A seasonal change is upon us. In parts of the United States, leaves are falling, there’s a slight chill in the air, students have returned to school, and Starbucks has already started selling their famous fall treat- Pumpkin Spice Lattes. For me, there is no better time to get lost in a book. With the contagious back-to-school attitudes and the cozy feelings Autumn weather stirs up inside me, I always just want to curl up under a fuzzy flannel blanket, make a cup of hot chocolate, and crack open a book.
If you’re anything like me, than you probably like to read stories with fierce feminists characters or leading ladies who capture the importance of female friendship and a woman’s ambition. Since many of you enjoyed my summer reading list, and even tweeted us pictures of you buying one of the books I recommended, I thought it’d be a great idea to add a fall edition as well.
I just ordered milk & honey after seeing it on @TheAffinityMag‘s summer reading list ???? pic.twitter.com/vvhaVg2Aot
— ashleigh (@thrvshleigh) April 25, 2016
So, without further ado, here are my reading recommendations for fall time:
- The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Yes, the title means exactly what you think it means: The Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Perhaps you have already read this, or seen the movie a couple years back (the book is way better, and the movie doesn’t do it justice AT ALL.) The title of this book may be off-putting. It seems crude, demeaning, and sounds an awful lot like someone is doing some body shaming. However, you must give it the benefit of the doubt! Throughout the book, we see the main character, Bianca, struggle with being labeled as the Duff. She feels inferior to her “gorgeous friends” and questions her self-esteem. We also get to see Bianca’s transformation into being a feminist. This book was sort of a challenge for me, because, for at least half, the protagonist has some very anti-feminist views. She slut shames, she pits girls against each other, and she seems to believe that girls can only be smart OR beautiful. But, I kept reading anyway, because I paid for it and I wasn’t going to let my money go to waste without at least finishing it. But then, something wonderful happens. Bianca manages to flip the negative meaning of “Duff” around. She begins to understand the importance of being a girl who helps out other girls. And, in a way, she ends up being her own hero.
Also, I feel that it’s kind of important to mention the fact that the author is her own kind of fierce. Kody Keplinger is a disabled author who fights ableist attitudes (something often overlooked in even the feminist community) in fiction and pushes for there to be more disabled protagonists in young adult fiction. She even co-founded Disability In Lit, an organization that pushes and discusses disabled characters in literature.
“I was the Duff. And that was a good thing. Because anyone who didn’t feel like the Duff must not have friends. Every girl feels unattractive sometimes. Why had it taken me so long to figure that out? Why had I been stressing over that dumb word for so long when it was so simple? I should be proud to be the Duff. Proud to have great friends who, in their minds, were my Duffs.”- From The Duff
2. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
‘Go Set A Watchman’ is the sequel to the famous, award-winning, and game changing ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ Released months before legendary author Harper Lee passed away, she brings back our favorite childhood character. Scout (Jean-Louse Finch) as an adult during the racial tensions of the South in the 1950’s. If you’ve read TKAM (if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?!) then you know that Scout, as a child, was profoundly intelligent, “woke,” and definitely against gender roles, much to her aunt’s dismay. She wasn’t afraid to challenge societal views of women, and wear whatever she felt comfortable in- even if that meant going buck naked sometimes. In Watchman, she is just as fierce and rebellious, all while still aging with grace. She works in New York, has a career going for herself, is a proud feminist, and is against the idea of settling down at a young age or moving back to Alabama to take care of her elderly father. She’s just as stubborn and set in her ways as you remember her and still actively fights to make a difference in the world. She questions the racist and sexist views in her hometown and usually fails to bite her tongue, calling out friends and family members alike. Jean Louise is the perfect role model, and an example of how to exist in the world as a feminist ally while being a white woman. If you love political history reads and a feisty female lead, this is your best bet!
“What does a bigot do when he meets someone who challenges his opinions? He doesn’t give. He stays rigid. Doesn’t even try to listen, just lashes out.”
― Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman
3. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
‘Bad Feminist’ is a collection of essays written by Roxane Gay, an award-winning author and college professor. Gay discusses a wide range of social issues in this book: racial injustice, police brutality, sexual assault, LGBTQ rights, the importance of body positivity, and criticizing pop culture. The pages are filled with topics that every intersectional feminist is passionate about. She even provides a unique insight into her life as a black woman, amusing readers with stories about playing Scrabble tournaments and interesting interactions with her students. Roxane describes feminism as an imperfect movement, made up of imperfect people. She goes on to explain the even she doesn’t view herself as the ideal feminist, dubbing herself a “bad feminist,” and openly owning her flaws and possible shortcomings. I read this book while on vacation in California, and I ended up staying up all night reading it. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the pages. I greedily gobbled up every word Gay had typed on the pages. I was addicted. A review on the back of the book describes it as: “staying up all night, agreeing and arguing with the smartest person you have ever met,” and that is a hundred percent accurate. The entire time while reading ‘Bad Feminist,’ you are learning things you never knew and you begin to challenge your own beliefs. This is a must for any woman who loves real-life feminism in action. And the best part? You can double it as a source for any school paper you need to write, as it’s educational and factual!
“I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying—trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.”
― Roxane Gay, Bad Feminist
4. salt. by Nayyirah Waheed
I stumbled across ‘salt.’ late one night when I was riddled with self-doubt and I was really struggling with my current living situation. As an aspiring poet, I like to read other poets. I like to know learn from them and I like to reinforce the idea to myself that sometimes poetry has no definable rules. Other poets are often a source of inspiration for me and a reminder that it’s okay to write outside of the lines. But I also like the way poets (such as myself) unabashedly express their pain and that’s what I was truly looking for that night. I found it in the stanzas of Waheed’s self-published book. To say it was incredible is an understatement. Reading it was an eye opening experience. I was gifted the chance to look inside the life of Waheed, to learn of her culture and to agree with her views on the oppression of women, and women of color in general. With just a mere sentence, she is able to bring you to tears and invoke emotions in you that you didn’t even know you had. She crafted an elegant piece of art within these pages and I urge any young girl to take the time to sit down and read it. You will not regret it. It is chalk full of learning and loving and feeling and accepting. I am wholeheartedly sure that it is the most delicate yet strong book you will ever read. If you were going to choose just one book from this list to read, I would highly recommend that it be this one!
“i think one of the most pathological things i have ever seen is stabbing someone and then telling them that their pain and anger over being stabbed is making you sad. – white guilt”
― Nayyirah Waheed, salt.
All of the books I reccomended have a cozy, soft, fireside feeling to them that is ideal for embracing Fall! Whether it’s a character retuning to school and prepping for homecoming, returning home for the season, intellectual essays to fuel your hungry mind, or a poet who allows you ponder the more chilly side of life, these books will invoke feelings of friendship and self-love for teen girls of any age. After all, Fall is about fresh starts, reiventions, and diving into new experiences. I hope you can find yourself in these books, I hope you can learn something from them, and I hope they can help you feel stronger in your womanhood.
Happy reading!
