Norah O’Donnell, a familiar face to millions of Americans, made a surprise return to the CBS Mornings anchor desk this week, but it wasn’t for a permanent comeback. Instead, the veteran journalist reappeared to champion her new book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, which has already sparked a wave of conversation about the untold stories of women in American history.
O’Donnell’s three-day stint from Monday, February 24 through Wednesday, February 26, 2026, alongside co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson, reignited nostalgia among longtime viewers. The anchor—who originally left CBS Mornings in 2012 and later stepped down from CBS Evening News in January 2025—used the national platform to share her passion project, a book that’s as timely as it is ambitious. According to USA Today, her brief return was met with both excitement and speculation about whether she might reclaim her old seat. However, O’Donnell quickly set the record straight. On her Instagram story Wednesday, she wrote that it was her “last day” back on the show, putting rumors of a full-time return to rest.
“It’s not that women weren’t doing stuff. They were doing plenty. It’s just we haven’t highlighted their stories,” O’Donnell remarked during an interview with Amna Nawaz on PBS NewsHour. That sentiment lies at the heart of her new book, co-authored with historian Kate Andersen Brower and released by Ballantine Books on February 24, 2026. The 416-page hardcover, priced at $35.00, is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats through major retailers like Penguin Random House, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores nationwide.
Within hours of its release, We the Women soared to sixth place on Amazon’s Top 100 list—a testament to the public’s hunger for stories that rewrite the historical narrative. The book’s timing is no accident: it arrives as the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, a milestone that invites reflection on the nation’s unfinished work toward equality.
So, what’s inside these pages? O’Donnell and Brower shine a light on 35 extraordinary women whose contributions have too often been relegated to the shadows. Drawing from archival photographs, historical documents, and personal interviews, the authors reconstruct moments that changed the course of American history. The book opens with a vivid account of the July 4, 1876 centennial celebrations in Philadelphia, when suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—having been denied the right to participate—stormed the stage to present the “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States.”
As recounted in an excerpt published by CBS News, Susan B. Anthony’s remarks that day were nothing short of revolutionary: “We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.” Their bold act helped lay the groundwork for the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment, more than four decades later, granting women the right to vote. Yet, as O’Donnell points out, this pivotal moment is barely a footnote in most history books.
“Most of the history I learned in school was, well, pretty boring—or should I say more politely, difficult to relate to! But I can relate to these bold and brilliant women who had not been given a seat at the table or an equal opportunity and had to force their way to the stage,” O’Donnell writes in the book’s introduction. She goes on to reflect on how her own sense of power and courage might have been shaped differently if she had learned these stories as a young girl.
O’Donnell’s mission is not only personal but also national. She cites research from the National Women’s History Museum, which found that only 15% of what is taught in America’s schools highlights women’s achievements. We the Women aims to rectify that imbalance, placing women at the center of the American narrative. The book doesn’t just focus on the well-known names; it digs deeper, uncovering gems like Mary Katherine Goddard, the only woman whose name appears on the Declaration of Independence; Belva Lockwood, the first woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court and run for president; and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor.
The stories span battlefields, courtrooms, protest marches, and boardrooms. Women, O’Donnell argues, “have never given up the fight to realize a more perfect union.” They built bridges, hospitals, and banks. They bled in every war, sometimes without even having the right to vote. They were at the heart of the suffrage and civil rights movements, and their efforts continue to shape the nation today.
The book’s release coincides with O’Donnell’s nationwide book tour, which kicked off in Boston on February 26. Over the next several weeks, she’ll visit 13 cities, engaging readers in conversations about America’s hidden heroines and the ongoing struggle for equality. According to PBS NewsHour, O’Donnell’s appearances have been met with enthusiasm, as fans recall her years as a morning show co-host from 2012 to 2019 and praise her warm rapport with Gayle King and Nate Burleson.
But O’Donnell’s return to the morning desk is strictly temporary. As she told USA Today and confirmed on social media, her focus will now shift to her role as CBS News senior correspondent, her work on 60 Minutes, and the continued promotion of her book. With more than 30 years in broadcast journalism, O’Donnell has amassed multiple Emmys, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the duPont-Columbia Award. Her latest project, however, may be her most personal yet.
In the book, O’Donnell shares the story of her grandmother, Mary Teresa Monaghan O’Kane, who immigrated to America in 1930 at the age of 12. Crossing the Atlantic alone, she arrived at Ellis Island with just $20 to her name, drawn by the promise of opportunity. O’Donnell recalls the image of Lady Liberty greeting her grandmother: “A woman—Lady Liberty!—holding a torch, welcoming people like my grandmother to America’s shore.” The story becomes a powerful metaphor for the hope and resilience that define so many women’s journeys, both past and present.
“Our goal is not to deliver a full biography of the women we are showcasing, but to paint a picture of their grit and determination to be treated equally—not just under the law but in society,” O’Donnell writes. She hopes that readers will be inspired to seek out more stories, to share them, and to help bend the arc of history toward justice, echoing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words.
As America marks its 250th birthday, O’Donnell’s book is a timely reminder that the work of building a more perfect union is far from finished. Through her reporting, her writing, and her advocacy, she continues to shine a light on the women who have helped shape the nation—one hidden heroine at a time.