Feminism

Welcome to Women's History Month!  Let's start off with some books on feminist topics.

Dead Feminists: Historic Heroines in Living Color by Chandler O'Leary and Jessica Spring - Providing a new and illuminating look at 27 women who've changed the world, Dead Feminists ties these historical women and the challenges they faced into the most important issues of today. Based on the cult-following limited edition Dead Feminists letterpress poster series by illustrator Chandler O'Leary and letterpress artist Jessica Spring, the book combines new art and lettering, archival photographs and ephemera, and revisits the original poster to tell each woman's story. Each chapter is a call to action (Protect, Make, Grow, Teach, Lead, Tell, Share, Play), and shows how the women exemplified that quality in their own ways. This book takes feminist inspiration to a new level of artistry and shows how ordinary and extraordinary women have made a difference throughout history (and how you can too!)

Dear Ijeawele, or, A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - A few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie received a letter from a dear friend from childhood, asking her how to raise her baby girl as a feminist. Dear Ijeawele is Adichie's letter of response.
     Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions--compelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptive--for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman. From encouraging her to choose a helicopter, and not only a doll, as a toy if she so desires; having open conversations with her about clothes, makeup, and sexuality; debunking the myth that women are somehow biologically arranged to be in the kitchen making dinner, and that men can "allow" women to have full careers, Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the twenty-first century. It will start a new and urgently needed conversation about what it really means to be a woman today.

Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne - Down Girl is a broad, original and far ranging analysis of what misogyny really is, how it works, its purpose, and how to fight it. The philosopher Kate Manne argues that modern society's failure to recognize women's full humanity and autonomy is not actually the problem. She argues instead that it is women's manifestations of human capacities - autonomy, agency, political engagement - is what engenders misogynist hostility.

Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to Them edited by Scarlett Curtis - Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Other Lies is a collection of writing from extraordinary women, from Hollywood actresses to teenage activists, each telling the story of her personal relationship with feminism. Often funny, sometimes surprising, and always inspiring, this book aims to bridge the gap between the feminist hashtag and the scholarly text by giving women the space to explain how they actually feel about feminism.

Keep Marching: How Every Woman Can Take Action and Change Our World by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner - Keep Marching is a practical guide and highly researched examination of the barriers that hold women back-and how to overcome them... This book provides proven tactics, policy solutions, and strategies any woman can use to build her power. Did you know that: one in three women have experienced some form of sexual assault?; when a group includes more women, its collective intelligence rises?; the U.S. doesn't have paid family/medical leave but 177 other countries do? Keep Marching calls on all badass women for justice to come together and rise.

The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit - In a timely follow-up to her national bestseller Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit offers indispensable commentary on women who refuse to be silenced, misogynistic violence, the fragile masculinity of the literary canon, the gender binary, the recent history of rape jokes, and much more.
In characteristic style, Solnit mixes humor, keen analysis, and powerful insight in these essays.

Nasty Women Project: Voices From the Resistance edited by Erin Passons - The despot is perched in his tower, threatening democracy with every tweet. Vultures of big business occupy his cabinet seats, while empty-headed puppets tie the Senate to a string. With a wave of a pen, they set our rights on fire. Welcome to the new America. And who are we? We are the women of the marginalized majority. We come from every corner of America. We are the outraged mothers. We are the unprotected daughters. We are the uninsured sick, the gay and the blamed, the cast-off patrons of the lesser paid, and the survivors of trauma taught to feel ashamed. We are every woman you have ever met, and every woman you haven't. Our stories are of struggle, but also of strength; of fear, but also of courage. We know despair, but we never lose hope. We are extraordinary women living in extraordinary times. We are The Nasty Women Project. 100% proceeds from our book sales are donated to Planned Parenthood.

Pantsuit Nation by Libby Chamberlain - An inspiring collection of stories and photographs that capture what it means to live, work, love, and resist in America--from the Facebook group with millions of engaged and impassioned members. In October 2016, Maine resident Libby Chamberlain created a "secret" Facebook group encouraging a handful of friends to wear pantsuits to the polls. Overnight, the group of thirty exploded to 24,000 members. By November 8, the group was three million strong. Since Pantsuit Nation's inception, its members have shared personal stories that illustrate the complexities of living in a vibrant, oftentimes contentious democracy. Members turn to Pantsuit Nation as a place of refuge and inspiration, where marginalized voices are amplified, faces are put to political decisions, resources are shared, and activism is ignited. It is a dynamic, diverse community united by an unwavering commitment to building a more just, inclusive world. Now, hundreds of Pantsuit Nation members have contributed their stories and photographs to form this extraordinary book. An indelible testament to the idea that change comes first from the heart, and that the surest way to move a heart is to tell a story, Pantsuit Nation is a portrait of a moment in history and a rallying cry for our time.

Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Round the World by The Women's March Organizers - On January 21, 2017, the day after Donald J. Trump's inauguration, more than three million marchers of all ages and walks of life took to the streets as part of the largest protest in American history. In red states and blue states, in small towns and major urban centers, from Boise to Boston, Bangkok to Buenos Aires, people from eighty-two countries -- on all seven continents -- rose up in solidarity to voice a common message: Hear our voice. It became the largest global protest in modern history. Now Women's March organizers tell their personal stories and reflect on their collective journey. They provide an inside look at how the idea for the event originated, how it was organized, how it became a global movement that surpassed their wildest expectations, and how they are sustaining and building on the widespread outrage, passion, and determination that sparked it. Those stories are interwoven with "voices from the March," recollections from real women who where there, across the world, along with photographs and brief essays by noted writers, celebrities, and artists.

Why I March: Images From the Women's March Around the World edited by Emma Jacobs - On January 21, 2017, five million people in 82 countries and on all seven continents stood up with one voice. The Women's March began with one cause, women's rights, but quickly became a movement around the many issues that were hotly debated during the 2016 U.S. presidential race--immigration, health care, environmental protections, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, freedom of religion, and workers' rights, among others. In the mere 66 days between the election and inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th President of the United States, 673 sister marches sprang up across the country and the world. ABRAMS Image presents Why I March to honor the movement, give back to it, and promote future activism in the same vein. All royalties from the sale of the book will be donated to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the Transgender Law Center, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.