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10 books written by women you must read

Are you looking for some new readings for this year? Have you run out of options? Don’t worry, you have come to the right place. We have compiled a list of 10 books written by women for you: novels, fictions, biographies … all types. We hope you enjoy the reading!

‘Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021’ by Margaret Atwood

In this brilliant selection of essays, the award-winning, best-selling author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments offers her funny, erudite, endlessly curious, and uncannily prescient take on everything from whether or not The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopia to the importance of how to define granola—and seeks answers to Burning Questions such as…“Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories?” or “How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?.”

‘Fix the System, Not the Women’ by Laura Bates

Too often, we blame women. For walking home alone at night. For not demanding a seat at the table. For not overcoming the odds that are stacked against them. This distracts us from the real problem: the failings and biases of a society that was not built for women. In this explosive book, feminist writer and activist Laura Bates exposes the systemic prejudice at the heart of five of our key institutions.

‘Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World’ by Danielle Friedman

A captivating blend of reportage and personal narrative that explores the untold history of women’s exercise culture–from jogging and Jazzercise to Jane Fonda–and how women have parlayed physical strength into other forms of power.

‘The Sentence’ by Louise Erdrich

This modern ghost tale is set in a Native-owned bookstore in Minneapolis during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and protests following the murder of George Floyd by police. In the midst of this chaos, the store’s employees must solve the mystery of Flora, a stubborn ghost who haunts the aisles. Using humour, historical references and creative details, Erdrich shows readers how the violence and systemic racism against Native and Black people has deep roots in the fabric and founding of Minnesota and the United States, all of which started well before 2020.

‘Wahala’ by Nikki May

Described as a refreshingly modern ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Wahala,’ the buzzy debut novel from Nikki May, follows three Anglo-Nigerian best friends in London whose dynamic is shattered by a fourth addition to the group.

‘On Rotation’ by Shirlene Obuobi

Obuobi’s sharply written protagonist, Angie Appiah, jumps off the page: the third-year medical student is complex, type-A, and very, very funny. Part rom-com, part coming-of-age story, Obuobi traces Angie’s journey as she navigates the changing demands of friendships, the expectations of med school, the demands of her Ghanaian parents, and the untimely arrival of an extremely sexy graphic designer.

‘The School for Good Mothers’ by Jessamine Chan

Like ‘A House Between Earth and the Moon,’ this thoughtful novel asks jarring questions about our future with real emotional depth. Frida is a doting mother to her daughter Harriet, until she makes a single mistake—and suddenly, the government is debating whether she’s a candidate for a terrifying tech-driven program that measures what makes a “good” or “bad” parent…and if Frida “deserves” to keep her child.

‘Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain’ by Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide

In “The Dyslexic Advantage”, Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, who are leading experts in studying dyslexia, debunk myths about the condition and explain the strengths of the dyslexic mind, focusing on how these strengths can give people an edge at work and in their lives. This book also underscores how important it is for leaders to learn about experiences that are not their own and to lean into differences in how people think and work.

‘You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty’ by Akwaeke Emezi

Best-selling Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi is making their romance debut in this story about Feyi, a young woman returning to the dating scene five years after the death of her husband. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but an encounter at a rooftop party launches a whirlwind summer she could never have imagined.

‘Love, Activism, And The Respectable Life Of Alice Dunbar-Nelson’ by Tara T. Green

Tara T. Green builds on Black feminist, sexuality, historical and cultural studies to create a literary biography that examines Dunbar-Nelson’s life and legacy as a respectable activist – a woman who navigated complex challenges associated with resisting racism and sexism, and who defined her sexual identity and sexual agency within the confines of respectability politics. It’s a book about the past, but it’s also a book about the present that nods to the future.

 

*This is a personal and non-exhaustive selection of recommended readings done by the Redscope Team.