Nonfiction History

The inspiring life stories of fifty-nine remarkable Jewish women from past and present come together to create the perfect gift for young girls on the precipice of their teenage years as well as the adults in their lives. 

Over the course of history, Jewish women have served as leaders, changemakers, teachers, scholars, and revolutionaries. Their actions have made the world what it is today; their stories model for us how much can be accomplished when one has the vision and determination to pursue a dream. With Iconic Jewish Women, girls will set off on a powerful journey to become part of the world of Jewish women.

They will learn about steadfast Golda Meir, brilliant Rita Levi-Montalcini, incisive Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dedicated Queen Esther, fearless Sarah Aaronsohn, and many more inspiring Jewish women who rose up and changed the world around them—and be encouraged to engage with their legacies in concrete ways.

Focusing on the deeply meaningful occasion of a Jewish girl’s bat mitzvah, author Aliza Lavie crafts an uplifting experience to connect girls to their heritage and spark a generation of heroines.

This collection of books featuring Jewish main characters is decidedly non-comprehensive. As we come across books that are described as having Jewish main characters, we add them to this database. The creators of the Jewish Genre Reading Challenge have not read all (or even most) of the books in this database. We have gathered information from many sources and not all may be accurate. Inclusion of a book in our database does not imply endorsement or approval. There is always the possibility that antisemitism may be present in a book, either written into a character's experience or through malicious or ignorant caricature or stereotypical portrayal of Jewish characters and culture. Please take care of yourselves as you read.

PLEASE let us know if you encounter a book in this database that does not have a Jewish main character, if you have corrections or additions for a book's genre categories, or if you have any other concerns about the inclusion of a particular book in this database.