This installment of #BookClub is all about feminism. From poetry to drama and non-fiction, feminism can be found on the face and in the hearts of many authors of our generation. Read about feminism from the women who write about it!
1. Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth is a collection of poetry by Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire. In her debut work, Shire explores topics of feminism, trauma, sensuality, and Islam.
2. All the Lives I Want by Alana Massey
All the Lives I Want is Alana Massey’s fan-girl letter to the female celebrities who shaped her generation of women. Massey explores the legacies of women like Amber Rose, Lana Del Rey, and Lil’ Kim, while also diving headfirst into issues of mental illness, the sex industry, and loving a little too hard.
3. Feminism is for Everybody by Bell Hooks
Bell Hooks gives her answer to the question “What is feminism?” in Feminism is for Everybody. Hooks invites readers to see how feminism can change everyone’s lives, not just women’s.
4. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie adapts her famous Ted Talk into an essay on twenty-first-century feminism. A deeply personal, observant and clever essay, We Should All Be Feminists discusses the blatant and hidden discrimination faced by women around the world. Her writing is so good, Beyonce put it in a song.
5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
If you’ve been keeping up with popular television this year, then you’ve probably heard of or seen “The Handmaid’s Tale” series on Hulu. A horrifying dystopian drama set in the near future, The Handmaid’s Tale describes life in the monotheocratic United States where women’s most basic rights are stripped and policed. Did I mention the Hulu Original series just won five Emmys? It’s that good.
6. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Rebecca Solnit is taking “mansplaining” to a new level. In Men Explain Things to Me, Solnit gives her hilarious insight into what goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She also explains how a culture of silencing women can be dangerous on a deeper level.
7. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
In this insightful and hilarious collection of essays, Roxane Gay takes on feminism, cultural appropriation, politics and much more. Gay explores how the culture we consume becomes who we are, and how we all need to do a little better.
Happy reading!
-HCXO!