Feminist History for Every Day of the Year: 366 Incredible Women, From Boudica To Taylor Swift

by Kate Mosse, Sophie Bass (Illustrator)

Feminist History for Every Day of the Year by internationally bestselling author and feminist champion Kate Mosse tells the story of women's and girls' history, sweeping across the world and through the ages.

From Mary Anning to Simone Biles, Billie Eilish to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Malala Yousafzai to Mary Wollstonecraft, Shirley Chisholm to Jayaben Desai, Lily Parr to Sophie Scholl, discover the stories of 366 incredible women throughout history. Within these pages you'll find well known figures and unsung heroes, key cultural moments and forgotten stories, spanning across the world and through time, from ancient times to the modern day.

With a piece of history for every day of the year, this is the perfect book to dip into time and time again. Full of quotes, poems, illustrations and pictures, Feminist History for Every Day of the Year is for all ages, celebrating and championing an inspiring history that is relevant to us all.

What will you discover today? Who will you discover today?

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Feminism

603 pages, Hardcover

Published September 18, 2025

About the author

Kate Mosse is an international bestselling author with sales of more than five million copies in 42 languages. Her fiction includes the novels Labyrinth (2005), Sepulchre (2007), The Winter Ghosts (2009), and Citadel (2012), as well as an acclaimed collection of short stories, The Mistletoe Bride & Other Haunting Tales (2013). Kate’s new novel, The Taxidermist’s Daughter is out now.
Kate is the Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize) and in June 2013, was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to literature. She lives in Sussex.

Reviews

[Sophie McMillan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grateful to receive an early proof for this, and was so so excited to dig in to such a wonderful concept! The proof copy was only the month of January (and a list of who/what else features in the other days of the year) but I am already thoroughly disappointed.

I’m REALLY hoping that this is a very VERY rough outline of what is to come, because even the first few days seem like completely unfinished drafts. I was hoping for at least a full page for each figure, but some are simply a few short sentences, leaving the rest of the page blank, with a few entries completely disregarding WHY the figure is a part of feminist history.

Although I know this is aimed at a more general audience (and some pages may be changed before publishing), I think leaving out the likes of Sylvia Plath, bell hooks and Judith Butler and instead dedicating days to JK Rowling and Margaret Thatcher is an interesting choice to say the least. Whether this is intended to be a statement on behalf of the author or not, I am concerned that it will come across in that way when the book is published regardless. Judging by the length and depth (or lack thereof) of the pages sampled, I doubt these figures will be tackled or critiqued particularly well. It’s a decision that has certainly put me and few others off already.

All in all, I picked this up so enthusiastically, but left wanting to bash my head against the wall. I will wait to see how the published work comes out and I truly hope it is far more polished and well thought out than what is being sent to people currently, because this is a fantastic concept that deserves to be done well.

[Jade Anastasia]

this was a really nice bitesize history lesson/praise of modern women in all fields and walks of life

It really did just graze the surface but it still managed to teach me a lot about a lot of different people, and I did note down some I would love to learn more about

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s no selection of women that would please everyone, and this has some lovely sections on things like male feminists, but essentially it’s an inconsistent mash of obvious, controversial and fluffy recipients, and there’s not enough detail to feel meaningful.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent assortment of women from all continents and eras, backgrounds and skills. Don’t listen to the 1 star reviews that said the preview wasn’t complete- it wasn’t a fair assessment as the book is now complete.

[Chelsea Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The one thing about me? I will always devour a book that celebrates strong women, and Kate Mosse’s Feminist History for Every Day of the Year is an absolute feast.

Spanning 366 days, this book offers a daily dose of female power, highlighting the lives and legacies of women who’ve made significant changes in the world, often against staggering odds. From names like Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Emma Watson, Sophie Scholl, and Hedy Lamarr (some of my personal favourites!), to lesser known or more controversial figures, this book doesn't shy away from complexity.

One of the book's strongest features is its structure. Not only are individual women celebrated daily, but each month also closes with a powerful essay exploring key feminist issues such as suffrage, abortion rights, domestic abuse, and women in politics. These essays ground the stories in a broader social and political context, reminding us that the fight for women’s rights has been long, hard won, and far from over.

In a time when it feels like progress is regressing, this book is both a reminder and a call to action. The women featured here laid the groundwork for many of the rights we enjoy today. Their stories deserve to be remembered, shared, and built upon.

Whether you're a lifelong feminist or someone just beginning to explore women's history, this is a must read. Uplifting, enraging, inspiring, it’s a book that reminds us that women have always shaped the world. It's time history reflected that.

[Annika Peacock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the approach for this novel! While I was aching for a little more depth and detail in each of the snapshots of these women, I also understand that this is a starting place for younger readers. I found myself looking up these women more carefully and learning more about them after reading!

I especially loved that Julian of Norwich was included--what an icon that everyone should know!

ALC Copy through Libro.fm

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've found out about lots more women who I didn't know before. I spotted quite a few factual errors, the worst being that Boo Radley was the black man accused of rape in To kill a mockingbird. How did everyone miss that before it got published? There were some interesting inclusions and exclusions for a feminist history and I found it quite patronising at times, but that's probably because I'm not the target audience.

[Amy Moo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a hot minute to get into this but it was super informative and really empowering to learn about so many amazing women.

[Margaret McCulloch-Keeble · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute dream.