We might be coming to the end of this year’s Women’s History Month but we're still celebrating the women who tell our stories. We've compiled a reading list of some of the great works of fiction and nonfiction by women authors so that you can keep exploring women's history.
We might be coming to the end of this year’s Women’s History Month but we're still celebrating the women who tell our stories. We've compiled a reading list of some of the great works of fiction and nonfiction by women authors so that you can keep exploring women's history.
Non-Fiction: History & Feminist Theory
The Second Sex (1949) – Simone de Beauvoir
French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir explores the question ‘What is woman?’ in her ground-breaking work of feminist philosophy 'The Second Sex'. Believed by many to be a critical starting point of second-wave feminism (in a western context), Beauvoir’s work inspired numerous subsequent works of feminist theory and philosophy.
Black Women Writers at Work (1983) – ed. By Claudia Tate
After decades out of print, the 20th-century classic 'Black Women Writers at Work' is finally available for modern readers (order direct from the publisher to get the paperback with a free e-reader version!). A collection of interviews with prominent Black women authors, including Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker, the book discusses lived experiences of Black women and the influence this has had on their writing.
Women & Power: A Manifesto (2017) – Mary Beard
The intense political atmosphere of the 2016 Presidential Election campaign, where Hillary Clinton was subjected to extreme levels of misogynistic rhetoric and vitriol from her component, inspired Cambridge Classicist Mary Beard to produce a manifesto reflecting on what it means to be a woman in politics. Hailed by The Guardian as a ‘modern feminist classic’, in just over 150 pages Beard traces the long history of misogyny and patriarchy back to its foundations in Ancient Greek and Roman civilisation. Examining the many ways in which women's voices have been silenced, her manifesto culminates with an intriguing suggestion; that for women's voices to be valued in a political context, rather than conform to patriarchal ideals of politics and power, Beard suggests that power itself needs to be redefined.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (2017) – Reni Eddo-Lodge
Released in 2017 to critical acclaim, British journalist, author, and activist Reni Eddo-Lodge’s ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ is an essential read for anyone interested in the relationship between British Colonialism, modern-day structural racism, classism, and white feminism. Following the brutal murder of George Floyd in 2020, and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, her book surged in popularity with Eddo-Lodge becoming the first Black British author to top the British book charts.
Further Suggestions
A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) – Mary Wollstonecraft
A Room of One’s Own (1929) – Virginia Woolf
Three Guineas (1938) – Virginia Woolf
The Madwoman in the Attic (1970) – Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar
A Literature of their Own: From Charlotte Bronte to Doris Lessing (1977) – Elaine Showalter
Women Race and Class (1981) – Angela Y. Davis
The Female Malady: Women, Madness, and English Culture, 1830-1980 (1985) – Elaine Showalter
We Should All Be Feminists (2014) – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Everyday Sexism (2015) – Laura Bates
Memoir & Autobiography
Eat, Pray, Love (2006) – Elizabeth Gilbert
Bossypants (2011) – Tina Fey
Becoming (2018) – Michelle Obama
I’m Glad my Mom Died (2022)– Jennette McCurdy
Fiction
Classics & Modern Literature
The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Drawing on gothic and horror tropes, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is a crucial piece of early American feminist literature that unpicks mental illness and the misogynistic trope of the ‘hysterical woman’. Her short story was ground-breaking when it was first published and has remained a critical piece of literature for modern feminists.
Carol (The Price of Salt) (1952) – Patricia Highsmith
Set in 1950s New York, Carol by Patricia Highsmith tells the story of the tumultuous relationship between the young Therese Belivet and divorcee Carol Aird. Harassed by boyfriends, ex-husbands, and a private detective, Therese and Carol struggle to keep their relationship a secret or face the threat of humiliation and homophobia. However, despite all the trials they face in their relationship, Carol has stood out as one of few contemporary queer stories with a relatively happy ending.
Circe (2018) – Madeline Miller
Shortlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction, Circe is a feminist retelling of the Homeric epic The Odyssey. Reimagining the story of the witch Circe as she is exiled by Zeus who fears the potential threat to her abilities, Circe learns to hone her craft and protect herself against the violence of the male characters she encounters.
Girl, Woman, Other (2019) – Bernadine Evaristo
Written by British author and academic Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives of a dozen mostly Black British women across generations and social classes. The winner of the Booker Prize in 2019, Evaristo’s novel draws our attention to the importance of telling stories that emphasise intersectionality as a defining aspect of women’s experiences throughout their lives.
Hamnet (2020) – Maggie O’Farrell
As the 2020 Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction for Fiction, Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet is a must-read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. The story centres around Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, who has been left out of the historical record. Dealing with ideas of grief and child loss, and the experience of women in Tudor England, Hamnet is a perfect example of how literature can help bridge a gap between what survives in the archives and what doesn't.
Further Suggestions
Persuasion (1817) – Jane Austen
Frankenstein (1818) – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Wuthering Heights (1847) – Emily Bronte
Villette (1853) – Charlotte Bronte
Little Women (1868) – Louisa May Alcott
Mary Olivier: A Life (1919) – May Sinclair
To the Lighthouse (1927) – Virginia Woolf
Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) – Jean Rhys
Pilgrimages (1915-1967) - Dorothy Richardson
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1983) – Maya Angelou
The Handmaid's Tale (1985) – Margaret Atwood
Queenie (2019) – Candice Carty-Williams
That brings us to the end of our list, and whilst it is certainly not exhaustive, we hope it's given you a few ideas of how much is out there to read and the diverse range of experiences and ideas of womanhood and femininity. Following on from Women's History Month, it's important that we endeavour to read stories and experiences beyond our own.