13 best feminist books to read ahead of International Women’s Day 2024
Now in its fourth wave, the feminist movement has achieved a great deal over the past 100 years, and we have its literary canon to thank for a lot of it.
From Virginia Woolf and Doris Lessing’s seminal writing in the 20th century to Margaret Attwood, Caitlin Moran and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s contemporary musings on womanhood, feminist books address everything from financial independence and motherhood to intersectionality and gender politics.
And while some books champion the progress made, others continue to draw awareness to just how far the movement still has to go.
Whether you’re looking to widen your own understanding of what feminism means, broaden someone else’s horizons or enlighten a slightly antiquated aunt, we’ve got you covered with our reading list.
How we tested feminist books
To mark International Women’s Day 2024, we’ve rounded up books that not only reflect what it means to be a woman today but also help demonstrate how far the feminist movement has come, as well as classic 20th-century works that proved revolutionary at the time. There’s an exhaustive selection of feminist tomes out there to educate, galvanize and inspire – here’s a selection of some of the best.
