NEW BOOKS FOR A NEW YEAR: 20 Books by and about Awesome Women that are coming out in 2020

     Looking ahead into 2020, there are lots of reasons to smile. For starters, we've got the hundredth anniversary of America getting its act together and granting women the right to vote by ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment. (At least on paper. Black women in the South had a longer fight ahead of them...) This centennial is being celebrated not only with parades and speeches, but with nearly 600 female candidates (and counting!) running for office in this year's election. Who knows -- we might even have our first female president!
     If it's empowered movie heroines you're looking for, 2020 is a banner year for you, too, with eight of the top ten most anticipated movies featuring female leads -- including a woman as 007 in the newest James Bond film. Oh, and that top ten movie list? Half of them are also directed by women.
     But for us library nerds, it's the slew of upcoming book releases that really makes us giddy, and 2020 is giving us a lot to be excited about. Here's a list of twenty books by and about Awesome Women that will be coming out this year:

Patricia's Vision
Written by Michelle Lord • Illustrated by Alleanna Harris
Release Date: January 7, 2020

We at AWL were deeply saddened by Dr. Patricia Bath's passing last year, but we're glad to see that this new picture book biography is coming out to share her inspiring story. Judging from the excerpt available on Amazon, Patricia's Vision looks like a beautiful tribute, featuring her many accomplishments, such as her groundbreaking invention of laser surgery for cataracts.

Making Their Voices Heard
Written by Vivian Kirkfield • Illustrated by Alleanna Harris
Release Date: January 14, 2020

Books about women supporting each other are great to begin with, but when those two women are the incomparable and legendary Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe, you know you're in for an incredible story. Making Their Voices Heard reveals how these two superstars helped each other throughout their careers, and will surely be a wonderful example of the power of female friendships.

A Long Petal of the Sea
Written by Isabel Allende
Release Date: January 21, 2020

Isabel Allende's latest book, A Long Petal of the Sea, comes out in just a couple weeks. Following a pair of refugees -- a pregnant widow and her brother-in-law who are forced to leave their home to escape the Spanish Civil War -- this timely novel is already getting lots of attention and praise from critics and reviewers.

Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-of-Foot Girl
Written by Megan Reid • Illustrated by Laura Freeman
Release Date: January 21, 2020

There are already a couple picture book biographies about Althea Gibson available, but this tennis trailblazer deserves all the attention we can give her. Illustrated by the same artist who did the picture book version of Hidden Figures (which is good -- really good), I'm sure The Story of Tennis' Fleet-of-Foot Girl will be a worthy addition to Awesome Women libraries worldwide.

Martha Graham's Cold War
Written by Victoria Phillips
Release Date: January 21, 2020

For all of you modern dance fans who are also history buffs, Martha Graham's Cold War is an analysis of how Graham's individualistic dance style was intentionally cultivated and purveyed to represent democratic ideals during the Cold War. The sneak peek on Amazon shows lots of photos of Graham and her troupe dancing and hobnobbing with celebrities, including fellow dance star and Soviet defector Mikhail Baryshnikov. (BTW - January 21st is apparently a very busy day for publishers, because this is the third of four books on this list being released on that date!)

Misty Copeland: Ballet Star
Written by Sarah Howden • Illustrated by Nick Craine
Release Date: January 21, 2020

Misty Copeland is another one who has a bunch of books about her out already, but she is such an inspiring and talented person that I say bring it on. Ballet Star is geared towards new and early readers, and is one of a series of several books by this author/illustrator duo that are coming out this year about important women. There's also a My Itty-Bitty Bio about Copeland being released in February, for all those itty-bitties out there who are eager to learn about Awesome Women!

Sofonisba's Lesson
Written by Michael W. Cole
Release Date: February 11, 2020

Sofonisba Anguissola may not be a household name today, but during the Renaissance she was all the rage, shaking up the portrait game by painting her subjects in intimate and relaxed settings rather than the standard I'm-standing-by-a-chair-this-is-natural pose. Sofonisba's Lesson focuses on how she encouraged women's education through both her paintings and the example of her own career, and includes an illustrated catalog of all of her 200+ known works.

Dr. Wangari Maathai Plants A Forest
Written by Rebel Girls • Illustrated by Eugenia Mello
Release Date: February 25, 2020

This new chapter book series is by the authors of the bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, so you know it's got to be good. Technically the books are historical fiction, but from the looks of it this one is closely based on real events in Wangari Maathai's life, as is the one that came out last year about Ada Lovelace. Look for the one featuring Alicia Alonso that's being released in August -- I would have included it on this list but the cover isn't out yet.

Extreme Ocean
Written by Sylvia Earle and Glen Phalen
Release Date: March 3, 2020

Marine biologist Sylvia Earle is adding a new book to her already substantial literary canon with Extreme Ocean. As the title indicates, this book highlights the extremes found in the blue part of our blue planet, as well as the cutting edge tech used to study it. Earle also has a new edition of her classic memoir, Sea Change, coming out in April.

Frida in America
Written by Celia Stahr
Release Date: March 3, 2020

At first the premise of this non-fiction book -- a study of "how three years spent in the United States transformed Frida Kahlo into the artist we know today" -- felt a bit colonial to me. America laying claim to Frida Kahlo, an artist so connected to her Mexican heritage, seems like a stretch. However, I'm glad I kept reading the blurb because it looks like the ultimate hypothesis proposed in Frida in America is that her not-entirely-enjoyable time here actually helped forge that connection to her homeland, which is a much more realistic and less whitewashed way of looking at it. And for all of you Fridaholics, be sure to mark your calendars for her big art exhibition coming up in Illinois ​this summer!

Ellen DeGeneres (People of Pride)
Written by Little Bee Books • Illustrated by Victoria Grace Elliott
Release Date: March 24, 2020

We're HUGE picture book biography fans around here, and the fact that there aren't any for Ellen DeGeneres is a gaping hole in the genre that somebody needs to fill pronto. In the meantime, this board book is a step in the right direction. People of Pride is a brand new series starting this year, and looks like a great way to introduce young children to LGBTQ heroes.

Rise
Written by Lindsey Vonn
Release Date: March 24, 2020

The Kindle version lists a March release date but the hardcover says 2021, so I guess we'll see. Hopefully it's this year though, because everything Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn does is amazing, and this memoir will undoubtedly be no exception. Just look at that cover! So intense.

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks
Written by Suzanne Slade • Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
Release Date: April 7, 2020

Exquisite is the second picture book bio to come out about groundbreaking poet Gwendolyn Brooks, and it looks like a lovely and well-written follow-up to last year's A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks. It also includes a poem that she wrote when she was only fifteen -- a nice touch that is sure to inspire all the young poets out there.

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean
Written by S. S. Taylor • Illustrated by Ben Towle
Release Date: April 21, 2020

Graphic novels are seriously popular these days, so it makes perfect sense that graphic biographies are trending as well. This Broad Ocean is a refreshing addition to Amelia Earhart's bookshelf, in that it focuses on her accomplishments -- specifically her historical flight across the Atlantic -- rather than her disappearance. And be sure to read the introduction by astronaut/Shuttle pilot Eileen Collins!

Billie Jean King (Little People, Big Dreams)
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara • Illustrated by Miranda Sofroniou
Release Date: May 5, 2020

The upcoming addition to the bestselling Little People, Big Dreams series is none other than tennis superstar Billie Jean King. Only the hardcover version (for beginning readers) is currently available for pre-order, but the board book is sure to follow close behind.

You Should Meet Shirley Chisholm
Written by Laurie Calkhoven • Illustrated by Kaitlyn Shea O'Connor
Release Date: May 19, 2020

Shirley Chisholm's name was invoked a lot last year in connection with Senator Kamala Harris's presidential run, but the American public is still woefully forgetful about the first Black candidate for the highest office in the land. The You Should Meet series is great and features lots of incredible people, so this book will be in good company when it's released in May.

Lift As You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker
Written by Patricia Hruby Powell • Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Release Date: June 9, 2020

Civil rights icon Ella Baker is in dire need of a picture book biography, so Lift As You Climb can't come out soon enough. Judging from the sneak peek, veteran author/illustrator team (each award winners) have done a beautiful job capturing Baker's passion and skill as a grassroots organizer.

Yayoi Kusama: Cosmic Nature
Edited by Mika Yoshitake
Release Date: June 30, 2020

Yayoi Kusama: Cosmic Nature is a companion book for the upcoming exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden. Yayoi Kusama is most known in the States for her Infinity Mirror Room installations, but this book highlights how nature influences and is represented in her art, following her artistic output from youth through today. 

Ruth Graves Wakefield: One Smart Cookie
Written by Sarah Howden • Illustrated by Nick Craine
Release Date: July 14, 2020

One Smart Cookie (love that punny title) is the second book on this list by this author/illustrator duo, and is in the same series as the Misty Copeland book noted earlier. Historical accounts differ on exactly how Ruth Wakefield came to invent the chocolate chip cookie, but invent it she did, and humanity will be forever in her debt.

Corazon Aquino (Little People, Big Dreams)
Written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara • Illustrated by Ginnie Heu
Release Date: August 4, 2020

Corazon Aquino isn't well known in the U.S., but as the first female president of a Southeast Asian nation, she should be. Luckily the Little People, Big Dreams series is helping make that happen with this book. Like all the books in this series, it has an appendix with a biographical timeline and real photos at the back of the book.

Happy New Year from AWL, and happy reading!