When life throws you lemons; seeking out wisdom from others, especially from people who have gone through challenging situations, can really illuminate your situation. Books about women overcoming these challenges can be exactly the motivation and guide you need. =
Three women have written memoirs of their personal tragedies. These modern-day stories of loss also share the power of rehabilitation, recovery, resilience, and redemption. Pick one or all and be inspired to overcome the adversity you face in your life.
Books about Women Overcoming Adversity

1. Educated
What resonates with me the most is if Tara had written this story about her childhood as fiction, few people would have believed this story to be true. Writing as a memoir, sharing so many horrific experiences that happened to her and her family, gives readers hope.
If she could emerge from the dysfunctional family upbringing and thrive, so can others. To read more about my take on Educated, check out this post on finding hope after being raised in a dysfunctional family.
2. Option B, Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
When Sheryl Sandberg’s (COO Facebook) husband unexpectedly died on a family vacation, her once predictable world turned into chaos. She connected with Adam Grant, author of Give and Take. Together they wrote a book that is part memoir of Sheryl’s personal recovery from grief and part resilience boot camp on how to live in spite of experiencing profound loss. Honest, heartbreaking, hopeful.
3. I am Malala
This book about women overcoming focuses on the fight to educate girls in the midst of global terrorism. At age 15, while riding a school bus in her Pakistan village. Malala was shot in the head at point-blank range. Malala not only survived the injury, she was bolder because of it. By age 16 she became the global face of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Courage in the face of adversity, personally told.
Three women, all who faced profound loss. By writing their stories, they inspire women globally to build resilience in their own lives. If you’ve been inspired by any books about women overcoming the odds, please share in a comment below.
What to say to your friend who is going through a hard time?
How are you feeling TODAY?
One powerful takeaway that I took from Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Option B, was the thoughtful words to say to a friend going through a challenging time.
Wanting to show concern, we may frequently ask our friend “How are you feeling” yet, this common phrase fails to connect at a heart level. Adding just one word, TODAY, changes the entire phrase. “How are you feeling Today” acknowledges we care. It makes our question relevant and allows our friend to respond with current emotions. As you may know, these can change like the wind when in the midst of crisis.
How are you feeling TODAY? One word can make such a difference when offering support to those going through adversity. -Pearl Galbraith Click To TweetOne word can make such a difference when offering support to those going through adversity.
For more on making Lemonade Out of Lemons you would love Pearl’s book Lemon Crushers; A Working Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Adversity! There are stories about the qualities for success and overcoming your challenges. You’ll be ready to start crushing lemons after chapter one.
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