Best Books

While the Feminist Bookshop is closed and no longer sells books, feminism is not a monolith; it is a sprawling, evolving conversation that has been captured in ink for centuries. From the early “proto-feminist” manifestos of the 18th century to the intersectional and queer-inclusive texts of the 2020s, these books have served as the blueprints for social revolution.

The following 50 books represent the “greatest” not just by sales, but by their ability to shift the cultural needle, redefine womanhood, and demand justice.

The Foundational Classics (Pre-1960)

These works laid the groundwork for “First-Wave” and early “Second-Wave” feminism, focusing on education, suffrage, and the social construction of gender.

  1. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft (1792): One of the earliest works of feminist philosophy, arguing that women are not naturally inferior to men.

  2. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1892): A haunting short story critiquing the medical “rest cure” and the domestic imprisonment of women.

  3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899): A landmark novel about a woman’s struggle between her personal desires and the rigid social expectations of the American South.

  4. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf (1929): The definitive essay on the necessity of financial independence and creative space for female writers.

  5. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (1949): The “Bible” of second-wave feminism, famous for the line: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”

The Second Wave & Radical Feminism (1960–1980)

This era took feminism into the home, the bedroom, and the workplace, challenging the “happily domestic” myth and systemic patriarchy.

  1. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan (1963): Credited with sparking the second wave by identifying “the problem that has no name” (domestic boredom).

  2. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1963): A semi-autobiographical novel exploring the suffocating nature of 1950s gender roles and mental illness.

  3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969): A memoir of trauma and resilience that centers the specific experience of Black girlhood.

  4. The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer (1970): A radical call for women to reclaim their sexuality and reject the traditional family unit.

  5. Sexual Politics by Kate Millett (1970): An academic cornerstone that analyzed how literature reinforces patriarchal power.

  6. The Dialectic of Sex by Shulamith Firestone (1970): A radical text arguing that the biological family is the root of women’s oppression.

  7. Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller (1975): A groundbreaking study of the history of sexual violence as a tool of social control.

  8. Of Woman Born by Adrienne Rich (1976): A deep dive into motherhood as both a personal experience and an oppressive institution.

  9. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (1979): Feminist retellings of fairy tales that reclaim female desire and agency.

Intersectionality & Global Perspectives (1980–2000)

The 80s and 90s saw a vital shift toward “Intersectional Feminism,” recognizing that race, class, and sexuality are inseparable from gender.

  1. Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis (1981): A crucial analysis showing how the feminist movement historically failed women of color and the working class.

  2. This Bridge Called My Back edited by Cherríe Moraga & Gloria Anzaldúa (1981): An anthology of writings by radical women of color that transformed feminist theory.

  3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982): A novel exploring the intersections of racism, sexism, and sisterhood in the rural South.

  4. Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks (1981): A foundational text on the impact of sexism on Black women from slavery to the modern era.

  5. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (1984): A collection of essays and speeches on the creative power of difference and the “uses of anger.”

  6. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985): The preeminent feminist dystopia, illustrating the fragility of women’s rights.

  7. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa (1987): A mix of prose and poetry exploring Chicana identity and the “borderlands” of culture.

  8. Gender Trouble by Judith Butler (1990): The text that introduced “gender performativity” and laid the groundwork for modern queer theory.

  9. The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf (1990): A critique of how the beauty industry is used as a political weapon to keep women subservient.

  10. Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi (1991): An investigation into the media’s efforts to stall the progress of the 70s.

  11. Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks (2000): A concise, accessible primer on why feminism benefits people of all genders.

Modern Feminism & Digital Age (2000–Present)

Contemporary feminism focuses on data bias, “imperfect” feminism, and the global struggle for bodily autonomy.

  1. The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler (1996/revised): A play turned book that broke the silence around female anatomy and sexual violence.

  2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2000): A graphic memoir about growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

  3. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay (2014): A collection of essays celebrating the idea that you can be a feminist while still loving things that contradict the “ideal.”

  4. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit (2014): The book that helped popularize the term “mansplaining.”

  5. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2014): A globally popular essay advocating for a more inclusive and practical feminism.

  6. The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson (2015): A “genre-bending” memoir about gender fluidity, queer family-making, and desire.

  7. Know My Name by Chanel Miller (2019): A powerful memoir on sexual assault that shifted the narrative from the perpetrator to the survivor.

  8. Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall (2020): A critique of mainstream feminism’s obsession with the “glass ceiling” while ignoring basic survival issues like food and housing.

  9. Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez (2019): A terrifying look at how everything from car safety to medicine is designed for a “male default.”

  10. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (2019): A polyphonic novel following twelve characters (mostly Black British women) through decades of change.

Essential Diverse & Global Voices

Rounding out the 50 are works that challenge the “Western-centric” lens and explore various feminist niches.

  1. The Hidden Face of Eve by Nawal El Saadawi (1977): A searing look at the status of women in the Arab world.

  2. Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston (1976): A memoir mixing Chinese folktales with the reality of growing up as an immigrant in the US.

  3. Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins (1990).

  4. Living a Feminist Life by Sara Ahmed (2017).

  5. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran (2011).

  6. Untamed by Glennon Doyle (2020).

  7. Redefining Realness by Janet Mock (2014): A memoir on trans identity and womanhood.

  8. Slay in Your Lane by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené (2018).

  9. The Power by Naomi Alderman (2016): A speculative novel where women develop the power to electrocute at will.

  10. My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem (2015).

  11. Feminism, Interrupted by Lola Olufemi (2020).

  12. Good and Mad by Rebecca Traister (2018).

  13. Witches, Midwives, and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich (1972).

  14. In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens by Alice Walker (1983).

  15. Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman (1992).

Understanding the “Waves” of Feminism

To better navigate these 50 books, it helps to understand which “wave” of the movement they belonged to. Each wave had a different priority, though they often overlap.