Feminist Reads

Feminism is more than fighting for gender equity. It is about retelling the stories that define us, recognizing the place of woman in our shared history, now and into the future. This collection of study guides features fiction, nonfiction, and poetry all about women and their tales of triumph, pain, love, and everything in between.

Boys & Sex

by Peggy Orenstein

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity

Tags Parenting, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health

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Breath, Eyes, Memory

by Edwidge Danticat

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Forgiveness, Memory, Gender Identity, Race, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Breath, Eyes, Memory is a novel by Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat, first published in 1994. The book is semi-autobiographical: like the protagonist, 12-year-old Sophie Caco, Danticat herself was born in Haiti but moved to the United States at a young age. She has since written several novels and short stories about Haiti, immigration, and the complex ways that one’s identity is formed by where they are from and where they now live. The novel... Read Breath, Eyes, Memory Summary

Cat Person

by Kristen Roupenian

Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Femininity, Gender Identity

Tags Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Education, Education, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

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Cat's Eye

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Memory, Gender Identity, Art, Aging

Tags Coming of Age, Psychological Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Cat’s Eye is a 1988 coming-of-age novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood that centers on Elaine Risley, a successful painter who is returning to Toronto for a retrospective show of her work. Throughout the novel, she has vivid recollections of her childhood and adolescence in the city during the postwar years—particularly of her friendship with Cordelia, who persecuted her in a way that had an indelible impact on her life. The novel was a finalist... Read Cat's Eye Summary

Cemetery Boys

by Aiden Thomas

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Sexual Identity, Community, Revenge, Gender Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Fantasy, Grief & Death, Coming of Age, Diversity, Religion & Spirituality, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

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Circe

by Madeline Miller

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity

Tags Mythology, Gender & Feminism, European History, Historical Fiction, World History, Fantasy, Romance

Published in 2018, Circe retells the story of the eponymous Greek mythological figure. The novel is also popular among the online BookTok community. Although traditionally viewed as a heartless, savagely beautiful witch who lures sailors to their deaths, the Circe of Madeline Miller’s imagining is quite different. This Circe is a multidimensional, flawed, and empathetic character struggling to find meaning and worth in her immortal life. Through Miller’s detailed and honest first-person narrative, which takes... Read Circe Summary

Communion

by bell hooks

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Midlife, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Justice

Tags Feminist Theory, Gender Studies, Self-Improvement, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Philosophy, Relationships, Women`s Studies

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Confessions of the Fox

by Jordy Rosenberg

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Social Class, Colonialism, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Social Class, Incarceration, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World History

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Cranford

by Elizabeth Gaskell

Publication year 1853

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Nostalgia, Gender Identity, Future

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Victorian Period, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era

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Crow Lake

by Mary Lawson

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

Crow Lake is a 2002 Canadian bildungsroman set in a rural farming community in northern Ontario. It is author Mary Lawson’s debut work and earned her the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the UK McKitterick Prize. The novel focuses on the Morrison siblings, who are orphaned when their parents are killed by a logging truck. Kate, the second-youngest member of the family, narrates the novel in first person. Her narrative alternates between the... Read Crow Lake Summary

Dawn

by Octavia E. Butler

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity

Tags Gender & Feminism, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

Dawn, a 1987 science fiction novel by Octavia Butler, is the first installment in the Xenogenesis (or Lilith’s Brood) trilogy. The story takes place in a near-future, postapocalyptic world. The protagonist, Lilith Iyapo, is one of the few human survivors left after a nuclear war and must help an alien race, the Oankali, repopulate Earth. The novel explores themes of Otherness as a Social Construct, Women of Color in Leadership Roles, and The Human Desire... Read Dawn Summary

Delusions of Gender

by Cordelia Fine

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity

Tags Sociology, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Science & Nature, Psychology, Psychology, LGBTQ+

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference, also known as Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences, is a 2010 work of feminist nonfiction by British psychologist and philosopher Dr. Cordelia Fine. Through an intensive but accessible review of neurological and sociological studies, the book debunks the idea that men and women have different brains. Nominated for numerous awards upon its publication, it went on to become a bestseller... Read Delusions of Gender Summary

Desert Flower

by Waris Dirie

Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Community, Perseverance

Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Inspirational, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad is a memoir published in 1998 by the Somali model, author, and activist Waris Dirie and author Cathleen Miller. The book recounts Dirie’s harrowing life story, from her roots as a member of a nomadic family and the abuses she suffered as a child to her rise to international fame as a fashion model, an ambassador and advocate for women's rights, and an author. The novel... Read Desert Flower Summary

Dictee

by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Community, Femininity, Gender Identity, Language, Religion & Spirituality, Mothers

Tags Prose, Asian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Education, Education, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictee (1982) is a hybrid form of prose poetry, autobiography, ethnography, criticism, and fictional experiments. Cha was a Korean American visual artist, poet, and filmmaker. She was tragically murdered only a week after the book was published. The book went out of print for several years before interest in Cha’s work was revived in the 1990s by feminist authors, such as Norma Alarcón. Cha’s work was honored with an exhibition including... Read Dictee Summary

Dinners With Ruth

by Nina Totenberg

Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Gender Identity, Equality, Politics & Government

Tags Leadership, Crime & Law, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, World History, Politics & Government, Biography

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