Summer Reading: Feminist Writing I Cannot Wait For

As I've probably said a million times now, I love Feminist Non-Fiction. And throughout this year I've read some amazing pieces of work, *ahem* Girls Will Be Girls by Emer O'Toole. But like every other book blogger, book-tuber and book lover, I have a serious book buying problem which means that books tend to sit on my shelves looking pretty for a long time before I get to them. The kinda like a jail sentence you'd rather. So, with having some time on my hands this August before the semester starts, I've decided to show you some of the books I'm going to attempt to read and review this summer. 

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg | Paperback | Goodreads | Buy Here

Lean In--Sheryl Sandberg's provocative, inspiring book about women and power--grew out of an electrifying TED talk Sandberg gave in 2010, in which she expressed her concern that progress for women in achieving major leadership positions had stalled. The talk became a phenomenon and has since been viewed nearly two million times. In Lean In, she fuses humorous personal anecdotes, singular lessons on confidence and leadership, and practical advice for women based on research, data, her own experiences, and the experiences of other women of all ages. Sandberg has an uncanny gift for cutting through layers of ambiguity that surround working women, and in Lean In she grapples, piercingly, with the great questions of modern life. Her message to women is overwhelmingly positive. She is a trailblazing model for the ideas she so passionately espouses, and she's on the pulse of a topic that has never been more relevant.

Girl Trouble by Carol Dyhouse| Paperback | Goodreads | Buy Here

Girls behave badly. If they're not obscenity-shouting, pint-swigging laddettes they're narcissistic, living dolls floating around in a cloud of self-obsession, far too busy twerking to care. And this is news. In this witty and wonderful book, eminent historian Carol Dyhouse shows that for over a century now, where there's a horrific headline, a scandal or a wave of moral outrage you can bet a girl's to blame. Whether it be stories of 'brazen flappers' staying out, and up, all night in the 1920s, inappropriate places for Mars bars in the 60s or Courtney Love's mere existence in the 90s, bad girls have been a mass-media staple for more than a century. And yet, despite the continued obsession with their perceived faults and blatant disobedience, girls are infinitely better off today than they were a century ago. This is the story of the challenges and opportunities faced by young women growing up in the swirl of twentieth century and the pop-hysteria that continues to accompany their progress.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay | Paperback | Goodreads | Buy Here

'Pink is my favourite colour. I used to say my favourite colour was black to be cool, but it is pink - all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I'm not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.' In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of colour (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny and sincere look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

The Vagenda by Baxter & Cosslett | Paperback | Goodreads | Buy Here

As students, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett and Holly Baxter spent a lot of time laughing at magazine pieces entitled things like '50 Sex Tips to Please Your Man' (particularly the ones that encouraged bringing baked goods into the bedroom). They laughed at the ridiculous 'circles of shame' detailing minor weight fluctuations of female celebs, or the shocking presence of armpit hair. And at the articles telling you how to remove cellulite from your arse using coffee granules. But when they stopped laughing, they started to feel a bit uneasy. Was this relentless hum about vajazzles and fat removal just daft - at worst a bit patronising - or was something more disturbing going on? Was it time to say no? They thought so. So they launched The Vagenda blog in 2012, and now they have written this laugh-out-loud book. It is a brilliantly bolshy rallying call to girls and women of all ages. Caitlin Moran asked 'How to be a Woman': The Vagenda asks real women everywhere to demand a media that reflects who we actually are.

Hot Feminist by Polly Veron | Paperback | Goodreads | Buy Here

Hot (adj.) : (Of a person) Attractive 'a hot chick' Fem-i-n-ist (n.) : A person who supports feminism, the movement that advocates equal rights for women Polly Vernon, Grazia columnist, Times feature writer (hair-flicker, Brazilian-waxer, jeans obsessive, outrageous flirt) presents a brave new perspective on feminism. Drawing on her dedicated, life-long pursuit of hotness - having dismissed many of the rules on 'good' feminism at some point in the early 90s - she'll teach you everything you ever wanted to know about being a feminist when you care about how you look. When part of your brain is constantly monologuing on fashion. When you check out your own reflection in every reflective surface. When your depilation practices are pretty much out of control. When you just really want to be fancied. Hot Feminist is based on a principle of non-judgment (because there's enough already), honesty about how often we mess this up, and empowerment through looks. Part memoir, part road map, it's a rolling, raucous rejection of all those things we're convinced we shouldn't think / wear/ feel/ say/ buy/ want - and a celebration of all the things we can. It is modern feminism, with style, without judgment. 

Comment below and let me know if you've read any of these, what you think, or any recommendations!