course of history, before the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education established that separate was in fact not equal, and before the poetry of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech rang out over the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a group of black women working at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia were helping America dominate aeronautics, space research, and computer technology, carving out a place for themselves as female mathematicians who were also black, black mathematicians who were also female. Hidden Figures is their story."
Invisible Women (Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men) by Caroline Criado Perez
Imagine a world where your phone is too big for your hand, where your doctor prescribes a drug that is wrong for your body, where in a car accident you are 47% more likely to be seriously injured, where every week the countless hours of work you do are not recognised or valued. If any of this sounds familiar, chances are that you’re a woman.
Invisible Women shows us how, in a world largely built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half the population. It exposes the gender data gap – a gap in our knowledge that is at the root of perpetual, systemic discrimination against women, and that has created a pervasive but invisible bias with a profound effect on women’s lives.
Award-winning campaigner and writer Caroline Criado Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are excluded from the very building blocks of the world we live in, and the impact this has on their health and wellbeing. From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, urban planning and the media – Invisible Women reveals the biased data that excludes women. In making the case for change, this powerful and provocative book will make you see the world anew.
A Gambling Man by David Baldacci
"I picked up a copy of this at a main meeting and discovered a really good new series by this author. He writes fast moving thrillers and this series introduces a new main character called Aloysius Archer, an ex army veteran who is moving towards being a private investigator. The first book in the series finds him sent to prison (One Good Deed). This book is set in California 1949 and tells of his teaming up with an unlikely assistant and an experienced professional PI. Good characters, fast paced and a real page turner. I’ve recently bought the first in the series and look forward to reading it. "
Wedlock: The True Story of the Disastrous Marriage and Remarkable Divorce of Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore by Wendy Moore
Wedlock is based on meticulous archival research. Mary Eleanor Bowes (from Gibside) became the richest heiress in Britain when her fabulously wealthy coal-magnate father died. She was highly educated, winning acclaim as a playwright and botanist. At eighteen, she married the ninth Earl of Strathmore in a celebrated, if ultimately troubled, match that forged the Bowes Lyon name. After his early death, she stumbled into scandal with a charming Irish soldier, Captain Andrew Robinson Stoney. When Mary heard that her gallant hero was mortally wounded in a duel defending her honour, she could hardly refuse his dying wish; four days later they were married. Yet the "captain" was not what he seemed. Staging a sudden and remarkable recovery, Stoney was revealed as a debt-ridden lieutenant, a fraudster, and a bully. Immediately taking control of Mary's vast fortune, he squandered her wealth and embarked on a campaign of appalling violence and cruelty against his new bride. Finally, fearing for her life, Mary dared to plan an audacious escape and an even more courageous battle to reclaim her liberty and her fortune.
N.B. The term stoney-broke come from Captain Stoney.
The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
Marcus Didius Falco is a private investigator working in first century Rome. He's described as 'Roman Emperor Vespasian's smart-aleck PI'. Falco moves around Rome's empire, working for hire. There are 20 books based on the character and another series based on his adopted daughter. The Silver Pigs is the first in the series.
As well as the murder-mystery at the centre of each book what I really like is the social commentary, history, humour, and insights into how the Roman Empire operated at a practical and political level.
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley
The Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is inspired by the mythology of the famous star cluster, has become a global phenomenon. Each book focuses on one of the sisters and her ancestry. The final, eighth, book "Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt" completed by the author's son, Harry Whittaker, after her death focuses on the life of the man who adopted them all.
Tidelands by Philippa Gregory
This is an historical novel set in 1648. It is the time when Charles 1 was beheaded. It deals with the struggles of poor women at that time, and the failed attempts to rescue King Charles. I would recommend this author.