20 books every woman should read

editor

Esquire recently posted a list of 75 books every man should read. It was in fact a list of fine literature, but we couldn’t help but notice that the compilation was very bland (as in, a mere four authors are non-white and only one is a woman) listing Bukowski’s misogynistic Women as a must-read is kind of offensive. 


Jezebel decided to make their own list of the 20 books every woman should read, and these selections are much more on target—and yay for female authors! Slouching Towards Bethlehem would rank highly on my list, but my all-time favorite book? Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sure it’s a children’s book, but I think it could make the cut. 


Check out Jezebel’s picks below and share with us: What books do you think every woman should read? 




  1. The Lottery, Shirley Jackson
  2. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
  3. The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
  4. White Teeth, Zadie Smith
  5. The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende    
  6. Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion
  7. Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
  8. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
  9. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
  10. The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
  11. Beloved, Toni Morrison
  12. Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
  13. Like Life, Lorrie Moore
  14. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
  15. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
  16. The Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
  17. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
  18. A Good Man Is Hard To Find, Flannery O'Connor
  19. The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
  20. You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down, Alice Walker

Related: jezebel, esquire, books, 20 books every woman should read

Syndication:

From the Community…

Comments 1-10 of 106
  • MochaMama42's Avatar
    Posted by MochaMama42 Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:05am PDT

    I'd also like to add:

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

    The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

    Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

    Oh, and the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, as well as the crime novels by Linda Scottoline.

    *SMILE*

    Report Abuse
  • WilliamM's Avatar
    Posted by WilliamM Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:34am PDT

    Like the "men's" list, there seems to be a pretty strong bias toward 20th century works. I don't quite get that, for either list...

    Report Abuse
  • ScoutFinch's Avatar
    Posted by ScoutFinch Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:57am PDT

    What about anything Margaret Atwood? Possibly The Handmaid's Tale?

    Report Abuse
  • geeberwhite's Avatar
    Posted by geeberwhite Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:02am PDT

    Well, technically two on the list aren't books. "The Lottery" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" are short stories.

    I'm surprised Willa Cather isn't on the list. Carson McCuller's The Member of the Wedding is another I'd add.

    An American Childhood by Annie Dillard is excellent as well.

    Report Abuse
  • jules's Avatar
    Posted by jules Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:32am PDT

    Where is your Ayn Rand? We The Living or Atlas Shrugged.

    Poisonwood Bible (isn't that a Margaret Atwood?)

    Bell Jar? Yuck. Too depressing, but I would throw in an Emily Dickinson anthology.

    Report Abuse
  • Kaki's Avatar
    Posted by Kaki Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:31pm PDT

    The Secret Life of Bees is MUST

    Report Abuse
  • LSP@))*'s Avatar
    Posted by LSP@))* Tue Sep 23, 2008 10:34pm PDT

    Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is an amazing story of how love was intended to be. Loves it

    Report Abuse
  • PauletteLePoreMotzko's Avatar
    Posted by PauletteLePoreMotzko Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:48am PDT

    I would add Anne Morrow Lindburg's "A Gift From the Sea" which is a classic out on CD as well as in any library.

    It is a really great book that teaches you to streamline and simplify your life.

    Paulette Motzko

    Report Abuse
  • mustang_girl's Avatar
    Posted by mustang_girl Wed Sep 24, 2008 4:14am PDT

    MochaMama - I LOVE the Stephanie Plum books! I live in NJ, and find it especially funny when the characters are in places I know. Great series.

    What about Gone With The Wind? The book has so much more in it than the movie.

    Report Abuse
  • Meredith's Avatar
    Posted by Meredith Wed Sep 24, 2008 5:53am PDT

    It's not fiction, but Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is probably in the top 5 books I have ever read.

    Report Abuse
Comments 1-10 of 106

leave your comment

You must sign in to post a comment

Sign In for personalized information

New User? Sign Up

Let’s talk: Manage My Stuff Write a Post

Updates Chatter on Shine...

See More Chatter »

Health Byte

A survey of 4,000 women revealed that 6 out of 10 of us have disordered eating habits. Are you one of them?

Read more on the types of disordered eaters here. »

Sponsored Links