International Women’s Day is Sunday, March 8th. Every year, women around the world come together to not only celebrate the joys of being a woman, but to demand change and equality where it’s needed most. But if you don’t have time to march on Washington this weekend, how else are you supposed to participate? Well, there isn’t really a wrong way to do it, but my suggestion is to celebrate women’s contributions to history. And what better way to do that than with an awesome book?
So sit back, relax, and browse my top 5 suggestions for classic novels (written by women, of course) that do an excellent job of capturing a woman’s strife.
- Little Women
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By: Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott’s novel about the March sisters is a lighthearted but inspiring story all about maturity and acceptance. It challenged some big societal norms about women at the time of its release, which makes it a great book for International Women’s Day. Greta Gerwig’s rendition with Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan works, too.
- Emma
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By: Jane Austen
A lot of us have read (and loved) Pride and Prejudice, but Emma is another great novel by Austen. Follow Emma as she attempts to matchmake all of her friends and watch as hilarity ensues. Don’t worry, Emma, we’ve all been there.
- Jane Eyre
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By: Charlotte Brontë
It’s pretty much a requirement that at least one of the Brontë sisters be on this list. Jane Eyre gives an insight into what it would have been like to be a woman in the mid-1800s, crazy societal expectations and all. Plus, it’s one of the best romances of its time.
- A Room of One’s Own
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By: Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf is here to tell you that, yes, women are just as good of writers as men. A Room of One’s Own points out that, maybe, just mayyyyybe, the reason women aren’t seen as ‘strong’ or ‘intelligent’ as men is because, from birth, they’re prevented from pursuing the same opportunities men do. She might have been onto something back in 1929.
- The Handmaid’s Tale
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By: Margaret Atwood
Okay, you’ve probably seen the TV show, so you think you know what happens, blah blah blah… read it anyway! The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a dystopian totalitarian society in which women are seen as property and vessels for bearing children. Sound familiar? If it does, go ahead and pick up Atwood’s novel, then watch the Emmy-winning series if you haven’t yet.