CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The Marshalltown Public Library currently has a Women’s History Month display showcasing notable nonfiction titles.

Women’s History Month is an ideal time to learn more about women and girls, across all walks of life, who have made contributions to the world.

Marshalltown Public Library Librarian Katie Fink said there are several new releases for adults about influential women. “Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson” by Rebecca Boggs Roberts was released earlier this month.

“Woodrow Wilson had a stroke in the middle of his presidency in 1919, and the book is about how she essentially was the acting president after they kind of concealed (the stroke) from the public and concealed it from Congress,” Fink said.

The story documents Edith’s early life, first marriage and widowhood, her courtship with Wilson, her independent wealth and her duties as acting president. In her personal life, she opposed women’s suffrage despite the power she had in the Oval Office.

Fink also recommends “Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage” by Nathalia Holt.

“These were ladies that were working for the CIA in post-World War II as it got started and worked all over the world,” she said. “The author used a lot of recently declassified documents by the CIA.”

“The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote” by Elaine Weiss looks at the struggle to pass the 19th amendment.

“The main part of this story takes place in Nashville in 1920. Tennessee was the last state that needed to ratify for it to pass,” Fink said.

The book explores the contributions of mainstream and radical activists, as well as those in the anti-suffrage camp.

Fink noted that while people seem fascinated by serial killers, the stories of their victims often get overlooked. “The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper” by Hallie Rubenhold seeks to sort fact from fiction about the Ripper’s victims: Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary-Jane.

“It’s not a traditional women’s history book. It kind of flipped the story on its head. It’s not about Jack the Ripper. It’s about the women that he killed,” Fink said.

She added that the library is home to a large biography section where one may find books on prominent women in history ranging from NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai and the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Conner.

Youth Services Librarian Joa LaVille said there is no shortage of interesting stories on women and girls, from picture books to chapter books and everything in between.

“Nonfiction books for kids today are just as engaging as fiction,” she said.

LaVille said she likes the “Women Who Broke the Rules” series by Kathleen Krull. Readers in second and third grade can read about various First Ladies, Judy Blume, Sacajawea, Coretta Scott King and others.

The “Little Leaders” series by Vashti Harrison includes titles on black women, visionary women from around the world and exceptional men in black history. While these are geared towards third through seventh graders, her series of “Little One” board books (“Follow Your Dreams,” “Dream Big” and “Think Big”) are appropriate to read to babies and for preschoolers to read themselves.

The “History Smashers” series, for those in grades third through seventh, “smash through” the myths, lies and secrets behind famous moments in history.

“Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls” is recommended for ages six and up. It features 100 bedtime stories about the lives of extraordinary women from the past and the present, illustrated by 60 female artists from around the world.

“Each page is a different woman, so that’s a really great way to learn just a little bit about somebody and is very accessible in terms of reading out loud,” LaVille said.

As someone who works with youngsters, LaVille noted she enjoys reading books about kids who have changed the world. “Through My Eyes” by Ruby Bridges is an elementary reading level autobiography of Ruby Bridges, who in 1960 was the first black child to attend a New Orleans public elementary school.

“Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race” by Margot Lee Shetterly breaks down the history of these NASA mathematicians and their contributions to science, in a style accessible to preschoolers through third grade, as is “A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon” by Suzanne Slade.

LaVille said “Dreamers” by Yuyi Morales is “a super beautiful picture book.”

“The art is a nod to Frida Kahlo, and it’s an autobiographical poem about how Yuyi came to the U.S. and didn’t know any English. The library was where she found these great books to read, learned to speak English and gained confidence. It became her first home,” she said.

The book is aimed at preschool through third grade.

“Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré” by Anika Aldamuy Denise is a picture book biography of a woman who was a storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, who advocated for bilingual literature.

“She’s probably someone people have not heard of,” LaVille said.

Another lesser known figure in history is Irena Sendler, who was a Polish humanitarian, social worker and nurse who served in the Polish Underground Resistance during World War II in German-occupied Warsaw.

“Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust” by Jennifer Rozines Roy tells her story, and is appropriate for those in grades first through fifth. “Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation” by Duncan Tonatiuh is for readers in grades first through fourth. It describes the story of the Mendez family who worked to end segregation in California schools seven years before Brown vs. Board of Education.

LaVille said many best selling books for adults also have a Young Readers Edition, including the popular memoir “I Am Malala.”

“Compared to when I was a kid, there are a large number of biographies of women and people of color and people whose contributions weren’t recognized,” LaVille said. “This is just a golden time for that.”

For more information, the library may be reached at: 641-754-5738.