Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall, Narrated by the Author
Hood Feminism is one of the best books on feminism that I have read in recent years. Each chapter discusses a different topic that is often left out of the mainstream feminist movement. While most of the essays focus on Black women’s experiences, Kendall includes women and femmes from a wide range of identities, including people with disabilities, Indigenous women, and LGBTQ+ individuals. I listened to this audiobook along with the text and ended up running out of tabs! It’s just THAT good.
Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger by Soraya Chemaly, Narrated by the Author
Why DOES society consider it so unladylike to express anger? Why is anger viewed as a masculine emotion? In Rage Becomes Her, Chemaly analyzes women’s anger, how historically women have been pressured to keep everything bottled up, and what that does to women’s bodies. Each chapter is like a truth bomb pointing out how many societal norms are based on our ideas around what are considered feminine and masculine emotions.
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper, Narrated by the Author
Brittney Cooper is a joy, and I loved listening to her use anecdotes from her life as to share her perspective on being a Black, feminist woman. The entire time I felt like we were sitting down for a cup of coffee while she told me about her ideas around class, gender, and race. This is one of those audiobooks I keep buying for my friends and insisting they stop everything and read.
Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister, Narrated by the Author
Like many women during the 2016 election, Traister was excited to elect the first woman president of the United States. When that didn’t happen, Traister found herself talking to other women, and time after time, these women expressed incredible anger that Trump was elected. In Good and Mad, Traister writes about the election and how women’s anger has been a crucial part of the political response.
Too Fat, Too Slutty Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen, Narrated by the Author
In each chapter of Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Petersen analyzes a woman from pop culture who society has deemed too much of something. From Nicki Minaj to Melissa McCarthy, the women she profiles broke societal norms and dared to be different. I love how she tackles different patriarchal standards for women in such a clever way and appreciate how the author challenges readers to take a hard look at ourselves and see what internalized societal norms we might still be holding on to.
Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story by Angela Saini, Narrated by Hannah Melbourn
As a woman with a disability, I frequently find myself trying to explain how our medical industry is still incredibly sexist. I love having Inferior to hand to others and say, “Here, just read this! It will explain everything.” Saini’s text doesn’t require you to have a medical degree to understand the topics she’s discussing. Her text is incredibly accessible and breaks down how America’s modern medical system favors men in so many different ways without losing you in all of the information.
Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay, Narrated by Bahni Turpin
Six years ago, I picked up Bad Feminist and read the words, “I would rather be a bad feminist than no feminist at all.” A couple years ago, I returned to these essays on audio and rediscovered the joy and insightfulness of this collection. As a perfectionist myself, I appreciated Gay’s down-to-earth approach to her thought process. Whether she’s talking about a Scrabble tournament or analyzing pop culture, this collection encourages readers to look at their everyday lives and not to kick themselves every time they mess up. We don’t have to be perfect to make a difference.
