To take a slightly different slant on the famous Virginia Woolf quote: For most of history, Anonymous was a woman — but not anymore. Today is International Women’s Day, and I’m celebrating by working on an op-ed piece, in part because women remain grossly underrepresented on the op-ed pages of our major newspapers, but mostly because I have something that I think needs to be said about how women continue to be perceived, despite the progress feminism has made. Anyone who has read my novels won’t be surprised to find I believe calling myself a feminist makes me more feminine rather than less so, despite all the press over all the years that has suggested the contrary. Strong, intelligent, outspoken women are sexy to the right man. And who wants the wrong man?
Because I’m a book person, I’m also celebrating by suggesting some great books that have inspired me. It doesn’t begin to be comprehensive; it’s just a few book that are important to me. They’re all non-fiction, because when I start adding fiction, the list just gets too dang long. But there are some terrifically inspiring novels out there as well.
If you have a favorite feminist book or feminist quote, please share it in the comments. And happy International Women’s Day! – Meg
