7 Best Feminist Books That’ll Get Your Teen Through High School

High school often is a place of tensions, change and confusion. The feminist perspective can serve as a guiding light for your teen and give them something to work at during difficult time. These 7 books are going to inspire your teen and get them through high school as strong and independent.

What better gift to give than the gift of feminism?

#1 High Schoolers, Meet Media Literacy by Jim Wasserman

High school students today are no longer insulated from the vicissitudes of messaging/counter messaging in today’s always available, always blaring media (coming into their cars, homes, and ears through ever-more personal devices). The goal of this book is to equip high schoolers with the tools to be active recipients of media messaging, making them more able to parse the values subliminally imparted by seemingly innocuous marketing.

Designed to be useful to teachers, parents, or even directly by teens, it’s filled with exercises that allow teens to deconstruct real-world messaging and marketing as to consumerism in general and, more broadly, about societal empowerment and positioning of individuals. Gender-differentiated marketing is directly examined, and there is a special chapter for examination of advanced (as in controversial) messaging concerning race, ethnicity, and gender.

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#2 Jane Austen, the Secret Radical by Helena Kelly

Jane Austin was one of my favourite authors growing up, and reading this book gave me a new insight into a lot of the hidden meanings within her works, providing insight to Austin’s view on women and their place in the world – which would’ve been pretty controversial at the time. A great read for any young feminist.

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#3 The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is the perfect novel to introduce feminism to high schoolers. The main character’s choices and lack thereof spur discussion of women’s rights both over a century ago and today. The ending leaves many puzzled, some stunned, and all ready to debate family obligations, societal norms, freedom, and repression.

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#4 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

If you’re looking for a contemporary feminist novel outside the canon, the young adult novel Speak is rich with themes of identity, isolation, and guilt. The protagonist Melinda’s confrontation with issues like rape culture forces the reader to reckon with the realities today’s high schoolers face. It’s guaranteed to spark discussion about the power and responsibility of each person’s voice.

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#5 Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti

This is the perfect guide to high schoolers on the topic of feminism as it talks about the problems that are faced by women all around the world. It urges the youth to be feminists for the causes and lets them know about the things that should be done, especially by young women.

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#6 Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World by Kelly Jensen

The author of this book narrows down 44 pieces written by feminists who know the things that they are fighting against. The book is about perspectives and discussion on topics like body positivity, ambitions, freedom, human rights and everything that should be talked about. It is a page-turner for the youth through which they can learn new and practical things about feminism.

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#7 We should all be feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This book is a staple in every classroom and in every home. Chimamanda writes eloquently about the inequality that exists today between the sexes. She talks about the systemic oppression of women through socialization at home, politically and professionally. It is a short but impactful read that is a must for any young feminist.

Prices across many e-commerce websites may vary, be sure to compare to get the best deal:

• Amazon (International)
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