Women's History Month Reading List 2023

This Women's History Month, get inspired by these female authors who are using their #PowerToChange to bring awareness to injustice, inequality and the incredible resilience of women.

By delving into these books, you'll uncover exciting new perspectives, reminders of the bias women continue to face and evidence of your #PowerToChange.

Feminists Don't Wear Pink (And Other Lies) - by Scarlett Curtis.

In this collection of essays, 52 women detail their own personal relationship with feminism. Were they always feminists? Which women inspired them to use their voice? What led them to speak out on women's rights? You'll hear from some of your favourite actresses, comedians, activists and even fictional characters. 

On Intersectionality: Essential Writings - by Kimberlé Crenshaw

Kimberlé Crenshaw developed the term intersectionality to address the interconnectedness of social categories. As race, class and gender overlap so do the systems of discrimination that come with each identity. For anyone interested in learning more about racial and gender equality, this collection of Crenshaw's work is a comprehensive and accessible introduction. 

Fix the System, Not the Women - by Laura Bates

Too often society blames women. For walking home alone at night. For not demanding a seat at the table. For not overcoming the odds stacked against them. Bates argues that this rhetoric distracts us from the real problem: the failings and biases of a society that was not built for women. 

We: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere - by Gillian Anderson and Jennifer Nadel

This book is an uplifting and practical manual to help you create positive change in your life. The authors, Jennifer Nadel and Women for Women International Ambassador, Gillian Anderson, argue that we can harness our power more effectively by replacing our current patterns of competition, criticism and comparison with collaboration, cooperation and compassion.

The Power of Women - by June Sarpong 

In this brilliant and passionate book, June Sarpong explains how an intersectional approach to feminism is the key to personal, social and economic progress for everybody. She explains that by harnessing women's untapped potential we will all be better off. 

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - by Caroline Criado Perez

Invisible Women brings together a range of case studies, stories and research from across the world to show how our modern world has been built for men. The consequences of this deep-rooted bias range from women straining to use phones that are too big for their hands, to being prescribed drugs that are wrong for their bodies. Around the world, women are paying for this bias with their lives. 

Women and Power: A Manifesto - by Mary Beard

Mary Beard's observation on the treatment and perception of powerful women spans decades in history, using examples that range from Athena to Hillary Clinton. Writing a year on from the start of the #MeToo movement, Beard goes on to explore consent, arguing, "It's time for change, and now!"

Hunger - A Memoir of (My) Body - by Roxanne Gay

Roxanne Gay, author of the New York Times bestseller Bad Feminist, brings us a striking memoir about her relationship with her body. She explores what it means to be overweight at a time when the bigger you are, the less you are seen. 

Feminism is for everybody - by Bell Hooks 

This book provides an examination of the success and failures of feminism to date, covering a wide variety of topics including reproductive rights, sexual violence, race, class and much more. Hooks provides a compelling argument for the enduring importance of the feminist movement today, encouraging us all to demand alternatives to a patriarchal, racist and homophobic culture. 

On all Fronts: The Education of a Journalist - by Clarissa Ward

World-renowned journalist and Women for Women International Ambassador, Clarissa Ward has spent her career uncovering the reality of war and conflict. In her memoir, On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist, Clarissa tells her story.

Buy your books via our Women for Women International storefront on Bookshop.org and we'll receive 10% commission of every sale in support of our work with women survivors of war, with a matching 10% going to independent bookshops - at no extra cost to you.