These books all made a difference in history by revealing scandals, changing the perception of women's roles, or calling attention to injustices. These would make an interesting series for a reading group.
1. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
by Mary Wollstonecraft (1792). A feminist classic. (I can't say I'm happy that the publisher changed Wollstonecraft's title to Women instead of Woman! I'm using her original title here.) You could also print an online version of the text (see related resources).
2. Uncle Tom's Cabin
by Harriet Beecher Stowe; Alfred Kazin (Introduction). President Lincoln referred to this as the book that started the Civil War. It certainly portrayed slavery in the U.S. South dramatically enough to fire up Northern enthusiasm!3. The Yellow Wallpaper: And Other Stories
(Dover Thrift Editions) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This short story manages to convey in fiction the horror of a 19th century treatment for what we'd probably call depression today: isolation from the world, lack of natural light, and forbidding the woman from reading or even thinking!4. Twenty Years at Hull-House : With Autobiographical Notes
by Jane Addams. Originally a series of essays on her work in Chicago's immigrant neighborhood, this book documents her experiments, successes, and failures in founding and running a settlement house.5. Silent Spring
by Rachel Carson. This is the 25th anniversary edition of Carson's book that exposed the dangers of DDT in the environment, and arguably ignited the environmentalist movement, bringing it into the national spotlight.6. The Feminine Mystique
by Betty Friedan. At the time of this book's publication, it put a name to the vague dissatisfaction that many women felt, struggling to fill the cultural roles prescribed for them in the 1950s. It served as the inspiration for the women's movement that developed in the 60s and 70s.