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Click here to watch Part 2 of the segment.
I shared these books on Good Things Utah in honor of women’s history month, but they are, of course, amazing books to read anytime. I’d love to know if you’ve read any of them! Reminder: The titles are all linked for you so you can read more about and/or purchase the book.
1. Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown:
This is my favorite of Brené’s books so far. It feels like the perfect culmination of all her research, presented in a way that’s really easy and beautiful to digest. Presented glossary style, listing the names of emotions we experience and how to better identify and navigate them, it feels like a handbook for human life. There are graphics and photos inside that help illustrate her research in an engaging way. Reading it felt like a really amazing therapy session. Buying the hardcover is a must!
2. Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh:
I always talk about this book and will continue to until every woman has read it. It was written in 1950 by the Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the wife of the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh. She wrote this book during a solo trip to the beach and draws parallels from the ocean to her life as a mom. Her insights on motherhood and the necessity of solitude are so poignant. I think every woman would benefit from reading this. Here is the most beautiful edition I’ve found. Pretty, right?
3. Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson:
A popular new release about a brother and sister and a strange gift their late mother left for them: a traditional caribbean black cake and a voice recording of her telling a story of a woman who escaped her island because she was accused of murder. It’s told from several perspectives in a way that kept me engaged. I love how it made me think about how the people who came before us still influence our lives, even if they’re not living. Bonus: The hardcover is beautiful!
4. Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd:
For me, this is in the top 5 books I’ve ever read. It’s a story told from the perspective of Jesus’s fictional wife, but much of the story is drawn from historical fact, including an ancient artifact—a document believed to have been written by a woman during Jesus’s time—and discovered in 1945 in a jar buried in the Egyptian hills called The Thunder: Perfect mind. I recommend looking it up. A really powerful feminist poem, but written before the age of feminism as we know it today. Written with great reverence for Jesus’s life and in a way that reveals his humanity. If you like The Chosen, I think you’ll love The Book of Longings.
5. Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates:
This book taught me so much about the roots of poverty and its inextricable link to inclusion and gender equality. The statistics and stories opened my mind to what’s going on in the world outside of my happy privileged bubble, including the limited access many women and families have to contraception and vaccines and harmful gender biases and traditions that not only hurt women but all of society. I closed the book feeling empowered to stop assuming and start listening in order to recognize how my gifts might intersect with needs in the world and find ways to help in my own community. This should be required reading, in my opinion.
6. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han:
This books takes you back to all the butterflies and first loves of being sweet sixteen. It’s written in first person present tense, really sucks you into the story. There are three books in the series and three Netflix adaptations that are so fun to watch after you’ve read the books. Click here to see the entire book collection.
7. When Women Were Birds by Terry Tempest Williams:
“When Women Were Birds” had so many things to teach me about nature, worship, writing, and being. The brave, authentic words of Terry Tempest Williams are a true gift to the world—especially to women. I’m grateful they found me at this particular time. This is my favorite edition of the book. I may have told her I love her on live television, and I meant it.
8. We Should All Be feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:
A quick read based on a TEDx Talk. Didn’t feel like “I’m reading a book about feminism” but “I’m talking to a cool friend who is telling me like it is.” She shares ideas for how to raise our sons and daughters differently to create a fairer world for everyone. It’s well worth the read. (Also, don’t miss Invisible Women by Caroline-Criado Perez.)
