Suggestions for Feminist books I should read?

[bedelia]

On the back of the Armchair Activists thread, I was hoping for suggestions for some Feminist books I could purchase/read?

I'm an avid reader and publish reviews of almost everything I read, so in a sense it could be a way of furthering the cause (in addition to educating myself). Sadly I'm a fairly new recruit, so I'm relatively clueless of where to begin!

The five titles in the Vintage Feminism Short Reads series seemed a good place to begin, and also Rachel Rooney's My Body is Me.

I'm particularly interested in more "recent" titles, especially if purchasing them would support current advocates IYKWIM? Also, any prominent fiction I could review with a feminist slant?

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez.
This is seminal, life changing stuff. It's non fiction but entertaining too! Probably the best book I've ever read.
Caitlin Morans stuff is readable amd entertaining. I quite liked Robert Webbs book How to be a Boy (I think it's called that).

The Female Eunuch by the inimitable Germaine Greer

radfem.org/dworkin/

radfem.org/?s=Sheila+Jeffreys

Thanks Boxy, on my way to the bookshop now, hope they have that one in! I'll definitely have a look at the RadFem site when I get home

I should be on commission, I reckon I've 'sold' at least 25 copies of it Bedelia!

Here's my pick of fairly recent, excellent feminist books worth a read.

Here We Stand: Women Changing the World (2014) Edited by Earnshaw & Penryhn Jones. Inspiring book that happens to have chapters on two of my favourite activists Helen Steel and Franny Armstrong, and is about so much more. From Mary Sharkey at Greenham Common to disability campaigner Liz Crow to Jasvinder Singh fighting against forced marriage or the disgusting practice of honour killings this book shows women taking a stand against injustice and oppression and being really bloody effective.

Mona Eltahawy's (2015) 'Headscarves & Hymens: Why the Middle East needs a Sexual Revolution. Has been an excellent read alongside Ayan Hirsi Ali (Infidel, 2006; Nomad, 2010) these women write about their experiences with a courage and clarity that confronts, engages and inspires, whilst never failing to move the reader.

The War on Women: and the brave ones that fight back (2016) Sue Lloyd Roberts. Just a fantastic, at times* rage inspiring book about women all over the world and the shit we are still dealing from FGM to the world's largest women's prison, Saudi Arabia. From rape and sex trafficking to the religious persecution of women in Ireland this book is all you need for people whining that women have equality now... I can feel another re-read coming on.
(*Most of the time)

'Inferior: The true power of women & the science that shows it' by Angela Saini (2017) Excellent book for looking at women in science, how effectively we were held back from practicing or being recognised for that practice & the implications of having the male standard, (so sure of their own objectivity) as the gold standard.

Right think that's enough for now 👍

My favourite, and it's really old now, is The Bleeding Heart by Marilyn French. It's a novel, so (for me) an easier read than some of the academic treatments. It's such a beautiful, painful story.