Thursday, March 24, 2016

Women's History Month 2016: Tip #23 Read About Women's Lives

Books! (c) Gena Philibert-Ortega
What's on your bookshelf?

Read any good books lately?

Learning good research methodology and resources is a constant pursuit for the genealogist (or should be). So what are you reading?

There's so much out there to help you research your female ancestor and it doesn't have to be a "genealogy" book.

Pick a non-fiction book, now open it up to the back and check out the bibliography and endnotes. See where the author researched and what sources they found. Now as you read the book, think about the methodology they used. How did they find the information that helped them tell herstory?

As you read the book, use sticky notes, a pencil, and even a highlighter and engage with the narrative. Ask questions. Have your Internet enabled mobile device nearby to lookup words, ideas, and sources. Study the book and think about what it can teach you about researching women.

Need some recommendations? I have plenty but here's a few to get you started:




What are your favorite books about women's lives?


1 comment:

Nancy said...

Gena, thanks for the list of books. I've read all but the 2nd and last in your list. And I'm in progress with Paper Love. I wish our library had copies of the other two. I'll add them to my list of books to read.

I posted a list of books for women's history this year (and the past several years, too). I usually include nonfiction as well as fiction. You can see this year's list at http://nancysfamilyhistoryblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/books-for-womens-history-month.html.