TUC LIBRARY NEWS

Women's History Resource List from the TUC Library

Below is a very small selection of videos and books available from the TUC Library. 

For more videos, please visit Kanopy or Academic Video Online, found on our A-Z Database List.

 For more books, please check our Library Catalog. 

VIDEOS

Academic Video Online Videos

All videos below, and thousands more, are available in Academic Video Online, which you can find in the A-Z Database List.

**Descriptions below taken from the video abstract on the details tab of the video webpage in Academic Video Online.

Her Story: The Female Revolution (4-Part Miniseries)

There has never been a better time to be born a woman thanks to recent progress on equal rights. From the deserts of West Africa to the cities of China, we meet the women redefining the place of marriage, child birth and sex in their lives. In the second part of Her Story: The Female Revolution - we examine how the personal lives of women are changing.

• Her Story: Leadership (2016)

• Her Story: Women and Work (2016) 

• Her Story: The Personal Story (2016) 

• Her Story: Religion (2016) 

The Amazing Nina Simone (2015)

She was left out of Civil Rights history, erased by jazz critics, and forgotten by most Americans because no one knew how to categorize her greatness.  But throughout the 1960s, Nina Simone was both loved and feared for her outspoken vision of Black Freedom. Her musical proclamations like "Mississippi Goddam", and her iconic style created an alternative voice that continues to empower with its unrelenting appeal for justice. Now, a new documentary reveals the real Nina Simone through over 50 intimate interviews with those who best knew the artistry and intentions of one America's true musical geniuses. With new insights into her journey from Classical Music and the segregated American South, Nina's legacy is chartered all the way to the South of France where she finally found freedom.

Black Feminist (2019)

Black Feminist is a feature length documentary film surrounding the double edged sword of racial and gender oppression that black women face in America. This documentary is told through interviews from scholars, lecturers, writers, business owners, veterans, comedians and authors. In addition to information interviews, this documentary is narrated by our storybook character LaToya Johnson, played by Nadirah Lugg.

Daughters of the New Republic: Harriet Tubman and Sarah Bradford (2016) 

Today, Harriet Tubman is an icon for the struggle for freedom in the United States. Her story might have been lost to history except for one woman, Sarah Bradford, who agreed to write her friend's biography. But who was she? Why did she say, "Yes," when others called her plan to make a heroine of a black woman and slave a "quixotic attempt," doomed to failure from the start. Working together, these two indomitable women, one born a slave and a hero of the Civil War, the other born into a privileged New York family, gave voice to their shared vision of the New Republic. Little has been known of the remarkable Sarah Bradford. Until now.

Dolores (2017) 

Dolores Huerta is among the most important, yet least known, activists in American history. An equal partner in co-founding the first farm workers unions with Cesar Chavez, her enormous contributions have gone largely unrecognized. Dolores tirelessly led the fight for racial and labor justice alongside Chavez, becoming one of the most defiant feminists of the twentieth century - and she continues the fight to this day, at 87. With intimate and unprecedented access to this intensely private mother to eleven, the film reveals the raw, personal stakes involved in committing one's life to social change. 

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Restless Spirit (2005)

She is one of the 20th century's most respected and admired figures; a humanitarian who transformed the role of women in society-and in the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt was the architect behind the now well-established tradition of the First Lady activist. A pioneer among presidents' wives she formed her own staff, held press conferences and defined a female agenda beyond that of a homemaker. She fought for the civil rights of women and other members of oppressed society. Yet this monumental public figure was also the unhappy wife of a philandering husband and an orphan whose family was destroyed by alcoholism. In this intimate portrait experts and scholars come together to make the important connections between Mrs. Roosevelt's public and private lives. BIOGRAPHY-® brings you the complete and inspiring life story of Eleanor Roosevelt champion of freedom and human dignity.

Faces of Redemption (2017)

Faces of Redemption, explores the lives of Alicia Cass and Tameika Click-Dillon as women who come from the gang-infested streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Both women talk about their past lives as Crip gang affiliates and how they navigated the patriarchal aspects of gang life. While these women have very distinct journeys, a key component that sets the foundation for their success is their faith. Throughout the film, both women hold their faith responsible for their ability to deal with the incredible struggles they faced while trying to establish stability for themselves and their children. Moreover, as the film unfolds, viewers will bear witness to the various milestones that Cass and Click-Dillon experience, which have motivated both women to speak out against gang violence, women’s rights, and become active in their congregations as preachers. As women who come from the same roots, these powerful stories tell a tale about redemption from a life of chaos, while serving their communities in various ways. While Cass and Click-Dillon reflect on their present lives, they never forget where they came from and are determined to help other young women facing the same crossroads in their lives.

FtF: Female to Femme (2006) 

FtF: Female to Femme imagines a world in which the journey toward femme was understood to be as radical as journeys to claim and inhabit other queer bodies. Envisioning more than it documents, this documentary celebrates dyke femme identities, combining farce and seduction with analysis and personal history. For years, femmes have forged community and created space for themselves out of edgy performance and authentic parody. FtF recognizes these strategies and builds them into an unforgettable sexy, funny and moving film. Bursts of queer burlesque amplify the idea of a femme drag. A satire of a femme transition support group uses humor to disarm viewers (as it did its participants), finally stripping away layers of performance to arrive at a raw recognition of femme tactics of self-conceptualization. Interviews feature a host of fabulous femmes, including actress/ writer Guinivere Turner, novelist/activist Jewelle Gomez, poet Meliza Bañales, rock stars Leslie Mah (Tribe8) and Bitch (Bitch & Animal), professors, activists, artists and dancers. The filmmakers ask these brilliant thinkers and performers to use the language of gender transition to talk about femme identity, opening up new possibilities for understanding femininity while reinforcing connections among gender warriors around the world. A wildly original extravaganza, FtF: Female to Femme presents a saucy, indelible portrait of a people and their politics central to the gender revolution.

The Genius of Marie Curie: The Woman Who Lit Up the World (2013)  

The first woman to be awarded a Nobel prize, Marie Curie was an extraordinary woman whose story is as remarkable in the modern day as it was last century. In her lifetime, she became a rare thing: a celebrity scientist, attracting the attention of the news cameras and tabloid gossip, fascinated by a woman winning prestigious awards and making groundbreaking discoveries. But how did Marie Curie achieve such great things in a time when a woman’s place was in the home, not the laboratory, and raise a family at the same time? 

Indianara (2019) 

Indianara, a bigger-than-life revolutionary character and her group who lead a fight for the survival of transgender people in Brazil. Shot during tumultuous times in Brazil while Michel Temer is president, while the Marielle Franco is killed in cold blood, Indianara is an incredible woman, a Gena Rowlands of sort who doesn’t take no for an answer. She cares about humanity and decency for all. In the shelter she founded, in the streets and during demonstrations, she fights for her ideals, including her relationship with Maurice, her husband. Nearing fifty, facing political attacks and the advance of totalitarianism, she commits a real act of resistance.

Latifa (2018)

The story of Latifa Ibn Ziaten is the story of a mother who becomes an activist. When her son is assassinated by a terrorist in France, her world falls apart. Instead of giving up hope, she decides to take action, working her way through schools to speak with young people, fighting hatred with love and trying to be a bridge over our troubled water.

Madame Chiang Kai-shek (2011) 

In a remarkable life that touched three centuries, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek rose to become one of the most powerful women in the world. She positioned herself at the forefront of Chinese politics and held extraordinary influence in world affairs for a woman of her time.

Maria Montessori (2015) 

Maria Montessori was a woman of vision. In a remarkable life spanning eight decades, Maria Montessori, challenged convention to pioneer a radical new system of education; one which focused on the child as an independent learner and which spread to all corners of the world, affecting the schooling of millions.

Mom’s Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mother's Custody Movement (2006) 

While the beginnings of the LGBT Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum, the 1970s witnessed horrific custody battles for lesbian mothers. Mom's Apple Pie: The Heart of the Lesbian Mothers' Custody Movement revisits the early tumultuous years of the lesbian custody movement through the stories of five lesbian mothers and their four children. Narrated by Kate Clinton, the documentary interviews the sons and daughters who were separated from their mothers, the mothers themselves, and one woman who made the difficult decision to flee with her children. Founders of the Lesbian Rights Project (now the National Center for Lesbian Rights) and the Lesbian Mothers' National Defense Fund recount the founding of their organizations in response to the bevy of court rulings granting custody to grandparents, fathers and distant relatives based on the belief that lesbians would be unfit parents. Rich with archival photos from JEB (Joan E. Biren) and Cathy Cade, the documentary also features music from iconic lesbian musicians Margie Adam, Alix Dobkin, Mary Watkins and Cris Williamson.

Mother Teresa's First Love (1999)

This documentary contains perhaps the last authorized footage of Mother Teresa and is a testament to the legacy she left behind. It was filmed in Calcutta at The Home for the Dying and Destitute, the first refuge she established. Other such hospices followed, but the one in Calcutta remained her "first love."Seen through the eyes of the foreign volunteers, this film gives an intimate look at the love and care provided to the destitute ill. Mother Teresa's philosophy encouraged hard physical work and a "hands on" caring, so the ill do not feel isolated. The film also captures the spiritual uplift the volunteers feel through their service. Included is rare footage of Mother Teresa in her private Catholic chapel.

No More Tears Sister: Anatomy Of Hope And Betrayal (2004) 

A story of love, revolution, and betrayal, No More Tears Sister explores the price of truth in times of war. Set during the violent ethnic conflict that has enveloped Sri Lanka over decades, the documentary recreates the courageous and vibrant life of renowned human rights activist, Dr. Rajani Thiranagama. Mother, anatomy professor, and symbol of hope, Rajani was assassinated at the age of thirty-five. Stunningly photographed, using rare archival footage, intimate correspondence and poetic recreations, the story of Rajani and her family delves into rarely explored themes - revolutionary women and their dangerous pursuit of justice.

Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony (1999) 

This documentary tells the little-known story of one of the most compelling political movements and friendships in American history. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were born into a world ruled entirely by men and for more than half a century led the fight to win the most basic civil rights for women. Their story is filled with love and loyalty, envy and betrayal, and it raises larger questions about principle and compromise, achievement and ends, and the meaning of independence itself. Their more than half-century struggle led to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, which finally granted American women the right to vote. Neither woman lived to see this great victory, but Stanton and Anthony stand as the two most important women in American history.

One Woman, One Vote (2020)  

How could America claim to be the world’s greatest democracy, but deny the right to vote to women? With an introduction by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, One Woman, One Vote documents the events that culminated in the passing of the 19th Amendment. 

Picture A Scientist (2020) 

Picture a Scientist is a feature-length documentary film chronicling the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists. A biologist, a chemist and a geologist lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, overcoming brutal harassment, institutional discrimination, and years of subtle slights to revolutionize the culture of science. From cramped laboratories to spectacular field sites, we also encounter scientific luminaries who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all. 

Pocahontas: Her True Story (1995)

This summer's biggest-grossing movie is Disney's Pocahontas, a feature-length animated film that tells the story of a beautiful Indian maiden and her love for a white settler. It's a romantic story - but the true story is far more interesting than the fantasy version. The white settler was not a glamorous young hulk but a short, red-bearded adventurer of twenty-seven. And Pocahontas was not a nubile young maiden but a twelve-year-old child.

Power and the World's Women (2015) 

Twenty years ago, while still First Lady, Hillary Clinton made a groundbreaking speech in Beijing, setting down a challenge to world leaders: to treat women’s rights as human rights. She highlighted abuses including young girls sold into slavery; women raped as a tool of war; lack of education for girls. Since then, three women – Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and of course Clinton herself – have done one of the world’s most powerful jobs, as US Secretary of State. In candid interviews, these three former Secretaries of State talk about what it’s like being a woman at the centre of power, how they personally tried to change things and about the political challenges of improving the lives of women across the world. The film reveals the shocking extent of abuses in some developing countries and conflict zones and asks what Western politicians should – and should not – do to promote women’s rights and equality.

RBG (2018) 

At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. But without a definitive Ginsburg biography, the unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior's rise to the nation's highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans - until now. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring Ginsburg's exceptional life and career from Betsy West and Julie Cohen.

Sheer Good Fortune: Celebrating Toni Morrison (2014)  

The luminaries of contemporary African American letters - poets, novelists, critics and actors - gathered in October, 2012 to pay tribute to Toni Morrison, read from her writings and share what it has meant to their lives and work. 

We Will Rise: Michelle Obama's Mission to Educate Girls Around the World (2016)

Around the world, more than 62 million girls are not in school, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). As girls grow into adolescence, cultural and familial pressures often make it harder for them to stay in school, though educating women correlates to lower rates of infant mortality, increased GDP, and greater economic security for families. CNN Films has produced a new film about girls overcoming incredible challenges to achieve their education and change their own lives, with contributions from First Lady Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Freida Pinto, and CNN journalist Isha Sesay. Singer Andra Day’s motivational anthem, ‘Rise Up’ will serve as the theme for the film. 

Books

*Except where noted, all books are ebooks.*

Becoming (2018), by Michelle Obama (available in print only)

The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience (2019), by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton (available in print only)

Breaking into the Lab Engineering Progress for Women in Science, (2012) by Sue Vilhauer Rosser

A Companion To American Women's History, 2nd ed. (2021) by Nancy A. Hewitt and Anne M. Valk

The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine (2021), by Janice Nimura (available in print only)

The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, And The Fight For Women In Science (2023), by Kate Zernike (available in print only)

The Feminine Touch: Women in Osteopathic Medicine (2011), by Thomas A. Quinn (available in print only)

From the Shtetl to the Lecture Hall: Jewish Women and Cultural Exchange (2013), by Louise Hirsch

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science--and the World (2015), by Rachel Swaby (available in print only)

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban (2015). by Malala Yousafzai (available in print only)

In Praise Of Difficult Women: Life Lessons From 29 Heroines Who Dared To Break The Rules (2020), by Karen Karbo ; foreword by Cheryl Strayed (available in print only)

In Search of Mary Seacole: The Making of a Black Cultural Icon and Humanitarian (2022), by Helen Rappaport (available in print only)

Lab Girl (2016), by Hope Jahren (available in print only)

Lovely One: A Memoir (2024), by Ketanji Brown Jackson (available in print only)

The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science (2010), by Julie Des Jardins

My Beloved World (2013), by Sonia Sotomayor (available in print only)

The Science Education of American Girls: A Historical Perspective (2013), by Kimberley Tolley

Sisters In Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went To The Supreme Court And Changed The World (2016), by Linda Hirshman (available in print only)

Sympathy & Science: Women Physicians in American Medicine (2000), by Regina Morantz-Sanchez

The Tangled Field: Barbara McClintock's Search for the Patterns of Genetic Control (2001), by Nathaniel C. Comfort

We Should All Be Feminists (2015), by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (available in print only)

Women in Global Science: Advancing Academic Careers Through International Collaboration (2017), by Kathrin S. Zippel 

Women and Leadership in Higher Education (2014), Edited by Karen A. Longman, Susan R. Madsen with Foreword by Warren G. Bennis

Juvenile & Young Adult Books

Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel's Journey to Lhasa (2002), by Don Brown

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science (2018), by Joyce Sidman 

The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague (2018), by Julie Finley Mosca

Good night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women (2016), by Elena Favilli

Good night Stories for Rebel Girls, 2 (2017), by Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli

Our House is on Fire: Great Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet (2019), by Jeanette Winter

Thanks for Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers' Rights (2020), by Deborah Hopkinson

Women In Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (2016), by Rachel Ignotofsky 

Websites

International Women's Day - internationalwomensday.com

International Women's Day - United Nations

International Women's Day 2024 - International Women's Development Agency

International Women's Day 2024 - The World Bank

International Women's Day 2024 : Invest In Women - Celebrate Progress - UNWomen.org

Lean In - leanin.org

National Women's History Alliance

Women Artists - National Gallery of Art

Women's History Month - National Archives

Women's History Month - National Park Service

Women's History Month - National Women's History Museum

Women's History Month - U.S. Department of Defense

Women's History Month - womenshistorymonth.gov

Women's History Month : A Commemorative Observances Legal Research Guide - Library of Congress

Women's History in the United States - National Endowment for the Humanities