"What do women want? It's a time-old question, but if you head out into America and talk to women one-on-one, as Jill Filipovic has done, you discover that what they want is happiness. Despite what recent books, articles, or TV shows would have you believe, real women are less concerned about "having it all," "leaning in," or "settling for 'Mr. Good Enough.'" Unsurprisingly, the way to achieve happiness is as varied as the realities they face. In...

"Work: A Story of Experience" by Louisa May Alcott immerses readers in the compelling narrative of Christie Devon, a young woman navigating the post-Civil War landscape in pursuit of independence and purpose. Set against the backdrop of the societal constraints of the era, this semi-autobiographical novel chronicles Christie's multifaceted journey through various jobs, each offering a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of a woman seeking self-reliance. Alcott's...

Although Sir Isaac Harman didn't think much of the suffragette movement, his female employees certainly did, and he thought it prescient that he too should do his bit for women's rights. His wife totally agreed, so he locked her up. However, this gesture was to have far-reaching reverberations as Sir Isaac's wife becomes the absolute embodiment of women's independence. "The Wife of Sir Isaac Harman" is a novel by H. G. Wells, first written in 1914....

Newly translated and unabridged in English for the first time, Simone de Beauvoir's masterwork is a powerful analysis of the Western notion of "woman," and a groundbreaking exploration of inequality and otherness. This long-awaited new edition reinstates significant portions of the original French text that were cut in the first English translation. Vital and groundbreaking, Beauvoir's pioneering and impressive text remains as pertinent today as it...

"Who is "the girl"? Look to movies, TV shows, magazines, and ads and the message is both clear and not: she is a sexed-up sidekick, a princess waiting to be saved, a morally infallible angel with no opinions of her own. She's whatever the hero needs her to be in order to become himself. She's an abstraction, an ideal, a standard, a mercurial phantom. In You Play the Girl, Chocano blends formative personal stories with insightful and emotionally powerful...

"As more feminism migrates online, full-spectrum doulas remain focused on life's physically intimate relationships: between caregivers and patients, parents and pregnancy, individuals and their own bodies. They are committed to supporting a pregnancy no matter the outcome-- whether it results in birth, abortion, miscarriage, or adoption-- facing the question of choice head-on. Mary Mahoney is founder and board co-chair of the Doula Project, and a...

"From a highly regarded feminist, cultural critic, and professor comes a polemic arguing that the stifling sense of sexual danger sweeping American campuses doesn't empower women, it impedes the fight for gender equality. Feminism is broken, argues Laura Kipnis, if anyone thinks the sexual hysteria overtaking American campuses is a sign of gender progress. A committed feminist, Kipnis was surprised to find herself the object of a protest march by...

An award-winning Vox.com correspondent links societal enforcement of traditional masculinity to current crime rates, outlining actionable steps based on today's rapidly evolving world to promote understanding and healthier responses in men who have been raised with toxic belief systems. --Publisher

"Changing the world means changing the story, the names, and the language with which we describe it. Calling things by their true names cuts through the lies that excuse, disguise, avoid, or encourage inaction, indifference, obliviousness in the face of injustice and violence. In this powerful and wide-ranging collection, Solnit turns her attention to battles over meaning, place, language, and belonging at the heart of the defining crises of our time....

A sensation upon its publication in 1970, Sexual Politics documents the subjugation of women in great literature and art. Beginning in 1830 and targeting four revered authors: D.H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Jean Genet, Kate Millett builds a damning profile of literature's patriarchal myths and their extension into psychology, philosophy, and politics. Her eloquence and popular examples taught a generation to recognize inequities masquerading...