3) “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale
This book narrates the life of Janie, a mixed-race woman, who is raised by her grandmother (an ex-slave) during the 1930s. She lives her life looking for love, and doing what everyone expects her to do. From choosing the right husband multiple times, and being unhappy because of it, to being the wife of many toxic and authoritative men. With time she learns to ignore the rumors created around her and defends herself from all the men who have tried to hurt her in some way. This book issues many problems of the decade, including racism and sexism, which is why I love it so much.
2) “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen:
Jane Austen has written multiple books that deal with themes such as reputation and feminism. Today I choose to focus on my all-time favorite classic: Pride and Prejudice. This book is so much more than your average romance story; it deals with really important issues of the decade. Elizabeth defies the expectations of what a woman is meant to be, while her family struggles the battle of marrying all of her sisters since they are not allowed to inherit the family home – because they are women. But my favorite thing about this book is that it also points out the sexism towards men, and what is expected of them by society. I think my favorite line of the book is enough to convince anyone to read it: “The loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable; that one false step involves her endless ruin; that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful”.
1) “The Selection” by Kiera Cass
Now moving on to more modern books we have The Selection series. The book tells the story of American Singer, a girl who lives in a futuristic society post WWIV, in which the United States is a monarchy called Illea and they host a reality show, in which the prince chooses a new queen. The reason why so many girls compete for the Prince’s attention is because of the class system imposed onto society; causing most of the population to be in extreme poverty. America has to fight the idea of this crazy society while making sure she stays in the competition to help her family. The story touches on old-fashioned imposed rules – like girls only wearing dresses – and other problems like beauty standards and prohibited female behavior. Cass brings together both antique and modern aspects of society and creates an amazing story, which is one of my favorite book series.