Books to grow a woman

[sillywoman]

So lovely Sillygirl (or not so silly as it turns out) is off to Uni. I would like to compile a starter 'library' of essential books for a young woman for her to take with her, and I wondered if you had any idea's? Which books most influenced you/your thinking about the world & women's place in it?

So far I've got:

Caitlin Moran's 'How to be a woman'

Simone de Beavior's 'Second sex'

Jane Austen 'Emma'

Any other suggestions?

[EmilyPie]

Margaret Atwood's handmaid's tale and Alias Grace

Never let me go by kazou Ishiguro (not sure I've spelt that right), v moving story about love and empathy

The poison wood bible - why it is a bad idea to marry an evangelical missionary whose idea of a good time is converting the Belgian Congo!

[Smiler]

As a student I enjoyed Maeve Binchey's Circle of Friends: quite twee but set at a 1950s university and easy reading, good plot and good on relationships of all kinds, including not taking back cheaters!

[Smiler]

Others I like:

Hideous kinky, the Bell jar, I capture the castle, The Hours (and Mrs Dalloway).

[Smiler]

If you want to drum home the safe sex / family planning message, suggest We Need to Talk About Kevin!

[enjoy]

Jean Anouihl: Antigone

Andre Gide: L??cole des femmes (not in french though)

George Sand

Lovely idea!!!

[EmilyPie]

Maybe also something like delia's how to cook, so she can feed herself well. Even if she's a good cook it is useful to have something that covers all the bases.

[Gesundheit]

I loved Isabel Allende when I was that kind of age. And I second Barbara kingsolver's poison wood bible - amazing!

[Mathilda]

Isabel Allende - Portrait in Sepia - strong woman making her way in the world in times of yore.

Joseph O Connor - Redemption Falls is a more recent one in this vein.

Definitely handmaids tale and poison wood bible!

Tina Fey - Bossypants

Mary McCarthy - The Group

[Jacbuc]

our bodies ourselves, a new edition for a new era - book about womens health etc.

[Yak]

Some great ideas above. How about some biogs / autobiogs of inspiring women in fields she is interested in too?

[SLad]

Biog of Nancy Astor is brilliant.

[Otta]

EmilyPie Wrote:

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> Margaret Atwood's handmaid's tale and Alias Grace

That's a dark book!

[sillywoman]

Ooh, Margaret Atwood, Id forgotten about her! Handmaid's Tale's now on the list. Can't remember Alias Grace? Which one did you find dark Otta?

I like the idea of Biogs - would never have thought about them.

The Poisonwood Bible I loved, but I think she'll get more out of it when she's a little older - might save that one for her 'now-you've-graduated' list (please God we get that far!).

Love the Maeve Binchy book - it's on the list for comfort reading. I might throw Hideous Kinky in there too just for the lovely sense of the world as a big adventure. Bell Jar is too bleak - I can't do it to her.

I'm wavering over the 'Ginny Woolfs, but I don't know why? She's a seminal British female writer, but I just don't feel sillygirl's ready for her yet - though can't quite articulate why??? Maybe I'll save la Woolf until she's done a year or so of Uni ...

Safe sex smiler?!! No need - obviously my Darling will not be having sex until she's 30. And married. So no to 'Kevin'. ;)

Isabelle Allende - yeeees, buuut, well I've never got on with her (hangs head in shame), but friends whose literary opinion I respect rave about her, so 'yes' to Allende. Is 'Portrait in Sepia' your recommendation for a young woman starting out?

Don't know Joseph O'Connor - going to look him up. Same with Tina Fey. Mary MCCarthy I have bought her, but I'm going to read it myself first.

I'm giving her a copy of Caz Clarke's 'Grub on a Grant' for cooking (saved my life a few times).

Jacbuc, 'Our bodies ourselves'. Have just looked at it on Amazon - is it a 'how women's bodies work' kinda book?

Thankyou so much for these great recommendations, some of them I'm inspired to be re-read or read for the first time myself before passing them on to her. I feel quite envious that she has all these amazing books to look forward to for the first time, and I can't quite believe that after all these years together suddenly the time to let my girl go away from me and into the world is here. At least with these books I feel she'll be carrying a little bit of the spirit of the women (& Otta :))from her home town with her to guide and help her. Thankyou.

[sillywoman]

And please feel free to add to the list: Any book that you feel has changed the way you view the world or given you a better insight. I've three years of Birthdays & Christmases to plan for too :)

[Otta]

sillywoman Wrote:

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> Ooh, Margaret Atwood, Id forgotten about her!

> Handmaid's Tale's now on the list. Can't remember

> Alias Grace? Which one did you find dark Otta?

Ooops, didn't mean to include both. I was talking about The Handmaid's Tale, enjoyed it, but found it pretty bleak.

[srisky]

The Color Purple?

[Jessie]

Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings? My mother bought me The Group by Mary McCarthy before I embarked on my degree and it stayed with me, and I bought my two best friends from uni the book while we were there (they're still my best friends.) Katherine Mansfield is great too, and V Woolf was v jealous of her!

[womanofdulwich]

Cats eyes by Margaret Atwood.

[crystal7]

What a lovely idea, lucky Not so sillygirl! Some great suggestions here. I also read (and re read!) Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea in my first year at uni.

[Smiler]

Yy to maya angelou.

Does she have a kindle? Mine is linked up to my mum's excellent collection!

[Smiler]

Something by Sarah Waters perhaps, Tipping the Velvet is a good one!

[simonethebeaver]

The Women's Room by Marilyn French? Quite depressing but a brilliant look at how feminism changed society in the last century.

[sillywoman]

No Kindle (maybe Father Christmas might bring one?) so all hardcopy.

Yes to Maya Angelou. Yes yes. And 'The Colour Purple', have also added 'The Help' (Kathryn Stockett) as it has personal resonance as well as being (to me) a very powerful book. All together those three should be quite thought provoking I think (hope)?

Not sure about Jane Eyre yet, might add it in later. It's definitely a 'must read' at some point though and Wide Sargasso should go with I think.

Haven't read any Katherine Mansfield or Sarah Waters. I'll add them to my reading list and go from there - just out of interest, & because I don't really know Mansfield or Waters, what is it about them that made you suggest them (honest question)?

In fact, open question to all - what did these particular books do for you?

I'll start the ball rolling: Caitlin Moran just sums up for me all the joy and confusion that is being a woman in this society at this time; 'Emma' has been with me since I left home, my Mum said I reminded her of Emma (I'm thinking over bossy and something of a know-all, but essentially well meaning).Atwood's 'Handmaid's tale' opened my eyes to the strange ways that societies can organise themselves, and how clever women have to be, how vigilant, and how hard they have to fight ALL THE TIME to ensure that they do not become subjugated by their societies decision makers.

Ooh, I've just thought of another - Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber'. Made me think hard about how folk history is presented to us, and what our social tales really mean, where are they coming from and do they mean different things to different genders?

[sanity girl]

Has she read any Nancy Mitford or Jessica Mitford? I loved anything by/about the Mitfords when I was a teenager. Also agree re. Atwood and Allende. However I have to say I didn't read any of these from a feminist point of view or with what it meant to be a woman in mind - I just enjoyed them as really good writing.