There is hardly anything that I see as being as rewarding and fulfilling as reading a good book. With that being said, on the flip-side it is equally as frustrating to put time and effort into reading a book that turns out to be something your 4 year old sibling could have come up with. So here are 5 books that I have read, loved and which I believe every woman should read.
By Lily Cannon
Set in the 20th Century Deep South this is a story about female friendship as Walker shows how, through the love, support and influence of women, the protagonist Celie is able to rediscover hope and meaning in her life despite the many hardships that she has endured. ‘Womanism’, the word used by Walker as a response to the limitations that marginalised women felt in the second-wave feminist movement at this time, is key to understanding the relationships of women in this book. Walker believed that while feminism was a component included in womanism, it was a much wider reaching concept than that. It is about female love, friendship, community and solidarity; themes that are woven into every page of this deeply touching novel.
I know, I know, you’ve probably seen this book splashed across every girls’ instagram through out the whole of summer, it’s on your best friend’s bedside table and there’s a girl reading it on the tube. But the hype that has surrounded this book is not unjustified. Honest, hilarious, uplifting and oh so relatable, this book had me flying through the pages crying “YES!”, laughing hysterically and feeling very thankful that someone had finally put into words so many things that young women go through during their teenage years and early twenties. This best-selling book is written by Dolly Alderton, a writer and journalist who had a dating column in the Sunday Times as well as writing and directing for TV. This is a book about heart-break, first dates, first loves and above all the unconditional love of female friendships.
As someone who has always been obsessed with fairy tales this book was a welcome revelation with it’s feminist and modern reimagining of them. The Bloody Chamber is a collection of short stories that extract parts from original and well-known fairy tales, replacing their meek heroines with witty, brave and empowering female characters, and using new storylines to put these women in positions of power. This is a must read for anyone looking for some magic, but with a twist.
So much more than just a children’s tale, this well known book by Lewis Carroll is a timeless classic and well worth revisiting. Alice’s adventures down the rabbit hole alongside a mireage of weird and wonderful characters that she meets along the way, are captivating for all ages. The strong willed, wise beyond her years and unfailingly brave nature of Alice, no matter what madness she encounters, is a lesson to women and girls everywhere and one that will stay with you throughout your childhood and beyond. Despite being almost 150 years old, Alice still has plenty to say to the modern reader. After all who hasn’t felt like Alice; out of place, pushed and pummelled out of shape and navigating her way through a world that seems to run on a bizarre logic all of its own?
A collection of personal and inspiration essays from a variety of celebrities, activists, artists and writers about what feminism means to them, this book aims to help its readers come to their own personal understanding of the word. Perhaps most interesting is the focus on the contradictions and complications modern day women often feel at the heart of the movement (explaining its title Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and Other Lies and its perfectly pink front cover). This empowering collection shows how a diverse group of women from all walks of life, with a variety of different experiences, found their voice, and it will inspire others to do the same.
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