Women's Studies

This Study Guide Collection of nonfiction titles spans foundational Women's Studies texts such as Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, critical texts such as Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic, and contemporary best sellers like Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit.

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World was published in 2019. Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist who advocates for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights through her fiction. Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World examines the life of a sex worker who was murdered in Istanbul, Turkey, exploring key moments in her life while her friends desperately try to arrange her funeral. The novel investigates topics like violence against... Read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Summary


Publication year 1984Genre Novel, FictionTags Afro-Caribbean Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction

Abeng (1984) is a fictionalized semi-autobiographical novel by Jamaican-American author Michelle Cliff (1946-2016). Born in Kingston, Cliff spent most of her life in the US where she taught at several prestigious colleges and universities. Abeng, the first of Cliff’s three novels, is a subversive history of Jamaica, as well as a coming-of-age story of bi-racial girl Clare Savage. Through her efforts to understand her surroundings and her own place in the world, Clare gradually uncovers... Read Abeng Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Immigration, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Immigration / Refugee, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Parenting, Arts / Culture, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., Biography

A Dream Called Home is a memoir published in 2018 by the award-winning Mexican American author Reyna Grande. The book is the sequel to her bestselling 2012 memoir, The Distance Between Us, which addresses Reyna’s experiences crossing the US-Mexico border as a child. The title alludes to the American dream while also gesturing to varied concepts of home. This summary refers to the 2018 English-language edition published by Atria Books.Plot SummaryReyna divides her memoir into... Read A Dream Called Home Summary


Publication year 1851Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1981Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2020Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Climate Change, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1998Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Daughters & SonsTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Gender / Feminism, Immigration / Refugee, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Esmeralda’s family relocates from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn in 1961, when Esmeralda is 13 years old. On the cusp of womanhood, Esmeralda receives warnings from her family members, and especially her mother, Mami, to watch out for the many algos or dangers lurking in the city. Struggling to adjust to city life in Brooklyn, Esmeralda misses Puerto Rico, and she dreams of the day when she will return. Initially put into remedial classes because she... Read Almost a Woman Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Birth, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags History: U.S., Health / Medicine, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812 is a 1990 nonfiction biography of midwife Martha Ballard by American historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Using Martha Ballard’s diary as a primary source, Ulrich utilizes a microhistorical approach to evaluate the life of Ballard, the history of Maine’s Kennebec River region, and the themes of social medicine, women’s role in the economy, and religion’s place in everyday life. A Midwife’s Tale won... Read A Midwife's Tale Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor

Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: GenderTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, History: World

Publication year 1965Genre Poem, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Free verse, Animals, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Confessional, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, History: World, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1983Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Prose poetry, Post Modernism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

In At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance—a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power, historian Danielle L. McGuire uncovers the untold history of many Black female civil rights activists. McGuire’s book is meant to serve as a correction to popular accounts of the civil rights era. While the movement has frequently been associated with its male leaders, such as Martin... Read At the Dark End of the Street Summary


Publication year 1856Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionTags Classic Fiction, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, Romanticism / Romantic Period, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period

Written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and first published in 1856 at the height of the Romantic Movement, Aurora Leigh is a narrative novel in blank verse that divided critics by challenging the standard positions within contemporary debates regarding class and gender. Standing at nine books and 11,000 lines, it is the first feature-length poem in English that places a female artist at the center of the plot, and as such, it catapulted its equally atypical... Read Aurora Leigh Summary


Publication year 1792Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Romanticism / Romantic Period, History: U.S., Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects was written in 1792 by Mary Wollstonecraft. It is often referred to as one of the earliest feminist texts, and Wollstonecraft herself described it as proto-feminist. In it, Wollstonecraft explores the oppression of women by men, and argues that no society can be either virtuous or moral while half of the population are being subjugated by the other half. Ultimately, Wollstonecraft... Read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: War, Identity: GenderTags History: World, History: U.S., WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Military / War, Biography

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII’s Most Dangerous Spy is a 2019 biography by Sonia Purnell. It tells the story of Virginia Hall, a US spy whose efforts were critical to France’s success in World War II. Despite its larger-than-life nature and importance to the Allies’ success, Hall’s story has remained largely unknown until now. In recounting Virginia Hall’s life, Purnell examines themes like the importance of Serving a... Read A Woman of No Importance Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Bad Feminist is a collection of essays from writer, scholar, and social critic Roxane Gay. Published in 2014 by Harper Perennial, the New York Times best seller draws together an array of topics, from pop culture to literary discourse to political legislation to personal recollections, in an analysis of society, culture, and politics. Gay tackles modern patriarchy and racism in ways that emphasize the humanity of marginalized people and how those systems of oppression deny... Read Bad Feminist Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Self Discovery, Society: Nation, Society: CommunityTags History: U.S., Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Education, History: The Americas, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, History: World, Biography

Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: CourageTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Biography

Becoming is a memoir by Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States from 2008-2016, originally published in 2018. In addition to describing her time in the White House, Obama details her upbringing, her education, her work in community outreach, and her relationship with former president Barack Obama, all of which contribute to the process of becoming the woman she is today. Becoming was the bestselling book of the year in 2018 and... Read Becoming Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Mothers, Society: CommunityTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, Philosophy

Publication year 2000Genre Poem, FictionThemes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & DeathTags Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., African American Literature, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2011Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Humor, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Bossypants is a humorous memoir published in 2011 by actor and writer Tina Fey. Fey describes growing up as an awkward, smart-mouthed girl and traces the process by which she enters show business, from working at a theater summer camp, to taking night improv classes, to writing for Saturday Night Live, and finally to creating her own television sitcom, 30 Rock. Fey writes of the discrimination and double standards to which women in show business... Read Bossypants Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: MothersTags Japanese Literature, Gender / Feminism, Asian Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Gender / Feminism, History: World, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy

Publication year 2017Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Identity: GenderTags Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Publication year 2010Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Realistic Fiction, History: Middle Eastern, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction

Celestial Bodies is a novel by Omani author Jokha Alharthi, translated into English by Marilyn Booth. Charting the lives of various generations of a family in the fictional town of al-Awafi, it depicts an evolving Omani society that is still coming to grips with the post-colonial world and the abolition of slavery. It won the 2019 Man Booker International Prize.Plot SummaryThe plot for Celestial Bodies skips around in time, alternating between Abdallah’s reminiscences on a... Read Celestial Bodies Summary


Publication year 1980Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Society: ColonialismTags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Relationships, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Asian Literature, History: World

Clear Light of Day (1980) is Anita Desai’s sixth and—according to the author—most autobiographical novel. This novel was the first of three of Desai’s books to be nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. Like other books in her corpus, such as Cry, the Peacock (1963) and Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975), it deals with gender struggles in a modernizing India. Set against the backdrop of Indian Independence and Partition, it explores the lives... Read Clear Light of Day Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: WarTags History: World, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: JoyTags Gender / Feminism, Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Relationships, Self Help, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Psychology, Psychology

Publication year 2012Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Biography

Crazy Brave: A Memoir is an autobiographical work by poet, writer, artist, and musician Joy Harjo that was published by W. W. Norton and Company in 2012. The memoir follows the life of Joy Harjo from birth to adulthood and her struggles with spirituality and creativity while living with various alcoholic and abusive men. Over the course of her life, she discovers that poetry, art, storytelling, and music can liberate her from her oppressive domestic... Read Crazy Brave Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Play, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: FamilyTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

Crimes of the Heart is a three-act play by Beth Henley. It opens five years after Hurricane Camille, in a Mississippi town called Hazlehurst. The entirety of the play takes place in the kitchen of the house belonging to the Magrath sisters: Lenny, Babe, and Meg.   The play begins on Lenny’s thirtieth birthday. Lenny and Chick, a first cousin, are taking about an unspecified piece of terrible news that will be appearing in the newspaper. It has something to do... Read Crimes of the Heart Summary


Publication year 1989Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: ClassTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, French Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Crossing the Mangrove (1995) by Maryse Condé was originally published in French as Traversée de la Mangrove. It was translated to English by her husband Richard Philcox. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel opens with a mystery—that of Francis Sancher’s murder. As characters gather to speak at Sancher’s wake, they reveal his impact on the village of Rivière au Sel (“Salty River”), as well as why he returned to the village of his ancestors. While... Read Crossing the Mangrove Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Parenting, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1848Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Sociology, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, LGBTQ

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference, also known as Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences, is a 2010 work of feminist nonfiction by British psychologist and philosopher Dr. Cordelia Fine. Through an intensive but accessible review of neurological and sociological studies, the book debunks the idea that men and women have different brains. Nominated for numerous awards upon its publication, it went on to become a bestseller... Read Delusions of Gender Summary


Publication year 1998Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Inspirational, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad is a memoir published in 1998 by the Somali model, author, and activist Waris Dirie and author Cathleen Miller. The book recounts Dirie’s harrowing life story, from her roots as a member of a nomadic family and the abuses she suffered as a child to her rise to international fame as a fashion model, an ambassador and advocate for women's rights, and an author. The novel... Read Desert Flower Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Leadership/Organization/Management, Crime / Legal, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Politics / Government, Biography

Publication year 1957Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography

Publication year 1973Genre Poem, FictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Lyric Poem, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, History: World, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction

“Diving into the Wreck” is the title poem of Adrienne Rich’s 1973 National Book Award-winning collection. A 94-line, ten stanza free verse poem, the work encompasses Rich’s thematic concerns of radical feminism and art and examines how gender functions within the larger context of culture, literature, and oral tradition.Rich’s mid-career poem came about during a period of intense change in her life. While her earlier poems had been more traditional in form and topic, over... Read Diving into the Wreck Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: BeautyTags History: African , Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Biography

First published in 1994, Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood is Fatima Mernissi’s memoir of her experience growing up in a harem in Fez, Morocco, in the 1940s. Mernissi, who received her PhD in political science from Brandeis University and won the Prince of Asturias Award and the Erasmus Prize for her feminist writing, was the author of several nonfiction works examining women’s place in the Islamic world.Dreams of Trespass encompasses Fatima’s life... Read Dreams of Trespass Summary


Publication year 1966Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Identity: Femininity, Society: CommunityTags African Literature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, African American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Language, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1981Genre Poem, FictionThemes Identity: RaceTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Arts / Culture

Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: FamilyTags Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Health / Medicine, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World

Publication year 2000Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by critic, academic, and writer bell hooks is described by the author as a primer, a handbook, even “a dream come true” (ix). In the Introduction to the book, hooks describes her labor of love in writing this brief guide to feminism, and she employs a concise style that does not waver from her goal of educating readers about the fundamentals of feminism. This book is the product of... Read Feminism Is For Everybody Summary


Publication year 1984Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Philosophy

Publication year 2000Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Fathers, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags History: World, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, Politics / Government, Biography

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers is a nonfiction memoir by the Cambodian author Loung Ung. A survivor of the 1970s Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime, Ung wrote the story as an adult looking back on her childhood years between the ages of five and nine. Although some experts criticized the book over its historical accuracy, other critics lauded Ung for capturing the emotional truth of her experiences... Read First They Killed My Father Summary


Publication year 1975Genre Play, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Play: Drama, Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

A choreopoem is a work of art that combines dance, music, and poetry. Because the medium focuses as much on nonverbal communication as the written word, choreopoems are performance pieces. Ntozake Shange originated this format in 1974, when for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf debuted in San Francisco, California. Later, the choreopoem made its Broadway debut in December 1976, a move that Shange describes as “either too big for... Read For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf Summary


Publication year 1970Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S.

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: U.S., American Revolution, Colonial America, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government

Published in 2004, Cokie Roberts’s Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation is a non-fiction, historical study of the role women played in establishing the United States as an independent nation. This study guide refers to the first edition of the text, published by William Morrow-HarperCollins in 2004.  In her introduction, Roberts recalls her childhood delight at hearing tales of her ancestor William Claiborne, who met the Founding Fathers. However, she recognizes that she... Read Founding Mothers Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Race, Society: ColonialismTags Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World

Publication year 1990Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: FamilyTags Allegory / Fable / Parable, Grief / Death, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

“Friend of My Youth” is the title short story from the collection of the same name by Alice Munro, published in 1990. The collection won the 1990 Trillium Book Award, which recognizes writers from Ontario, Canada.Narrated in the first person, the story is told from the perspective of an unnamed female writer in mourning for her mother, who died some years earlier of Parkinson’s disease. The narrator describes a recurrent dream that she used to... Read Friend of My Youth Summary


Publication year 1989Genre Book, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Published in 1990, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity is a seminal work in feminism and a foundational work in queer theory. This study guide is based on the 2006 Routledge edition of Butler’s text. Butler's primary aims in the work are to make a case for rejecting an essential female identity as the basis for feminist practice and to come up with an account of gender formation without recourse to... Read Gender Trouble Summary


Publication year 1955Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Midlife, Identity: FemininityTags Inspirational, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Biography, Self Help, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Gift from the Sea is a 1955 work of inspirational nonfiction literature by American author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. While vacationing on Captiva Island, Florida, Lindbergh explores the questions of how to find a new, more natural rhythm of life and how to gain a deeper relationship with herself and others. To gain inspiration for this, she discusses various shells that she finds on the beach. The first two shells she finds symbolize the importance of... Read Gift From The Sea Summary


Publication year 1986Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: MarriageTags History: European, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Italian Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World

In Giovanni and Lusanna: Love and Marriage in Renaissance Florence, published in 2004, historian Gene Brucker describes the events of a single relationship in fifteenth-century Florence. This “microhistory” of a romance and subsequent court trial demonstrates how Florentine society treated love, marriage, and social class.In Chapter 1, Brucker reveals that he learned of the relationship between Giovanni di Ser Lodovico della Casa and Lusanna di Girolamo through the records of the notary Ser Filippo Mazzei... Read Giovanni and Lusanna Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Girls Like Us: Fighting For a World Where Girls Are Not For Sale, is a memoir by Rachel Lloyd that challenges how sexually exploited girls are treated and perceived in society. The book was originally published by Harper Perennial in February 2012 to positive reviews from various sources and figures such as Elle, Marie Claire, Demi Moore, Harlem Children’s Zone, and Tony Award-winning playwright and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sarah Jones. Rachel Lloyd, a survivor of... Read Girls Like Us Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Gender / Feminism, Parenting, Psychology, Love / Sexuality, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, LGBTQ, Realistic Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

Bernardine Evaristo’s polyphonic novel of modern Britain and womanhood, Girl, Woman, Other, won the 2019 Booker Prize. Evaristo was the first Black woman to receive this literary prize for books written in the English language. Employing an experimental, poetic form, the novel follows several generations of mainly Black, British women who interrogate the intersections of identity, Human Connectivity and Interdependence, Diaspora in Great Britain, and The Impact of Family Legacy. Girl, Woman, Other is Evaristo’s... Read Girl, Woman, Other Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: CourageTags Biography, Sports, Gender / Feminism, Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1939Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: FateTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, The Lost Generation, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, French Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Published in 1939, Good Morning, Midnight is a semiautobiographical work written by Jean Rhys. A writer of Creole and Welsh descent, Rhys lived in the British West Indies before traveling to England to study. She married and traveled throughout Europe with her first husband, a journalist of French origin. This marriage ended in divorce. Sasha Jensen, the narrator of Good Morning, Midnight, also leaves London to follow her husband Enno. They eventually settle in Paris... Read Good Morning, Midnight Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Diversity, Education, Education, Sociology, Politics / Government

In their 2009 nonfiction book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, husband-and-wife journalist team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn document what they consider the paramount moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls. The book was an international bestseller, inspired a four-part PBS documentary of the same name, and launched the Half the Sky movement.Like many journalists, when Kristof and WuDunn first began their careers, they... Read Half the Sky Summary


Publication year 1955Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography, History: U.S., Race / Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is a 1955 biography by American author Ann Petry. This book takes the reader on a journey through Harriet Tubman’s life, from her birth to enslaved parents on a Maryland plantation to her death as a free woman in New York in 1913. Tubman is a well-known figure in American history and is best known for her heroic actions as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. After escaping... Read Harriet Tubman Summary


Publication year 1915Genre Novel, FictionTags Gender / Feminism, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Satire, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Herland (1915) is the second installment of The Herland Trilogy by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, but it is typically read as a standalone novel. Gilman was an American humanist, feminist activist, and author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her most famous work is “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), a short story that depicts the late 1800s “rest cure”: a popular treatment for women’s mental health that Gilman underwent herself. Herland follows three men—Van, Jeff, and Terry—who find... Read Herland Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Natural World: Space & The UniverseTags Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Science / Nature, History: World, Biography

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race is a 2016 nonfiction book by Margot Lee Shetterly. Shetterly grew up in Hampton, Virginia, where her father worked at Langley Research Center, on which the book is centered. Thus, she knew firsthand both the story and many of the people involved. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the business school at the University of... Read Hidden Figures Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Class, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Politics / Government

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Society: ImmigrationTags Gender / Feminism, Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2023Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Religion / Spirituality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Afro-Caribbean Literature, Gender / Feminism, Biography

Publication year 1992Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionTags Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed (1992) by Croatian essayist and journalist Slavenka Drakulić details life in Communist Eastern Europe, especially the former Yugoslavia (which after 1989 would become eight distinct countries, including Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Montenegro). Drakulić wrote this collection in response to the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and dissolution of the USSR; in her view, there was more political coverage than reflections of how communism affected quotidian life. In... Read How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, Education, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2012Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Education, Gender / Feminism, History: Asian, Middle Eastern Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban is an autobiographical book written by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai and published in 2013.Malala Yousafzai was born a little different. From the beginning, her father, Ziauddin, treated her differently than most fathers in Swat, Pakistan treated their daughters. He put her on the family tree, a position usually reserved for the men in the family and nicknamed her... Read I Am Malala Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags History: Middle Eastern, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Biography, Religion / Spirituality

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced tells the story of Nujood Ali, a Yemeni girl who is possibly the youngest divorcée in the world. Nujood published her biography, co-written with French journalist Delphine Minoui, in 2010, two years after her controversial divorce. The novel begins with an introduction to the country of Yemen and to Nujood’s story written by Delphine Minoui, the book’s second and adult writer. Minoui never specifies how she and Nujood... Read I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: FriendshipTags Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Publication year 1982Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community, Identity: Femininity, Identity: MasculinityTags Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1983Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: MothersTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Race / Racism, Social Justice

In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens is a collection of essays, speeches, and letters by Alice Walker. The collection was published in 1983. Walker is also a novelist and a poet. Her most famous novel, The Color Purple, was published in 1982 and won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1983. The novel was adapted into a movie as well as a musical. These essays are collected from different books and... Read In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens Summary


Publication year 2000Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Latin American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

In the Name of Salomé, first published in 2000, is the fourth novel by Dominican-American author Julia Alvarez. Alvarez is a poet as well as a novelist and has also written essays, nonfiction works, and children’s books. Alvarez was born in the United States but raised in the Dominican Republic, and her work focuses heavily on the experience of a Latina assimilating into American culture. Her family’s political activity in their homeland and her own... Read In the Name of Salome Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: Gender, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Gender / Feminism, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Finance / Money / Wealth, Sociology, Business / Economics, Technology, Health / Medicine, Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2009Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Past, Society: ColonialismTags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Spanish Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Romance

Publication year 1992Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, French Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Part I relates the story of Tituba from her birth to her arrival in Salem. Part II begins with the witch trials and ends with Tituba’s execution in Barbados in the 1700s. The Epilogue, narrated by Tituba’s spirit, brings the story from the century of her death to that of the present-day reader. Following the Epilogue are two sections that Condé included in the original French publication: a Historical Note on the Salem witch trials... Read I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Politics / Government, Biography

Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America, written by Helen Thorpe, is detailed account of the lives of four Mexico-born girls as they come of age in Denver, Colorado. Thorpe, an Irish-American journalist, published the nonfiction novel in 2009. Two of the girls, Clara and Elissa, are here legally, while the other two, Marisela and Yadira, are without documents. While the girls are similar in birth and... Read Just Like Us Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: ClassTags Social Justice, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 2019Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Crime / Legal, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Published in 2019, Chanel Miller’s Know My Name: A Memoir is her first book. A harrowing account of surviving rape and reclaiming identity, Miller’s memoir documents her 2015 rape at Stanford University and its aftermath. A New York Times bestselling author, Miller provides a raw yet hopeful examination of sexual assault. Through the intersections of gender, race, and class, Miller, who is Chinese American, explores society’s treatment of survivors. Ultimately, Miller offers a hopeful journey... Read Know My Name: A Memoir Summary


Publication year 1996Genre Short Story Collection, FictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: FamilyTags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Self Discovery, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Family, Relationships: FriendshipTags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Publication year 1987Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Natural World: PlaceTags Classic Fiction, Biography, Gender / Feminism, Inspirational, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2014Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Identity: GenderTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, History: World, Biography, American Civil War, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., History: The Americas

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War is the third book by New York Times best-selling author Karen Abbott. Though Abbott has recently changed her publishing name to Abbott Kahler, because Liar Temptress, Soldier, Spy is still printed and published as authored by Karen Abbott, this guide will refer to the author by that name. Abbott often writes about American women’s history, focusing on overlooked stories, accomplishments, and contributions of women... Read Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Philosophy, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ, Philosophy

Publication year 1719Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Romance, Love / Sexuality, British Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1995Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: NationTags Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1798Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Femininity, Society: Education, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Gothic Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 2014Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Social Justice, Politics / Government

Men Explain Things to Me is Rebecca Solnit’s 19th book. First published in 2014, it is comprised of a collection of essays primarily concerned with gender politics. The first essay explores men silencing women. It begins with Solnit recounting a conversation with “Mr. Very Important” in which he asks her about her writing, only to talk over her and lecture her about a book that, it turns out, she actually wrote. She uses this to... Read Men Explain Things To Me Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Daughters & SonsTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Relationships, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Korean Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Asian Literature, Biography

Publication year 2013Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Publication year 2013Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Politics / Government, Biography

Sonia Sotomayor (b. June 25, 1954) is an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Born and raised in the Bronx, NY to Puerto Rican parents, she graduated from Princeton University summa cum laude in 1976 and Yale University’s law school in 1979. After four and a half years working as an assistant district attorney in New York City, she joined Pavia & Harcourt, a small Manhattan law firm, eventually becoming a partner. In... Read My Beloved World Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: ApathyTags Addiction / Substance Abuse, Grief / Death, Class, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Publication year 1945Genre Novel, FictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Carmen Laforet’s first novel, Nada, tells the coming-of-age story of Andrea, an orphan who moves from a convent in provincial Spain to the city of Barcelona. Published to widespread acclaim in 1945 when Laforet was just 23, the novel won the Premio Nadal literary prize. Known for its artful portrayal of the poverty, class stratification, and domestic struggles many families faced after the Spanish Civil War, Nada paints a realistic portrait of life under Francisco... Read Nada Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: NationTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Post-War Era, Southern Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Biography

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Society: CommunityTags Magical Realism, Satire, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1983Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: HopeTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: U.S., Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Arts / Culture

Publication year 1998Genre Play, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: AgingTags Play: Drama, Drama / Tragedy, Depression / Suicide, Relationships, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction

’Night, Mother by Marsha Norman opened on Broadway in 1983, earning the Tony Award for Best Play and the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play takes place in real time, with no intermission or breaks in the action, to depict the unrelenting emotional exchange between Thelma and her daughter, Jessie, after Jessie announces that she plans to commit suicide. As Jessie sets her affairs in order, Thelma tries unsuccessfully to stop Jessie’s plan from... Read Night, Mother Summary


Publication year 1936Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags Modern Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Nightwood, by Djuna Barnes, was first published in 1936. It tells the story of Robin Vote and the lives of those she becomes entangled with as she struggles with her desires and need for freedom. While set mostly in 1930s Paris, the novel is cosmopolitan in nature, with action also taking place in Vienna, Berlin, and various parts of America. This book is an example of modernist literature from the period between world wars and... Read Nightwood Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Marriage, Society: CommunityTags Religion / Spirituality, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Travel Literature

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Society: CommunityTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us (2019) was written by Rachel Louise Snyder, an associate professor of creative writing and journalism at American University. A world traveler, longtime contributor to magazines and podcasts, and a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow, Snyder has won awards for both her fiction and nonfiction works, which include Fugitive Denim and What We’ve Lost is Nothing. No Visible Bruises, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, won the... Read No Visible Bruises Summary


Publication year 2024Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Self DiscoveryTags History: World, Humor, Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1988Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Asian Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Paradise of the Blind (1988) is a fictional novel written by Duong Thu Huong, a dissident Vietnamese writer and former Communist Party member who openly criticizes the disillusionment of communism through her writings. As a former Communist Youth Brigade leader, Duong was in a unique position to observe the political and social chaos of communist Vietnam. Paradise of the Blind is set against the backdrop of Land Reform, the official state-run attempt at land redistribution... Read Paradise of the Blind Summary


Publication year 1970Genre Novel, FictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction

Play It as It Lays is a novel by Joan Didion published in 1970. It was named one of TIME’s 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923-2005, cementing its status as one of the greatest works of American literature. In 1972, the novel was adapted for film, and Didion and her husband co-wrote the screenplay. Joan Didion is known for her fiction and nonfiction as well as for screenplays and a memoir entitled The Year of Magical Thinking. She has... Read Play It As It Lays Summary


Publication year 1928Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Harlem Renaissance, Classic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, Historical Fiction

Jessie Redmon Fauset’s Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral recounts the story of a young Black woman in the 1920s who decides to pass as white. Ostensibly a coming-of-age story, the novel features a complex treatment of racial barriers and gender inequalities. While the trajectory of the novel is straightforward and relatively typical for the bildungsroman—young woman leaves home, discovers herself through a series of obstacles she must overcome, and finally learns how to... Read Plum Bun Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: SexualityTags Latin American Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

Prayers for the Stolen is a 2012 coming-of-age novel by American Mexican author Jennifer Clement, who resides in Mexico City. Clement formerly served as president of PEN Mexico, part of a worldwide association of playwrights, poets, editors, essayists, and novelists that advocates for freedom of expression. Clement took up this role at a time when Mexico was among the most dangerous countries in the world in which to work in journalism. The narrator and protagonist... Read Prayers for the Stolen Summary


Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Mothers, Society: ClassTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Social Science, Parenting, Social Justice, Poverty, Sociology

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Society: EducationTags Race / Racism, Education, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2003Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: War, Self Discovery, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Gender / Feminism, History: Middle Eastern, Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Biography

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books is a memoir by Iranian American author Azar Nafisi, first released to widespread critical and popular acclaim in 2003. The memoir recalls Nafisi’s experiences living and teaching in Iran after the 1979 revolution that created the Islamic Republic of Iran, until her eventual exile in the United States in 1997. At the center of the memoir is Nafisi’s account of a secret book club she hosted during... Read Reading Lolita in Tehran Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), British Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction

Remarkable Creatures (2009), a novel by Tracy Chevalier, is historical fiction that explores the unlikely friendship between Mary Anning, a working-class woman with a passion for fossil hunting, and Elizabeth Philpot, an unmarried middle-class woman. The novel is set against the backdrop of the rigid societal conventions of 19th-century England. When Mary uncovers a prehistoric fossil on the cliffs of Lyme Regis, her discovery ignites enthusiasm in the scientific community and threatens her village’s deeply... Read Remarkable Creatures Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & YouthTags Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Parenting, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self Help

Reviving Ophelia was written in 1994 by Mary Pipher, a psychologist who works with women and teen girls, studying the ways cultural norms impact their mental health. The book comprises a collection of Pipher’s essays, which are based on the interviews and focus groups with adolescent girls she conducted with her daughter, Sara Pipher. She wrote the collection to bring awareness to the cultural trauma and dysfunction experienced by adolescent girls and to assist girls... Read Reviving Ophelia Summary


Publication year 2002Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: FamilyTags Disability, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Riding the Bus With My Sister: A True Life Journey is the New York Times bestselling author Rachel Simon’s 2002 memoir chronicling her experiences with her intellectually disabled sister, Beth. Over the course of a year, Simon rides the bus with Beth and writes about the journey. She learns to confront her own ignorance about her sister’s condition and forms a close bond with her. The book chronicles Rachel’s emotional and spiritual growth, as Rachel’s... Read Riding The Bus With My Sister Summary


Publication year 1974Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family, Identity: IndigenousTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, African Literature, Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1970Genre Book, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Love / Sexuality, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Kate Millett’s 1970 book Sexual Politics is a groundbreaking feminist critique of literature and social organization that is widely regarded as an essential radical feminist text.It opens with brief exploration of fiction by Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Jean Genet. Presenting these as “Incidents of Sexual Politics,” Millett examines how power operates within sexual relationships and builds an argument that the relationship between the sexes is a political issue revolving around the dominance of one... Read Sexual Politics Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Mystery / Crime Fiction, Journalism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 1984Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Race, Society: CommunityTags Race / Racism, LGBTQ, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Publication year 1925Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: RevengeTags Harlem Renaissance, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: U.S., Arts / Culture, Black Lives Matter, African American Literature

“Spunk” is a short story by Zora Neale Hurston published in 1925. Set in the rural Southern United States, “Spunk” follows the conflict that ensues when one man pursues another man’s wife. The story’s publication helped establish Hurston as a significant literary voice during the Harlem Renaissance. In 1989, George C. Wolfe adapted the story, along with content from two others by Hurston, into a play by the same name. Citations in this guide correspond... Read Spunk Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Food, Relationships: MothersTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Asian Literature, Food, Biography

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner is a memoir by Bich Minh Nguyen that tells the story of her childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan as a young Vietnamese refugee. Bich’s family, made up of her father; her grandmother, Noi; her sister, Anh; and her uncles, Chu Anh, Chu Cuong, and Chu Dai; flee to the United States from Vietnam in April 1975, just as Saigon is falling to the North Vietnamese. Her mother is left behind, and the... Read Stealing Buddha's Dinner Summary


Publication year 1977Genre Poem, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: RaceTags Inspirational, Lyric Poem, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Classic Fiction

Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist whose career spanned over 50 years. She published seven autobiographies, several books of poetry, and three essay collections and wrote plays, movies, and television shows. Her widely acclaimed work has received numerous awards, and Angelou has received over 50 honorary degrees. Her best known work is her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing, which focuses on her childhood up to the... Read Still I Rise Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Writer and professor Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, originally published in 2015, is a work of “autotheory”— it combines Nelson’s personal experiences of marriage and motherhood with reflections on the writing process, queer and feminist theory, and psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. This blending of genres gives the book its unconventional form; unlike a more traditional memoir, The Argonauts jumps backwards and forwards in Nelson’s life as she explores ideas and images related to pregnancy, sexuality, identity... Read The Argonauts Summary


Publication year 1932Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: MarriageTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Artificial Silk Girl, by Irmgard Keun, originally published in 1932 as Das kunstseidene Mädchen, is an example of Neue Sachlichkeit, a German literary movement of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933). This guide follows the 2019 Penguin Modern Classics version translated by Kathie von Ankum. Plot SummaryDoris, an 18-year-old German girl from a mid-sized town in the Ruhr Valley, dreams of becoming a star and living a life of luxury. She comes from a lower-middle-class family, lives... Read The Artificial Silk Girl Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Health / Medicine, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Life/Time: AgingTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Psychology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women was published in 1990 and republished in 2002 by HarperCollins with an updated introduction. At the time of its original release, The Beauty Myth was considered a seminal feminist work for its analysis of the way the market—and its consumer culture—generates and perpetuates the myth of beauty to control women on a psychological level. This study guide refers to the 2009 HarperCollins... Read The Beauty Myth Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World

The Birth House is a work of historical fiction written by Canadian novelist Ami McKay and published in 2009. The book was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and won three Libris Awards from the Canadian Booksellers Association. The story takes place in the early 20th century during World War I and is set primarily in Scots Bay, a small shipbuilding community in Nova Scotia, Canada. While she is originally from Indiana, McKay... Read The Birth House Summary


Publication year 1988Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: DisabilityTags Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1980Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: CommunityTags Health / Medicine, Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Disability, Biography

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, activist, and memoirist whose writings on lesbian feminism and race were integral to second-wave feminism. Lorde was born in New York City on February 18, 1934 to Grenadian immigrant parents. She attended Hunter High School, where she edited the school’s literary magazine. She published her first poem, which had been rejected by an English teacher, in Seventeen magazine. She later attended Hunter College, where she trained to become a... Read The Cancer Journals Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags History: World, Biography, Politics / Government, History: European, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2004Genre Play, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: SiblingsTags Play: Comedy / Satire, Play: Drama, Relationships, Gender / Feminism, Grief / Death, Class, American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy

The Clean House, which premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2004 and opened Off-Broadway in 2006, was the first major play by celebrated American playwright Sarah Ruhl, whose other widely recognized works include Eurydice (2004), Dead Man’s Cell Phone (2007), and In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) (2009). The Clean House received a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2004 and was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Ruhl also earned... Read The Clean House Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: Gender, Relationships: TeamsTags Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Health / Medicine, Technology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Biography

Publication year 2009Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, Diversity, Education, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2020Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: World, Politics / Government, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Cold War, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Publication year 1942Genre Essay / Speech, FictionThemes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Grief / Death, Animals, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), British Literature, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1987Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Identity: Femininity, Society: CommunityTags History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, Colonial America, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, History: World, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2021Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Biography, History: World, Gender / Feminism, Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: ImmigrationTags Immigration / Refugee, Relationships, History: African , Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Race / Racism, African American Literature, Military / War, History: World, Biography

Publication year 2011Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Business / Economics, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, History: World, Biography

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe is the nonfiction debut of American journalist and author, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, first published in 2011. It chronicles the story of Kamila Sidiqi, a young woman living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who became a fashion entrepreneur at a time when the rights of women were strictly limited. Lemmon traveled to Afghanistan to study... Read The Dressmaker of Khair Khana Summary


Publication year 1969Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: FemininityTags Gender / Feminism, Food, Satire, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

Published in 1969, The Edible Woman was Margret Atwood’s first novel and established her reputation as a significant contemporary novelist. The Edible Woman follows recently engaged Marian McAlpin as she attempts to reconcile her need for personal autonomy with the gendered expectations inherent within the roles of a wife and mother. As Marian begins to feel a loss of identity, her body suddenly refuses certain foods, particularly meat. To reflect the inner struggle her protagonist... Read The Edible Woman Summary


Publication year 1947Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionTags Philosophy, Existentialism, French Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Published in 1948 in the wake of World War II, The Ethics of Ambiguity by French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) is a significant contribution to existentialist thought and outlines a practical system of ethics. Human freedom is of the utmost concern to the existentialist, and de Beauvoir argues that with human freedom comes ethical responsibility, countering those philosophers and skeptics who say that existentialism does not give practical guidance on how to live our... Read The Ethics Of Ambiguity Summary


Publication year 1970Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Publication year 1963Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Society: Education, Society: EconomicsTags Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., History: World, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Betty Friedan’s 1963 The Feminine Mystique is considered a classic text of feminist non-fiction. It was enormously influential in kick-starting the second wave of feminism, a movement that began in the 1960s advocating increased rights and new social roles for women. By voicing the despair that many women felt, The Feminine Mystique galvanized readers across the US to join the feminist movement and prompted others to at least to take its criticisms of mid-century American... Read The Feminine Mystique Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Biography, NonfictionTags History: U.S., Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, WWII / World War II, Science / Nature, History: World, Biography

Published in 2013, Denise Kiernan’s The Girls of Atomic City tells the stories of Oak Ridge, a secret town that grew around plutonium processing plants in Tennessee, and of the women who worked there during the Second World War. A New York Times bestseller within its first week of publication, the book went on to receive the 2014 APSA Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award. Via the experiences of several new arrivals, the reader learns about Oak Ridge... Read The Girls of Atomic City Summary


Publication year 1962Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Post Modernism, British Literature, Depression / Suicide, Love / Sexuality, Mental Illness, Relationships, Cold War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World

Considered the most influential of Doris Lessing’s many novels, The Golden Notebook explores the development of a young writer. Anna Wulf has published one novel, Frontiers of War, to great acclaim, but she now finds herself uncomfortable with what she sees as its sentimentality and romanticization of war. Thus, she remains mired in a kind of writer’s block. She still writes in her notebooks, but she cannot bring herself to return to writing novels—especially in... Read The Golden Notebook Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Latin American Literature, American Literature, Arts / Culture

Publication year 1979Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: ColonialismTags African Literature, Gender / Feminism, Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, Classic Fiction

The Joys of Motherhood (1979) is a historical fiction novel by Buchi Emecheta. Set in both rural and urban Nigerian locales over several decades, the novel explores changes in the roles and status of women against the backdrop of colonialism. It follows the life of Nnu Ego, a woman whose identity and self-worth are deeply intertwined with her role as a mother.This guide is based on the 1990 George Braziller edition of the text. It... Read The Joys of Motherhood Summary


Publication year 1950Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Identity: MasculinityTags Philosophy, Race / Racism, Sociology, Gender / Feminism, Latin American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Labyrinth of Solitude is a nine-part philosophical and historical essay on Mexican identity and culture. Octavio Paz, a famous Mexican poet and career diplomat, began writing The Labyrinth of Solitude during his time as the Mexican ambassador to France in the late 1940s. Originally published in 1951, the first edition of Paz’s work appeared in Spanish under the title El labertino de la soledad, and it is widely considered to be Paz’s masterpiece. This... Read The Labyrinth of Solitude Summary


Publication year 1995Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: MemoryTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Mental Illness, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Southern Literature, Biography

The Liars’ Club is a memoir by Mary Karr and was first published in 1995. It won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for nonfiction and was a New York Times bestseller.The subject of the memoir is Karr’s turbulent childhood. Karr and her older sister Lecia grew up in Leechfield, Texas and lived briefly in Colorado. Their father was a World War II veteran who worked at an oil refinery and came from a modest Texan background... Read The Liars' Club Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: CourageTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Arts / Culture, Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Gender / Feminism

Publication year 2006Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Identity: LanguageTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Italian Literature

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: FamilyTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Class, Love / Sexuality, Gender / Feminism, Italian Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

The Lying Life of Adults (2020) by Elena Ferrante is a work of fiction. Set in Naples, Italy, the narrative is a coming-of-age story, also known as a bildungsroman, told by Giovanna Trada. Giovanna details her adolescence from 13 to 16 years of age and the growing pains she endured while searching for identity and autonomy. Themes include the struggle between good and evil, women as either sinners or saints, and compunction and gender roles... Read The Lying Life of Adults Summary


Publication year 1979Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: LanguageTags Gender / Feminism, History: European, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Literary Criticism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination, co-authored by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, is a nonfiction scholarly text comprising 16 interconnected essays. Published in 1979, this lengthy volume is now widely considered a foundational text of feminist literary criticism. A second edition appeared in 2000 accompanied by a new Introduction by the authors that offers readers insight into Gilbert and Gubar’s decision to focus the work on... Read The Madwoman in the Attic Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, British Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, History: World

Publication year 1986Genre Novel, FictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

The Mixquiahuala Letters (1986) by Ana Castillo is a series of nonchronological, fictional letters from a poet named Teresa to her friend Alicia, an artist. The letters describ1/10/20e their experiences through a decade of friendship, including the study abroad trip on which they meet, and a second trip they take together in Mexico.Castillo’s debut work, The Mixquiahuala Letters received an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 1987. It pays homage to Hopscotch... Read The Mixquiahuala Letters Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Relationships: Teams, Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Inspirational, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Business / Economics, Self Help, Biography

Publication year 2024Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Self Discovery, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Aging, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Science / Nature

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), WWII / World War II, Gender / Feminism, History: World

Marie Benedict’s work of historical fiction, The Only Woman in the Room, tells the life story of Hedy Lamarr, a famed actress of the 1930s and 1940s. The 2019 novel rewrites Lamarr’s legacy by focusing on her path towards inventing a frequency-hopping radio technology that anticipates wi-fi. Benedict uses the political machinations of WWII and Hedy’s experiences to explore performativity, guilt, and sexism.Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain instances and discussions of... Read The Only Woman in the Room Summary


Publication year 1969Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: The PastTags Southern Gothic, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, Southern Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Eudora Welty’s novel The Optimist’s Daughter was published in 1972 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year. Welty, who was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1906, originally wrote the The Optimist’s Daughter as a short story for The New Yorker, in which it was published in 1969. Welty is widely known as a Southern writer because her fiction is derived from the politics, people, and culture of the American South. Before becoming... Read The Optimist's Daughter Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Novel, FictionThemes Self Discovery, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Historical Fiction, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Romance

Publication year 2022Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: Community, Relationships: FriendshipTags Historical Fiction, The Lost Generation, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, French Literature

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: GenderTags History: U.S., Science / Nature, WWI / World War I, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Biography

Publication year 1997Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Self DiscoveryTags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Religion / Spirituality, Jewish Literature, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World

The Red Tent (1997) is an adult historical novel by Jewish American author Anita Diamant. It describes the life of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, who appears in the biblical Book of Genesis. While her mention in the Bible only concerns her abduction by a Canaanite man and her brothers’ act of atrocity in response, Diamant imagines a full life for Dinah—including a childhood raised by several mothers, her first marriage, and life in Egypt, where... Read The Red Tent Summary


Publication year 1974Genre Short Story, FictionTags Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature

This short story by American author Mary E. Wilkins Freeman was first published in 1890. Considered by many to be a pre-feminist work, “The Revolt of ‘Mother’” addresses themes of domestic rebellion, self-assertion, the repression of women, and tradition in a male-dominated society. The narrative is often said to be autobiographic, and it shows Freeman’s complex attitudes about male and female relationships at the time it was written.The story beings as protagonist Sarah Penn, also... Read The Revolt Of Mother Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: ClassTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Class, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), LGBTQ, Biography

Publication year 1993Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Robber Bride by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood was originally published in the United States in 1993. It tells the story of three women who suffer betrayal at the hands of a fourth woman, Zenia. The novel was inspired by The Robber Bridegroom, a 19th century German fairy tale which Atwood updates to 1990s Toronto. It combines Atwood’s notable sense of humor with her attention to contemporary political issues such as feminism and environmentalism. The... Read The Robber Bride Summary


Publication year 1949Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: SexualityTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Existentialism, Philosophy, Sociology

Publication year 2014Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags History: World, Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., Social Justice, Psychology, Biography

The Secret History of Wonder Woman is a nonfiction book by Jill Lepore, published in 2014. It falls into the categories of history, comics, women’s studies, and biography, and won the American History Book Prize from the New York Historical Society. Lepore is a professor of American history at Harvard University and a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. This guide was written from the hardcover first edition.SummaryThe first section, called “Veritas,” includes nine... Read The Secret History of Wonder Woman Summary


Publication year 1988Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Politics / Government

The Sexual Contract, published in 1988 by Polity Press, is an examination of social contract theory through a radical feminist lens. While acknowledging that the original contract itself is a political fiction, Carole Pateman claims that the original contract is a sexual-social contract that secures patriarchy and relations of sexually differentiated domination and subordination in modern civil society. However, dominant interpretations repress the sexual contract so that civil society appears to be post- or anti-patriarchal... Read The Sexual Contract Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

Written in 1993, The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields is the fictional autobiography of Daisy Goodwill Flett, whose life story plays out in North America and spans much of the 20th century. The novel claims to be Daisy’s retelling of her life story, but it includes other characters’ voices and points of view, thus satirizing fiction and storytelling itself. By including a family tree and “real” family photographs, the novel explores the difference between reality... Read The Stone Diaries Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Novel, FictionTags Historical Fiction, Italian Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

The Story of a New Name is the sequel to My Brilliant Friend, the first book in Italian writer Elena Ferrante’s world-acclaimed quartet of Neapolitan novels. The second book in the quartet continues to document the friendship between Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo and opens in 1966 when first-person narrator Elena, burdened by the contents of the notebooks that Lila has entrusted to her, throws all of them into the river Arno in Pisa (where... Read The Story of a New Name Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Historical Fiction, Italian Literature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante is the fourth and final book in the Neapolitan Novel quartet, which documents the lives and friendship of Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo. The book appeared in Italian in 2014 and was translated into English by Ann Goldstein in 2015. In 2016, it made the International Booker Prize Longlist. The quartet has achieved worldwide renown, causing the pseudonymous author to become a household name. In her... Read The Story of the Lost Child Summary


Publication year 1986Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Society: NationTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Military / War, Gender / Feminism, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 1869Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Relationships: Marriage, Natural World: Nurture v. NatureTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Philosophy, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

The book-length essay The Subjection of Women was written in 1869 by John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher known for his progressive, utilitarian ideas. The essay includes four chapters and was published in London by Lonmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer publishers. The Subjection of Women is a persuasive argument, laying out the problem of women’s legal, marital, and societal oppression to show that gender equality is necessary to ensure social justice, improve societal progress, and... Read The Subjection of Women Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Poem, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Society: ImmigrationTags Lyric Poem, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness

Publication year 1980Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Historical Fiction, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Immigration / Refugee, Post-War Era, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Classic Fiction

Shirley Hazzard (1931-2016) was an Australian novelist and United Nations worker who settled in the United States. The Transit of Venus (1980) is Hazzard’s third novel and the winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. It draws upon Hazzard’s own experiences of an Australian childhood, emigrating abroad, and being part of the first generation of working women. Critics responded to the juxtaposition of intimate, personal narratives with a broader examination of what... Read The Transit of Venus Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Biography, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism

Publication year 368Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: ImmigrationTags Immigration / Refugee, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography, Social Justice

The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You is a 2019 memoir by novelist Dina Nayeri. It is her first nonfiction book and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature. While Nayeri chronicles her childhood escape from post-revolution Iran and her struggle to build an identity, she interweaves modern tales of refugees mired in uncaring asylum systems.SummaryThe author and first-person narrator of... Read The Ungrateful Refugee Summary


Publication year 1996Genre Play, FictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Play: Drama, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1979Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags History: U.S., Journalism, Politics / Government, Arts / Culture, Class, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Grief / Death, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography

Publication year 2018Genre Play, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: FemininityTags Play: Drama, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Sports, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

The Woman’s Hour (2018) is a nonfiction chronicle of the final battle for ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which gave American women the right to vote. The book explores the blood, sweat, and tears required to gain women’s suffrage in this country. Contrary to popular opinion, the process was neither quick nor easy. The events chronicled in the book take place during July and August of 1920 in Nashville, Tennessee. The author’s uses... Read The Woman's Hour Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Biography

Publication year 1976Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Relationships: FamilyTags Asian Literature, Chinese Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction, Biography

The Woman Warrior (1976) is an experimental memoir by Chinese-American author Maxine Hong Kingston. The book weaves together stories of Kingston’s childhood in California and her mother’s youth in rural China with folklore, legend, and myth, defying easy genre classification.The book is divided into five parts. In the first, “No-Name Woman,” Kingston imagines different life stories for an aunt she never met—a woman who drowned herself and her baby after being expelled from her village... Read The Woman Warrior Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Historical Fiction, Relationships, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction

First published in 1982, The Women of Brewster Place is Gloria Naylor’s debut novel and remains the African American author’s best-known work. The Women of Brewster Place was awarded the National Book Award for Best First Novel and was adapted into a miniseries in 1989 and a television show in 1990. Described as “a novel in seven stories,” the text consists of seven chapters that act as short stories, each one detailing the life of a Black woman living... Read The Women of Brewster Place Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Creative Nonfiction, Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology

Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Thick: And Other Essays (2019) is a collection of personal essays that explore race, gender, and class in the US. McMillan Cottom is a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an influential public intellectual whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Thick situates McMillan Cottom’s personal experiences within sociological and structural analysis to link her experiences to... Read Thick: And Other Essays Summary


Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: ClassTags Gender / Feminism, Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa, is a feminist literary collection of essays, prose, poems, and transcripts on the experiences of women of color and Third World women, in a mainly United States context. While many of the contributors may have been lesser-known beforehand, this anthology has become a foundational text in feminist theory. Originally published in 1981, it set precedence by delving... Read This Bridge Called My Back Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: ConflictTags Historical Fiction, Italian Literature, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (2014) is the third book in pseudonymous Italian author Elena Ferrante’s world-acclaimed adult fiction series The Neapolitan Novels. The four-novel series chronicles the friendship between first-person narrator Elena Greco and Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo from childhood to old age in an impoverished neighborhood in Naples, Italy. Translated by Ann Goldstein, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay documents the beginning of middle age, wherein the two women grapple with... Read Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay Summary


Publication year 1938Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionTags The Bloomsbury Group, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), British Literature, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Three Guineas is a book-length essay structured as a letter from Virginia Woolf to an unnamed correspondent who has asked her for help with his efforts to “prevent war” (3). Three years after receiving the letter, and amidst the rise of fascism across Europe, Woolf has finally decided to respond. As a pacifist, she feels compelled to find a way to prevent another World War, though she is perturbed by the correspondent’s ideas, which ignore... Read Three Guineas Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: MasculinityTags Love / Sexuality, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

Publication year 1958Genre Short Story, FictionThemes Relationships: Marriage, Natural World: Place, Identity: GenderTags Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, British Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: World, Romance, Classic Fiction

Doris Lessing’s 1963 short story “To Room Nineteen” explores the theme of female independence and autonomy—and of how difficult these are to achieve, especially at the time Lessing wrote it. Any reader familiar with Virginia Woolf’s classic essay “A Room of One’s Own” will find similarities here. Lessing, a Nobel laureate and accomplished writer within multiple genres, investigates boundaries and conventions throughout the canon of her work, frequently breaking down dichotomies and questioning cultural assumptions... Read To Room Nineteen Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: MusicTags Realistic Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction

Trampoline is an illustrated novel written by Robert Gipe. Ohio University Press published the novel in 2015. The story takes place in the fictional Canard County, located in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky. The narrator, Dawn Jewell, tells the story of the holiday season when she was 15 years old. Dawn is intelligent, creative, and thoughtful. She lives with her grandmother, whom she calls Mamaw, because her own mother, Momma, is too addicted to drugs... Read Trampoline Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Identity: Femininity, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Publication year 1993Genre Novel, FictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Action / Adventure

In the 1993 novella Two Old Women by Velma Wallis, the harsh Alaskan climate and rigidity of tribal life set the stage for a life-changing journey marked by perseverance and passion. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, two elderly women find themselves in the fight of their lives, a fight they rise to with beauty and determination. The story of these two women, Sa’ and Ch’idzigyaak, has come to reverberate through the ages. Part of an... Read Two Old Women Summary


Publication year 1995Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self DiscoveryTags LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Love / Sexuality, Biography

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Self Help, Biography

Published in 2020, Glennon Doyle’s Untamed is her third memoir. An accomplished writer, philanthropist, and activist, Doyle documents her lifelong journey of self-discovery and uses personal experiences to encourage women on their own respective journeys towards freedom. Through the intersections of gender, sexuality, religion, and race, Doyle unpacks the social conditioning that affects the lives of all humans, particularly women. Ultimately, Doyle offers a reflective guide to navigating life by looking internally and honoring one’s... Read Untamed Summary


Publication year 1975Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Art, Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Laura Mulvey’s essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” originally appeared in the autumn 1975 issue of the British film journal, Screen. This study guide refers to the reprint of the essay included in Mulvey’s book Visual and Other Pleasures (Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition 2009).Part 1: “Introduction”In the “Introduction” to her 1975 essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Laura Mulvey announces her agenda: to appropriate psychoanalytic theory “as a political weapon” to expose how “the unconscious... Read Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema Summary


Publication year 1988Genre Novel, FictionTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Historical Fiction

Ella Cara Deloria’s 1988 novel, Waterlily, is an examination of the Dakota Native American way of life. The novel follows a Dakota camp circle called White Ghost—a group composed of several families that live and travel together. While the novel provides perspectives from many different characters, the author places the greatest focus on Blue Bird and her daughter Waterlily. At the novel’s outset, Blue Bird gives birth to Waterlily by a river while her camp... Read Waterlily Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Identity: SexualityTags Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, History: U.S., Class, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Social Justice

Publication year 2014Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: CommunityTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Social Justice, Politics / Government

“We Should All Be Feminists” is an essay by Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is also the author of the novels Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, and Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. “We Should All Be Feminists” is based on Adichie’s December 2012 TED talk. In the essay’s introduction, Adichie states that her aim in delivering the speech was to challenge stereotypical notions of feminism.Adichie... Read We Should All Be Feminists Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Play, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Play: Drama, Play: Comedy / Satire, Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Immigration / Refugee, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy

Publication year 2023Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Marriage, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1975Genre Novella, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, African Literature, Social Justice, Education, Finance / Money / Wealth, History: Middle Eastern, Love / Sexuality, Politics / Government, Incarceration, Crime / Legal, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Classic Fiction

Woman at Point Zero, also titled Firdaus, is a 1975 novella by Nawal El Saadawi based on the true account of a woman named Firdaus who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1974. Saadawi was a prolific Egyptian feminist and physician, and she worked with Egyptian women who experienced various mental conditions that Saadawi saw largely as resulting from living in a patriarchal society. She had the privilege of meeting Firdaus on... Read Woman at Point Zero Summary


Publication year 1999Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Self Discovery, Society: NationTags American Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., Transcendentalism

Publication year 1973Genre Poem, FictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags Parenting, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 1981Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: JoyTags Self Help, Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2018Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community, Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Miriam Toews’s Women Talking (2018) is a novel set in the fictional Mennonite colony of Molotschna. It follows a group of the colony’s women as they discuss how to respond to the discovery that many of their menfolk have been anesthetizing and raping them for years. The book is inspired by actual events that took place between 2005 and 2009 in a remote Mennonite colony in Bolivia. There, eight men were discovered to have been... Read Women Talking Summary


Publication year 1992Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Philosophy, Philosophy, Psychology, Psychology, Fantasy, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality

Women Who Run With the Wolves (1992) is the most well-known book by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It became a New York Times bestseller and appeared on the bestseller lists of USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal. Other books by the same author include The Gift of Story (1993), The Faithful Gardener (1996), and Untie the Strong Woman (2011). Estés has also recorded numerous audiobooks on related topics. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology... Read Women Who Run with the Wolves Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Yellow Woman and a Beauty of Spirit is a collection of twenty-one nonfiction essays examining modern Native American life. The collection is told entirely from the author-narrator’s point of view and concerns many of her own experiences growing up within the Laguna Pueblo community. Silko weaves her own personal experiences and observations with the stories told to her by other people, both ancient stories concerning Pueblo mythology and familial stories depicting the actions of her... Read Yellow Woman and a Beauty of Spirit Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: SexualityTags Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Black Arts Movement, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Race / Racism, Classic Fiction, Biography

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name is a biomythography concerning the coming-of-age of poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). This work of creative nonfiction conflates the author’s memoir—which spans from the time of her birth to her early twenties—with West Indian mythology and stories, as well as the author’s own poetry. In this way, the work exists as something other than a simple autobiography, as it emphasizes the importance of dreams, stories, and songs within the... Read Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Natural Disaster, September 11 Attacks, Creative Nonfiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government

Zeitoun is a nonfiction narrative recounting the trials and ordeals of the Zeitoun family during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Abdulrahman Zeitoun is a Syrian American who has built a successful business in New Orleans. With his wife, Kathy, an American who converted to Islam as an adult, and their children, Zeitoun feels a strong connection to his adopted city and country. He’s proud to be a builder and to help restore New Orleans in... Read Zeitoun Summary