Having been a bibliophile all my life, here are some books from my personal collection that I feel are must-reads for women. I have tried to cover different genres, bringing different perspectives to the picture.
While you may have already read some of these books before, there’s always room for more or to read a book once again. So, here’s my curated list of 10 books that can be a good read.
- WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This book is a modified version of a Ted X Talk by the Nigerian author. It focuses on the word ‘feminism’ and why it is the need of the hour. Reflecting upon her experiences in life, she talks about the incidents where we as women are meant to feel invisible. She throws light on how men and women are raised differently. The book makes you ponder upon everyday instances in life that almost all of us have experienced, but never give much thought to. The dichotomy of society when it comes to women being leaders, is how they are expected to bring a ‘woman’s touch’ to the job. Whereas, a man being the boss can be tough, but a woman can’t. By reading this book, you will end up realizing how normalized it is for women to be considered not worthy of certain things, and this is where we as a society have failed.
- THE PALACE OF ILLUSIONS- Chitra Banerjee Divakurni
All the great epics of our country have been written by men. But what about the women? The way how men and women think is completely different. The way a woman can narrate a story makes us think of society in a different light. This is exactly what the book does. The author has written keeping in mind a woman’s take on the timeless epic, the Mahabharata. It is interesting to see how Panchali’s life has been portrayed. We get to know about those parts of her life that were not properly represented earlier, like her birth, lonely childhood, seeking companionship, motherhood and her being attracted to a man who is her husband’s enemy. Reading this book will make you feel what it is like for a woman to be born in a man’s world.
- SHIKHANDI AND OTHER TALES THEY DON’T TELL YOU- Devdutt Pattanaik
The author talks about the diversity of Indian culture, sexuality was seen as sacred and divine even if it was not heterosexual. Topics like sexual transformation and sexual freedom are mentioned by giving stories of Indian mythological characters. Focusing upon Shikhandi, a character that deserved much representation and respect. It will make you think about how society views individuals who do not conform to traditional gender norms. It will make you question, what we view a man and a woman as. What parameters have we set and how there is a need for us to change the way we consider masculinity and femininity is all about. By reading this, you will gain an insight into queer stories from Indian mythology.
- HONOUR- Elif Shafak
A bone-chilling story that brings into the picture how far we can go to protect our honor. Even if it means to suppress the truth and do injustice to the victim by not punishing the culprit. Its climax is something one could never have thought of. A very emotional story that reasserts how most of the time the harasser or rapist is a very own family member. The story focuses on how a girl is ridiculed by society for the choices she makes, and how she is always made to feel inferior and blamed for things she never did.
- HOW TO KILL MEN AND GET AWAY WITH IT- Katy Brent
This book brings to light the dark side that we all possess. It is just that some of us are very good at controlling it, while others fail. There might be certain incidents in life that make us react in a way, which is in contrast to our usual self. The main protagonist of the book has had a troubled childhood and often ends up doing things that she feels are justified. She takes it upon herself to punish the evil men when the law fails to. But the occurrence of an event and the entry of a significant man in her life, make her think about changing herself. To be a better person, but does she succeed? This book shows how emotions when suppressed for long, can get the worst out of a person.
Perhaps, reading the above-mentioned books might make you dig deeper into issues often ignored or make you more self-aware about your surroundings and the way we are conditioned about what constitutes the ‘normal’ in society. Hope these turn out to be a good read for you, and that you have a great learning experience.
Sonali Swain
Sonali Swain is a Freelance Content writer from Delhi. She wishes to be an IFS Officer and is preparing for the Civil Services currently. She can be reached at sonaliankita18@gmail.com.
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