Entering your feminist era? Add these books to your reading list. Even if you’re a seasoned feminist, there’s always something new to learn in our ever-changing world. (Left: Image by @bookshophoward. Right: Image by @_itslitbooks_.)
Whether you’re seeking motivation, personal growth, a deep dive into socio-cultural issues affecting women’s lives, or simply the reassurance that you are not alone on your journey, it helps to hear it from women who have been down the same road before. The relatable insights, street smarts, and practical guidance from these books may just be the drops of wisdom from a wiser aunt or older sister you wished you had.
Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman
By Judy Sheindlin
As a family court judge in New York City with her own successful TV courtroom show, Judy Sheindlin—known to her audience as Judge Judy—has heard and seen it all. Women, she observes, often shrink themselves because they would rather be liked than respected, undermine their own talents and opinions for fear of offending others, and try to accommodate everyone only to end up unfulfilled and unheard themselves.
Written in her trademark brash frankness and drawing on personal experiences, Judge Judy presents 10 tough life lessons women need to wise up and stop people-pleasing. Originally published in 1999, the wisdom in Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever remains universal and relevant to women everywhere.
Rewrite the Rules: How women leaders in Asia are changing the leadership paradigm
By Ritu G. Mehrish with Rajita Saxena
Asian cultures have historically been steeped in traditional gender roles that often limit leadership opportunities for women. Drawing from the diverse experiences of over 200 women who broke the mould across Asia, this book focuses on the five core areas essential for thriving as a woman: Being Confident, Creating Visibility, Building Networks, Finding Balance, and Defining Success.
More than just inspirational stories of women challenging the status quo, readers are invited to self-assess and reflect on the message of each chapter as to how it relates to their own lives. Rewrite the Rules is a call to action for women to embrace their power, break free from limiting beliefs, and forge their own path to success on their own terms.
We Should All Be Feminists
By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Feminism has garnered quite a negative rep in the ever-polarising online spaces in recent times, with critics and pundits often forgetting that it is a movement for gender equality at its core. In this personal essay, adapted from her TEDx talk of the same name, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century that is rooted in inclusiveness and awareness.
Written with wit and humour, Adichie draws extensively from her own life experiences to expose insidiously masked gender politics that keep harming women and men. This book is an essential read as it explores what it means to be a woman today, and why we should not turn a blind eye to systemic behaviours that continue to marginalise women around the world.
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
By Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Within every woman is an instinctual creative force that is often suppressed by societal pressure and cultural expectations. In her groundbreaking book, Jungian psychoanalyst Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés draws from global myths, fairy tales, and stories to offer women empowering insights into rediscovering and reconnecting with their inner ‘Wild Woman’.
Women Who Run With the Wolves may not be the book you pick up for light reading, but it is a worthwhile read for those seeking to understand the complexities of femininity and womanhood from a deeper psychological and spiritual standpoint.
When the Chicken Dies, Everyone Cries
By Boonsiri Somchit
What do village life and the modern workplace have in common? Both require the same people skills and leadership principles to navigate and thrive in. As the youngest of seven children hailing from a small village in Kedah, Boonsiri Somchit’s life and values were shaped by kampung adventures and games. It is from these childhood experiences that she weaves the leadership philosophy that propelled her to the top of the tech industry.
With reflective humour, unabashed honesty, and a dash of personal storytelling, Somchit shares practical insights on how effective leadership begins with empathy and genuine connection with people. In a corporate jungle rife with office politics, where textbook leadership skills fail, this unconventional book may be the breath of fresh rural kampung air you need.
Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger
By Soraya Chemaly
Women are angry, and how can we not be? We are overworked and underpaid. We cannot be too big or too thin. Too dowdy or too made-up. When harassed, we’re told we are asking for it. Speaking up gets us labelled ‘difficult,’ but if we keep quiet, our silence is taken as permission. Damn if we do, damn if we don’t. Moreover, women have been told to bottle up our anger as it isn’t very ‘lady-like’ or be punished for expressing it.
Though often dismissed, suppressed, or weaponised against us, women’s anger is actually our radar for injustice and can be a catalyst for meaningful change. Rage Becomes Her compellingly explores how societal and cultural belittlement of women’s anger limits our power, and offers the tools to harness this supposedly destructive emotion to create lasting positive change in our lives.
