Six Books Every Woman Should Read

6BOOKS EVERY WOMAN SHOULD READ

by Nada Abdelkader

Books are often described by many as other worlds in which we can easily step in and out whenever we please. They’re said to add special powers to one’s skill set, like tolerance and keeping an open mind. Whether it’s fiction or otherwise, we can all agree on the importance of books in our lives as women, first and foremost. We’ve all read stories and other people’s experiences that made us think and grow out of our shells and into better versions of ourselves.

As much as we’ve all read, however, there’s still a lot of work to be done. There are a lot of important books we should all be reading and if you’re unsure what those books are, you don’t need to worry. We’ve listed them down for you in honor of the female empowerment month – the six most important books every woman should read at some point in her life!

THE CONFIDENCE CODE, CLAIRE SHIPMAN AND KATTY KAY

Confidence, it’s said by many, is a currency we can never receive too much of. In a world where the competition rises by miles in both life and work, confidence is now even more coveted than we’d have thought possible. Co-authors Claire Shipman and Katty Kay clearly knew this too because they dedicated an entire book to tell you about the confidence code, how to crack it, and how to achieve it.

Many of the women who had read this book attested that it helped them grow more as people and had, in fact, helped them in being more confident than they had thought possible. 46 March 2020

THE HANDMAID’S TALE, MARGARET ATWOOD

You might be familiar with the show, The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, but the source material is arguably the superior version of this story. For one thing, it had come out at a time when it was desperately needed, the mid-eighties, and radically transformed the dialogue around women in the world.

If given the opportunity, you need to read this novel. It’s a classic with perpetually relevant themes like female agency, feminism as a whole, equality and societal rebellion. It’s admittedly hard to read at certain points because of the graphic factor so pleasantly peppered in, but you’ll be happy to read it in the end because it will make you think about your own life and choices in a way you wouldn’t have done so before.

HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, ISABEL ALLENDE An important installment to a culture rich in magical realism and extraordinary ideas, House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende is considered by many to be on par with Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, for good reasons too. House of the Spirits tells a story of the generations of a family in which the main protagonists, the women, move everything around them with their ideas, hopes, and dreams.

It’s safe to say that this masterpiece started a literary revolution for its time and has affected a number of readers to foray into similar books rich in detail and reality made magical.

BOSSYPANTS, TINA FEY Another important book about confidence, Bossypants is actually a read that grows more relevant by the day. It’s a dive into Tina Fey’s life as a working mom and all the obstacles that always come her way and how she defeats them (or tries to defeat them along the way).

Naturally, in a life where many women struggle to achieve that perfect balance between professional and family lives, Bossypants will offer a meaningful lens into this long-running conundrum, as well as make sure you know that it’s all okay. We all get there at our own pace.

TRICK MIRROR, JIA TOLENTINO

A collection of nine deeply personal essays by a journalist may not seem like that much of a great read, but Trick Mirror will surprise you. In her book of collected essays, Jia Tolentino dives into everything from heroines in literary fiction and how they had inspired us all to her reality TV self to being assertive in every facet of her life.

It’s been credited by many as a refreshing take on topics that we’ve all known but hadn’t written that much about. One perk that you will find in Trick Mirror is that it’s just never boring and the existence of a unique personal voice will make it incredibly entertaining to read.

LITTLE WOMEN, LOUISA MAY ALCOTT

A known classic with a number of movie and TV adaptations, Little Women is an ever-popular classic that just never gets old, which is why you shouldn’t be denying yourself the pleasure of reading it.

The protagonists of Little Women are as different as they come and they’re all important; each with a unique point of view and way of living, each praised for her courage. In this book, you’ll follow a journey into family, courage, dreams, and ambitions and you’ll be left feeling every emotion there is to feel.