Hey Bees, it’s Women’s History Month! Here are nine authors to read for those who need some girl power this March. They’re organized by Classics, Women of Color, and Young Adult, so find what you’re feeling and check them out on Amazon, the library, or a local bookstore!
Classics:
These ladies wrote books that I read over and over and over again when I was a kid. I have multiple copies of many of them, and still read them once in a while.
L. M. Montgomery
Author of the Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series, Montgomery portrays girls who are unapologetically imaginative and ambitious. If you’re not feeling like reading about young Anne and her misadventures, try reading Emily’s story (which is only three books, instead of eight!)
Jane Austen
Most of us have read Jane Austen for some reason or another, but I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice most after watching the 2005 movie. The 19th century language made a lot more sense and I could see it happening a little better after watching Keira Knightley play the bookish, stubborn Lizzie Bennet.
Charlotte Brontë
Jane Eyre is a classic tale about a girl who works hard and stands up for herself (All of these girl heroes are reminding me just how much these books influenced my childhood!). Jane falls in love with her boss, but refuses to marry him for reasons the dear reader will eventually see.
Women of Color:
These authors have a dual purpose. As women, they share struggles and experiences that I have gone through. As women of color, they share experiences that I would not have otherwise known about. These authors have helped me learn more about the world and my privilege as a white middle-class woman. Hopefully they’ll do the same for you!
Toni Morrison
A prolific author of both books and short stories, Morrison is matter-of-fact about race and how it influences experience in early 20th century America. My favorite book of hers is Sula, a story about a promiscuous girl who comes back to her old town and wreaks havoc among the locals, mostly by accident. Also try “Beloved,” a short story about two friends, one white, the other black. Morrison’s ambiguity makes this piece an incredible work.
Maya Angelou
Mostly celebrated for her phenomenal poetry, Angelou passed away in 2014, after years of writing and activism. Her books I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Phenomenal Woman contain poetry that speaks to themes of racism and womanhood, among other things. My favorite poem of hers is “Still I Rise.” (Nicki Minaj read this one at Shining A Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MafMxdiXe6I)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I flew through this book in about a day and a half. Wow. Adichie’s writing is phenomenal, and her stories feel compelling and honest. This is a story about a Ifemelu, who leaves her home in Lagos, Nigeria to go to college in America. She receives a visa, but can’t find a job that pays well on it. In the meantime, the boy she was in love with, Obinze, can’t join her in America, and finds work in England after years of silence from Ifemelu. I can’t give away anything further except to say, read it!
She’s also given a Ted Talk, adapted into an essay. Listen here: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
YA:
For beach reads while you’re on spring break, try some of these Young Adult love stories. Occasionally cheesy, but heartwarming nonetheless.
Stephanie Perkins
This book is the first of three, and it takes place in Paris! One of the cutest books I’ve ever read, and definitely fueling my wanderlust. Anna is shipped off to boarding school in France, where she meets Étienne St. Clair, a short but adorable boy who teaches Anna how to be French. (Even though he’s from England and San Francisco). For some fun romance with a happy ending, try this one, plus the sequels: Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After.
Gayle Forman
Gayle Forman is literally in my top 20 authors of all time (it’s really hard to pick!). Her writing makes me feel things more intensely than almost anyone else and she’s got four books that I can’t stop reading: Just One Day, its sequel, Just One Year, If I Stay, and its sequel Where She Went. Her stories are about strong girls falling in love and finding themselves, and who doesn’t want to read about that?
Rainbow Rowell
If you’re looking for feel-good romance with a dash of nerd, look no further. Rowell’s Fangirl is one of the sweetest books I’ve ever read. Cath is an English major who’s more involved in the world of Simon Snow (her world’s version of Harry Potter) than the real world. Bookworms and nerds of all colors will probably resonate a little with Cath, her obsessions, and her search for love.
Happy reading and happy spring break!
*Images are courtesy of Google Images