ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Book Recommendations from Elmhurst University Students Showcasing Powerful Women

“Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” by Brené Brown

Brené  Brown is a research professor who focuses on concepts like vulnerability, shame, and leadership. Brown wrote “Daring Greatly” to show readers that allowing ourselves to be vulnerable will better our lives and experiences. 

Brown disproves the “vulnerability is weakness” myth, and tells people their vulnerabilities can make them stronger. The book talks about the cultures of scarcity, of not being enough, and the shame this type of thinking causes people.

“Daring Greatly” teaches people how to be the person they want to be and accept who they already are. 

Elmhurst University senior, Hannah Bacon, recommends this captivating read. Bacon appreciates how it covers the topic of vulnerability. 

“Being vulnerable is such an underrated skill and a sensitive attribute that I believe many women are shamed for,” said Bacon. “Reading Brené’s work helped me redefine power and break personal ‘glass ceilings.’”

“You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” by Jen Sincero

“You Are A Badass” is a self-help book on, as the title says, how to stop doubting yourself. The book talks about subconscious thoughts and how those affect everyone’s daily lives. It goes on to say the subconscious mind cannot analyze whether the information it is being fed is true. 

The book also claims subconscious thoughts like “What is wrong with me?” are from experiences throughout childhood.

These negative thoughts (which some are not even aware of) affect your day-to-day life and how you perceive the world. Recognizing these thoughts is the first step to stopping self-doubt. Once that happens, you can change them to stop them from holding you back from living your life. 

The overall message is loving yourself will help you achieve the greatness everyone looks for.

EU sophomore Lauren Mack recommends this book, especially for women. Mack says, “It helps you look past the lies that you’ve been believing about yourself and move forward with success in different areas of your life, including taking risks, making money and loving yourself as well as those around you.”

“The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir” by Gaby Rodriguez

“The Pregnancy Project” is a real-life story about Gaby Rodriguez, a high school senior, who faked a teenage pregnancy as an experiment about others’ expectations. Rodriguez was consistently told she would be a teen mom because her mother and older sisters were. 

What would others do when her image of a ‘good student’ contradicts the teen mom statistics?

Rodriguez hides her experiment from everyone. The story answers many questions about stereotypes and expectations. How will people react? How do low expectations and the bullying she will go through affect her and her future? 

“The Pregnancy Project” shows through the stereotypes, Rodriguez develops a strong moral character that embodies the strength women have.

EU sophomore Olivia Rueff recommends this book. “I read this book in middle school and it really stuck with me,” Rueff said. “Gaby really showed female empowerment during her senior year. While being harassed and bullied by her peers for getting ‘pregnant,’ she shows more courage that she also didn’t tell her family and have the family support that any teen would need in her experience.”

“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd

“The Secret Life of Bees” centers around fourteen-year-old Lily Melissa Owens in 1964 South Carolina. Living with an abusive father and a blurry memory of her mother’s death, the only love she has to turn to is her nanny and housekeeper, Rosaleen. 

A dreadful, unjust run-in occurs when Rosaleen tries to vote leaving Lily in jail and Rosaleen in the hospital.

After a threat from her father and an enlightening moment for Lily, she and Rosaleen decide to run away. They find refuge with a group of black beekeepers in Tiburon, South Carolina.

Packed with a surrogate mother, a love story, and the secrets surrounding Lily’s mother, “The Secret Life of Bees” is a great book which covers topics like racism and feminism.

A book she read in high school and still thinks about now, EU freshman Natalie Wagner recommends this book. Wagner said, “‘The Secret Life of Bees’ is a great heartwarming story about a girl who finds a home and a family with those around her.” 

Wagner believes others should read it as well because “it is a very feel-good and uplifting story.”