Feminism is a real-world issue, but that doesn’t mean it’s only limited to reality! There are many subtexts and implied messages in today’s media that, while you might not be conscious of, shape the way we perceive reality.
Which means that some of your favorite fiction books are probably also laden with many feminist themes and tropes which you didn’t even notice! How awesome is that?
If reading fiction is your thing, why not read the most progressive and feminist-friendly fiction out there? It can only open your mind further, give it a try, by reading the best feminist friendly fiction books.
#1 Ten Thousand Tongues by Nandita Godbole
Ten Thousand Tongues: secrets of a layered kitchen is a feminist multigenerational saga of eight Indian women, representing different time periods. They challenged odds, challenged convention and continued to inspire and pave the path for each successive generation after. The novel pays homage to these matriarchs who influenced the life and work of a woman who goes on to become a cookbook author after overcoming cultural pressures and discrimination as an immigrant woman, to shape her own destiny. These women represent important women in the authors’ own life and the novel gives a unique perspective on how food legacies are shaped by ordinary women who lead quiet but extraordinary lives. |
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- Amazon (International)
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#2 Jane Eyre (Bantam Classics) by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre is intelligent, determined, uncompromising and passionate. As an early feminist character she is impressively realised with her depth of thought and rejection of the stereotypical ambitions usually portrayed in women of her time. She has the confidence to voice her opinions and values herself too highly to compromise when it comes to her status as a mistress or a wife. Charlotte Brontë’s beautiful book is a feminist classic. |
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#3 Best Women’s Erotica of the Year by Rachel Kramer Bussel
There is a lot of erotica to sift though out there, but every year this series from award-winning editor Rachel Kramer Bussel, pushes sex-positive boundaries even further and becomes more inclusive with each volume. The book features women on various parts of the gender scale and from a variety of ethnicities and ages. Consent reigns supreme in all of the stories and BDSM and kink are firmly represented throughout. This is the definitive erotica collection for women. |
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#4 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
One of the greatest fictional feminist stories of all time comes from the book, ‘Gone With The Wind,’ by Margaret Mitchell. Scarlett O’Hara is in incredibly ambitious, vivacious and stubborn woman that let’s nothing stop her to get what she wants and feels like she deserves. She went from being a spoiled, wealthy girl to facing the harsh realities of life and civil war to losing everything her family had. From nothing she rebuilt a fortune once again and then married one of the most powerful men to further increase her power and wealth. |
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#5 New Daughters of Africa by Margaret Busby
An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent, edited by Margaret Busby (Amistad/HarperCollins; on sale May 7, 2019), is a major literary event that brings together the work of more than 200 women writers of African descent, celebrating their artistry and showcasing their contributions to modern literature and international culture. |
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#6 One Night in Georgia by Celeste O. Norfleet
Set in the summer of 1968 is a provocative and devastating novel of individual lives caught in the grips of violent history. At the end of a sweltering summer shaped by the tragic assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, race riots, political protests, and the birth of Black power, three coeds from New York City-Zelda Livingston, Veronica Cook, and Daphne Brooks-pack into Veronica’s new Ford Fairlane convertible, bound for Atlanta and their last year at Spelman College. It is the beginning a journey that will change their lives irrevocably. |
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Louise Verity from Bookishly
Allyson Fields from Cleis Press
Arzo Yusuf from Sexy Boss Babe
Melanie Daifotis from HarperCollins