This month is Women’s History Month and we’re celebrating by sharing a few inspiring non-fiction books written by some of our favourite feminists role models.
More Than a Woman by Caitlin Moran
A decade ago, Caitlin Moran thought she had it all figured out. Her instant bestseller How to Be a Woman was a game-changing take on feminism, the patriarchy, and the general ‘hoo-ha’ of becoming a woman. Back then, she firmly believed ‘the difficult bit’ was over, and her forties were going to be a doddle. If only she had known: when middle age arrives, a whole new bunch of tough questions need answering. Why isn’t there such a thing as a ‘Mum Bod’? How did sex get boring? What are men really thinking? Where did all that stuff in the kitchen drawers come from? Can feminists have Botox? Why has wine turned against you? How can you tell the difference between a Teenage Micro-Breakdown, and The Real Thing? Has feminism gone too far? And, as always, WHO’S LOOKING AFTER THE CHILDREN? Now with ageing parents, teenage daughters, a bigger bum and a To-Do list without end, Caitlin Moran is back with More Than A Woman: a guide to growing older, a manifesto for change, and a celebration of all those middle-aged women who keep the world turning.
I am Malala : The girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday October 9, 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price.
Hood feminism : Notes from the women white feminists forgot by Mikki Kendall
All too often the focus of mainstream feminism is not on the basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. Meeting basic needs is a feminist issue. Food insecurity, the living wage, access to education and medical care are feminist issues. The fight against racism, ableism and transmisogyny are all feminist issues. How can feminists stand in solidarity as a movement without addressing these issues? Insightful, incendiary and ultimately hopeful, Hood Feminism is both an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux and also clear-eyed assessment of how to save it.
Ms. Gloria Steinem : A life by Winifred Conkling
Throughout the years, Gloria Steinem is perhaps the single-most iconic figure associated with women's rights, her name practically synonymous with the word "feminism." Documenting everything from her boundary-pushing journalistic career to the foundation of Ms. magazine to being awarded the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom, Winifred Conkling's Ms. Gloria Steinem: A Life is a meticulously researched YA biography that is sure to satisfy even the most voracious of aspiring glass-ceiling smashers.
Difficult Women by Helen Lewis
Difficult Women tells the brief - and unfinished - history of modern feminism through eleven emblematic struggles for women's rights. As well as reappraising the fight for the right to vote, Helen Lewis explores lesser-known battles for the rights to abortion, divorce, and equal pay, and also the right to be heard, to be educated, and to love. Drawing on archival research and interviews with many of the key players, Lewis shines a light on these untold stories and shows that the bumpy road to equal rights has been built by difficult, imperfect women. Women don't only deserve equal rights if they are 'good', she argues, and the story of feminism deserves better than to be turned into a hunt for inspirational heroines. Difficult Women is a major new contribution to the feminist debate, a compelling narrative history, and a battle cry for difficult women (and men) everywhere.
Other feminist non-fiction writers you may enjoy:
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