Disclaimer: These are all books I have read, and truly, from the bottom of my heart, recommend to you: a beautiful and strong young woman who can accomplish great things, just like these inspirational female authors and characters. They are placed in no particular order.
1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: It is the tale of a strong woman gaining independence, overcoming adversity, and finding love while still keeping her freedom. “The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.” She requires nothing but her own strength, yet finally learns to let others in.
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2) The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: “And when you get down to it, Lily, that is the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love but to persist in love.” When a girl escapes from an abusive home with her maid at age 14, she takes refuge with a group of special women who teach her to love and face hardships. Sue Monk Kidd presents a testament to the undeniable strength of women.
3) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: “I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado myst feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.” Plath, by channeling her own experiences, paints a powerful image of inner turmoil both shocking and deeply relatable.
4) A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett: Written as a story for young girls, Burnett’s novel reminds women of all ages of how each is a treasured princess, no matter her walk of life. “’Whatever comes,’ she said, ‘cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.’”
5) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: This classic novel is written by a great woman of literature, and includes the young female lead Jean-Louise (Scout) Finch who never shies away from adventure. Now seeing her dynamic growth the sequel Go Set a Watchman, Scout is a fierce young woman who speaks against wrongs and defies the norm, like America’s beloved author who recently passed. Thank you, Harper Lee, for this magnificent literary treasure to be read for years to come.
6) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: If you have yet to read this classic, give it a try. For those like me who can’t get enough of it, check out The Lizzie Bennett Diaries! This well-done modern adaptation, more accurate than the zombie version, will have you just as enthralled as the original.
7) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: Journalist Jeannette Walls hid her troublesome past from others, until coming forth with this startling memoir on her and her siblings’ struggle growing up in deep poverty. Her story is a modern classic granting perspective and hope.
8) Sounds like Me by Sara Bareilles: A quick read packed with humor, personality, and profound messages for beautiful women who may struggle to see their worth, this book on Bareilles’s personal story is full of charm…and pictures!
9) A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf: A well-known symbol of independence and equality, Woolf’s novel is an original feminist manifesto which particularly emphasizes the role of women in academia, perfect for college women who share her same value of education.
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10) The Help by Kathryn Stockett: The voices of three main women narrate the story of many in the 1960s south trying to overcome the divides of race and social standards. It takes just one to convince them to speak up and set a town afire in an astounding testament of what can happen when women empower each other. (The movie doesn’t count).