The Heroine's Bookshelf - by Erin Blakemore (Paperback)

About the Book

A testament to inspirational women throughout literature, Erin Blakemore s exploration of classic heroines and their equally admirable authors shows today s women how to best tap into their inner strengths and live life with intelligence, grace, vitality and aplomb. This collection of unforgettable characters including Anne Shirley, Jo March, Scarlett O Hara, and Jane Eyre and outstanding authors like Jane Austen, Harper Lee, and Laura Ingalls Wilder is an impassioned look at literature s most compelling heroines, both on the page and off. Readers who found inspiration in books by Toni Morrison, Maud Hart Lovelace, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Alice Walker, or who were moved by literary-themed memoirs like Shelf Discovery and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, get ready to return to the well of women s classic literature with The Heroine's Bookshelf."

Book Synopsis

A testament to inspirational women throughout literature, Erin Blakemore's exploration of classic heroines and their equally admirable authors shows today's women how to best tap into their inner strengths and live life with intelligence, grace, vitality and aplomb. This collection of unforgettable characters--including Anne Shirley, Jo March, Scarlett O'Hara, and Jane Eyre--and outstanding authors--like Jane Austen, Harper Lee, and Laura Ingalls Wilder--is an impassioned look at literature's most compelling heroines, both on the page and off. Readers who found inspiration in books by Toni Morrison, Maud Hart Lovelace, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Alice Walker, or who were moved by literary-themed memoirs like Shelf Discovery and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, get ready to return to the well of women's classic literature with The Heroine's Bookshelf.

From the Back Cover

Jo March, Scarlett O'Hara, Scout Finch--the literary canon is brimming with intelligent, feisty, never-say-die heroines and celebrated female authors. They placed a premium on personality, spirituality, career, sisterhood, and family, not unlike women of today. When they were up against the wall, authors like Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott fought back--sometimes with words, sometimes with gritty actions.

Witty, informative, and inspiring--full of beloved heroines and the remarkable writers who created them--The Heroine's Bookshelf explores how the pluck and dignity of literary characters such as Jane Eyre and Lizzy Bennet can encourage modern women, showing them how to tap into their inner strengths and live life with intelligence and grace. From Zora Neale Hurston to Colette, Laura Ingalls Wilder to Charlotte Brontë, Harper Lee to Alice Walker, here are authors whose spirited stories and characters are more inspiring today than ever.

Review Quotes

"The Heroine's Bookshelf is a fascinating exploration of beloved female characters in American fiction and the complex women who created them." - Kirby Larson, author of the Newbery Honor book, Hattie Big Sky
"By weaving together the lives of authors, the stories of their heroines, and experiences from her own life, Erin Blakemore invites us to be part of a sisterhood of strong heroines that transcends time and expands the limits of our imagination. She manages to tackle complex and highly-charged topics, such as self, dignity, fight, ambition, with a light touch. The large scope--from abstracted lessons for life down to the details of personal application--shows us not only how to read, but also how to juice our favorite novels for examples of how to live." - Susannah Carson, author of A Truth Universally Acknowledged
"Erin Blakemore reunites us with the women whose literary lives inspire us, and she helps us discover the reserves of strength and power to be found in these favorite books. This book is a unique tribute to women writers and an extraordinary gift to readers as well." - Wendy McClure, BUST columnist and author of The Wilder Life
"Reading The Heroine's Bookshelf feels like attending that dinner party you've always dreamed of, where your favorite authors and their literary creations sit around talking late into the night. Blakemore's thoughtful prose and graceful voice make each chapter a joy to read. This book is a gem!" - Kelly O'Conner McNees, author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
"[A] delightful guide to what the heroines of some of the great novels by women writers, and those writers themselves can teach us about life." - Beatrice.com
"[A] Knockout Nonfiction Read" - More.com
"Blakemore finds comfort and inspiration in revisiting the tales of literature's leading ladies and exploring the lives of the women who spun them. [She] makes a charming case for rereading." - Washington Post
"If you're stumped for your next pleasure book and want to submerse yourself in a literary past sprinkled with powerful, independent women like Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott, Blakemore's book provides the perfect portal. . . . At it's core, Blakemore's book is about making some time for your inner heroine, and cracking open a book you haven't seen for a few years." - New York Press
"If you're stumped for your next pleasure book and want to submerse yourself in a literary past sprinkled with powerful, independent women like Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott, Blakemore's book provides the perfect portal." - New York Press
"A breezy read, The Heroine's Bookshelf exposes readers to some of our longtime favorite authors. . . . It's simultaneously uplifting and poignant. . . . Blakemore's goal of reaffirming the legacies of the people she loves--those thoughtful authors and feisty heroines--successfully acknowledges their worth and their influence and hopefully renders them unforgettable and relevant." - Boulder Daily Camera
"A lift in tough times." - Denver Post
"A testament to inspirational women throughout literature." - The Wellesley Townsman
"What to do when you're stuck in bed with a cold, facing a crisis of faith or dealing with a bad breakup? . . . Blakemore finds comfort and inspiration in revisiting the tales of literature's leading ladies and exploring the lives of the women who spun them. In The Heroine's Bookshelf, [she] rereads 12 of her favorite books, written in simpler times but certainly not freer ones . . . . [and] makes a charming case for rereading." - Washington Post