Essential reading for the modern feminist? (Reading list sought.)

[Trenzalor]

My eyes have been opened (mainly the GRA etc) that equality isn’t actually ours and although I’ve led a fortunate and free life I have taken many things for granted - assuming they were part of anyone’s life whereas they are actually things women have been conditioned to accept.
When I did A Level history many years ago I had a feminist lecturer who gave me pointers on what to read off curriculum. What I’m after now is something similar. What books and websites are essential reading? I want to wake up my brain again and think critically. Anything regarding women’s history, feminism, socialism.
Ideas gratefully accepted and your time posted is appreciated.

Backlash by Susan Faludi, so relevant right now. You'll be able to draw so many parallels.

Delusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine.

Thanks. I’ve downloaded a sample of one and bought one (the cheaper!).

Just had a look on my bookshelf - and these are the ones that had most impact on me:

The Equality Illusion by Kat Banyard - opened my eyes

Reclaiming the F-Word - at the end of each chapter are 'calls to action'

Wifework - explains how 'wives still perform and astounding share of the physical, emotional and organisational labour in marriage

The Price of Motherhood -'although woment have been liberated - mothers have not'

Motherhood and Feminism -traces the history of motherhood from the Industrial Revolution to today

March Women March - Voices of the Women's Movement from the first deminist to votes for women (I like that it also includes information on campaigns other then votes for women - eg campaigns for divorce, custody of children, campaign against the forced medical examination of prostitutes)

~first feminist

Wifework - explains how 'wives still perform and astounding share of the physical, emotional and organisational labour in marriage

I really want to read this, but know it will make me more angry

The Equality Illusion and Delusions of Gender.

I like Come As You Are as well, it's about female sexuality and it's fascinating.

If you haven't read Call The Midwife that's interesting WRT women's history.

Deborah Cameron The Myth of Mars and Venus - very readable, and very interesting on the way myths about language are used. Two stand out bits for me are the discussion of rape and "no", and the discussion of "women talk more".

She's very interesting on the "men don't commit date rape, they just mis-read the signals" myth. She points out that in every other area of our life in the UK and America, we use circumlocutory language to turn things down so as to smooth things over and avoid conflict. For example, if colleagues ask you for an after-work drink and you're not in the mood, you don't say "no", you typically say "I'd love to, but I can't make it I'm afraid." It's only in the context of a rape trial where this totally normal use of language is deemed to be ambiguous.

The "women talk more" one is very amusing - she spent ages trying to track down the source for the "7000 words a day vs 3000 words a day" claim (can't remember the exact numbers) - turns out to be an un-referenced footnote in a self-help book which went viral and attained the status of a factoid (in the original sense of "nugget of something that sound like it ought to be true but is completely made up).

Great, thank you.

Backlash is definitely more relevant than ever (though it’s a bit of a slog*), as is The Beauty Myth, which dates from around the same time (early 90s).

If you haven’t read some of the classics like The Female Eunuch they’re definitely worth it for putting the struggle in context.

On socialism in general, The Spirit Level (Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett) is excellent, and fascinating on economics and inequality.

For a more anthropological take on human behaviour and feminism, I recommend the books Catching Fire and Demonic Males by Richard Wrangham. They go right to the core of the origins of patriarchal structures and male violence.

*as cheekily referenced by Nora Ephron in the screenplay of Sleepless In Seattle. Her previous film, When Harry Met Sally, is criticised in Backlash, so there’s a conversation about how no-one finished “that book” in Sleepless in Seattle.