While recently looking online for books to read over vacation, I was disappointed to find the same titles over and over again when I searched for feminist books. While I enjoy The Handmaid's Tale and We Should All Be Feminists, they're certainly not the only titles out there.
So, I put together a list of my favorite books with admirable women and girls. They're gutsy, smart, outspoken, and daring. They also have voices in a variety of ages because bravery isn't something only adults should aspire to, and young girls can learn to be true to themselves, too.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart, is a coming-of-age story about a quick-witted young woman who smashes the patriarchy of her school one (culturally critical) prank at a time. Don't pass over this because it has an adolescent narrator; it's a smart and entertaining read no matter how you look at it.
Julia Child's memoir My Life in France dares readers to try new things, reinvent themselves mid-life, and chop onions faster than a room full of male classmates. Child is a true trailblazer both in her field of French cooking and in resisting family pressure to marry a conservative and settle down.
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's outstanding graphic novel memoir, shares the author's experience growing up under the shifting and oppressive regime in Iraq and her journey in learning how to be true to her outspoken ways in a country that didn't often support such behaviors from women.
Euphoria's fictionalized account of notable anthropologist and feminist Margaret Mead is an inspiring, and at times steamy, tale of a woman who wasn't afraid of being the smartest person in the room, even when that room contains a jealous collaborator and husband.
Bossypants exemplifies Tina Fey's saying "You can tell how smart people are by why they laugh at." Spolier alert: Fey is just as smart as she is funny, and her collection of essays will have you laughing and thinking (which is a win-win as far as I'm concerned).
The Paper Bag Princess models for young readers that girls are perfectly capable of outwitting villains and don't need to take shit from the boys in their life, even if they're a good looking prince.
The Golden Compass, and the two companion books in His Dark Materials trilogy, follows the adventures of Lyra, the book's hero, a smart girl who dares to question everyone and everything.
The Color Purple is Alice Walker's masterpiece and an absolute classic; it shows courage and bravery from two sisters in the face of unimaginable adversary as young girls who grow into women who think and act for themselves despite pressure from every direction to submit.
Otherwise is a vivid, incredibly readable collection of Jane Kenyon's poetry that candidly discusses her struggle with depression, celebrations of the everyday joys in life, and incredible bravery facing terminal cancer in her late 40s.
In the Time of Butterflies is superb historical fiction that chronicles the brave and inspiring Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic who dared to resist the dictator Triujillo despite guaranteed tragic outcomes.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate appeals to both history and science lovers; fiction set in 1899, young Callie's quest is to follow her interests and passions in the field of botany with her encouraging mentor and grandfather. This comes as a direct rebellion against her mother's desire for to her be be a proper lady who stays at home to cook and sew.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is the book I fell in love with when I was 16, and it's the first adult text I remember connecting to. Janie's quest for self, love, and belonging carry her through several marriages and many difficulties, but she is always able to hold her head high and persist.
What books would you add to this list?
No comments:
Post a Comment