In her new memoir, Edna O’Brien is rebellious and ravenous for adventure. Anchee Min struggles in America after shocking deprivation in China. Marisa Silver imagines the hope and disenchantment experienced by the “Migrant Mother” in Dorothea Lange’s famous photograph. And Khaled Hosseini’s novel examines the spiritual scarring left by tyranny, war, crime, lies, and illness on his characters.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin’s wit, forthrightness, and perceptiveness make the book special. She calmly addresses the fears and selfish motivations we visitors would never admit to, and offers counsel on dilemmas we’d have no idea how to handle.

By Alexandra MacAaron

“I’m going to get into so much trouble for saying this,” says author Jean Hanff Korelitz. “I think women are more willing [than men] to keep multiple ideas in their heads at the same time. . . . We know that crazy humor and great sadness are bound up together, because that is the way many of us live our lives.”

By Chris Lombardi

In “Holding Silvan,” Monica Wesolowska explores with honesty the kind of questions most of us don’t want to think about — the kind of choices people make for their loved ones when they’re about to die.

Ford wants us to “Leave Our Worries Behind” in (another) sexist ad; Tina Fey responds to her Internet critics with a hilarious comeback; the women have been “leaning in” for centuries before Sheryl Sandberg; Aretha Franklin turns 71; and Helen Mirren champions women in film, behind the camera.

Samsung launches its new phones with sexist commentary as selling points; another company unveils a tablet for women preloaded with the ‘feminine essentials’; a visual tribute to Maya Angelou; the politics of pubic hair; and the ‘feminism’ in romance novels.

Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean in” has sparked a firestorm of controversy, as every feminist should. We round up some highlights from this week’s dialogue, and hope you’ll join us in keeping it going.

We’re always on the lookout for books that strike a chord with our readers. This week, in New & Notable, our focus is on remarkable women, from the powerful (Hillary Clinton) to the controversial (Sheryl Sandberg) to the bereaved (Somali Deraniyagala, who lost her family in the 2004 tsunami) to the “ordinary” (yet remarkable) women of Atomic City, U.S.A.

The constant barrage of scrutiny and criticism that women anchors and reporters face; Tina Fey runs the world (in case you didn’t know); male writers still outnumber female writers in major literary publications; an end to Women’s History Month?; and Sandra Day O’Connor on the high stakes of her history-making appointment to the Supreme Court.

Pining for the good ol’ days when the Oscars were family-friendly; ruminating on poems that share a love for books; redefining what 21st-century feminism looks like; noting the notable black women in literature; and applauding one young woman who dares to educate Afghan girls.

By Roz Warren

It’s 1899 London, and the reader is a fly on the wall as aristocrats scheme, servants gossip, and the social climbers try to claw, cajole, charm, or threaten their way into the elite Dilberne dining room so they, too, can enjoy a dozen delicious courses with guests who include the Prince of Wales. This will satisfy your Crawley cravings!

In this week’s Wednesday 5: a symphony of tributes to Sylvia Plath, essays by female writers everyone should read, the One Billion Rising movement aims to combat violence against women, Women’s Voices celebrates Valentine’s Day, and director Ava DuVernay creates beauty once again.

When the Military Bookman opened its door in 1976, in a small shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, I was following my husband into the out-of-print book trade. Ninety-five percent of our customers were men. I was a woman in a very macho business.

This week’s Wednesday 5 went to the source about women in combat, cried at a sweet love story from an old friend, found an authoritative guide to great local bars, took some lessons from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and got excited about this year’s Athena Film Festival.

This week, our chosen books are all about Eve—women who triumph because of their courage, inventiveness, and resilience (Ping Fu); their intellectual heft, drive, and empathy (Sonia Sotomayor); or their collective wisdom (the 51 essayists who contributed to the book “Nothing but the Truth”).