Women are climbing the ranks in American politics, from state positions to national offices—and in the case of Kamala Harris, holding the second-highest office as Vice President while campaigning for the U.S. presidency. Yet even as women make inroads at all levels, the political climate has grown more and more polarized, and the public discourse on power, policy and representation increasingly revolves around issues of gender. As a result, many high-profile women in politics have, in recent years, been inspired to share their stories in print, sparking an interest in books highlighting resilience in leadership, particularly from women who have overcome systemic barriers to attain influential positions.

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Most recently, a new crop of biographies and memoirs by leaders like Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have pulled back the curtain on not only powerful women’s political perspectives and decision-making processes but also their personal lives. The six recently published memoirs we’ve chosen to feature here highlight these leaders’ unique contributions to governance and American culture while offering an insider’s view of pivotal national events. They’re not always easy reads, but they’re all worth reading.

Nothing could have prepared Nancy Pelosi, 84, for the 2022 attack on her husband, Paul, at their San Francisco home. She opens her second book—her first, Know Your Power: A Message........

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