Be Awesome by Hadley Freeman (01 of15)
Open Image ModalOnly Hadley (and perhaps Keanu Reeves) can get away with using the word awesome. This book is so compelling that you will have to quickly overcome any aversion to 'that word' as after reading it you will find that you will be unable to resist quoting segments of Hadley's text in daily conversations. Hadley herself is a great lover of quotes and she expertly weaves snippets of dialogue from classic films such as The Princess Bride and Ghostbusters into chapters on life as a modern woman. (credit:Fourth Estate Ltd)
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman(02 of15)
Open Image ModalThis short story chillingly depicts a woman's descent into psychosis when her husband locks her in a room and forbids her from working. First published in 1892 it is a brave portrayal of the contemporary attitudes towards women's physical and mental health. (credit:Amazon)
The Humans by Matt Haig(03 of15)
Open Image ModalIt doesn't matter what gender you are, this is a great book for thinking about the way people are and how we can show a little empathy. It's also pretty funny. (credit:Canongate Books)
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay(04 of15)
Open Image ModalIf you don't know who Roxane Gay is, you soon will. In this collection of political and personal essays Roxane explores how she has grappled to come to terms with her identity as a feminist. If you love pink, can't stop watching the Fast and the Furious or otherwise feel excluded by certain definitions feminism , then you'll love this book. (credit:Harper Perennial)
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (05 of15)
Open Image ModalIt's witty, brutally honest and sets an example to women everywhere that it's okay to not be 'normal' (whatever that is). (credit:Random House)
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath(06 of15)
Open Image ModalThe author's first and only novel, The Bell Jar was published just one month before Plath tragically took her own life. The novel explores unsettling themes of depression and is thought (by some) to mirror Plath's own spiral into mental illness. It is also a feminist masterpiece, unpicking uneasy female stereotypes and despairing at what it was to be a woman at the time. (credit:Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe(07 of15)
Open Image ModalThis book teaches you that everything will still be fine and hilarious and okay if your divorcee mum moves you to the countryside and starts writing tragicomic plays and buys a cow. (credit:Little, Brown and Company)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins(08 of15)
Open Image ModalIf you like your teen fiction centered around a strong, but flawed, female main character, then you need to check out Suzanne Collin's distopian trilogy. You'll be hooked within a couple of pages and it is more-than-possible to devour the entire three books in just a few days. (credit:Scholastic Press)
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini(09 of15)
Open Image ModalFocusing on female characters in Afghan society, this story of survival proves how brilliantly resilient women can be. It will make even the most reluctant feminist want to stand by her sister and fight for women's rights. (credit:Bloomsbury)
How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran(10 of15)
Open Image ModalBecause it does exactly what the title says, and more. An amazing, funny, heartbreaking piece of work. Also Claire Balding once said it should be required reading in all schools, and she wasn't kidding. (credit:Harper Perennial)
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf(11 of15)
Open Image ModalWomen today have more power and professional success than ever before, yet we are not free from social control. This book will make you think about why and how you judge yourself when you're stood in front of the mirror. The Beauty Myth was first published in 1991 but sadly it is still all-too-relevant today. (credit:William Morrow and Company)
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov(12 of15)
Open Image ModalLolita has been at the centre of much controversy, as it deals with the topic of child abuse in an unflinching manner, which is at times difficult to read. However, right from the very first word Vladimir cleverly weaves in clues that his narrator Humbert Humbert is not to be trusted and that the victim of child abuse is never to blame. (credit:Vintage)
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche(13 of15)
Open Image ModalIf you are unsure whether you 'should' be feminist this book will answer your questions and leave you with no doubt that feminism is a label that you are proud to apply to yourself. (credit:Anchor)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood(14 of15)
Open Image ModalWho has control of women's bodies is an issue that is very relevant today. The Handmaid's Tale gives us a prescient insight into just why it is so important that we protect a woman's right to have control of her own body. (credit:Anchor)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi(15 of15)
Open Image ModalThis graphic novel memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution is equal parts funny and heartbreaking. The book sees Marjane grappling with limitations and freedoms that come with being a 'woman'. (credit:Pantheon)