1) Educated: A Memoir - Tara Westover
Author Tara Westover shares the intimate details of her life growing up in a family that isolated themselves from mainstream society, avoiding both classrooms and doctor's offices. Lacking any formal education, Westover eventually broke free from her family's reign by educating herself enough to gain admission to first Brigham Young University, then Harvard and Cambridge.
2) The Marriage of Opposites - Alice Hoffman
This novel explores the life of Rachel, a member of the small refugee community of Jews who settled on St. Thomas in the 1800s. Rachel lives under the scornful eye of her strict mother and thrives under the loving care and friendship of their maid Adele and her daughter Jestine. In adulthood, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects her whole family.
3) The Only Woman in the Room - Marie Benedict
After fleeing her homeland of Austria and her controlling husband, Hedy Kiesler landed in Hollywood and became Hedy Lamarr. A powerful novel based on an incredible true story The Only Woman in the Room explores the famous glamour icon and scientist, whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.
