March is Women's History Month, which might motivate you to pick up a book written by a female author or about women’s history.
A Novel Concept is woman-owned downtown Lansing bookstore, and co-owner Elise Jajuga shared some reading recommendations for this month:
Nonfiction
- "A Muzzle for Witches" by Dubravka Ugrešić
- "Feminism is for Everybody" by bell hooks
- "White Magic" by Elissa Washuta
Fiction
- "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
- "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
- "Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- "The Time in Between" by María Dueñas
Children's and YA
- "Sisters in the Wind" by Angeline Boulley
- "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo
- "Little People, Big Dreams" by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara
- Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly and Winifred Conkling
Interview Highlights
On some nonfiction recommendations
We thought specifically that "A Muzzle for Witches" by Dubravka Ugrešić really resonates with us as it's a book that attempts to carve out space for women's writing. The title pointedly references the "scold's bridle" which is a metal punishment device historically used to literally silence women ... Another book that really translates well for us is "Feminism is for Everybody" by bell hooks, a seminal text that speaks to how feminism literally benefits everyone, not just women, and more specifically, how feminism is not a movement against men, but a movement to undo the harm patriarchy creates for all of us.
On some books families could by for their children
We have a children's section that is curated by a local mom, Angie Zeigerbacher. We look to her to curate a lot of our books, since we don't have children ourselves, and we want to be authentic in our curation experiences. She has recommended "Little People, Big Dreams" by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. She's penned biographies covering many women in history. "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly and Winifred Conkling tells a story of four Black women in the space race as well.
On a personal favorite
"The Time in Between" by María Dueñas is a novel that really speaks to me. It is looking at a woman who is a professional dressmaker and seamstress existing between the time of World War I and World War II ... I think it's a really fascinating historical look at what one woman can do to kind of contribute in a way she might not have expected, especially in recovering from a brutal past of her own.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: March is Women's History Month, which might motivate you to pick up a book written by a female author or about women’s history.
A Novel Concept is woman-owned and queer-owned downtown Lansing bookstore, and co-owner Elise Jajuga joins me to talk about some reading recommendations for this month. Thank you for being here.
Elisa Jajuga: Thank you for having me, Sophia.
Saliby: What nonfiction books about women would you recommend since we're talking about history in March?
Jajuga: For Women's History Month, while we are always talking about what books we enjoy and what books we might recommend to staff in our space, we thought specifically that "A Muzzle for Witches" by Dubravka Ugrešić really resonates with us as it's a book that attempts to carve out space for women's writing. The title pointedly references the "scold's bridle" which is a metal punishment device historically used to literally silence women. As we really work to amplify women's voices and more underrepresented voices generally, this book, it really speaks to our ethos.
Another book that really translates well for us is "Feminism is for Everybody" by bell hooks, a seminal text that speaks to how feminism literally benefits everyone, not just women, and more specifically, how feminism is not a movement against men, but a movement to undo the harm patriarchy creates for all of us.
"White Magic" is also a more recent book by Elissa Washuta. It is an essay collection on themes of land colonization and heartbreak that amplifies the experiences of Native women, while it confronts systemic oppression and also showcases creative resistance.
All these books really resonate with our own values at A Novel Concept, and we believe that they would be both accessible and interesting to a lot of members of our audience.
Saliby: Do you have any historical fiction picks that center women's stories?
Jajuga: One of the books that we talk about is "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez. It's a 1994 novel that's based on the true story of the four Mirabal sisters who are revolutionary heroes in the Dominican Republic. We, again, look to amplify a lot of our international women's voices as well, especially as we consider, you know, all of women's history in women's month.
So that being said, "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi is also a book that we strongly recommend. It's a generational saga that begins with two sisters from Ghana, and kind of recounts their individual experiences and those of the women that follow them, specifically in terms of slavery, as well as the ensuing events that occur in the present day. In addition to providing different timelines, it also provides different perspectives between Africa and United States.
Another one that has been more recently popular is "Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid which I'm sure many of our folks are very familiar with. It's a staff favorite at A Novel Concept. It's a queer historical romance set against the 1980s space shuttle program that we find absolutely uplifting and fascinating.
Saliby: And what about for families that are looking to buy books for their children to teach them about women's history and historical movements involving women?
Jajuga: "Firekeeper's Daughter" is probably a trilogy, and actually it's moving past a trilogy, I believe, but that resonates with a lot of folks, particularly in Michigan as the author, Angeline Boulley is from Michigan. So, her most recent "Sisters in the Wind" is incredibly popular. She's also coming to Michigan Notable Books as a speaker in April. So, we're really excited about that.
We also really looked to "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo. It's set in 1950s San Francisco, and it tells the story of Lily Hu, a teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants as she begins exploring her sexuality.
We have a children's section that is curated by a local mom, Angie Zeigerbacher. We look to her to curate a lot of our books, since we don't have children ourselves, and we want to be authentic in our curation experiences. She has recommended "Little People, Big Dreams" by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara. She's penned biographies covering many women in history. "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly and Winifred Conkling tells a story of four Black women in the space race as well.
Saliby: Do you have any personal favorites you'd like to share with our audience?
Jajuga: "The Time in Between" by María Dueñas is a novel that really speaks to me. It is looking at a woman who is a professional dressmaker and seamstress existing between the time of World War I and World War II. She is recovering from an abusive relationship and falls into sewing dresses for the wives of Nazi officers, and in doing so, she's able to pass along messages of import to members of the resistance.
I think it's a really fascinating historical look at what one woman can do to kind of contribute in a way she might not have expected, especially in recovering from a brutal past of her own.
Saliby: Elise Jajuga is the co-owner of A Novel Concept in downtown Lansing. Thank you for joining us.
Jajuga: Thank you for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
