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.

Girl, Interrupted

by Susanna Kaysen

Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, The Past, Femininity, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Death, Memory, Science & Technology

Tags Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Psychology, Gender & Feminism, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Health, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Classic Fiction, Biography

Susanna Kaysen’s 1993, Girl, Interrupted, is a memoir that explores Kaysen’s time as a teenage psychiatric patient in McLean Hospital in the late 1960s. Kaysen explores the murky definitions of mental health and illness, as she recounters her experience of being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and makes compelling arguments about the subjective nature of personality, behavior, and disorder. Girl, Interrupted is a bestselling book and was adapted into the 1999 film starring Winona Ryder... Read Girl, Interrupted Summary

Gods of the Upper Air

by Charles King

Publication year 2019

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity

Tags Anthropology, World History, Science & Nature, Race & Racism, Anthropology, Gender & Feminism, Sociology, Biography, Politics & Government

Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century, was written by Dr. Charles King, and published in 2019 by Penguin Random House. King is a professor of International Affairs and Government at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and the author of 10 books, predominantly on the subject of society, government, and culture in Eastern Europe. Gods of the Upper Air is a New... Read Gods of the Upper Air Summary

Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies

by Salman Rushdie

Publication year 1987

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Colonialism, Femininity

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Immigration & Refugeeism, Gender & Feminism, Indian Literature

“Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies,” a short story written by Salman Rushdie, was first published in The New Yorker in 1987 and then reprinted in East, West, a collection of Rushdie’s short stories published in 1994. This anthology divides the stories into three sections: “East, “West,” and “East/West.” “Good Advice Is Rarer Than Rubies” can be found in the “East” section. Most of this story takes place in a shantytown next to the British... Read Good Advice is Rarer than Rubies Summary

Good for a Girl

by Lauren Fleshman

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Equality, Wins & Losses, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Biography, Sports, Gender & Feminism, Health, Women`s Studies

... Read Good for a Girl Summary

Great Circle

by Maggie Shipstead

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Art

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure

... Read Great Circle Summary

Gretel in Darkness

by Louise Glück

Publication year 1975

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Mental Health, Guilt, Family

Tags Lyric Poem, Symbolic Narrative, Mental Illness, Gender & Feminism, Arts & Culture, Mythology

Louise Glück is among the most lauded poets in the American canon. Glück’s writing is often surgically precise in terms of formal craft, and reveals a deep emotional complexity. She addresses sadness, mourning, trauma, and individual suffering metaphorically through the natural world, mythology, autobiographical events, or universal truths. She is known for alluding to cultural myths and personas in her work, some of which appear in “Gretel in Darkness” through the perspective of young Gretel... Read Gretel in Darkness Summary

Hidden Figures

by Margot Lee Shetterly

Publication year 2016

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Space

Tags Gender & Feminism, US History, Women`s Studies, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race is a 2016 nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly. Shetterly grew up in Hampton, Virginia, where her father worked at Langley Research Center, on which the book is centered. Thus, she knew firsthand both the story and many of the people involved. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the business school at the University of... Read Hidden Figures Summary

Hijab Butch Blues

by Lamya H

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Hope, Love, Gender Identity, Race, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Equality, Justice

Tags Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism

... Read Hijab Butch Blues Summary

Invisible Women

by Caroline Criado Perez

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, The Past, Art, Safety & Danger, Economics, Science & Technology, Gender Identity, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags Gender & Feminism, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Finance, Sociology, Business & Economics, Technology, Health, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies

... Read Invisible Women Summary

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

Publication year 1847

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Gender Identity

Tags Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction, Romanticism, Coming of Age, Gender & Feminism, British Literature, Victorian Period, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction

Jane Eyre: An Autobiography is a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, written by Victorian writer Charlotte Brontë and originally published in 1847 under the male pseudonym Currer Bell by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. Through Jane’s life and experiences, Brontë examines social issues including religious hypocrisy, class discrimination, and sexism. Many literary theorists and biographers—including Brontë’s friend and fellow novelist Elizabeth Gaskell—have noted numerous similarities between the novel’s events and Brontë’s personal history.The novel is... Read Jane Eyre Summary

Judith

by Anonymous

Publication year 975

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes War, Gender Identity, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Military & War, Religion & Spirituality, Inspirational, Gender & Feminism, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Judith Summary

Justice and The Politics of Difference

by Iris Marion Young

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Gender Identity, Community

Tags Philosophy, Social Justice, Gender & Feminism, Education, Education, Philosophy, Politics & Government

Originally published in 1990, Justice and the Politics of Difference is a nonfiction work in the field of political theory. The author, Iris Marion Young, uses critical theory to expose the shortcomings of distributive theories of justice and calls for the empowerment of oppressed and disadvantaged social groups. She cites the claims of new social movements, such as those for civil rights, as evidence of the inadequacy of the distributive model of justice. According to... Read Justice and The Politics of Difference Summary

Killing Rage

by bell hooks

Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Gender & Feminism, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read Killing Rage Summary

Kingmaker

by Sonia Purnell

Publication year 2024

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, The Past, Marriage, Social Class, Politics & Government, War

Tags Biography, History, European History, World War II, US History, Gender & Feminism

... Read Kingmaker Summary

Know My Name: A Memoir

by Chanel Miller

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Gender Identity, Art

Tags Crime & Law, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Biography

Published in 2019, Chanel Miller’s Know My Name: A Memoir is her first book. A harrowing account of surviving rape and reclaiming identity, Miller’s memoir documents her 2015 rape at Stanford University and its aftermath. A New York Times bestselling author, Miller provides a raw yet hopeful examination of sexual assault. Through the intersections of gender, race, and class, Miller, who is Chinese American, explores society’s treatment of survivors. Ultimately, Miller offers a hopeful journey... Read Know My Name: A Memoir Summary