23 feminist books everyone should read to educate and empower themselves
Feminist books are so crucial for educating ourselves in today's society. And there's no better time than International Women's Day to cosy up on the sofa with a good, empowering book in hand. The global holiday on March 8 celebrates all that has been achieved in the women's rights movement. In the last one hundred years alone, women have come so far by campaigning for issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, violence against women, and much more.
We don't even have the scope to cover everything that women have accomplished over the years. But spoiler alert: There's so much more. But along with the positives of feminism, has always been negatives. There are so many issues that affect women to this very day, given new-age factors such as social media, body image and abortion rights that plague our society still rife with sexism.
Whatever kind of feminist you define yourself as there is no denying the importance of exploring what feminism means to women around the world. This, after all, is a subject that continues to play a huge part in political debates, our daily behaviour and our experience of the society we live in. It forms our history, and it will undoubtedly shape the future of many countries worldwide. So, do you want to educate your younger sister? A partner? Yourself? These 23 feminist books are the best in fiction and non-fiction to get you thinking about issues of equality, freedom of speech, restricted voices and open honesty for anyone who identifies as a woman.
I'm Glad My Mom Died
£10.00, Available here
Author: Jennette McCurdy
Former iCarly star Jennette McCurdy reclaims her power in this heartbreaking and hilarious memoir detailing her career as a child actress and her difficult relationship with her mother, who passed away in 2013. Coming to terms with her challenging past, Jennette finally welcomes living life on her terms as she embarks on the road to recovery.
The Feminist Killjoy Handbook
£20.00, Available here
Author: Sara Ahmed
Using her own experiences as a queer feminist scholar-activist of colour as well as influential literature, film, and feminist works, Sara Ahmed argues we need to get in the way of our own happiness and that of others to build a better world. Read more in Sara's ultimate intellectual guide for "feminist killjoys".
Untamed: Stop Pleasing, Start Living
£12.49, Available here
Author: Glennon Doyle
Glennon's blend of memoir and personal development guide is packed to the brim with advice on embracing your best life, overcoming conformity, giving up on meeting societal expectations and instead focusing on following our inner voice in a bid for true happiness.
Badly Behaved Women: The Story of Modern Feminism
£16.42, Available here
Author: Anna-Marie Crowhurst
From suffrage to the #MeToo movement, the past 100 years of the women's movements are detailed in Badly Behaved Women, highlighting women's fearless campaigning, achievements and accomplishments. Along with incredible photography, the book also features personal essays from key societal figures and globally archived material.
Women Don't Owe You Pretty
£12.99, Available here
Author: Florence Given
Women Don't Owe You Pretty provides an excellent discussion on toxic beauty standards and body image, unpacking the male gaze and identity in a world embroiled in misogyny and sexism. Florence expertly explains how we need to reshape societal structures to reclaim their power.
Abolition. Feminism. Now
£9.65, Available here
Author: Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica Meiners, Beth Richie
Four of the world's leading scholar-activists band together to explore and celebrate issues such as intersectional, internationalist, and abolitionist feminism while hammering home a call to action alongside illustrations documenting the work of grassroots organisers embodying abolitionist, feminist practices.
Unwell Women
£8.49, Available here
Author: Elinor Cleghorn
This powerful book explores how women's bodies have been demonised and lacked respect in medical spaces, with the industry now being reestablished thanks to female strength and courage. Unpacking issues such as misunderstanding and misdiagnosis, stories of revolutionary women who have suffered in the face of medical misogyny are explored.
The Girls I've Been
£8.27, Available here
Author: Tess Sharpe
Soon to be a Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown, The Girls I've Been is a powerful feminist thriller centring on the daughter of a con artist who has been taken hostage during a bank heist. She needs to rely on all her instincts and tap into her skills in order to survive.
What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway): Women’s Voices from East London to Ethiopia
£10.49, Amazon
Author: Nimko Ali
Taboo-breaking Nimko Ali breaks the conversation on female bodies wide open as she presents stories from women around the world and discusses issues such as Female Genital Mutilation, good and bad orgasms, the difficulties of menopause and periods and how experiences of pregnancy vary widely across communities.
Dear Ijeawele: A Feminist Manifesto In Fifteen Suggestions
£3.86, Amazon
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This is a pretty perfect place to start. If you've ever been confused about feminism and what you should think or just want to learn a little more about the world for women and how to articulate your experiences, this heartfelt letter from Chimamanda to her daughter will lay it out for you - plain and simple.
Feminists Don't Wear Pink: and other lies
£3.86, Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and other lies), Amazon
Author: Curated by Scarlett Curtis, an essay collection of some of our most celebrated women - from outspoken celebrities we know and love like Emma Watson to the female activists leading the way for change today. From Scarlett's captivating and grounding introduction to angry quick-read poems on the stigmas of female masturbation and a short history on the feminist theory that is digestible, accessible and breaks down the waves of the movement across the decades, this book has a bit of everything. I guarantee you'll end up reading the full, illuminating collection, and you'll quite possibly finish it knowing more about your own personal stance than you imagined.
Slay In Your Lane
£6.40, Amazon
Authors: Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
Covering topics from modern dating challenges to work culture and progression, this incredibly inspirational and informative guide highlights the challenges faced and spectacular waves made by black British women. An eye-opening, representative and humorous book, it's not just an educational read, but an essential one.
Everything I know About Love
£7.99, Amazon
Author: Dolly Alderton
You'll blitz through this one like there's no tomorrow, but that's no excuse not to pack it for a weekend trip. Every woman I talk to finds something incredibly relatable, side-splittingly hilarious and humanly heartbreaking in what is an (ultimately) uplifting, grounding and charming debut from this podcast queen and journalist extraordinaire. This autobiographic tale of the modern millennial experience will open your mind.
The Second Sex
£4.99, Amazon
Author: Simone De Beauvoir
This is essential reading for anyone studying gender, a groundbreaking psychoanalytic existentialist study of women in a society that still resonates nearly 70 years after publication. Proving her intellectual equality to her beloved Sartre, De Beauvoir interrogates the way women think and hope, feel and suffer in overwhelmingly eloquent prose. Not a light read, but a very important one, written before 'feminism' was the commonplace phrase it is in many societies today.
The Handmaid's Tale
£6.47, Amazon
Author: Margaret Atwood
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably been exposed to the brilliantly directed television adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, but Margaret Atwood's original text still has a lot of chilling contexts and content to offer. A dystopian future for Western territories sees women's rights completely overhauled in the name of religion and explores the importance of power plays in modern society. Though at times it may seem far-fetched in its gruesome events, The Handmaid's Tale draws inspiration from multiple communities around the world where atrocities and violations have occurred - as one woman who was a member of a religious cult openly discussed with GLAMOUR.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
£6.29, Amazon
Author: Maya Angelou
The essential coming-of-age story, this first book in Maya Angelou's 7-part autobiography series, tracks her journey from a young female victim of racism to an articulate, dignified and proud young lady who challenges prejudice and responds to her critics. An exploration of identity through the eyes of a young black woman in America, it tackles extremely challenging and harrowing topics with grace and intelligence, showing how literacy can have a profound and lasting impact on changing one's circumstance.
The Yellow Wallpaper
£2.10, Amazon
Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
One of the most lasting representations of female descent into psychosis in history, this short story is an essential exploration of 19th Century opinions on female psychological health that has an enduring resonance. An overwhelmingly poignant tale, it has been read as one of the first key pieces of fiction to explore post-partum depression, and it's almost impossible not to be haunted by vivid visions of the dilapidated attic room.
The Power
£5.70, Amazon
Author: Naomi Alderman
Inspired by the cult dystopian feminist worlds of predecessors such as Atwood, Naomi Alderman's winner of the Bailey's Women's Prize For Fiction is an electrifying tale told through multiple voices, a stunning interpretation of a world where women literally possess strength and power that shifts and changes the entire construct of society. With fast-paced and masterful storytelling, you'll pace through this one like there's no tomorrow, all the while questioning how you'd harness your own inner power.
I Am Malala
£6.49, Amazon
Author: Malala Yousafzai
A true inspiration, this book makes a stand for the free, quality and safe education of women worldwide, Malala's story is an eye-opening look into gender discrimination and female rights across multiple societies. See our favourite quotes from Malala for all the times she used her voice for good.
Women & Power
£5.48, Amazon
Author: Mary Beard
Classicist Mary Beard traces women in history, from mansplaining to Medusa, and discusses the gender agenda of today by uncovering the relationship between women and power. With personal anecdotes and a whole bunch of cultural awareness, she unpacks the meaning behind 'power' as we perceive it today.
The Bell Jar
£6.47, Amazon
Author: Sylvia Plath
A quintessentially feminist tale, the fraught and emotional prose in this semi-autobiographical story of a female descent into mental illness perfectly captures the woes of a young woman as her body, experiences, and world change around her. Esther's engagements with the women surrounding her are eye-opening and will help you question your place in society.
She Must Be Mad
£6.20, Amazon
Author: Charly Cox
Instagram poetry sensation Charly Cox translates the plights, worries, thoughts and feelings of modern women into accessible short reads of prose and poems that have you laughing, crying and questioning your own life in no time. With delicate prose that reveals the reality of coming-of-age in an overwhelmingly honest and open personal tale, it's packed full of emotion and a brilliant weekend read.
We Should All Be Feminists
£3.25, Amazon
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
So talented at expressing the realities of feminism, we couldn't resist including a second Chimamanda offering. This short essay, an adapted version of her empowering Tedx talk, discusses the definition of feminism in today's world, the integral importance of awareness and inclusivity, understanding and challenge. This is a stocking filler/secret Santa/pocket-size articulation of exactly why feminism should be supported by everyone.
