powells:
Below you’ll find our list — compiled following lively debate by
Powell’s staff — of 25 women you absolutely must read in your lifetime.
In one sense, singling out a small group of female writers as eminently
worthy of attention feels like an injustice to a gender who has
published an immeasurable amount of profound, enduring literature. At
the same time, recognizing great female authors is an exercise we here
at Powell’s are dedicated to undertaking again and again — emphatically,
enthusiastically, unapologetically.
And so we present to you 25 female writers we admire for their vision,
their fearlessness, their originality, and their impact on the literary
world and beyond. To get you started, we’ve included a book
recommendation for each author.
Note: For a limited time, all of the titles featured below are on sale! Browse the books here.
“How often, among literature lovers, are poems from Adrienne Rich’s The Dream of a Common Language
quoted? (“I choose not to suffer uselessly // …I choose to love this
time for once / with all my intelligence,” from ‘Splittings.’) This
collection, especially the middle sequence, ‘Twenty-One Love Poems,’
contains some of the most beautiful and arresting love poetry written
this century. Adrienne Rich is a feminist giant, and these poems,
written in 1974, map and delineate the territory of women’s love for
women (sexual and otherwise) and the struggle of selfhood,
consciousness, history, and art with strength, creativity, and fierce
empathy. Even if you think you’re not a fan of poetry, Rich’s work — her 'common language’ — will move you.”
– Jill
“Bechdel first became well-known as a cartoonist for her long-running series Dykes to Watch Out For (1983-2008). When Fun Home was published in 2006, it was clear her work had taken a much different direction. She says that Fun Home
is about how she learned to be an artist from her father. 'Fun Home’
was what she and her brothers called the funeral home that her father
ran part-time. Bechdel narrates her childhood through diary entries that
catapult the reader back in time, clever juxtapositions of literary
classics, and artwork with a slightly gothic feel. The subtitle is 'A
Family Tragicomic,’ and Fun Home is exactly that, but so much
more: the story of Bechdel’s coming out, her relationship with her
father, her father’s death, and his own sexuality.”
– Mary Jo
“Hempel used to be in that category known as a 'writer’s writer’ —
critically praised, loved devotedly by fellow authors, and often taught
(particularly her near-perfect story, “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson
Is Buried”) but not widely read. In fact, several of her early
collections of stories were out of print and difficult to find. But with
the publication of her Collected Stories
a few years ago, there’s now no excuse for not reading her. Hempel is
one of the best story writers in America today, hands-down — her
incredible, sharp-edged prose, her precise minimalist style, her
devastating and often absurd humor and poignancy have made her a
touchstone and influence for other contemporary writers. Hempel’s Collected Stories is an abundance that will reward readers again and again.”
– Jill
“Adichie’s ability to write with compassionate, brilliant prose about
topics such as civil war, political strife, immigration issues, race,
cultural differences, and love has earned her well-deserved critical
acclaim and many awards, including a MacArthur 'Genius Grant’ in 2008.
Adichie’s most recent novel, Americanah,
parallels some of her own experience as a Nigerian coming to America
for the first time to attend college. Alternating between the present
and past, Ifemelu tries to adjust to her new temporary home, learning
what it really means to be black in America. Although now 'settled’ and
with a successful career, Ifemelu longs to return to Nigeria and leave
everything behind, including shutting down a popular blog about her
notable American observations. A poignant, funny, sometimes scathing
look at the reality of being a new immigrant in the United States —
especially from an African perspective — Americanah is an unforgettable work of literature not to be missed.”
– Jen
“Lispector, a Jewish, Ukraine-born Brazilian author and journalist, is
much-beloved throughout the world, but is sadly under-read in the United
States. Her last (and most popular) work, The Hour of the Star,
was originally published mere months before her death in 1977.
Lispector’s novel offers the story of Macabéa, a poor, unattractive, and
malnourished — yet curious (if not a little naïve) — Rio-based typist,
as well as that of the book’s narrator, Rodrigo S.M., and his mounting
hardships in conveying the tale of young Macabéa. Exquisite and
singular, the often-woeful novel is magnificent as much for its story as
for the uncommon approach by which it’s told. Lispector’s gifted prose
frequently shimmers with an innocent beauty, and so many of her passages
nearly radiate from the page. Lispector may well be one of the most
brilliant writers you haven’t yet had the honor of reading.”
– Jeremy
“There’s no living writer like Donna Tartt. Not since reading the Greek
and Russian greats in college have I encountered a writer so gifted in
weaving the melodramatic, even the supernatural, into the everyday; nor
have I read prose so finely calibrated and opulent that the story’s
atmosphere quickly supplants my own. All of Tartt’s novels — each a
decade in the making — involve eccentric characters who find themselves
in increasingly outlandish, dangerous situations. Her excellent debut
novel, the literary thriller The Secret History,
follows a cult-like group of classics students at a prestigious college
who begin committing murders, possibly under the direction of Dionysus,
Greek god of ritual madness. A spellbinding and darkly humorous drama
of privilege and desire, The Secret History is the type of book you read through the night and think about long after you’ve finished.”
– Rhianna
“Haitian-born Edwidge Danticat’s themes of mother-daughter relationships
have exotic rhythms that feel as magical as they do earthy. There is
honesty in her storytelling of the Haitian diaspora, of divided
families; revealing love, loss, and longing. Her novels and short
stories are of bittersweet memories and quick, violent societal
injustices. Danticat’s award-winning writing (National Book Critics
Circle, American Book Award, etc.) embodies the spice of the cooking
pot, the vibrant colors of Haiti, and a sisterhood of women. In Breath, Eyes, Memory,
a Haitian daughter is removed from the world she knows and understands
to be sent to New York for a reunion with a mother she doesn’t recall.
They do their best to accommodate each other’s love, but adherence to
generational tradition endangers their delicate trust. Danticat’s
writing is alluring, almost tribal. Simple and complex, crushing and
beautiful, Breathe, Eyes, Memory will linger long in your own memory.”
– Tracey T
“In her Pulitzer Prize–winning book, The Sixth Extinction, New Yorker
staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert confronts what may well be the most
compelling, portentous, and defining characteristic of our modernity:
the nearly inconceivable and irretrievable loss of earth’s biodiversity
at the hands of our own species. Although earth has endured five mass
extinctions over the last half-billion years — during which 'the planet
has undergone change so wrenching that the diversity of life has
plummeted’ — we now have the distinct and dubious honor of not only
“witnessing one of the rarest events in life’s history, [but] also
causing it.” Incisive, imperative, and full of shrewd reporting,
Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction is a most significant and
substantial work — one that foresees the calamity of our future and aims
to forestall the most ignominious bequest imaginable.”
– Jeremy
“Eliot is an author most people know from school or because they see her books on lists of 'important literature.’ But reading Middlemarch,
her extraordinary monument to early-19th-century provincial England, is
far from a stodgy, academic experience. With a touch of satire and an
incredible grasp on the intricacies of human nature, Eliot illustrates
the patterns — and peculiarities — of the people inhabiting her
fictional town of Middlemarch. Flawed and conflicted, her characters
stumble along as we all do, navigating mistakes and misfortunes with
varying levels of success. This is not a book of classic character arcs
or happy endings, but it is a true masterpiece, something to be enjoyed
for its intrigue, savored for its razor-sharp prose, and admired for its
timelessness.”
– Renee P
“From 1915 to 1970, almost six million African Americans left the South
in search of better economic opportunities and a higher quality of life.
It was one of the largest internal migrations in history and had a
profound effect on the culture and politics of this country. To better
understand this monumental yet underdocumented event, Pulitzer
Prize–winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson spent 15 years and interviewed
more than 1,000 people researching and writing The Warmth of Other Suns.
In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, Wilkerson gives the epic
scale of the Great Migration a human angle by focusing on three
individuals to represent each of the three main migratory routes. The Warmth of Other Suns
is an illuminating and riveting account, filled with stories that are
finely crafted, meticulously researched, and immensely readable.”
– Shawn
“Jacobs was a writer, activist, and visionary whose work had a profound
effect on the way we look at the urban areas around us. She was
considered an outcast in the male-dominated world of urban planning, yet
her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities,
remains a seminal text in this field. One of the great joys of this
book is that Jacobs is not an academic, but rather a committed city
dweller who obliviously derives much pleasure from living in an urban
landscape. Her writing is insightful, honest, unpretentious, and
eye-opening. The enthusiasm Jacobs feels for our cities is contagious
and shines through on every page of this classic.”
– Shawn
“Didion is a true original. Her spare, no-nonsense style and acute
observational skills completely changed the way we view literary
nonfiction, and the influence she’s had on generations of authors is
immeasurable. Though often grouped together with Tom Wolfe, Norman
Mailer, and others in the New Journalism movement, her work has endured
in ways theirs has not. It’s been nearly 50 years since the first essays
in Slouching towards Bethlehem
were written, yet her unblinking portrait of America in general and
California in particular remains as vibrant and relevant as ever.”
– Shawn
“Armstrong’s career began when she wrote and presented a documentary on
the life of St. Paul, which aired on BBC’s Channel Four. A former nun
and one of the foremost authors writing on comparative religion,
Armstrong has published over 20 titles. A History of God
discusses the origins of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam and explains
how our concept of God has changed throughout the course of history. It
is fascinating to learn how politics, philosophy, and various schools of
thought have changed the way we think about monotheism. Most of us
don’t spend much time considering where our ideas about God came from.
In A History of God, Armstrong gives the reader a wealth of
information in order to better understand the big picture. It’s a meaty
book, full of big ideas and well worth the read.”
– Mary Jo
“Shriver sent the manuscript of We Need to Talk about Kevin
to her agent just after 9/11. Her agent found the book thoroughly
distasteful and suggested an extensive rewrite. Shriver eventually found
a new agent and published the book to great success. Twelve years
later, We Need to Talk about Kevin continues to be a timely and
necessary examination of evil in our society and what happens when that
evil is under your own roof. It’s a compelling and grim read that has a
train-wreck quality to it; you can’t seem to look away from the
characters. Are they despicable, or well-meaning people floundering in a
situation beyond their control?”
– Mary Jo
“Erdrich’s writing runs deep with 14 acclaimed novels, including The Round House (winner of the National Book Award) and The Plague of Doves
(a Pulitzer finalist). While it’s likely you’ve read her more recent
titles, to get the keenest sense of Erdrich and her heritage, it’s well
worth it to return to the first novel of her Native American series, Love Medicine. Winner of the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award, Love Medicine
is heartbreaking, raw, and mesmerizing. The story exposes the heart and
soul of the Kashpaw and Lamartine families living on a North Dakota
reservation, across generations. Erdrich’s writing is colorful and
melodic throughout, with breathtaking passages like her depiction of
Grandpa Kashpaw: 'Elusive, pregnant with history, his thoughts finned
off and vanished. The same color as water.’ Fans and readers new to
Erdrich alike should not miss this classic.”
– Kim S
“It can be hard to pinpoint what makes Lydia Davis’s writing so magnetic.
Her precise, no-nonsense language combined with her liberal definition
of the short story? Her attention to the overlooked, the mundane, the
clutter in our lives that holds so much meaning? Her understated sense
of humor, so deeply ingrained in her observations about the absurdities
of life? Whatever it is, you’ll find it in spades in her Collected Stories, which compiles all of Davis’s short fiction from her seminal Break It Down (1986) through Varieties of Disturbance
(2007). Few writers’ work lends itself so well to a compilation.
Whether you pick stories at random or start at the beginning and work
your way through the collection (highly recommended), this is a book
that feels like the best gift: fun, poignant, and endlessly rewarding.”
– Renee P
“Atwood is a master at conveying the inner landscape of her characters,
and her novels are frequently peppered with sharp and incisive social
commentary. Adored by both readers and critics, she has published over
40 works, including many books of poetry, and has won countless
accolades, including the Booker Prize and the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Cat’s Eye,
written in 1988, is the story of Elaine, a famous painter who returns
to the city where she grew up for a retrospective exhibit of her work.
Long flashbacks take the reader back to Elaine’s childhood where she
endured much emotional torment from her group of friends. Cat’s Eye
is an uncanny portrayal of how cruel children can be to their peers,
the toll it can take on the victims, and how that cruelty echoes on in
the mind for years. Atwood brings Elaine’s world alive for the reader in
vivid and incandescent detail.”
– Mary Jo
“In her short 53 years, Mary Shelley wrote novels, plays, short stories,
essays, biographies, and travel books, but it’s not surprising that she
is best known for her novel Frankenstein.
It’s hard to separate the idea of Frankenstein’s monster from the
popular icon he’s become, but everyone should read the original novel.
Shelley’s gothic masterpiece, first published when she was only 20 years
old, is far richer than the legacy it brought to life, a work of
elegance and depth, more tragedy than monster story, exploring the
dangers of hubris, the nature of so-called evil, the sorrows that lead
us to our crimes, and the possibility that rejection and remorse are far
greater horrors than any monster.”
– Gigi
“Highsmith is a master of stark, poetic prose, acclaimed for her
relentless themes of murder and psychological torment. She is best known
for her series of five Tom Ripley novels, popularly referred to as the
Ripliad. Like the Ripley stories, Highsmith’s debut book, Strangers on a Train,
is most remembered for its adaptation to the screen. Its hypnotic plot
revolves around a moment between two strangers and one very
out-of-the-ordinary proposition: “…what an idea! We murder for each
other, see? I kill your wife and you kill my father!” Yes, Hitchcock
made that famous movie, but Highsmith’s original novel is more complex
and far darker. More than just a gripping thriller, this fascinating
character study asks the question: What is the dividing line between
sanity and madness, between the hunted and the hunter?”
– Gigi
“Solnit is one of the most eloquent, urgent, and intelligent voices writing nonfiction today; from Men Explain Things to Me to Storming the Gates of Paradise, anything she’s written is well worth reading. But her marvelous book of essays A Field Guide to Getting Lost might be her most poetic, ecstatic work. Field Guide
is about the spaces between stability and risk, solitude, and the
occasional claustrophobia of ordinary life. With dreamlike transitions,
Solnit considers a variety of examples which contrast created wildness
with natural wilderness, including Passover, punk music, and suburban
youth, the early death of a friend from an overdose, movie-making in the
ruins of a mental hospital, and her affair with a hermit in the
Southwestern desert. She explores the mysterious without puncturing the
mystery, and that is a remarkable achievement indeed.”
– Jill
“Sontag was good at pretty much everything related to language — she
wrote novels, stories, plays, and memoirs. But the best of her efforts
were her essays and critical writings. It’s difficult to narrow down a
single collection to represent her nonfiction work, which ranged from
horror movies to encapsulating “camp” to exploring illness as metaphor. On Photography
is one of her seminal works, wherein she redefines and examines ways of
seeing, representation, and reality. As Sontag writes in the first
essay, “In Plato’s Cave,” “To collect photographs is to collect the
world,” and On Photography radically expands our consciousness of what it is to live in such a place.”
– Jill
“If the only book you’ve read by Toni Morrison is her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Beloved,
you’re missing out. Known for her powerfully evocative prose, her grand
mystical tales steeped in black history, her haunting (and haunted)
characters, Morrison is an author whose body of work demands attention.
Her third novel, Song of Solomon
— Barack Obama’s self-proclaimed favorite book — is a magnificent, epic
story following Macon “Milkman” Dead, along with an assortment of
characters whose lives touch, and at times endanger, his own. Violence
and a palpable fear of injustice pervades the people of this book, set
in Michigan in the '30s through the '60s. But moreover, as the many
characters emerge in full color for both Milkman and the reader, Song of Solomon is a book of awakenings, and a tale of one man’s journey from defiance to action.”
– Renee P
“As sinuous a novel as Valeria Luiselli’s Faces in the Crowd
is, it is all the more remarkable on account of it being a debut — and a
most assured one at that. The Mexican novelist and essayist’s first
fiction entwines multiple narratives and perspectives, shifting between
them with the ease and gracefulness of a writer far beyond her years (Faces in the Crowd
was published when Luiselli was 28). The metafictional scaffolding of
Luiselli’s novel is seamlessly constructed, and its bibliocentric façade
entrenches it within a rich tradition of referential Latin American
literature. Faces in the Crowd, beyond its gorgeous writing and
superb composition, is modest yet striking, measured yet salient. Last
fall, the National Book Foundation named Luiselli one of 2014’s “5 under
35,” and given the evident range of her myriad literary talents, it’s
no great wonder why.”
– Jeremy
“Reading Virginia Woolf is like stepping out onto a veranda, where the
entire world unfurls before you in dazzling detail. Her unparalleled
ability to paint a scene so exquisitely, and to inhabit her characters
with such clarity and intensity, makes for an experience that is both
awe-inspiring and deeply moving. To the Lighthouse,
set in a weathered vacation home on the edge of a Scottish isle,
depicts lives shaped by the temperament of the environment and the
ancient myths of the sea. People’s moods change at whim, perspective
passes fluidly from body to body, and the grandeur of the landscape
beckons the characters to embark on a journey that proves epic voyages
don’t always involve great distances. It doesn’t get more beautiful than
this.”
– Renee P
“One of only 13 women to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature (out of
111 total laureates), Polish poet Wisława Szymborska (pronounced
vees-WAH-vah shim-BOR-ska) was awarded the world’s highest literary
honor in 1996. A career-spanning work that features poems from eight
separate collections, Poems New and Collected
offers some four decades of the poet’s finest verse. Despite having
published only a few hundred poems during her lifetime, Szymborska was
regarded as one of the century’s finest European Poets. Described as the
“Mozart of Poetry,” Szymborska was recognized by the Nobel committee
“for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and
biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality.” With
rich imagery and a wide stylistic range, the profundity of Szymborska’s
poetry makes it personal, timeless, and universally relevant.”
– Jeremy