Whether you feel you’re Susan B. Anthony reincarnated or looking to develop your feminist thinking, here are four of my favorite feminist books to enjoy and learn from.
- “Ain’t I a Woman?” by bell hooks
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When I read “Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism” by bell hooks in my first Women’s Studies Class here at Penn State I was immediately enraptured by the novel.
hooks examined the detrimental effects of racism and sexism on Black women, specifically in the Civil Rights movement and the Women’s Suffrage movement from the 1970s. While reading it, I found that almost every sentence she wrote was quote-worthy, which instilled a sense of rebellion in me.
Delving into sexual assault and the stigma placed on women with the belief that they need to learn how to better protect themselves instead of educating men, hooks wrote one line in particular that stuck out to me:
“Teaching women how to defend themselves against male rapists is not the same as working to change society so that men will not rape.”
One last quote that I hope will instill feminist thinking and the need for change inside of you is this:
“If women want a feminist revolution — ours is a world that is crying out for feminist revolution — then we must assume responsibility for drawing women together in political solidarity. That means we must assume responsibility for eliminating all the forces that divide women.”
- “The Queen’s Gambit” by Walter Tevis
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While this book is written by a man, it doesn’t take away from any of its feminist themes.
When most people think of competitiveness they think of a track meet or a football game, but in this novel, the game was all about mental strength and quick thinking.
Written in 1983, “The Queen’s Gambit” tells the story of Beth Harmon, a fictional chess prodigy who battled her way in a predominantly male-dominated field. Taking place in the 1950-60s, Beth first learned and developed her love for chess in an orphanage, but after only a few years she’s made a name for herself.
What I loved most about this book was Beth’s tenacity and determination to win and be the very best. As a young prodigy, she was used to the praise and triumphs, but when faced with sexism and losing big matches, Beth fights against addiction and her past to be the very best, beating all of the men in her way.
Here’s one quote to highlight Beth’s mindset in the novel, showing that it didn’t matter that she was a woman who was great at chess, but that she was simply a great chess player.
“And what did being women have to do with it? She was better than any male player in America. She remembered the Life interviewer and the questions about her being a woman in a man’s world. To hell with her; it wouldn’t be a man’s world when she finished with it.”
- “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
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Feminism isn’t just closing the pay gap or thriving in a male-dominated field, but can also be flourishing in independence or creating long-lasting friendships that you hold dear to your heart.
For me, “Little Women” is for the women and feminists who treasure bonds and friendships and know they don’t need to marry a man just because society says they should. In this novel, Alcott tells the stories of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy who walk through life together with its ups and downs.
This novel also shows that whatever a woman wants to do with their life, whether that’s starting a family or being a brilliant writer, she should go out and fight for it. Here’s one of my favorite quotes that says just that:
“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.”
- “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
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To top this off we have “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
Immersed in a world where fertile women are pawned off to powerful men to act as surrogates, “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a feminist book through and through and will continue to make its mark in literature, even if it is banned in multiple states in the United States.
Diving into topics of female oppression, suffocating patriarchy and reproductive rights, this novel is for the women who see something wrong with the world and want to change it.
With places in the world mirroring the patriarchal society in the novel, I think it’s imperative to know that while things may be bad, they can get so much worse, so it’s important to cut at the root of the problem while you still can.
Here are a few quotes that stuck with me the most, and will hopefully inspire you to bring out your inner feminist:
“I avoid looking down at my body, not so much because it’s shameful or immodest but because I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to look at something that determines me so completely.”
“That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn’t even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn’t even an enemy you could put your finger on.”
“Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
I hope some of these books pique your interest!