10 books by women authors everyone should read this summer

Great reads by great women.

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Summer is the perfect time to get lost in a really great piece of written work; countless trips to the park to leisurely soak in the sun always require the company of a good read (or two). Each summer, various lists in almost every corner of the Internet​ crop up that contain great reading suggestions—unfortunately, those lists almost always tend to be dominated by male authors. In the spirit of bucking against this not-so-great trend, this is a list of ten different books written by various women-identified authors that you should add to diversify your reading list for the season. It can also prove convenient for all the fellas disappointing ladies on OkCupid (or worse, IRL) when they inform us that they aren't up on the lady writers in the game. With this list, your excuses are numbered.  

1. Life in Motion by Misty Copeland

After recently being named the first black principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland's memoir comes at the perfect time, giving us a full scope of the trials Copeland has overcome in her twenty-year career as a dancer. ANew York Times best seller, this piece explores race relations, the complexities of girlhood, the life of a black female dancer and how exactly Misty made history.

2. God Help The Child by Toni Morrison

The eleventh book of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Toni Morrison, is a great piece of fiction to explore this summer. Morrison explores how the childhood suffering of a young woman named Bride shapes her lived experiences as an adult. Exploring shadism, relationships, and abuse, Morrison narrates in her signature style with deliciously not-so-subtle symbolism, exploring how a traumatic childhood can impact adult life across many realms.


3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

This literary novel by Donna Tartt led her to a Pulitzer Prize and critical acclaim from the likes of Stephen King. The story revolves around the life of a thirteen year old boy, Theo Decker, who is a New Yorker that loses his mother to a fatal car crash and then gets abandoned by his father. Theo is taken in by the family of one of his wealthy friends, living in a Park Avenue home in Manhattan. Disturbed by his mourning and facing class clashes with his new school mates, Theo becomes attached to a piece of artwork, reminiscent of his mother, thereby leading to his fascination with the underground art world. This novel follows Theo through childhood into adulthood, as he navigates loss, obsession, mourning, self-invention and survival.

4. The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America by Tamara Winfrey Harris 

Tamara Winfrey Harris explores a historical and contemporary scope of anti-black woman propaganda through animated and cartoon representations of them. Harris gives a historical glance of three prominent archetypes of the black woman in America: the Jezebel, Mammy, and the Sapphire, making her way to the '60s matriarch narrative before drawing a comparisons to the current landscape. Harris creatively explores how these stereotypes impact the contemporary experience and image of black womanhood in America.

5. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Between being a mother, playing her Golden Globe-winning role on Parks and Recreation, working as a director, and being one of the most respected and admired SNL alumni, Amy Poehler’s book is full of jokes, wisdom, and advice that is definitely worth reading.

6. An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

A contemporary leading literary voice, Roxane Gay’s piece is about a Haitian mother who is kidnapped, held for ransom in which her father declines as her husband fights for thirteen days straight for her release. The daughter of one of Haiti’s richest, she is kidnapped right in front of her father’s estate and held captive by men hoping to make money off of her return. Mireille deals with the abandonment of her father while enduring the abuse of a man who resents her privilege. Through this piece, Gay explore poverty, corruption, self-reflection and love.

7. Is Shame Necessary?: New Uses for an Old Tool by Jennifer Jacquet

In this piece, Jennifer Jacquet explores the necessity of shaming culture and the various forms in which it can be used as a nonviolent form of resistance. She considers shaming culture's impact in the age of social media and how the two can work to the other's benefit if aimed in the right direction and used to challenge corporations or governments.  

8. Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi

If anything on this list could be deemed "must-read," this book is it. Adichie—a literary legend and feminist of our generation—explores race and identity through two Nigerian youth: Ifemelu and Obinze, who both leave Nigeria for the Western hemisphere and the conflicts being a diaspora forces them to contend with. Grappling with the idea of blackness, xenophobia, and cultural identity conflicts, the two meet again in Nigeria 15 years later to unpack their experiences and re-learn how to love each other and their original home.

9. Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

At the brink of the transgender civil rights movement, Janet Mock’s piece offers a refreshingly real glimpse into the life of a woman combating various axes of identity: growing up young, impoverished, multiracial and trans in America.

10. Disgruntled by Asali Solomon

Disgruntled is a fictional work about an 8-year-old black girl named Kenya Curtis who is always in a position of contrast: whether it's moving from West Philadelphia to the suburbs or from public education to private. Disgruntled explores themes of belonging and what home really means for a young Muslim black woman growing up in Philadelphia throughout the '80s and '90s.

 

If you're doing it right, this should be you all summer:

 

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