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Alpha Girls: Book Description: “There’s a new type of teenage girl growing up in America today and she is going to have a profound and beneficial influence on society. Part of the first generation that is reaping the full benefits of the women’s movement, today’s American girl is maturing with a new sense of possibility and psychological emancipation. Dr. Kindlon offers an in-depth portrait of the alpha girl, a born leader who is ready to explode into adulthood and make her mark on the world." |
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Burned Alive: Book Description: "Souad was a 17-year-old girl living in a small village in Jordan when she had the misfortune of falling in love... Enticed into a relationship with a handsome neighbor, her short-lived romance leaves her pregnant. Forbidden to marry until her older sisters find husbands and having brought shame to her family, Souad faces the only acceptable punishment: death." |
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Feminism: The Essential Historical Writings Book Description: "This updated, wide-ranging collection encompasses the crucial issues of women's oppression. Miriam Schneir has bypassed writings that deal exclusively with suffrage to focus attention on the still unsolved feminist problems: marriage as an instrument of oppression; woman's desire to control her own body; the economic independence of women; the search for selfhood." |
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Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristoff & Sheryl WuDunn Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have written an inspirational book that describes in detail the brutal treatment of women across the globe, as well as the power and resilience of women who undergo such abuse, yet work to transform their lives in spite of it. The authors provide compelling evidence that nations would experience significant advantages by supporting the empowerment of women. In the words of the authors, the question is “...whether each of us will be part of that historical movement, or a bystander.” This book provides a clarion call for reform and a blueprint for how to achieve it |
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In the Name of Honor: A Memoir From Booklist: "Mai, a 32-year-old Pakistani peasant, was condemned by her village tribal council in 2002 to be gang-raped. The punishment was provoked by the untrue accusation that her younger brother had seduced an older woman. After her rape by four men, rather than disappear in humiliation or commit suicide, Mai presents a portrait of determination in overcoming low caste status and stifling tradition." |
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Inez: The Life and Times of Inez Milholland From Library Journal: "In this first biography of Milholland, Lumsden recounts her subject's vivid life as a lawyer, war correspondent, and suffragist. Named best all-around athlete at Vassar, Milholland was Amazonian in stature yet in appearance was the embodiment of the Gibson Girl. Leaving no stone unturned, Lumsden digs up the person behind the persona. The book's many photographs of Milholland bring her to life. |
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Iron Jawed Angels Book Description: "...an in-depth analysis of how the National Woman's Party worked first as aggressive political lobbyists and developed an effective strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience. Readiness to resist authorities and break the law for women's rights developed gradually. With biographical sketches, this study examines the evolution from petitions to pickets to prison. A Gustavus Myers Human Rights Center Outstanding Book." |
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Lakota Woman by Mary Crow Dog Mary Crow Dog is a member of the Sicangu or Brule Tribe, one of the seven tribes of the Western Sioux nation known collectively as the Lakota. The author grew up in a one-room shack without running water. On the reservation, Mary lived in the midst of a culture of drinking, violence and hopelessness. When Mary was still a teenager, she became active in the American Indian Movement (AIM: http://www.aimovement.org/) which was founded to renew the spirituality of the Indian people and ensure the fulfillment of treaties made with the United States. This book is the story of not just one woman’s fight, but the fight of all women against injustice. |
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Manifesta: From Library Journal: "Manifesta, which is far less shrill than the name suggests, urges young women to pick up where their mothers, aunts, and adult mentors left off. Complete with appendices to teach novices the nuts-and-bolts of community organizing, this book is a reasoned and passionate call to action and an exciting how-to guide." |
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The Other Side of the Sky: From the Inside Flap: "Farah Ahmedi is born into the world just as the war between the mujahideen and the Soviets reaches its peak in Afghanistan. Bombs are falling all over her country, and her native Kabul is swelling with hundreds of thousands of people looking for homes and jobs... When Farah steps on a land mine on her way to school, her world becomes much smaller than the dreams and hopes in her heart." |
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Reading Lolita in Tehran From The New York Times: " ... a portrait of the Islamic revolution... a thoughtful account of the novels [Ms. Nafisi and her students] studied together and the unexpected parallels they drew between those books and their own experiences as women living under the unforgiving rule of the mullahs. ...an eloquent brief ... on the refuge from ideology that art can offer to those living under tyranny..." |
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Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam Book Description: "AWall Street Journal correspondent Asra Nomani embarks on the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca required of all Muslims once in their lifetime. Nomani shows how many of the freedoms enjoyed centuries ago have been erased by the conservative brand of Islam practiced today. Standing Alone in Mecca is a personal narrative, a modern woman's jihad, offering for Westerners a never-before-seen look inside the heart of Islam and the emerging role of Muslim women." |
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Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power of the Women of Afghanistan by Sally Armstrong In her book, Veiled Threat, Sally Armstrong relates the historical, political and religious underpinnings of the oppression of women in Afghanistan. She describes the lives of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. She tells the stories of the women of that country: the oppression they have endured and the quiet rebellions they have undertaken against that oppression. Sally Armstrong interviewed dozens of women prior to writing her book. In Veiled Threat, she has brought their stories to life. Afghan women continue to risk their lives to make basic rights possible for women in their country. They are an inspiration for women everywhere. Although the situation in Afghanistan has changed since the publication of Veiled Threat in 2002, the information it contains continues to be timely and inspirational. |
