5 Best Feminist Books to Read
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh's is a voice to be reckoned with. The founder of MuslimGirl.Com, she's helped expand the way young women of Islamic faith talk about their religion and their experiences in the United States, and the way other people listen to these stories. She's appeared on national news, teamed up with us for a special #AskAMuslimGirl video series, and helped unite women who are often the center of discussion in our society, but rarely feel their voices are actually heard. Oh, and she's literally written the book on being a Muslim girl in the United States — her memoir, Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age is now available.
It's an important story, filled with real and relatable moments, and tons of lessons everyone should listen to and learn from. To celebrate Amani's book, told in her signature no-nonsense voice, Teen Vogue asked Amani to put together a list of books that inspired her along the way. They'll inform your own feminism and remind you why it's so important to be intersectional, and serve as majorly inspirational reading. You may even see a familiar face. Read on to see what Amani called her must-read list.
1/7As a young Muslim girl, books were always an easy escape hatch for me.
My dad taught me that a good book is the best friend I could have, because it’ll never tell my secrets. I didn’t realize that as I got older, that escape would become more political. Somewhere along the way, I stopped reading fairytales and started reading about reality, and when I was introduced to feminist literature, it changed everything for me.
I started consuming books, page after page, not just as an escape anymore, but as relief — and even survival. Finding books written by women of color, especially, introduced me to a whole new world of conscious thought that resonated with me on a deeper level. The light from masterful words like those of bell hooks and Audre Lorde led me through the dark corridors of the sexism and racism I was experiencing in my everyday life. They put a finger on the wound and soothed it. They told me, no, you’re not the only one, and, yes, there are things that need to change.
Now, I’ve been given the opportunity to contribute my own book to the long tradition of women pushing back through the written word. The following books inspired me along my journey, as I’m sure they’ll inspire you. Now, books are my best friends not because they hide the secrets of women like me, but because they share the weight of them with the entire world in a way that will live on forever.
2/7Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Key Quote: “If you’re telling a non-black person about something racist that happened to you, make sure you are not bitter. Don’t complain. Be forgiving. If possible, make it funny. Most of all, do not be angry. Black people are not supposed to be angry about racism. Otherwise you get no sympathy. This applies only for white liberals, by the way. Don’t even bother telling a white conservative about anything racist that happened to you. Because the conservative will tell you that YOU are the real racist and your mouth will hang open in confusion.”
Let’s kick it off with a woman who has become a feminist household name over the past couple of years: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Americanah was undoubtedly a personal inspiration for me when writing my first book, and it’s a great read for those who want to better access what feminism looks like on a day-to-basis. Through the relatable story of a young black woman in America, Ngozi Adichie threads casual observations with striking social commentary. If you want to dip your toes in some totally unintimidating and captivating fem reading and yet somehow come out of it as a #WokePerson, start here.
3/7All About Love by bell hooks
Key Quote: “All too often women believe it is a sign of commitment, an expression of love, to endure unkindness or cruelty, to forgive and forget. In actuality, when we love rightly we know that the healthy, loving response to cruelty and abuse is putting ourselves out of harm's way.”
She might have pissed off some of the #BeyHive with her controversial thoughts on Beyoncé, but bell hooks is still a living legend as far as feminist thought leaders are concerned. Her body of work paints a crystal clear picture of how the feminist movement is incomplete without intersectionality — or, including race, class, and gender in the conversation. All About Love is a radical self-love anthem that intends to liberate our hearts and minds from how colonization totally effed up the way we love ourselves and each other. Reading it alone feels like therapy.
4/7Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Key Quote: “You do not have to be me in order for us to fight alongside each other. I do not have to be you to recognize that our wars are the same. What we must do is commit ourselves to some future that can include each other and to work toward that future with the particular strengths of our individual identities. And in order for us to do this, we must allow each other our differences at the same time as we recognize our sameness.”
Audre Lorde’s expert poeticism is one of the first works that awakened my passion for feminism. She’s queer, black, and a woman, and she leaves no stone unturned when unpacking how those identities coexist and collide. Her poems and essays are like reading out her diary, and you can call Sister Outsider the pointed rally cry of all her experiences. Packed with themes like war, gender violence, and police brutality, it lays out how in many ways our struggles are interconnected.
5/7Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire
Key Quote: “give your daughters difficult names. give your daughters names that command the full use of tongue. my name makes you want to tell me the truth. my name doesn’t allow me to trust anyone that cannot pronounce it right.”
You may have already read Warsan Shire without even realizing it (especially if you’re a #TumblrKid). She gets the credit for dozens of recognizable quotes that have gone viral in the digital space, with good reason. Her voice as a Somali woman observing and navigating the diaspora is a breath of fresh air, woven into poetry that is enough to awaken anyone’s consciousness. The beautiful compilation that is Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth will leave you breathless.
6/7Muslim Girl by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh
Key Quote: “We are not submissive. To the contrary, every step we take in our non-Muslim home countries, in spite of pressure, threats, judgments, and even laws, is a reluctant act of defiance. The Arabic word islam means submission — in our religion it means submission to God and God alone. You want us to submit. Submitting is not in our nature.”
You know I had to throw in the plug! Especially in the context of today’s political climate, Islamophobia is an important topic right now. This book is my autobiographical commentary about growing up as a girl through sensationalist discrimination for your religious background, touching on race, body image, and the immigrant experience. As the dedication page says, it’s “my love letter to all the little girls who ever cried in the dark.” Here’s to wiping away the tears and talking back.
