“Historical fiction often gets a bad rap,” writes Emily Weaver. “Routinely confused for the dusty old textbooks tucked away in the deep corners of the library, the enriching genre is a colorful, more interesting way to learn about our history — not just as a nation, but as women.” And so today, she’s rounding up some great reads for Women’s History Month.

Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

“I’ve always known that Marmee March is a good mother. Actually, a great mother. The matriarch of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott’s beloved tale of four sisters growing up in Civil War-era Massachusetts, is an icon of ‘perfect parenting,’ as if such a thing ever has or ever will exist. She’s basically American literature’s patron saint of good moms,” writes Carrie Mullins. And when she revisited the book, she found she was right — but for different reasons than she remembered.