Women’s History Month is upon us, and that means celebrating all things, women. While for some, the best way to do this may be to watch women-directed films or to shop at women-owned businesses, my personal favorite way to appreciate women is through literature. I am a certified bookworm, and any new excuse I get to read a new book— I will take it. Therefore, here are some of my favorite women-centered and women-written books that are perfect to cozy up with on a nice March day!
Rupi Kaur’s big three: Milk and Honey, The Sun and Her Flowers, and Home Body
If you’re looking for a short read that will leave a long impact, any of these books are for you. Rupi Kaur is a Canadian poet, originally born in India, whose work focuses mainly on the female and immigrant experience. All of the work in these three books are poems, so you will fly through reading them. However, the messages that are shared in them will last much longer. Reading through her trilogy, you can watch her own journey of development and empowerment and will hopefully be able to mirror this into your own journey. Being a woman can be hard, scary and even dark sometimes. Yet, Kaur reminds you that while you can recognize that hurt, you can also grow from it and use it to unlock your inner power.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
This book is a classic and, what I believe to be, a must-read for everyone, (especially during Women’s History Month). It’s the story of an abused Black woman who is struggling in her journey of self-love and empowerment. Unfortunately, this amazing feminist novel has been banned several times throughout the United States for including topics such as homosexuality, sexual content and offensive language. Nevertheless, I feel that this is an important book to read because it highlights the difficulty of self-love for women, especially for Black queer women. It is a truly inspiring and empowering novel!
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I was honestly hesitant to read this book at first because I don’t usually like memoirs or biographies. Yet, I’m Glad My Mom Died blew me away. Most know actress Jennette McCurdy from her childhood roles, most notably acting on the Nickelodeon show, iCarly. However, I’m Glad My Mom Died shows a different, and previously unknown, angle of the child actor. It tackles her struggles with eating disorders, addiction and her relationship with her mother. I think that if you’re looking for a unique book to read during Women’s History Month, this memoir would be a great read!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Vanishing Half is a story about twin sisters who ran away from the small town that they call home (a small Black community in the South), and proceeded to live completely divergent lives. The stories of these two sisters capture different struggles of womanhood. The novel revolves around the intersectionality of race, gender and class while discussing the bond of sisterhood and the need for companionship.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood
This is, of course, a classic. I think it is a book that is important to be read at all times of the year. However, during Women’s History Month, it is especially pertinent. Highlighting the importance of a woman’s control over her body, the not-so-dystopian novel has remained relevant for decades. Especially after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, this is an extremely important read during Women’s History Month.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really like Pride and Prejudice when I first read it in high school (which is something I don’t like to admit as an English major). I found it to be cliché that the only thing the women cared about was going to dances and meeting potential suitors, and the characters didn’t really seem that revolutionary to me. However, that is because I was reading it with 21st-century glasses. While it seemed ordinary for a woman to be submissive and lacking opinions at the time, the main character of this novel, Elizabeth Bennet, completely flipped the concepts of femininity and marriage around. It’s extremely important to note that, at the time, the idea of marrying for love was unheard of. In addition, the idea of a female author, such as Jane Austen, implying the equality of men and women in her novels was a surreal concept at the time. I think it’s essential to reread this book this month. Not necessarily for the plot, but more so to appreciate women and see how far we have come.
Books can help us celebrate our identity and learn about others’ identities in the process of reading them. Therefore, it’s vital to read books written by women and about women every month of the year. Still, during Women’s History Month, we can aim our attention toward women a little more by picking up these amazing reads!
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