In the year of 2021, I read 28 books. Now, I know that some people read, let’s say, 50 or 100 books, but for me, 28 was pretty impressive. Throughout reading these books, I introduced myself to new genres; one being feminist theory. In honor of Women’s History Month, I’d thought I’d share 5 must-reads when it comes to reading about the history of feminism.
1. Bell Hooks: Feminism is for Everybody
Gloria Jean Watkins, known by her pen name of Bell Hooks, was one of the first intersectional feminists to challenge the movement of white feminism that was prevalent in the late 1900s. She recently passed away in December of 2021. However, her writing on feminist theory, gender equality, black feminism, and masculine love will forever be cherished. In Feminism is for Everybody, she argues that feminism is not about division, but instead about a political movement that would benefit everyone. She discusses topics of reproductive rights, gender-based violence, feminist education, and most importantly the intersectionality between feminism and race.
2. Simone de Beauvoir: The Second Sex
The Second Sex is arguably one of the most important commentaries on the imbalance of gender norms in today’s society and the way this puts women at a disadvantage. Simone de Beauvoir was a French philosopher who helped launch the French Women’s Liberation Movement and was an advocate for abortion rights. This book comments on how everyone is taught that a woman should act and be a certain way, and in turn women are oppressed because they do not have the freedom to become something that society does not want them to be. De Beauvoir does this by analyzing the perception of women in famous literary texts and explaining her own opinion on how women experience sexism today.
3. Audre Lorde: The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde was a talented poet whose work addressed the injustices of sexism, racism, homophobia, and classism. She battled with breast cancer, a fight that was at the center stage of a lot of her work. The Collected Poems of Audre Lorde brings together her most influential poems that predominantly confront the aforementioned white feminism movement that often left out other minority groups. She often includes personal experiences in her work as she was a self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” She says, “I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves.”
4. Virginia Woolf: A Room of One’s Own
Despite Virginia Woolf being a well-known name, a lot of people don’t know that one of her most famous works is a reflection on her personal relationship with feminism. It’s important to note, however, A Room of One’s Own doesn’t necessarily address the privilege Woolf held as a successful writer. However, it still holds lots of important themes. Woolf comments on how a lack of education is holding women back from achieving their highest potential as authors. In 1929, Woolf was able to communicate that women are not given enough power and freedom to have control over their own life.
5. Alice Walker: In Search of Our Mothers Gardens
Alice Walker is widely known for her work explaining her interpretation of the “womanism” theory. Womanism is known to be a social theory that addresses the sexism in the Black community and racism in the feminist community. Walker uses this theory in In Search of Our Mothers Gardens to advise women to achieve wisdom, hope, and change. Through the collection of essays, articles, and speeches composed on In Search of Our Mothers Gardens, she emphasizes the importance of female creative expression, and how women can thrive in today’s society.
**Edited by: Phoebe Cousens