By Catherine Gregson
I have compiled this basic list of feminist books for people wishing to learn more about feminism and various women’s struggles and identity. This list is by no means exhaustive and there are many great books out there which aren’t included in this list, which I urge you to pursue. However, I hope that this can be seen as a useful starting point, with authors to familiarise yourself with and starting points within these books for further research (and perhaps, activism!).
1. ‘Sex, Power, Money’ by Sarah Pascoe [Non-fiction]
This book will school you on the power of hormones, biology, puberty, sexuality, and porn. When you’re reading ‘Sex, Power, Money,’ it feels like a lesson you should’ve been taught much earlier, as it almost makes some occurrences you will probably encounter in life seem more explainable and understandable. For example, the thinness of women is attractive to men and the media because they are visual signals that a woman hasn’t previously conceived. Moreover, the size of women’s hips can indicate their levels of oestrogen and thus, fertility. A study found women who had the waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 were described as the most attractive, and these women were found to conceive more easily than women who had a different waist-to-hip ratio. Everything in this book is explained in a manner which makes it understandable, and Pascoe ensures we have a laugh simultaneously. The facts you read in the pages of ‘Sex, Power, Money’ are unforgettable, and not necessarily in a good way. A powerful book, which I urge everyone to read.
2. ‘Feminists Don’t Wear Pink, and Other Lies’ by Scarlet Curtis [A collection of non-fiction fact, accounts, poetry, and prose]
‘Feminists Don’t Wear Pink, and Other Lies’ brings together literary contributions from inspirational women, such as Adowa Aboah, Emma Watson, and Saki Jackson. It includes poetry, a history of feminism, inspirational pieces, and personal accounts. Curtis has ensured as you read this book, you feel surrounded by the amazing women’s pieces you’re reading and that they’re calling on you to help women. If this wasn’t inspirational enough, this book supports ‘Girl Up’, a women’s charity which broadens women’s skill sets and ensures policy change happens on local and national levels to make women’s lives better.
3. ‘Everyday Sexism’ by Laura Bates [Non-fiction]
Another incredibly powerful book, ‘Everyday Sexism’ is a necessary exploration into everyday sexist occurrences women face, how this affects them and what can be done about it. It’s split into different sections according to places everyday sexism has been faced; such as in politics, the media and in motherhood. Alongside exploring facts, each chapter includes (sometimes upsetting) personal accounts of sexism women have encountered to build up an extensive picture which displays how severe the situation women face is. Hard hitting facts in this book include “The excellent Representation Project has revealed that the number-one ‘magic wish’ for young girls aged eleven to seventeen is to be thinner” and “1 in 2 boys and 1 in 3 girls think its sometimes ok to hit a woman or force her to have sex” [according to ‘Zero Tolerance, 1998] .’Everyday Sexism’ will probably leave you feeling angry and determined to help change society so the occurrences you read of in these pages never happen again.
4. ‘How to be a Woman’ by Caitlin Moran [Non-fictional autobiography and advice book]
This is a brilliant “part memoir, part rant” where Caitlin Moran uses her experience to help give women advice on issues such as whether to shave their pubic hair, whether to have children and what to do in the event of an abortion. This book is funny and will be relatable to many, as Moran discusses when she got her first period, when she lost her virginity and the first time she fell in love. A warm book which feels like hearing advice from a friend who has your best interests at heart.
5. ‘Pretending’ by Holly Bourne [Fiction]
‘Pretending’ tells the story of April as she goes about her life working for a women’s charity as she begins a relationship with a man named Joshua. However, this time she takes a different approach to dating where she pretends to be “the sort of woman all men want: a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems”. ‘Pretending’ includes a few brilliant and relatable rants which begin with ‘I hate men’. Moreover, passages such as, “The Top 5 Most Common Lies I’ve Told Men: 1) ‘I’m fine.’ 2) ‘I don’t mind.’ 3) ‘That’s fine’ 4) ‘Oh, I hadn’t even thought about that.’ 5) ‘Yeah, of course I did”.
6. ‘The Sun and Her Flowers’ by Rupi Kaur [Poetry]
This is a beautiful book of thought-provoking poetry. It includes poems urging women to practice-self-love and self-acceptance in poems such as “it is a trillion-dollar industry that would collapse if we believed we were beautiful enough already. Their concept of beauty is manufactured. I am not.” She calls on women to accept themselves as they are, practice self-love, and to lift up other women too.
7. ‘Come as You Are’ by Emily Nagoski [Non-fiction]
‘Come as You Are’ is an important exploration into debunking myths, and providing new evidence surrounding sex and sexuality. It has deservedly won Goodreads Choice Awards, Top 5 Science and Technology Books and Book Riot’s Best of 2015. The book seeks to provide women with an education which will convince them that their bodies are normal, and to help them better understand themselves and their responses to sex. Helpful facts start at the inside cover of the book which states “There is no such thing as a sex drive. Current research shows that sexuality comprises sexual brakes and sexual accelerators, which are largely determined by context.”
8. #girlgaze, How Girls See the World’ by Amanda De Cadenet [Book of photography]
This book is a collection of photographs from female photographers worldwide, in the hopes of showing “the significance of the female gaze”. #girlgaze is an organisation which celebrates and supports female photographers and creatives as they curate exhibitions and provide mentorship for women who seek it. This book covers a range of topics and settings and feels truly inspirational to look through, as people from different backgrounds, with different body types, from different countries are displayed.
9. ‘Equal Power’ by Jo Swinson [Non-fiction]
‘Equal Power’ explores gender inequality in different settings and explains what can be done to tackle it. It includes personal accounts from Jo Swinson’s time inside and outside of British politics.
10. ‘The Guilty Feminist’ by Deborah Frances-White [Non-fiction]
This book explains issues such as why women find it so hard to say no to people and then shows women how to tackle these issues so they can find it easier to overcome things such as this. It includes interviews and advice from successful and inspirational women too. ‘The Guilty Feminist’ is funny and will leave you feeling stronger and empowered.
11. ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo [Fiction]
‘Girl, Woman, Other’ is a fictional book which tells the stories of twelve different women from different walks of life. “It’s a novel about who we are now”. It’s an empathic form of storytelling which explores the female condition.
12. ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Criado-Perez [Non-fiction]
This book is a holistic exploration into all the different ways the world is designed without women in mind. It will reveal the daily inequalities women encounter which you wouldn’t have even realised, such as the way pavements and cars are designed! It will display how too often, when ‘people’ are mentioned, individuals think of men before women and when children are asked to draw a doctor or surgeon, they will draw a male one rather than a female. The founder of the Women’s Room project additionally explores ways things have been trialed to improve the situation and how we can ensure more of this is done, and implemented too as a result.
13. ‘Sex and Lies’ by Leila Slimani [A collection of non-fictional personal accounts and history]
‘Sex and Lies’ brilliantly illustrates the desperately dire situation for women in Morocco. Through the accounts of 18 women, Slimani displays how they’re forced to hide sex work, homosexuality, self-pleasure and pre-marital sex. It also explains how if women are caught doing, or there’s evidence of, any of the aforementioned acts that it could be punishable by law.
14. ‘Letter to my Daughter’ by Maya Angelou [Non-fictional advice and history]
This novel by Angelou was dedicated to her daughter. It includes poetry, personal history and advice for women of any background. Angelou’s words are thought-provoking and inspirational. She calls on women to “Be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity”.
15. ‘The Book of Gutsy Women’ by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton [Non-fiction]
‘The Book of Gutsy Women’ is a brilliant collection of inspiring women’s stories from throughout history. The Clinton’s write about women such as Dolores Huerta, Aly Raisman and Daisy Bates. This book displays the amazing things women have achieved worldwide. It is for “everyone looking for inspiration to live their own gutsy life”.
16. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood [Fiction]
A dystopian novel about the harrowing life of Offred, who is enslaved, along with other handmaids, to provide children to other women who struggle to conceive in the Republic of Gilead (formerly the USA). This important novel recently resurged in significance in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the USA.
