Books

two young women standing side-by-side in an open parking lot

The Corn-Fed Whiteness of Rural Literature

by s.e. smith
November 24, 2020 at 9:00am
Much of this canon is white and male, fetishizing a version of rural life that never truly existed. Read more »
A brown woman with brown hair wears an orange blouse and reads a book on a sofa.

9 Political Novels That Help Us Understand Our Current Chaos

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
November 23, 2020 at 11:48am
These nine novels help us better understand how we got here. Read more »
a collage of four book covers: Lives of Great Men, Welcome to Lagos, The Death of Vivek Oji, and Under the Udala Trees

4 Nigerian Authors to Read Who Haven’t Been Proudly Transphobic

by Gloria Oladipo
November 20, 2020 at 1:58pm
Continue investing in other Nigerian authors seeking to challenge some of Nigeria’s cultural norms. Read more »
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

White Rage, White Guilt: How Long Do We Wait for White Women to Learn?

by Katherine Morgan
November 20, 2020 at 12:31pm
I believe that the intentions were good, but the worst thing about good intentions is that sometimes the energy can be misplaced. Read more »
I Want to Be Where the Normal People book cover features an illustration of Rachel Bloom, a white woman with short, brown hair looking longingly out the window with a small dog

BitchReads: 7 Books Feminists Should Read in November

by Evette Dionne
November 10, 2020 at 12:50pm
It feels as if I can focus again—and I hope this is true for our readers too. Read more »
Ruby Hamad, who has wavy brown hair and large brown eyes, looks into the camera. Ruby wears a red t-shirt and stands against a neutral background.

Distressed Damsels: There’s Nothing Accidental about White Feminist Racism

by Madhuri Sastry
November 5, 2020 at 10:38am
The white self—not the white person as a human being, but as a white person in the society—is built on this myth of morality and goodness surrounded by heathens and disease-ridden savages. Read more »
A person on a train with black hair and short bangs and a face tattoo reads a book.

BitchReads: 9 YA Books Feminists Should Read in November

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
November 2, 2020 at 3:14pm
Through it all though, I’ve found a lot of solace in books. Read more »
Lily James plays Mrs. de Winter, a woman with shoulder-length blond hair looking over her shoulder, in Rebecca

Female Trouble: Why Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca” Still Possesses our Imaginations

by Kerensa Cadenas
October 21, 2020 at 9:37am
What makes Daphne du Maurier’s prose feel fresh and unique to this day is just how real it is in capturing the way women observe. Read more »
A black and white portrait of Nikki Giovanni, a Black woman with short, blond hair, holds her hand up to her chin

BitchReads: 11 Books Feminists Should Read in October

by Evette Dionne
October 16, 2020 at 9:14am
For those updating their fall reading lists, we have books for everyone. Read more »
a Black man with short, black hair, and a blue shirt sits on a concrete bence reading a book

Personal Connection: #OwnVoices, Outing, and the Ongoing Quest for Authenticity

by s.e. smith
October 14, 2020 at 9:00am
Not all authors feel safe, comfortable, or interested in being out to readers about their identities. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

Hot Under the Bonnet: The Cooptation of Amish Culture in Mass-Market Fiction

a blue and white illustration of a woman in Amish attire standing next to a fan and a chicken
by Audrey deCoursey
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
Dubbed “Amish romance novels,” “Amish fiction,” or the more waggish “bonnet rippers,” these novels just one entry point into the varying images of Amish communities in U.S. popular culture. Read more »

Rewriting the Future: Using Science Fiction to Re-Envision Justice

by Walidah Imarisha
Spring 2015 • Law & Order
Our justice movements desperately need science fiction. Read more »

Demanding the Impossible: Walidah Imarisha Talks About Science Fiction and Social Change

by Kristian Williams
April 13, 2015 at 2:23pm
Before she was a poet, journalist, documentary filmmaker, anti-prison activist, and college instructor, Walidah Imarisha was fascinated... Read more »

Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream

Elizabeth Gilbert, a white woman wearing a navy blue jumpsuit, leans forward and holds hand with and Oprah Winfrey, a Black woman wearing a gray cardigan and jeans
by Joshunda Sanders
Summer 2010 • Action
Even as reports on joblessness, economic recovery, and home foreclosures suggest that no one is immune to risk during this recession, the popularity of women’s wellness media has persisted and, indeed, grown stronger.  Read more »