Women From the Past: Where Fact Meets Fiction
Extraordinary women from history and the fiction that tells their stories .

Sophia Peabody Hawthorne: Artist and Muse

N.J. Mastro

Jul 29

Sophia Peabody Hawthorne: Artist and Muse

In 1842 Sophia Peabody married Nathaniel Hawthorne. As they strive toward the happy ending they have in mind, life gets in the way.

Drue Leyton, American Actress and Member of the French Resistance

N.J. Mastro

May 24

Drue Leyton, American Actress and Member of the French Resistance

Emblematic of how varied women’s contributions were during World War II is the story of Drue Leyton, an American actress living in Paris.

Alice Hathaway Lee, Theodore Roosevelt's First Love

N.J. Mastro

Apr 15

Alice Hathaway Lee, Theodore Roosevelt's First Love

"If a poem could live and breathe, its title would be Alice Hathaway Lee." So says Theodore Roosevelt when he meets Alice Hathaway Lee in...

Dr. Dorothy Horstmann: Pioneer in the Fight Against Polio

N.J. Mastro

Mar 7

Dr. Dorothy Horstmann: Pioneer in the Fight Against Polio

March 8, 2023 is International Women's Day and has me thinking about Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, polio researcher & pioneering woman in medicine.

Belle da Costa Greene: The Cleverest Woman in the Country

N.J. Mastro

Feb 12

Belle da Costa Greene: The Cleverest Woman in the Country

Though she was Black, Belle da Costa Greene, personal librarian to J.P. Morgan, lived her entire adult life passing as a white woman. Why?

N.J. Mastro

Jan 8

Dorothea Lange, Photo Documentarian

Dorothea Lange, one of America's most iconic 20th century photo documentarians, used her Graflex camera as an early form of social media.

Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, Queen of Demerara

N.J. Mastro

Nov 5, 2022

Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, Queen of Demerara

One today can never know what it was like to be a Black woman born into slavery in Montserrat in the late 18th century. But author...

N.J. Mastro

Oct 7, 2022

Margaret Maher: Keeper of Poems

Emily’s House by Amy Belding Brown is a novel based on the true story of the relationship between the Emily Dickinson and Margaret...

Forged in Revolution: Adrienne Lafayette

N.J. Mastro

Sep 7, 2022

Forged in Revolution: Adrienne Lafayette

“There are places in this world where the past still echoes in the stones.” So begins The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray, a...

N.J. Mastro

Feb 20, 2022

Sylvia Beach, Booklegger

Certain people stick with you, whether you meet them in person, or, as with historical fiction, you meet them on the page. Such is the...

N.J. Mastro

Dec 30, 2021

A Historical Fiction Reader's Booklist

Let's talk books! Find recommendations for historical fiction and other genres here.

N.J. Mastro

Nov 14, 2021

A River Trip With Margaret Mead

When was the last time you paddled up a river in a remote area on an island in the Pacific while hungry, cold, bleeding from insect...

N.J. Mastro

Oct 3, 2021

The Wine Widow: Veuve Clicquot

April 1814 The widow popped the cork on a bottle of her prized 1811 cuvée. A comet that year had brought her good luck. From then on,...

Annie Londonderry: Con Artist or Master of Inventing One's Self?

N.J. Mastro

Sep 5, 2021

Annie Londonderry: Con Artist or Master of Inventing One's Self?

I love to travel. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has put opportunities to roam the globe on hold for a lot of us over the past...

Sybil of the Rhine: The Story of Saint Hildegard von Bingen

N.J. Mastro

Apr 4, 2021

Sybil of the Rhine: The Story of Saint Hildegard von Bingen

Fiction I wasn’t sure if the story of a cloistered nun from the Middle Ages would hold my interest. After all, how interesting could it...

Miné Okubo: The Sustaining Impact of Creative Expression During Times of Trial

N.J. Mastro

Mar 14, 2021

Miné Okubo: The Sustaining Impact of Creative Expression During Times of Trial

April 24, 1942. The United States government has just issued Civilian Exclusion Order Number 19 and posted it on nearly every street...

American Women in the 20th Century, Part I: 1900-1949

N.J. Mastro

Mar 4, 2021

American Women in the 20th Century, Part I: 1900-1949

March is Women’s History month in America. This annual celebration began in 1981 when President Jimmy Carter designated the first...

Advice from the Cockpit: Amelia Earhart in Her Own Words

N.J. Mastro

Feb 18, 2021

Advice from the Cockpit: Amelia Earhart in Her Own Words

Amelia Earhart was more than just a famous aviator. She was a pioneer for women. Her words of wisdom still inspire.

Who Was Mary Wollstonecraft and Why Should We Care?

N.J. Mastro

Feb 9, 2021

Who Was Mary Wollstonecraft and Why Should We Care?

Read about Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), widely considered the world's first feminist.

N.J. Mastro

Feb 9, 2021

Her Story in History

History tells stories that rival the most famous novels of all time. But the stories of women from the past are too often overlooked.

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N.J. MASTRO

Women From the Past: Where Fact Meets Fiction
Extraordinary women from history and the fiction that tells their stories .

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Women From the Past: Where Fact Meets Fiction Extraordinary women from history and the fiction that tells their stories .

SUBSCRIBE

Women From the Past: Where Fact Meets Fiction
Extraordinary women from history and the fiction that tells their stories .