Trailblazers & Rule Breakers: A Nonfiction Celebration for International Women’s Day
Stories of Women Who Refused to Play by the Rules—And Changed the Game Because of It.
International Women’s Day is the perfect time to talk about the women who didn’t just follow the playbook—they rewrote it. From sports arenas to boardrooms, research labs to newsrooms, these trailblazers faced down obstacles, proved the doubters wrong, and changed the conversation.
Since my nonfiction reading spans a wide range of topics, I thought it would be fun to team up with
, who’s an expert in all things sports nonfiction.Katie, will you give us a little background on how you got interested in the genre?
I’ve been an athlete and a reader my whole life, and I’ve been blessed that both interests have stuck with me! I would read any and all books about sports (Matt Christopher, anyone?), as well as about my heroes (Go for the the Goal by Mia Hamm changed my life). My earliest “favorite book” is Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman. I loved the way the teenager pursued mountain climbing as he followed in the footsteps of his father to try and make him proud. Mountain climbing and adventure books remain my favorite genre, with my favorite sub-genre being stories that have a survival element (think Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer). This genre has been predominantly male, but more women are entering both the sport and writing about it, so that’s been fun to follow.
Thanks for that, Katie!
Now, we’re excited to share some of the women who defied the odds, challenged expectations, and made a lasting impact. Whether you’re passionate about sports or simply enjoy stories of unstoppable women, we’ve got something for you.
Let’s get into it.
Women Who Transformed the Game
For years, women were told they couldn't or shouldn't play sports—but the stories of the women who broke those barriers can inspire the next generation of female athletes. These women prove that women and girls belong on the field, on the court, in the huddle, in the announcing booth—anywhere, really!
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Babe Didrikson Zaharias is one of the greatest multi-sport athletes of all time. She won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 1932 Olympics in track and field, but also excelled in basketball, baseball, swimming, and tennis. She is probably most famous, however, for revolutionizing women’s golf. She helped found the LPGA in 1950 and won 82 tournaments, including 10 majors, over the course of her career.
Read: Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by Don Van Natta
Katherine Switzer
When it comes to running, which women are remarkably good at, we can thank Katherine Switzer for breaking the gender barrier in the 1967 Boston Marathon. She entered as K.V. Switzer and was famously assaulted during the race by co-director Jock Semple.
Read: Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women’s Sports by Katherine Switzer
Billie Jean King
No list of female trailblazers would be complete without Billie Jean King. Her autobiography details her groundbreaking career as a tennis champion and her lifelong advocacy for gender equality in sports and beyond. King famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match and played a crucial role in the fight for equal pay in women's tennis, helping establish the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
Read: All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King, Johnette Howard and Maryanne Vollers
Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn
The US Women’s National Team picked up the equal pay fight in 2019, led by Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn. There isn’t one book that sums up this fight (yet), but Rapinoe’s memoir was released in 2021, so it at least somewhat discusses this legal battle.
Read: One Life by Megan Rapinoe and Emma Brockes
Pat Summitt
On the coaching side, no one is more famous than Pat Summitt, who led the Tennessee Lady Vols to eight NCAA championships and 1,098 career wins, the most by any Division I coach at the time of her retirement. She was known for her fierce intensity, unmatched work ethic, and deep commitment to her players’ success both on and off the court. She was sadly diagnosed with and passed away from early-onset Alzheimer’s but remains an inspiration to all female athletes today.
Jessica Campbell, Alyssa Nakken, Katie Sowers, and Jen Welter
Finally, we are hearing more stories every year about women breaking into men’s sports on the coaching side. In 2024, Jessica Campbell became the first female NHL coach, Alyssa Nakken was the first woman to be an on-field coach in the MLB (and more recently was the first MLB coach to take maternity leave! ), and Katie Sowers was the first female coach to reach the Super Bowl (with the 49ers in 2020). As these hirings are all recent, they have yet to write their memoirs! However, Jen Welter was the first woman to coach in the NFL in 2015, and you can read about it in her memoir, Play Big. Although her position was short, she certainly paved the way for these more recent trailblazers.
Read: Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL by Jen Welter
For even more incredible stories about women athletes, check out these exciting 2025 releases coming your way.
Breaking Barriers Beyond the Field
Just as women in sports have shattered records and expectations, countless others have broken barriers in science, technology, advocacy, and innovation. Their stories share the same themes of resilience, ambition, and perseverance—proving that progress isn’t limited to one field. While it’s nearly impossible to narrow down a list of groundbreaking women, here are a few you may not know as well, along with books that tell their remarkable stories.
Lilian Bland
Lilian Bland wasn’t content with just writing about aviation—so in 1910, she designed, built, and flew her own plane, the Mayfly, making her one of the first women in the world to do so. Years before Amelia Earhart captured the world’s imagination, she proved that the sky wasn’t off-limits to women with ambition and ingenuity.
Read: Lilian Bland: An Amazing Aviatrix by Haley Healey
Josephine Cochran
Josephine Cochran refused to wait for someone else to solve a problem—so she invented the first successful hand-powered dishwasher in 1886. Her company later became part of KitchenAid, and she was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Marty Goddard
Marty Goddard changed the landscape of justice for survivors of sexual assault by developing the rape kit, ensuring forensic evidence could be properly collected and used in investigations.
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was a brilliant mathematician whose calculations were critical to NASA’s early space missions. Her work remained largely unrecognized until Hidden Figures brought her story to a wider audience, showing how she shaped the trajectory of space travel while breaking racial and gender barriers at NASA.
Read: My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir by Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick and Katherine Moore
Lizzie Magie
Lizzie Magie created The Landlord’s Game in 1904 as a teaching tool about economic inequality—long before Monopoly became a household name. One of the few women with multiple patents in the pre-suffragist era, her work challenged the status quo in both business and gaming.
Watch: More Than Monopoly: The Story of Lizzie Magie (PBS)
These women redefined their fields, often against the odds—proof that history is filled with trailblazers still waiting to be recognized.
For even more incredible stories about women breaking barriers, check out these exciting 2025 releases coming your way.
If You Liked This, You’ll Love That
One reason we love sports so much is that they help us in all areas of our lives. The same is true of sports books—their themes translate to the business world, parenting, school, and life in general.
If you loved Grit by Angela Duckworth, read Raising Tomorrow's Champions: What the Women's National Soccer Team Teaches Us About Grit, Authenticity and Winning by Joanna Lohman [determination, passion, mental toughness]
If you loved Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, read Higher Love by Kit DesLauriers [mountain climbing, skiing, self-discovery]
If you loved Educated by Tara Westover, read Forward by Abby Wambach [resilience, raw memoir, overcoming obstacles]
If you loved Becoming by Michelle Obama, read All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King [breaking barriers, memoir, inspirational]
If you loved Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, read The Girls of Summer by Jere Longman [underdogs, overcoming adversity, trailblazers]
If you loved Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, read Sum it Up by Pat Summitt [mindset, leadership, determination]
Loved these recommendations? We’ve got even more coming your way! Our free PDF features some of the most exciting 2025 nonfiction releases about amazing and courageous women in sports and beyond. Download your copy below.
What Can You Use This PDF For?
Preorder Planning: Preordering books is one of the best ways to support authors, helping their work reach more readers.
TBR Inspiration: Use it as a reading list to discover books about groundbreaking women.
Book Club Picks: Choose a title to discuss with a group.
Classroom or Library Resource: Share it with students or patrons to highlight women’s achievements.
Gift Guide: Use it to find the perfect book for the nonfiction reader in your life.
Personal Challenge: Set a goal to read through the list over the year.
More Rule Breakers We Should Know About?
We’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite nonfiction books about women who broke barriers, defied expectations, or changed the game in their field? Drop your recommendations in the comments—we’re always looking for more great books to add to our lists.
If you enjoyed this, be sure to follow both of us for more nonfiction recs. Katie brings the best of sports stories, and I cover a wide range of nonfiction, so together, we’ve got you covered.
And who knows? This might not be our last team-up. If you liked this collaboration, let us know—there’s always more nonfiction to explore!
Happy Reading!
Jaymi & Katie
This is AMAZING. Thank you! As an athlete and writer, I love this intersection.
Love this! And I've loved most of the books in your 'If You Liked This...' section, so I will definitely be checking out your recommendations here as well. Thank you for the creative and insightful post!