SPEECH BUBBLES & SEXISM: 20 Graphic (Novel) Biographies of Awesome Women

     You probably don't need me to tell you that graphic novels are HUGE right now. Everything from To Kill A Mockingbird to Anne of Green Gables has been rereleased as a graphic novel, and six of Amazon's top fifty best-selling books of 2019 were of that genre (that's 12%!).
     So it should come as no surprise that graphic biographies are trending as well. Not only are these great for getting non-fiction books in the hands of resistant readers, graphic biographies can be an effective tool in getting boys to learn about historic women when they might otherwise be reluctant to do so. Below is a list of some speech-bubbletastic Awesome Women bios -- but be warned!! Not all of these are intended for children. Please review all books before passing them on to young readers.

Clara Barton: Angel of the Battlefield
Written by Allison Lassieur • Illustrated by Brian Bascle​
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Angel of the Battlefield is the first of several on this list from the Graphic Library series, published by Capstone Press. With realistic paintings, this book closely traces Clara Barton's growth from nurturing child to courageous nurse to Red Cross royalty.

Elizabeth Blackwell: America's First Woman Doctor
Written by Trina Robbins • Illustrated by Cynthia Martin and Anne Timmons
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

It's always nice when stories about women are also written by women, and that's the case with America's First Woman Doctor, about pioneering physician Elizabeth Blackwell. In fact, the author and illustrators of this book pop up a lot on this list, and it's no surprise why when you see the attention to detail they give to both the text and paintings.

Boudicca
Written by Neal Romanek • Illustrated by Johan Sward
Recommended Age Group: Adult

Unlike most of the books on this list, this graphic novel is, in fact, a novel. Historical fiction, Boudicca is an intense book meant for adult readers (as you could probably surmise from the cover), based on the violent, tragic, and true story of the Iceni leader who rebelled against the Roman Empire.

Bessie Coleman: Daring Stunt Pilot
Written by Trina Robbins • Illustrated by Ken Steacy
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Daring Stunt Pilot is another Graphic Library book, following the life of Bessie Coleman, the first Black American woman to earn a pilot's license. Eventually becoming a famous air show stunt pilot, Coleman faced many barriers to get to where she did, and this book does a good job of showcasing that, as well as how determined she was.

Radioactive
Written and Illustrated by Lauren Redniss
Recommended Age Group: Adult

Marie Curie is the most famous female scientist in the world, so it comes as no surprise that she has more than a few graphic novels dedicated to her story. While Radioactive (the book on which the new movie is based) is technically an illustrated biography rather than a graphic novel (no speech bubbles), I'm sliding it in here because it's too beautiful to omit. The surreal line drawings are akin to artist/poet Brian Andreas, and the prose is equally as gorgeous: both poetic and informative, digging deeper than your typical biography, with details that give real weight to the lives of both Marie and her husband Pierre.

Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean
Written by S.S. Taylor • Illustrated by Ben Towle
Recommended Age Group: 10-13

This Broad Ocean is a refreshing addition to Amelia Earhart's bookshelf, in that it focuses on her accomplishments -- specifically her historic flight across the Atlantic -- rather than her disappearance. Be sure to read the introduction by astronaut and Shuttle pilot Eileen Collins!

I Know What I Am
Written & Illustrated by Gina Siciliano
Recommended Age Group: Adult

And by adult, I mean ADULT. Artemisia Gentileschi's story is hard enough, but I Know What I Am starts with her family's violent history, and has explicit illustrations that are in NO WAY appropriate for young readers. With that said, Gentileschi's paintings have been getting renewed attention over the past few years, and this book provides a powerful context for her equally powerful art.

Becoming RBG
Written by Debbie Levy • Illustrated by Whitney Gardner
Recommended Age Group: 10+

By the same author of the excellent Ruth Bader Ginsburg picture book biography I Dissent, Becoming RBG is great for older readers to get a deeper understanding of how RBG became So. Darn. Awesome.

A Win for Women
Written by Brandon Terrell • Illustrated by Eduardo Garcia
Recommended Age Group: 8-14

The "Battle of the Sexes" -- the historic tennis match between chauvinist Bobby Riggs and feminist Billie Jean King -- was a turning point in women's sports (and made into a Hollywood movie in 2017). A Win for Women tells the full story, starting with Riggs's defeat of Margaret Court, and how King was determined to beat him and prove women's athletic equality. Also included in the back of the book are critical thinking questions for further analysis.

Hedy Lamarr and a Secret Communication System
Written by Trina Robbins • Illustrated by Cynthia Martin
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Revered for her beauty, actress Hedy Lamarr was also a brilliant tinker, co-inventing the frequency system that serves as the basis for today's bluetooth technology. Secret Communication System shares her life story, from her youth in Austria to her international Hollywood fame.

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage
Written and Illustrated by Sydney Padua
Recommended Age Group: Adult

In 1843, Ada Lovelace wrote what is now considered to be the world's first computer program, for a hypothetical calculating machine (the Analytical Engine) designed by her friend Charles Babbage. The Engine was never built in Babbage's lifetime, but The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage imagines what the world may have been like if it were. Though technically historical fiction because it eventually follows an alternate timeline, this book is extremely true to life for the most part, with footnote citations that are both fascinating and funny.

The Baseball Adventure of Jackie Mitchell: Girl Pitcher vs. Babe Ruth
Written by Emma Carlson Berne and Jean L. S. Patrick • Illustrated by Ted Hammond and Richard Pimental Carbajal
Recommended Age Group: 8-11

The only woman to have struck out Babe Ruth (and Lou Gehrig!) deserves her own MOVIE, but I guess this graphic biography is a step in the right direction. It's exclusively about her famous game against the Yankees -- no backstory or anything -- but it's well done for what it is.

Florence Nightingale: Lady with the Lamp
Written by Trina Robbins • Illustrated by Anne Timmons
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Trina and Anne team up again for Lady with the Lamp, featuring legendary nurse Florence Nightingale. This book does an excellent job of showing how outlandish the idea of a lady of high society becoming a nurse was at that time, as well as how committed she was both to her faith and her ideals.

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Written by Connie Rose Miller • Illustrated by Dan Kalal
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Because of her status as a civil rights icon, Rosa Parks is another one who has a bunch of graphic biographies about her (and deservedly so!). A couple -- like this one -- focus on her historic protest and the bus boycott that followed, while others offer a broader scope, presenting her lifetime of activism.

Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World
Written by Ryan Jacobson • Illustrated by Gordon Purcell and Barbara Schulz
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Legendary First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt accomplished so much, it can never all be captured in just one book (especially one that's only 32 pages). First Lady of the World does its best though, introducing young readers to this extraordinary woman, and revealing how she became so driven to change the world for the better.

Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Track Star
Written by Lee Engfer • Illustrated by Cynthia Martin and Anne Timmons
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics, and the fact that she could barely walk as a child makes her rise to stardom even more dramatic. Olympic Track Star shares the story of how she grew from premature baby (the 20th of 22!) to Olympic champion to inspirational speaker.

Sacagawea: Journey Into the West
Written by Jennifer Gunderson • Illustrated by Cynthia Martin and Barbara Schulz
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Sacagawea is one of our country's most famous heroes, and while it's true that without her Lewis and Clark probably wouldn't have made it to the Pacific Ocean, the fact that she had no choice in the matter is often glossed over. Kidnapped as a child by a rival tribe and sold at 16 to a white man, she only went on the cross-country expedition because her "husband" said she had to. Journey Into the West does an excellent job making all of this clear (while softening it appropriately for young readers), showing how Sacagawea made the best out of a bad situation, and how her skills, knowledge, and very presence ensured the success of the journey.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Women's Rights Pioneer
Written by Connie Colwell Miller • Illustrated by Cynthia Martin and Keith Tucker
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a bold revolutionary who fought for women's rights through her most powerful weapon: her pen. She authored almost all of the speeches that her dear friend Susan B. Anthony gave, cowrote a (not entirely accurate and very racially biased) account of the history of women's suffrage, and even helped rewrite the bible to be less chauvinist. Like all the Graphic Library books, Women's Rights Pioneer has detailed drawings and clear text, providing a broad survey of Stanton's accomplishments.

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Written by Michael J. Martin • Illustrated by Bill Anderson and Dave Hoover
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

For most of us, Harriet Tubman needs no introduction, especially after the INCREDIBLE 2019 movie Harriet. For those young readers who may not have heard of her, Underground Railroad provides a foundation for learning about slavery, and the heroic acts of Tubman and others on the Railroad to subvert it.

Madam C. J. Walker and New Cosmetics
Written by Katherine Krohn • Illustrated by Bill Anderson, Charles Barnett III, Richard Dominquez, and Dave Hoover
Recommended Age Group: 9-12

Often cited as the first self-made female millionaire in the United States, Madam C. J. Walker is so Awesome she apparently needs four different illustrators to tell her story! Skipping over her tragic childhood, New Cosmetics begins when 20-year-old Walker starts selling Annie Turnbo Malone's hair care products. Walker eventually began making her own line of products, and although the origin of her formula is disputed, this book uses the one she claimed was the truth: that she was given the formula in a dream.

Bonus Round!
Here are THREE MORE graphic biographies for your reading pleasure. Combined, they share the stories of more than 40 incredible women!

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier
Written by Jim Ottaviani • Illustrated by Maris Wicks
Recommended Age Group: 9-13

Unfortunately this book doesn't come out until February 4, but judging from the sneak peek and blurb, it'll be worth the wait. Told from the perspective of contemporary astronaut Mary Cleave, Women on the Final Frontier shares the stories of Valentina Tereshkova (the first woman in space), the American female pilots who fought tooth and nail trying to become astronauts, as well as other trailblazing women in space.

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
Written and Illustrated by Penelope Bagieu
Recommended Age Group: Teen & Young Adult

Originally written in French, Brazen is a clever collection of notable women that goes beyond the standard issue names, including several I had never heard of before. The cover is feely too, which is an added bonus (you'll understand when you get it).

Primates
Written by Jim Ottaviani • Illustrated by Maris Wicks
Recommended Age Group: 12-18

Written by the same team who wrote and illustrated Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier, Primates follows the careers of primatologists Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas. Known collectively as "the Trimates," each of these women was recruited by anthropologist Louis Leakey (husband of paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey) to study different kinds of primates, with the ultimate goal of gaining deeper insight into our ancient ancestors. All three went on to make groundbreaking discoveries, becoming experts in their field and passionate advocates for conservation.

Happy reading!