I think my political opinions can be seen in much of my work, my feminist essays, the themes of the books I am writing, and my love of the earth and sustainability. I don’t need to express what disappointment I experienced to the 2024 election results. Or, further, the fears I have for the future.
If there is any good news from this election, it is that people know how much harder we will have to work to make the world a better place. Making people empathize with marginalized people is not going to be easy. Creating change to protect the environment is going to be a fight. We will need to be even louder to protect women’s health. It will take grit to provide for the people the government has turned its back on.
If you, like me, feel overwhelmed, I’m here with a place to start: Books.
Books give us a look into other peoples’ experiences and hardships, in order to better understand their needs and what we can do. Here are nine nonfiction books that have impacted my worldview, widened my perspective, and given me a way to voice these ideas.
This is a list based on the feminist nonfiction books I have personally read and recommend. This by no means covers all aspects of feminism, nor all the aspects I hope you will seek out. Intersectional feminism means supporting people who suffer inequality from the patriarchy from a variety of reasons, often overlapping. For example, someone who is a black woman with a disability has more issues impacting how they are treated in society than someone who is simply a woman. Various diverse demographics have different needs and intersectionality aims to not leave them behind when we think about progress.
9 Books to Help You Understand Intersectional Feminism:
1. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
Hood Feminism addresses the issues that white feminism refuses to acknowledge. We should not just be trying to get more women in board rooms, but also be lifting up women in the margins who are food insecure, housing insecure, vulnerable in their relationships, ignored in environmentally hazardous areas, and are unfairly targeted by law enforcement.
This book largely looks at black women, as such is Kendall’s expertise, but applies to marginalized women in all walks of life. This one opened my eyes to what feminism should be focusing on: Not just the communities with the loudest voice and the ability to share their problems, but those who are barely surviving and do not have the time or resources to fight for themselves.
2. Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Pérez
Perhaps one of the most ambitious feminist books I’ve read recently is Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Despite the core concern (a lack of disaggregated data in the world separating men and women), there is still a wealth of data presented in this book that indicates an enormous male bias in design, institutions, government, pharma, and more. It is not merely saying ‘these are things we need to know more about.’ We already have evidence of much of this bias and need further data to be able to study men and women’s needs equally.
This book is essential reading for anyone looking to better the world, see where our inequities between the sexes lie, and for women to know their increased risks in the world.
3. Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir
If you aren’t familiar with what is actually going on in Arab nations, this is a great look at life on the ground, not only as a citizen, but in reporters’ shoes. Reporters in these countries are often silenced, oppressed, and often imprisoned or murdered for their work. While it is sad to explore the state of information suppression, these essays are all inspiring and brave in the face of such circumstances. This book is inspiring not only to see how people keep fighting even in the worst conditions, but also for us to understand those conditions and the people who live them.
4. It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese
I admit that I am not well-read when it specifically comes to LGBTQ issues, but the horror theme drew me into this and provided an excellent vehicle for these conversations. These essays are all heartfelt and insightful.
A big theme was the love queer people have for horror and to feel seen in the scary or unknown. Being queer means not to fit into the norm, the safe and the known. Some of the writers identify with the monsters of horror stories, others find queer subtext between characters. Among the topics included are class, race, transexuality, masculinity, fertility treatment, bisexual visibility, disability, and more. So not only do these essays form deep connections with the genre they love, but also explore a spectrum of queer-adjacent feminist topics.
5. Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
This book is a fantastic jumping-off point for white people learning about racism. It contains thoughtful and nuanced answers to common questions about race, and also some definitive answers for the things you should not do or say that perpetuate racism. There are also plenty of recommended resources for further reading and getting involved in combating social injustice.
6. Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell
Listen. I’m a language nerd. This was food for my soul. Wordslut is fun and insightful as to where the English language fails women and how we can make our words more inclusive. It has historical context and pop culture context and is validating when you realize why a certain phrase or wording just doesn’t sit right with you. This book can help you understand feminist ideals through language and give you plenty of laughs along the way.
7. An Indiginous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
This is an eye-opening look at America and how colonialism and genocide has shaped the country we (think) we know today. Even for being a well-read feminist, I floored at the extent our country covered up our true history under the shining veneer of Manifest Destiny.
A particular idea that this book brought up that I feel I should have realized before is that lessons on US history usually start at the time of European discovery and colonization. And yet, our indiginous peoples had been on the continent over 20 thousand years before that time. This book largely examines how this European takeover led to the largest genocide in history and how it has led to conditions native peoples still contend with today.
8. This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jenkins
This memoir about what it means to be black in America was emotional and insightful. Jenkins does a wonderful job expressing digging into the social, psychological, and physical pressures she has faced as well as countless other people of color. She explores popular culture, black history, misogyny, and more with sharp commentary and insight. It is one I will likely reread more than once in the future.
9. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Perhaps the first book to lead my interest into black issues, Just Mercy is an astounding look into our justice system and how black people have often been the scapegoats for white crime. Full of talks about police violence, legal representation for black people in and out of the courts, prison violence, and death sentencing, this book is a heart-wrenching and gripping read. It is especially helpful for those unfamiliar with the meaning of institutionalized racism.
