The Divorce Colony, by April White

While South Dakota might come to mind as a socially progressive state, White's study brings us back to the Gilded Age when it was a safe haven for women getting out of bad marriages and other, even worse, situations. For those obsessed with this era, this book is a peek beyond the lavish society balls into what women had to do to claim their agency--and it's a vivid reminder of how far we've come.