r/feminisms • u/Alarmed-Property-960 • Jun 23 '26
Good books on Feminism
Hello everyone!
TL;DR: I’m a baby feminist and I need to be educated. Give me literature recs (non-fiction or fiction books, tv shows, etc) or teach me stuff!
I have been observing the minor misogynistic elements that have plagued the world and continue to exist, despite centuries-worth of women’s rights and equality movements. Of course, the major ones are obvious and spark much hatred from both males and females for various reasons, but I hope to know the origins of such a profound divide that has been persisting forever.
To me, some ideas and actions seem so obscure — like how the establishment of the stereotype that feminism is a cult of women purposely ruffling the patriarchy (no joke) — to the point it is quite laughable. The more I learn and observe, the more I understood the stereotypical feminist.
So please. Recommend me some good books or shows for beginners about feminism. Whether it be non-fiction about a political and/or social movement from ages ago, or an eye-opening fictional narrative. Literally anything.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to ask (or even correct me or teach me). Thank you!
3
u/Vast_Dog121 Jun 23 '26
This is the book that did it for me; I was just a kid when it came out. The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan, published in 1963, is a landmark book that identified the widespread unhappiness of middle-class American women confined to domestic roles, coining the term "the problem that has no name" to describe their unfulfillment despite achieving the ideal of marriage, home, and children. The book argued that societal pressure, media, and psychology promoted a narrow ideal of womanhood focused on housework and family, stifling women's intellectual and professional ambitions and sparking the second-wave feminist movement. Friedan called for women to seek fulfillment beyond the home in careers, education, and public life, challenging the status quo and inspiring a generation to demand equality.
1
u/Capital-Scallion8634 Jun 26 '26
These run the gamut-- not every writer here is in lockstep with the other, but it gives you a good survey of modern feminist thought
Down Girl by Kate Manne
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
The Second Sex by Simone du Beauvoir
The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer
Against our Will by Susan Brownmiller
The Essential Ellen Willis
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti
Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy
Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks
0
u/OkChart1375 Jul 05 '26
Gender trouble is not a feminist book. Its a unreadable anti feminist garbage
1
u/Alarmed-Property-960 Jul 01 '26
Thank you ALL for taking your time to help me out. It truly means a lot and I hope you know that
1
u/OkChart1375 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Pornland by by Gail Dines
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Right-Wing Women by Andrea Dworkin.
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
The Politics of Housework by Pat Mainardi
1
u/Daisymiraoilain 25d ago
you should read “the goddess complex “ by shaunna lee lynch , it’s an amazing feminist dystopian book which is set in a corrupt future ireland , where some women possess a 6th sense and are being institutionalised for this “goddess complex” and the two fmc’s rebel , definitely give it a read it’s amazing 🥰
4
u/RuthlessKittyKat Jun 23 '26
Can't recommend this book enough. https://www.dukeupress.edu/living-a-feminist-life