A Year of Feminist Books

Are you new to feminism? Do you need an overview of feminist ideas? Perhaps you already know a bit about feminism but want to become more well read. Or maybe you just need a New Year's resolution? Well, if you would like to read about feminism but aren't sure where to begin, consult this handy list of books, divided into a month-by-month reading schedule. Work your way through a year of feminist classics with one book each month. Let's get started!

January: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
Some people call The Feminine Mystique "the book that started it all," with "it all" of course being "second wave" feminism. While that is not exactly true, and the use of "waves" to describe feminist history can be problematic (where does a wave begin?), Betty Friedan's book is nevertheless a key feminist text. And, it did start a new phase for many women, who were finally able to identify "the problem that has no name."

February: Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions by Gloria Steinem
One of the most famous feminist leaders and writers for decades, Gloria Steinem gathers multiple essays in Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions. Included are her famous "I Was a Playboy Bunny, " "If Men Could Menstruate" and "Ruth's Song (Because She Could Not Sing It)" as well as topics such as erotica vs. pornography and the importance of work.

March: American Women Activists' Writings: An Anthology, 1637-2001 edited by Kathryn Cullen-DuPont
Celebrate Women's History Month with this collection of pieces spanning several centuries. Short, interesting writings trace the development of women's activism and feminism in the United States, from Anne Hutchinson and Abigail Adams through Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Anne Moody and Hillary Clinton. The 19th and early 20th century pieces are particularly wide-ranging and informative, and they show how much influence each generation of feminists has on the next, something the next generation is ever likely to forget.

April: She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo
April is National Poetry Month. Dive into feminist poetry with Joy Harjo's She Had Some Horses, a collection of poems exploring women's moments of connection, oppression and empowerment.

May: Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne Rich
For Mother's Day, take a look at Adrienne Rich's provocative examination of her personal experience as a mother, and what "motherhood" means in society.

June: Feminist Theory From Margin to Center by bell hooks
bell hooks writes about sexism, marginalization, racism and classism within feminism, diversity, feminist consciousness and the complexity of women's experiences. This is an essential book and an accessible introduction to feminist theory.

July: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Second Sex may be the book that started it all before The Feminine Mystique started it all. Celebrate Bastille Day (French National Day) on July 14 with the important French writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. The Second Sex was its own kind of uprising, storming the prisons of patriarchal oppression that always viewed women as "the Other."

August: Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Ready for some summer beach reading? It's time for a feminist novel from Marge Piercy. Woman on the Edge of Time alternates between the 1970s and an imagined future through the story of Connie Ramos, who may or may not be experiencing madness. Enjoy this sample of feminist utopia (and dystopia), which developed into an entire sub-genre of fiction.

September: Sexual Politics by Kate Millett
While Marge Piercy was exploring feminism through fiction, Kate Millett was examining the classics of the male-dominated literary canon. Her groundbreaking 1970 work Sexual Politics angered Norman Mailer, among others, with its analysis of male political and cultural assumptions. The book had a huge influence on the development of ideas now taken for granted in women's studies and feminist literary criticism.

October: Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller
A powerful work about the history and sociology of rape. Susan Brownmiller delivers a well-researched, thought-provoking account of inequality, lies, legal institutions and how women are affected.

November: Borderlands / La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua
Gloria Anzaldua weaves a tapestry of language, consciousness, lesbian identity, the mestiza, connecting worlds, essays, poetry, Mexican-Indian history, people who are different and other personal-philosophical-searching questions.

December: Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
The Christmas holiday season often includes the word "joy." A novel about the difficult subject of female genital mutilation might seem an odd place to find the secret of joy, but Alice Walker is one of feminism's most important authors, and she succeeds at telling a remarkably powerful story.

Bonus Book: What Comes Next?
When you have finished your year of feminist books, what do you read next? Perhaps the new year could begin with Susan Faludi's perceptive analysis of the Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.