After a refreshing summer, I tend to find myself snoozing, sluggish, and a little unmotivated when September rolls around. This year I decided to turn to my literary idols to reignite my fire. A great book is one of the best things in life. So, put on some comfy socks and make yourself a cup of tea because these books are a beautiful celebration of strength and perseverance. Here’s four novels with badass women, both characters and authors, to help you strengthen and unlock your inner heroine.
1. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte Published in 1847, Jane Eyre is a serious throw back, but this classic has endured the test of time amazingly well. It’s no wonder that the book is still well known today, considering how tough and resilient the author Charlotte Bronte was by creating supernatural worlds in her youth and publishing a ground-breaking novel under a male pseudonym. Likewise, the protagonist, Jane Eyre, is one of the most relatable fictional characters I’ve ever encountered. She’s witty, salty, down to earth, and she lives life in defiance of tradition in following of her own moral compass.
Although Jane Eyre can be a lengthy read, the wit and charm of Jane herself makes this proto-feminist work a refreshing piece that encourages readers to re-embrace their inner strength and recognize that what is may not represent what should be.
2. The Color Purple – Alice Walker Published in 1982, The Color Purple is a beautiful book detailing the life of Celie, a spirited African-American girl growing up in the 1930s. The Color Purple is a contemporary classic in feminist literature and for good reason. The protagonist, Celie, is beautifully resilient and quietly powerful, and Walker captures with fierce authenticity the struggles of women of color in a largely oppressive society. From graduating as valedictorian from the only high school available to her in a small rural town to becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning author, Walker herself is a dedicated feminist and activist, Therefore, it’s no surprise that The Color Purple is full of strong, beautiful, and well-rounded female characters.
The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1983, and I would expect nothing less. It’s a beautifully written story that’s sure to inspire you to recognize the different types of strength within each individual and within yourself.
3. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood When making this list, it was around this point that I realized my choices could be viewed as a tad bleak. After all, The Color Purple and The Handmaid’s Tale are considered by few, if any, as light reads. Though heavy themes are pertinent throughout Margaret Atwood’s 1985 classic was like a wake-up call to me.
Set in the near future, The Handmaid’s Tale explores the totalitarian state of Gilead that revokes the rights of women in a twisted attempt to preserve the country. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Offred, we are able to see the slippery slope on which a society not unlike our own falls into a dystopian terror.
Reading The Handmaid’s Tale will make you infinitely more aware the rights and freedoms we have now, and how they can be so easily taken away. It will motivate you to stand up against little injustices because, after all, Gilead wasn’t built in a day.
4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling I felt that it was only right to end this list on a happier note. After all, it is the start of the term, and it’s almost all down hill from here. The Harry Potter series is a classic, and it never fails to remind me of my childhood. The series is chalk full of awesome female characters, and it proves that no one is ever too young to fight massive, magical evil.
Another amazing layer to the Harry Potter books is the author herself, J.K. Rowling. Having written the book after her divorce, Rowling persisted through rejection after rejection from numerous publishing houses. Her determination and strong will helped her open a new genre into children’s literature, leading to the plethora of children’s and young adult fantasy now.
Though Harry Potter is a children’s series, it is funny, enchanting, and full of well-rounded, fierce women, captained by a strong, fierce author.
Bonus: It’s always nice to get a little extra right? (Extra guac, extra cheese.) Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these extra books just as much.
The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls
This isn’t a fictional story, so I couldn’t include it in the list above. However, it would be a shame if this book wasn’t mentioned. Walls’ memoir is breathtakingly beautiful and captures the essence of childhood innocence, trust, and their gradual loss. Walls’ story shows the immutable power of perseverance and the complexities of family life.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson There’s not much I really need to say about this book. It’s a bestselling crime thriller with multiple movie adaptations. What makes the book such a thrilling read is its kickass protagonist Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth has a strong moral compass and vigilante spirit, yet she is imperfect and broken. Lisbeth’s one of the toughest female characters I ever read, and I’m sure anyone with a fire in their soul will enjoy this book.
There you have it, four fantastic books (plus a few extras) by fantastic women. Hopefully, one, or all, of these will help ignite your inner heroine.