Stories about people challenging and overcoming gender roles, sexism, discrimination, etc. The handmaids tale by margaret atwood, the color purple by alice walker, the bell jar by sylvia plath, the awakening. Sometimes theyre much longer, for better or for worse. The books are all written by women and deal with issues of feminism 469 users 1,000 views. How feminist dystopian fiction is channeling womens anger. Two male authors have made the cut, though i could easily have included more. Everyones shining city on a hill is someone elses hell on earth. Below youll find 50 of the most challenging, encouraging, and empowering feminist books ya has to offer. The handmaids tale by margaret atwood, we should all be feminists by chimamanda ngozi adichie, a room of ones. Zubaan originates the books, develops them, does the editorial work, while the print production, marketing and sales are done by penguin. With time, the attack on maledominated society became more forthright and straightforward, with women in feminist literature demanding a closer look into the. And of course, with so much feminist literature out there, this list is not exhaustive. From fiction to memoir to theory, these books will open your mind.
This stunning historical fiction book from elizabeth wein follows the story and friendship of two incredible women. In this awardwinning memoir, yrsa daleyward poet, model and activist shares the moving and heartbreaking story of how a childhood spent in the northwest of england became an adulthood in which she discovered the power and fear of sexuality. An overlooked novel from 1935 by the godmother of feminist detective fiction a new group biography establishes dorothy l. Womens, feminist, and lgbtq publishers the office of. We asked our readers for their mustread classic books.
Jun 30, 2017 given the sheer number of feminist ya gems, compiling a list of essentials is undoubtedly a foolhardy taskand yet we simply couldnt help ourselves. Some of these are modernday classics, some are fresh off the press. Some of the most notable feminist science fiction works have illustrated these themes using. Zubaanpenguin joint list in 2005 zubaan entered into a new and unusual partnership with the publishing giant, penguin india. Dont let the word feminist deter youthese books are required reading for anybody who believes in equality, freedom, and womens rights. The books are all written by women and deal with issues of feminism 469 users 1,000 views made by gunnhild persson. A reader is an indispensable guide, companion and handbook for students and teachers of womens literature. The following is a list of feminist literature, listed by year of first publication, then within the year alphabetically by title using the english title rather than the foreign language title if availableapplicable. She is the founding editor and publisher of hip mama, an alternative press awardwinning publication covering the culture and politics of motherhood. The recent proliferation of feminist dystopian works builds on that body of literature, using the lens of science fiction to project current concerns onto the future, while also reflecting on the. A spate of womenauthored speculative fiction imagines detailed worlds of widespread infertility, criminalized abortion, and flipped power dynamics. The one at the start of some of the great academic discourse happening today. Of the book, gloria steinem wrote, the beauty myth is a smart, angry, insightful book, and a clarion call to freedom. The handmaids tale by margaret atwood, we should all be feminists by chimamanda ngozi adichie, a room of ones own.
These feminist historical fiction novels are a mustread for understanding herstory. Feminist literature is fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry which supports the feminist goals of defining, establishing and defending equal civil, political, economic and social rights for women. Authors of feminist literature are known to understand and explain the difference between sex and gender. Becky albertalli on the 15 lgbtqthemed ya books to read now. Both organizations agreed to publish a joint list of at least four titles a year. They believe that though a persons sex is predetermined and natural, it is the gender that has been created by society, along with a particular perception. From the 1700s to the 2010s, literature is studded with spectacular works of fiction, theory, and criticism all revolving around one thing. Nov, 2019 an overlooked novel from 1935 by the godmother of feminist detective fiction a new group biography establishes dorothy l. Oct 04, 2018 the remarkable rise of the feminist dystopia. Books and magazines are in italics, all other types of literature are not and are in quotation marks. Best feminist books to read, womens history month 2018. Her memoir, atlas of the human heart, was a 2004 finalist for the oregon book award. Its a question that pops up whenever feminism is discussed.
Writers support groups that are especially welcoming to feminist sffantasy writers. Feminist literature is identified by the characteristics of the feminist movement. Oct 08, 2018 the recent proliferation of feminist dystopian works builds on that body of literature, using the lens of science fiction to project current concerns onto the future, while also reflecting on the. You can rarely go wrong with black historical fiction, and rita woodss impressive. Given the sheer number of feminist ya gems, compiling a list of essentials is undoubtedly a foolhardy taskand yet we simply couldnt help ourselves. Take a look through the new feminist texts breaking through mainstream publishing culture. Culture books fantastic feminist fiction from the 20th century.
From fiction to nonfiction writers, we profile ten fantastic female writers from the middleeast. An outpouring of essays, articles, books, and journals caught the public eye and fanned the flames of reform. The author argues that feminists can successfully appropriate all four genres because genres, as cultural productions, have accommodated the cultural changes brought about by secondwave feminism. Layla baalbaki widely acknowledged to be a pioneer in womens writing in the middleeast, layla baalbaki was one of the first writers to give women a voice in arab literature, focusing primarily on female issues. Gilbert and gubars work of feminist literary criticism might already be familiar to anyone who did an english literature degree.
Mar 11, 2018 culture books fantastic feminist fiction from the 20th century. It often identifies womens roles as unequal to those of men particularly as regards status, privilege and power and generally portrays the consequences to women, men, families, communities. Nov 21, 2016 some of these worksfiction, nonfiction, and poetryare engaging with feminism directly, and some are just inherently feminist. Feminist sf is political because of its tendency to critique the dominant culture. No other anthology offers so many bitesized tasters of work on gendered authorship, literary production, critical reception, sexuality and genre. In the book, wolf made a case for a reevaluation of societys current standards. A nonfiction book published in 1991, the beauty myth was an instant bestseller and won the praise of many feminists. Movies can i rescue padme from the attack of the clones, please. Set in 2021, the human race faces extinction due to a global fertility crisis. Feminism is a range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal.
It often identifies womens roles as unequal to those of men particularly as regards status, privilege and power and generally portrays the. Adrienne rich was an awardwinning poet, longtime american feminist, and prominent lesbian. A spate of womenauthored speculative fiction imagines detailed worlds of widespread infertility, criminalized abortion. The children of men is one of those books everyone should read in their lifetime. The tradition of female writers from the middleeast has been vastly growing in the twentieth century, with new generations of writers determined to give women a voice and represent issues regarding feminism, identity and class from a female perspective. Feminist literature was born of the need to express injustice and a need for change. A beautiful, yet often sorrowful, tale of awakening, the terrible is an enchanting discovery. Feb 04, 2020 dont let the word feminist deter youthese books are required reading for anybody who believes in equality, freedom, and womens rights. Here, we rounded up the best feminist books of all time. She wrote more than a dozen volumes of poetry and several non fiction books. Dirt road books publishes some of the best womens and lgbtq literature across all genres. Ive put together a list of 10 essential feminist reads, from fiction and poetry to essays and. Sep 25, 2017 allende is famous for writing hybrids of family history and fiction, giving voice to ghosts and sexually empowered women alike. As the fields of history have expanded and democratized, overlooked stories from the past, especially of marginalized and underrepresented groups like women, have been brought to light.
She wrote more than a dozen volumes of poetry and several nonfiction books. Jul 30, 2019 adrienne rich was an awardwinning poet, longtime american feminist, and prominent lesbian. Mar, 2018 from the 1700s to the 2010s, literature is studded with spectacular works of fiction, theory, and criticism all revolving around one thing. Jan, 2020 whatever feminism means to you, its worth taking a look back at how and why the movement developed, beginning as far back as the early 1900s, and the writers and feminist books that continue to influence our lives todaywhether we know it or not.
Rich won the national book award in 1974 for diving into the wreck, but refused to accept the award individually, instead sharing it with fellow nominees audre lorde and. This is a list of fiction and nonfiction feminist literature. Top ten most influential feminist books infoplease. Of course, no list could fully address all of the feminist books out there, so simply consider this a starting point. Mar 25, 2017 feminist science fiction does have a way of finding resonances in the modern world. Taking on the classics of 19th century literature from a feminist perspective, itll change how you think about some of your favorite classic novels. Broad universe the group to support women writers in sf offsite iv. The following is a list of feminist literature, listed by year of first publication, then within the year. But then, feminist science fiction does tend to feel fresh its authors have a habit of looking beyond their particular historical moment, analysing the. Some works of feminist literature, non fiction in particular, showcase and stress womens suffrage and demand for equality in society, for political, economic and social rights. Ariel gore ariel gore is a journalist, memoirist, nonfiction author, and teacher.
List of books and articles about feminist literature online. Whatever feminism means to you, its worth taking a look back at how and why the movement developed, beginning as far back as the early 1900s, and the writers and feminist books that continue to influence our lives todaywhether we know it or not. Works of literature by and about women give us wonderful examples of how to challenge the. List of books and articles about feminist literature. But smiths visceral, multilayered novel is thick in. Some of these worksfiction, nonfiction, and poetryare engaging with feminism directly, and some are just inherently feminist. Study up, ladies, because this is your essential reading list for the next four years. All literature is reactionary in a sense and these were the first books i read that truly spoke to what it is to live in the glittering bitterness of a 21st century world. Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction abbreviated sf focused on theories that include feminist themes including but not limited to gender inequality, sexuality, race, economics, and reproduction.
Literature for young adults zubaanpenguin joint list in 2005 zubaan entered into a new and unusual partnership with the publishing giant, penguin india. Sometimes the answers are pithy and snappy for example, the one given by su in roxane gays bad feminist, one of the best feminist books, who states that feminists are just women who dont want to be treated like shit. But get started quickly, before pence gets his hands on a uterus near you. In the stories of eva luna, we meet characters on the brink of moments of social changeoften with one foot in the old, oppressive world and one foot in a world theyre only daring to imagine. A feminist speculative fiction anthology, edited by ann vandermeer and jeff vandermeer 2015. Whether feminists are writing books or reading them or both, the literary world has long been a place for women to tell their stories, in both fiction and nonfiction. Taking on the classics of 19th century literature from a feminist perspective, itll change how you. Sayerss gaudy night as a forerunner of works by gillian flynn and. Our list of some of the best feminist fiction, nonfiction and poetry to empower, educate and move you to take action.
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