This list is always growing. Feel free to write your own recommendations!
BOOKS (literature)
Louisa May Alcott – Little Women
Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale
This is an absolute must-read for women, for everyone. Imagine of a future dystopia where human procreation faces problems and difficulties. What happens? The relations between sexes are re-structured to fit the new society’s demands. Women are its main currency. Stunning, sad and genius.
Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre
Angela Carter - The Bloody Chamber
I can’t put to words how much I love Angela Carter. Her work is fantastic. This book consists of various retellings of fairy tales, written with a feminist twist and a love for words. I also love both volumes of her “Virago Book of Fairy Tales”.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Herland
A feminist utopia and how three men discover it. A short, interesting book that explores the theory of a women-only world and how it would look like.
Ursula K. Le Guin – The Left Hand of Darkness
Almost everything by Le Guin is a sure win as she raises gender issues with intelligence and insight. This is a sci-fi where the main people are asexual and omnisexual at the same time. Brilliant.
Robin Hobb – The Liveship Traders Trilogy
Hobb is a remarkable storyteller. This (voluminous) fantasy/partly naval trilogy is absolutely recommended for its spectacularly wide and impressive cast of female characters. Make sure to check the Farseer trilogy as well.
Diana Wynne Jones – Howl’s Moving Castle
Jones was one of the greatest children authors. Her work is amusing and filled with feisty girls. Recommended to your children AND you. Laughs and warm fuzzy feelings guaranteed.
Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials Trilogy
Even though this is a YA trilogy, if we read it on a different level the importance of the issues raised should concern us all. The first book is relatively slow-paced and for younger readers, while the second rises interest and tension to reach a superb third volume. Pullman is a great man and his books made a lasting impact to my senses. His work is intensely philosophical and intricate. I’m sure you will enjoy it.
Virginia Woolf – Orlando
Woolf is my favourite author, period. I keep Orlando by my bedside, really. A hymn to life, where the protagonist changes sex once and genders all the time.
Yoshimoto Banana – Kitchen
Banana has a strange quality in all of her books. Slice-of-life with a hint of supernatural, mostly focused on women’s mentality and new definitions of family is how I could describe her style. She’s worth reading, mainly because she has so many flawed characters we can’t help but loving for their imperfection. The world needs more of the love she gives wholeheartedly to her readers.
Marion Zimmer Bradley – The Mists of Avalon
A retelling of the arthurian legend, in four parts. I read this back in high school and it still is the best version I’ve seen. The story is told by Morgane and it actually focuses on the women of the legend, as central to all events. Great if you’re interested in theories on the feminine aspect of the divine too.
FILMS
Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Monster (2003)
The real story of a woman serial killer is a serious punch on the face. Deeply shocking and moving at the same time, offers insight on how a woman can become a killer.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
…and pretty much every Miyazaki Hayao film, like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away etc. Miyazaki’s work is filled with girl protagonists, powerful and courageous, always changing the world they live in. Make sure to read Nausicaa’s graphic novel as well!
North Country (2005)
Osaka Elegy (1936)
Kenji Mizoguchi did a wonderful early feminist work. His portrayals of geisha, prostitutes, women facing social marginalization have a unique, caring insight. This is one of my favourites, about how moral dilemmas cost a woman much more – exactly because she is a woman trapped in a man’s world.
Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
Most people see the Chinese communism metaphor in this film, but rarely they dare discuss what actually happens: a male oppressor, defining and ruining the lives of women. The beauty and the strength of this film make it an absolute must-see for everyone.
TELEVISION
Battlestar Galactica
Despite its popularity, I find it deeply sophisticated on many aspects, mainly regarding the food for thought it provides on what is and is not human. Body comes into question, reminding me sometimes of Cyborg Manifesto. Strong female leads like Starbuck can’t go unnoticed.
