Women's Studies

This Study Guide Collection of nonfiction titles spans foundational Women's Studies texts such as Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, critical texts such as Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic, and contemporary best sellers like Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit.

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community

Tags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, Philosophy


Publication year 2000

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Tags Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: U.S., African American Literature, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender

Tags Gender / Feminism, Humor, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography

Bossypants is a humorous memoir published in 2011 by actor and writer Tina Fey. Fey describes growing up as an awkward, smart-mouthed girl and traces the process by which she enters show business, from working at a theater summer camp, to taking night improv classes, to writing for Saturday Night Live, and finally to creating her own television sitcom, 30 Rock. Fey writes of the discrimination and double standards to which women in show business... Read Bossypants Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Japanese Literature, Gender / Feminism, Asian Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature


Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics

Tags Gender / Feminism, History: World, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy


Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender

Tags Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, History: Middle Eastern, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction

Celestial Bodies is a novel by Omani author Jokha Alharthi, translated into English by Marilyn Booth. Charting the lives of various generations of a family in the fictional town of al-Awafi, it depicts an evolving Omani society that is still coming to grips with the post-colonial world and the abolition of slavery. It won the 2019 Man Booker International Prize.Plot SummaryThe plot for Celestial Bodies skips around in time, alternating between Abdallah’s reminiscences on a... Read Celestial Bodies Summary


Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Relationships, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Asian Literature, History: World

Clear Light of Day (1980) is Anita Desai’s sixth and—according to the author—most autobiographical novel. This novel was the first of three of Desai’s books to be nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. Like other books in her corpus, such as Cry, the Peacock (1963) and Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975), it deals with gender struggles in a modernizing India. Set against the backdrop of Indian Independence and Partition, it explores the lives... Read Clear Light of Day Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: War

Tags History: World, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Biography


Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Joy

Tags Gender / Feminism, Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Relationships, Self Help, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Psychology, Psychology


Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Biography

Crazy Brave: A Memoir is an autobiographical work by poet, writer, artist, and musician Joy Harjo that was published by W. W. Norton and Company in 2012. The memoir follows the life of Joy Harjo from birth to adulthood and her struggles with spirituality and creativity while living with various alcoholic and abusive men. Over the course of her life, she discovers that poetry, art, storytelling, and music can liberate her from her oppressive domestic... Read Crazy Brave Summary


Publication year 1982

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: Family

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction

Crimes of the Heart is a three-act play by Beth Henley. It opens five years after Hurricane Camille, in a Mississippi town called Hazlehurst. The entirety of the play takes place in the kitchen of the house belonging to the Magrath sisters: Lenny, Babe, and Meg.   The play begins on Lenny’s thirtieth birthday. Lenny and Chick, a first cousin, are taking about an unspecified piece of terrible news that will be appearing in the newspaper. It has something to do... Read Crimes of the Heart Summary


Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, French Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

Crossing the Mangrove (1995) by Maryse Condé was originally published in French as Traversée de la Mangrove. It was translated to English by her husband Richard Philcox. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel opens with a mystery—that of Francis Sancher’s murder. As characters gather to speak at Sancher’s wake, they reveal his impact on the village of Rivière au Sel (“Salty River”), as well as why he returned to the village of his ancestors. While... Read Crossing the Mangrove Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender

Tags Gender / Feminism, Parenting, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)


Publication year 1848

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender

Tags Sociology, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, LGBTQ

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference, also known as Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences, is a 2010 work of feminist nonfiction by British psychologist and philosopher Dr. Cordelia Fine. Through an intensive but accessible review of neurological and sociological studies, the book debunks the idea that men and women have different brains. Nominated for numerous awards upon its publication, it went on to become a bestseller... Read Delusions of Gender Summary


Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Inspirational, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad is a memoir published in 1998 by the Somali model, author, and activist Waris Dirie and author Cathleen Miller. The book recounts Dirie’s harrowing life story, from her roots as a member of a nomadic family and the abuses she suffered as a child to her rise to international fame as a fashion model, an ambassador and advocate for women's rights, and an author. The novel... Read Desert Flower Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Leadership/Organization/Management, Crime / Legal, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, History: World, Politics / Government, Biography


Publication year 1957

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography


Publication year 1973

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender

Tags Gender / Feminism, Lyric Poem, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), American Literature, History: World, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction

“Diving into the Wreck” is the title poem of Adrienne Rich’s 1973 National Book Award-winning collection. A 94-line, ten stanza free verse poem, the work encompasses Rich’s thematic concerns of radical feminism and art and examines how gender functions within the larger context of culture, literature, and oral tradition.Rich’s mid-career poem came about during a period of intense change in her life. While her earlier poems had been more traditional in form and topic, over... Read Diving into the Wreck Summary