5 Books to inspire you for Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History month. A month dedicated to reflecting on the often-overlooked contributions of women to history. A celebration of women’s achievements in culture and society. 31 days during which we can educated ourselves on the historical giants who fought for our progress and celebrate women as a whole. A month during which we can elevate the accomplishments of our role models, fictional ones included.
And, if recent events in London have taught us anything, a month during which we must reflect on the steps that still need to be taken. Movements like #MeToo and #SayHerName have been a long time coming and they are here to stay, at least until the injustice has been addressed, the never-ending fight continues.
Now let’s go celebrate the strong, smart, deviant women in our lives – yet that means you to, by by reading some amazing books by women, about women, for women
A Thousand Ships – By Natalie Haynes
Published: 2nd of May 2019
Publisher: Harper
Synopsis:
‘This is the women’s war, just as much as it is the men’s. They have waited long enough for their turn . . .
This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .
In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.
From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war. ‘
My thoughts:
If you have visited my Goodreads profile at all, you’ll have noticed this book is one of the few I have ever given 5-stars. It is an incredible read that I simply could not put down. I must have torn through it in less than a day when I finally got my hands on it. It is so utterly refreshing to see such a well-known war described from a perspective that has been overlooked thus far. To see the women for who they truly were, rather than set pieces in the games the men of ‘import’ were playing. Haynes has written a feminist epic that shakes the foundations of modern history.
Pope Joan – By Donna Woolfolk Cross
Published: First published in 1996
Publisher: Ballantine Books (NY)
Synopsis:
‘ For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die–Pope Joan, the ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Now in this riveting novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross paints a sweeping portrait of an unforgettable heroine who struggles against restrictions her soul cannot accept.
Brilliant and talented, young Joan rebels against medieval social strictures forbidding women to learn. When her brother is brutally killed during a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak–and his identity–and enters the monastery of Fulda. As Brother John Anglicus, Joan distinguishes herself as a great scholar and healer. Eventually, she is drawn to Rome, where she becomes enmeshed in a dangerous web of love, passion, and politics. Triumphing over appalling odds, she finally attains the highest office in Christendom–wielding a power greater than any woman before or since. But such power always comes at a price .”’
My thoughts:
I know – for a woman who’s stated repeatedly she’s not a huge fan of historical fiction, the first two books on this list are in fact, historical fiction. However, there is something tantalizing about a bureaucratic cover-up that has been several centuries in the making. Especially if this cover-up includes a woman who infiltrates, what has always been, a male-dominated institution.
Girls of Paper and Fire – by Natasha Ngan
Published: 6th of November 2018
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson Books
Synopsis:
‘Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honour they could hope for...and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.
In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after -- the girl with the golden eyes whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king's interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, she does the unthinkable -- she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.’
My thoughts:
What’s not to like about a book that explores themes such as homophobia and misogyny against the stunning backdrop of a fantasy world. A book that focusses on strong queer female leads and how their characters develop as a result of this discrimination.
Rules for Being a Girl – By Candace Bushnell and Katie Contugno
Published: 7th of April 2020
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Synopsis:
‘It starts before you can even remember: You learn the rules for being a girl. . . .
Marin has always been good at navigating these unspoken guidelines. A star student and editor of the school paper, she dreams of getting into Brown University. Marin’s future seems bright―and her young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. Beckett, is always quick to admire her writing and talk books with her.
But when “Bex” takes things too far and comes on to Marin, she’s shocked and horrified. Had she somehow led him on? Was it her fault?
When Marin works up the courage to tell the administration what happened, no one believes her. She’s forced to face Bex in class every day. Except now, he has an ax to grind.
But Marin isn’t about to back down. She uses the school newspaper to fight back and she starts a feminist book club at school. She finds allies in the most unexpected people, like “slutty” Gray Kendall, who she’d always dismissed as just another lacrosse bro. As things heat up at school and in her personal life, Marin must figure out how to take back the power and write her own rules.”
My thoughts:
At first glance, this book seems like it will be equal parts infuriating, powerful and important. A book that makes you think, properly think about what is going on in this world and then it will make you angry. Without reading even the first page of the book, any girl or women will be able to conjure up the unspoken, unwritten rules of being a girl. The ones that keep us ‘safe’, the ones that keep us quiet, the ones that keep us small. It shines a light on the under-reported issues that women face, in school, in the workplace, even in public, just due to the fact they are women.
My Own Words – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Published: 4th of October 2016
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Synopsis:
‘In this collection Justice Ginsburg discusses gender equality, the workings of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. Throughout her life Justice Ginsburg has been (and continues to be) a prolific writer and public speaker. This book’s sampling is selected by Justice Ginsburg and her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, who introduce each chapter and provide biographical context and quotes gleaned from hundreds of interviews they have conducted.
Witty, engaging, serious, and playful, My Own Words is a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of America’s most influential women and “a tonic to the current national discourse”
My thoughts:
I’d be sorely remiss if I didn’t talk about the RBG when discussing the titans of the Women’s movement. Ruth “Kiki” Bader Ginsburg, a woman who has dedicated her entire career to eradicating discrimination on the basis of sex. A woman who has done the seemingly impossible, without breaking a stride, a personal hero of mine. Reading her inner thoughts and personal accounts of the events that would shape the future of generations is nothing short of a delight.
What will you be reading for Women’s history month? Do you have any recommendations for books with badass female leads, stunning feminist works or copies dealing with women’s issues that I must read, let me know in the comment section below. Until then – just one more page!