In honor of women’s history month, I’m sharing some favorite books written by an intersectional group of womxn that I have found interesting, entertaining and powerful. This is not a syllabus meant to cover every angle of feminist history; rather it’s a collection of many of the on-theme works I’ve read recently and highly recommend to continue building intersectional feminist knowledge and empathy. Continuing to read this type of fiction and non-fiction is not only enjoyable, but critical to staying inspired and informed in my gender lens and social impact work. Happy reading - let me know if you love any of these or share your other favorites in the comments!

Non-fiction Books

Inclusion on Purpose, by Ruchika Tulshyan

This is a fantastic resource for applying an intersectional gender lens to any organization or workplace, with a focus on women of color. Her insights and processes are approachable, have a foundation in empathy and are illustrated with concrete examples.

Untamed, by Glennon Doyle

Glennon Doyle explores how her female experience and conditioning has shaped how she views herself and lives her life as a wife, mother, and woman. She shares her years of numbing the pain and dissatisfaction of living up to others’ expectations, and her awakening to living more authentically as her true self. This is both intimate memoir and wake-up call that all women can find relatability and meaning in.

Fair Play, by Eve Rodsky
Tired of being the "shefault" parent responsible for all aspects of her busy household, Eve Rodsky counted up all the unpaid, invisible work she was doing for her family--and then sent that list to her husband, asking for things to change. His response was...underwhelming. Rodsky realized that simply identifying the issue of unequal labor on the home front wasn't enough: She needed a solution to this universal problem. The result is Fair Play a time- and anxiety-saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities.

We should All be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In this personal, eloquently-argued essay--adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name--Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author's exploration of what it means to be a woman now--and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.

The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk, by Patiene Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber

There's a simple but often overlooked investment strategy to earning higher returns--include women as financial decision-makers within your organization or team. That's The XX Edge. Seasoned executives and investors Patience Marime-Ball and Ruth Shaber demonstrate the new paradigm where women are at the center of investing as agents and actors--not just as beneficiaries.

Fiction Books

Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist in a patriarchal 1960s world that isn’t ready for her zesty feminist thinking. Zott finds her self relegated to the kitchen… of a TV cooking show where she ignites a revolution. Both funny and dark, entertaining and meaningful, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The Vanishing Half, by Britt Bennett

The Vignes identical twin sisters both run away from their small, southern town at age sixteen, but by the time they are adults, their lives could not be more different: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white. They are woven back together by their daughters. From the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, it is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

A magnificent portrayal of the intersections of identity and a moving and hopeful story of an interconnected group of Black British women that paints a vivid portrait of the state of contemporary Britain and looks back to the legacy of Britain's colonial history in Africa and the Caribbean.

Family and kids

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty

By the author of another favorite, Rosie Revere, Engineer. Young readers who join Sofia in her story will learn that they can make a difference, help their community, or one day become president of the United States!

Rad American Women A-Z, by Kate Schatz

This may have A-Z in the title, but it’s an essential guide to American feminists for every age. There are artists and abolitionists, scientists and suffragettes, rock stars and rabble-rousers, and agents of change of all kinds.

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