Best Feminist Books To Empower Yourself And Educate Others

There have so many important books written by women in the last few years which act as guides for navigating your life. In the wake of #MeToo, Feminism has grown and the fight for equality between the sexes has been even more in focus so we wanted to recommend the best feminist books for anyone looking to understand what it means to be a woman and how society needs to change. 

See how to combat systematic sexism in The Authority Gap from Mary Ann Sieghart, understand how many things in the world have only been tested on male bodies with Caroline Criado Perez and finally learn proper sex education with Sophia Smith Galer.

The Story Of Art Without Men - Katy Hessel

Learn about the brilliant Renaissance artist Sofonisba Anguissola, the avant-garde works of Harriet Powers created in the United States during the nineteenth century, and the artist who created the Readymade. 

Discover the Dutch Golden Age, the astounding post-World War II art from Latin America, and the female painters who are shaping the art of the twenty-first century. 

Have your understanding of art history challenged and your eyes enlightened to a variety of frequently disregarded or overlooked art genres. This is the history of art as it has never been told before, spanning the Cornish coast, Manhattan, Nigeria, and Japan.

The Authority Gap - Mary Ann Sieghart

In order to highlight the extent of the difference that still exists between men and women, The Authority Gap offers a startling viewpoint on the hidden bias at play in our daily lives. 

This is a new feminist perspective on how to address and combat systematic sexism in ways that benefit us all. It harnesses a large amount of information with accuracy and clarity and includes interviews with trailblazing women including Baroness Hale, Mary Beard, and Bernadine Evaristo.

Losing It: Sex Education for the 21st Century - Sophia Smith Galer

Sophia Smith Galer's sex education seminars left her with more questions than answers because they were completely uninformed about everything, including female anatomy and romantic relationships. She was unaware that her lack of knowledge would soon fundamentally alter her life, as it does for countless others in the UK each year.

Many of us graduate from high school knowing more about condoms and STDs than the wider sexual picture, which includes our own physique, pleasure, and permission. This is due to poor sex education. The effects can be long-lasting as well.

Smith Galer reveals the startling tales of ordinary people affected by sex disinformation in Losing It and discovers that many of us are unable to enter the world of sexual liberation that we have been promised. She explores a society that conforms to a long list of sex myths by drawing on her personal experiences as well as the knowledge of a younger generation of sex educators.

Sex Matters - Dr Alyson J. McGregor

All medical theory and applications are based on male-centric models that ignore the specific biological and emotional differences between men and women, an omission that puts women's lives in danger. This is one of the most pressing yet unspoken issues facing women's health care today. Sex Matters addresses this issue. 

The statistics showing how male-centric medicine affects women's health on a daily basis are chilling: in the ER, women are more likely to receive a psychiatric diagnosis regarding opioid use, while men are more likely to be forwarded for detoxification; the more vocally women discuss their pain, the more likely it is that their providers will prescribe insufficient or improper pain relief medication; women frequently present with non-traditional stroke symptoms, which can cause confusion and lead to misdiagnosis (a result of testing drugs mostly on men).

Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez

Imagine living in a society where your phone is too big for your palm, your doctor gives you a medication that is not right for you, you have a 47% higher chance of being seriously hurt in a vehicle accident, and your many hours of work each week go unappreciated. There's a good chance you're a woman if any of this sounds familiar.

In a world that was mostly created for and by men, Invisible Women demonstrates how we are purposefully neglecting half the population. It draws attention to the gender data gap, a knowledge gap that is the cause of ongoing, systemic discrimination against women and has had a significant impact on women's lives.

Misogynation - Laura Bates

We are in shock after a wave of charges of sexual harassment and violence, from Weinstein to Westminster. We are still having trouble understanding the full degree of the gender discrimination that still exists in our society 100 years after some women received the right to vote.

In this collection of articles first published in the Guardian, Laura Bates exposes the sexism that permeates our interactions, professions, media, homes, and neighbourhoods, as well as the behaviours and attitudes that we justify, defend, and accept. Often dismissed as one-offs, veiled as 'banter' or described as 'isolated incidents', Misogynation reveals the true scale of discrimination and prejudice women face.

Women & Power - Mary Beard

A new feminist road map is provided by renowned classicist Mary Beard who explores powerful women from Medusa to Merkel. 

Beard examines the cultural foundations of misogyny, taking into account the public voice of women, cultural presumptions about how powerful women interact with men, and how strong women resist being categorised as men.

Mary poses the question, "If women aren't perceived to be within the structures of power, isn't it power that we need to redefine?" while reflecting on her own experiences of online sexism and gendered aggression.

Why Did You Stay? A Memoir About Self-Worth - Rebecca Humphries

Actor, writer and hopeless romantic Rebecca Humphries was often been called crazy by her boyfriend. But when the paparazzi caught him kissing his partner on Strictly Come Dancing, she realised the only crazy thing was believing that she didn't deserve more in a relationship.

After being made to feel like a victim by the incident, Rebecca made the decision to recover her power. She posted her ideas on social media and offered advise to other women who might be going through what she had managed to escape: a toxic, controlling relationship. Many others offered their support, but among the condolences was one that asked, "If he was so bad, why did you stay?" and had an extremely complicated response. This book takes that question and owns it.

I Feel Bad About My Neck - Nora Ephron

A compilation of Nora Ephron's wit and knowledge. This book is like having your own witty film narrator walk you through the sticky parts of life—the sadness of a drooping neck, the delight of a good handbag, the unrelenting loss of a best friend, and the struggle of accepting that you're no longer 50.

• Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from.
• If the shoe doesn't fit in the shoe store, it's never going to fit.
• When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.
• Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five.

'So bold and so vulnerable at the same time. I don't know how she did it.' - Phoebe Waller-Bridge

How to Have Feminist Sex: A Fairly Graphic Guide Book - Flo Perry

We address dating after #MeToo and feminism in the workplace, but sometimes the most difficult adversary to overcome is women's own patriarchal indoctrination. Few of us are completely free of nagging concerns and body image insecurities when it comes to our sexual life. Instead of uninhibitedly enjoying and discovering our bodies, we obsess over our bikini lines, tummy bulges, and whether we're doing it "correctly."

Flo Perry discusses a variety of topics, including consent, stress, and kinks, as well as how losing your virginity isn't all that different from tasting your first chocolate croissant. Her goal is to increase the amount of open discussion about what individuals want and don't want from romantic relationships.

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot  - Mikki Kendall

Far too frequently, mainstream feminism focuses on strengthening privilege for the few rather than on ensuring the survival of the many. Feminism has a problem with meeting basic necessities. Feminist concerns include issues with access to education, a living wage, and food insecurity. Feminist concerns include the struggle against transmisogyny, ableism, and racism.

White feminists frequently miss the intersections between gender and factors including colour, class, sexual orientation, and disability. When there is a strong possibility that some women are oppressing others, how can feminists stand together as a movement?

Hood Feminism is a perceptive, passionate, and ultimately upbeat critique of a movement in transition as well as a sober analysis of how to salvage it.

We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie provides readers with a distinct definition of feminism for the twenty-first century that is rooted in inclusiveness and awareness in this personal, persuasive essay that is an adaptation of her highly regarded Tedx talk of the same name. 

Here is a great author's investigation of what it means to be a woman that has become the current rallying cry for why we should all be feminists. The author drew heavily on her personal experiences and has a deep awareness of the frequently concealed realities.

In Defence of Witches: Why women are still on trial - Mona Chollet

In Defense of Witches, the witch is recast as a strong role model for women today: an emblem of power, free to exist beyond the strict boundaries society imposes on women. The witch was once a source of terror and a misogynistic image of woman handed down from the trials and the pyres of the great early modern witch hunts.

Witches are present everywhere, whether they are selling grimoires on Etsy, showing off their crystal-adorned altar in Instagram images, or gathering to cast charms on Donald Trump. But who were the ancestors of these contemporary witches?

Mona Chollet analyses the extent to which three historical witch hunt archetypes—independent women, women who choose not to have children, and women who reject the notion that getting older is a bad thing—are still used against women today. 

'A thought-provoking, discursive survey by Mona Chollet, a bright light of Francophone feminism' - The New York Times

The Moment Of Lift - Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates has spent the past 20 years working to discover answers for those who have the greatest needs, no matter where they are located. One thing has grown more and more obvious to her along this journey: Stop putting women down if you want to improve society.  Melinda shares insights she's learnt from the motivational people she's encountered during her career and travels around the world in this stirring and captivating book. 

Melinda exposes the topics that require our attention the most in her compelling account, which is supported by alarming data. These issues range from gender inequality in the workplace to child marriage and lack of access to contraceptives. She also discusses her personal life and the struggle for equality in her own marriage for the first time in her writing. She demonstrates throughout how there has never been a better time to improve both the world and ourselves.

"In her book, Melinda tells the stories of the inspiring people she's met through her work all over the world, digs into the data, and powerfully illustrates issues that need our attention--from child marriage to gender inequity in the workplace." - President Barack Obama

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