“Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur

Kaur’s first book is a collection of prose and poetry that explores femininity as well as themes of violence, love and survival. She splits the book into sections that delve into the process of regaining strength as a woman, “the hurting,” “the loving,” “the breaking” and “the healing.”

Kaur uses her writing to illustrate the infinite beauty and power that comes with being a woman.

– Catherine Guden, ArtsEtc. contributor

 “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf

In this feminist essay, Woolf focuses on the woman writer and the capabilities she has to produce art if it were not for the restrictions placed over her by men. Woolf creates “Shakespeare’s sister,” Judith, to argue that it is possible for a woman to write great works, but unlike her brother, she is forced to live a restricted and uneducated life so she is unable to establish a legacy like William Shakespeare. Woolf also discusses the lives of female authors in order to create a place for the feminine voice in the literary world.

– Catherine Guden, ArtsEtc. contributor

 “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

“The Bell Jar” is an elegiac novel centered on the astute and creative Esther Greenwood, whose life is slowly being consumed by her own insanity. While reading you will feel yourself becoming emotionally attached to her character and fearing the hopeless fate that has entrapped her. Through Esther, Plath is able to discuss the problematic struggles faced by young women who are caught in a male-dominated society.

– Catherine Guden, ArtsEtc. contributor

“Woman Warrior”  by Maxine Hong

In this work that bends genre, Hong weaves together stories both from her youth and the folklore she grew up with it to paint a vivid array of emotional narratives. The reader enters Hong’s mind and experiences, seemingly firsthand, the difficulty that comes with embracing the positive aspects of one’s background while trying to escape the negative. Hong does not judge, but instead sheds light, and the result is a revelation.

– Henry Solotaroff-Weber, ArtsEtc. editor

“Beloved” by Toni Morrison

“Beloved” is a book not to be taken lightly. Morrison, in her genius ways, captures the devastating affects that slavery has on the body and the psyche — particularly on women. This book will make readers confront uncomfortable and inconvenient realities and biases, and also experience every emotion on the spectrum if read carefully and diligently. “Beloved” is beautiful and devastating in every sense of both words.

– Henry Solotaroff-Weber, ArtsEtc. editor

“The Blind Assassin” by Margaret Atwood

Perhaps better known for her dystopian masterpiece, and typical AP Literature fodder “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Atwood’s best and most ambitious novel, “The Blind Assassin” often goes under the radar. This is unfortunate, as the dual-leveled narrative demonstrates that not even the women of elite society are spared from patriarchal pressures. Touching and lengthy, “The Blind Assassin” offers a rewarding, at times tedious, read.

– Henry Solotaroff-Weber, ArtsEtc. editor

“O Pioneers!” by Willa Cather

Despite its seemingly boring title, Cather’s “O Pioneers!” showcases the strong, courageous female protagonist literature from the early 1900s so desperately needed. Unlike her (male) contemporaries, Cather portrays a powerful, but fully emotional woman. Brimming with beautifully descriptive language, “O Pioneers!” is a quick read — and well worth it.

– Amy Sleep, Copy Chief