Life is becoming infinitely harder for college women these days. While we have the freedom college women in the 50’s didn’t have, we always seem to be arguing with one another, and men on the true meaning behind feminism. The nine books below will help you figure out your take on feminism and empower you to be the woman you really are.
1. We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Considering the fact that this book is part of UK and Sweden’s high school syllabus, it would a shame to not flip through this book-length essay at least once during college!
Orange Award winner Ngozie Adichie successfully navigates the world of sexual politics in this novel and destigmatizes feminism using her own experiences and beliefs about gender equality. She marries wit and charm with tenacity and almost seems like the big, wise sister you never had. Want to up the ante on your arguments for gender equality? Read this!
2. Bad Feminist – Roxane Gay
“I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.”
Admit it, you have peeked into a fashion magazine at least once in your lifetime! Does this make you a “bad” feminist? Gay’s book of quirky, pop culture-saturated essays will tell you how to read Vogue but also negotiate equal wage at the same time. A heady cocktail of Mean Girls references and serious academia, Bad Feminist is a book from a woman of color that educates you on how to rock your very best version of yourself, all 100% feminist, in today’s society.
3. Why Not Me – Mindy Kaling
Ever wanted to know what the creator of The Mindy Project really feels about Hollywood and its treatment of women? Better get to this novel then!
Kaling peppers this novel with major, personal anecdotes of her life and explains the outlandish, the normal and the stereotypical behavior that Hollywood tends to display towards women, especially Asian and Indian women. Whilst this novel doesn’t contain the seriousness that the previous two books have, it has the humor, the bitter sweetness and anguish that every twenty-something has experienced, and will make you say, “Omg, I can totally relate.”
4. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Anne Brontë (the feminist Brontë you never knew)
This book is for all you Pride and Prejudice lovers. Move over, Elizabeth Bennett! The heroine, Helen Huntingdon is so progressive that you might forget she belongs to the Victorian era. Huntington goes against pretty much all the misogynistic Victorian laws you can imagine and comes out shining without a knight. Feisty and charismatic, Helen is the guardian angel you will need to help you strut your feminist values through college.
5. The Bell Jar – Slyvia Plath
“ I took a deep breath and listened to the brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am”
If you are prepping for that highly competitive summer magazine internship you just nabbed, don’t forget to read this book before you start! The book narrates the life of Esther Greenwood, a young woman who gains a big-time magazine internship but ends up losing herself during the course of the internship when she realizes she doesn’t quite fit its “womanhood” stereotype. The novel is dark and angsty but really dives into the question of whether we will ever be good enough for society’s perception of “women.” Raw. Realistic. Empowering.
6. How To Be A Woman – Caitlin Moran
Do you like Tina Fey but want more humorous, profanity-laden, hardcore feminism in a novel? Look no further than sassy British writer Caitlin Moran’s novel, How To Be A Woman. “Half memoir, half polemic and entirely necessary” according to Elle UK, the novel challenges the way men perceive important female concepts, like menstruation and giving birth, and tells women to rise up above “All the Patriarchal Bullshit.” Get ready to leap onto bed, grab this book and start your very own Formation.
7. The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou
You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirtBut still, like dust, I’ll rise.
I don’t need to say anything because the verses above display the sheer power of womanhood that Angelou celebrates. Whether you love poetry or not, these short poems will impart whispers of wisdom that will carry you far beyond college. Angelou is a feminist hero but also the grandmother you need to give you that final push.
8. Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde
You can’t consider feminism without its intersection with the LGBT community. In this novel, Lorde, a black lesbian poet explores many of the racist, misogynistic and heterosexist problems that LGBT feminists will encounter in their lifetimes in an incredibly groundbreaking manner. Within the fifteen essays, Lorde packs a punch, questions the state of her identity and doesn’t leave room for anyone to question her individuality as a feminist. Make sure this is on your summer reading list!
9. The Woman Warrior – Maxine Hong Kingston
For centuries, Asian women have been perceived as “passive women.” But, all you have to do is plunge into The Woman Warrior to realize just how strong these women truly are. Set against the backdrop of California, the memoir recounts the lives of Kingston’s mother and herself, and questions the place of Chinese traditions within feminism, specifically Asian-American feminism. Despite being one of the harder reads on this list, the novel seeks to represent the identity crisis Asian-Americans have. Give yourself a whole weekend to finish this novel.