Women’s Equality Day 2020: 5 Thought provoking books you should add to your collection on this day

Women’s Equality Day is celebrated annually on August 26. The day is observed primarily in the United States to commemorate American women getting the constitutional right to vote. The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited any US state and the federal government from denying the right to vote to any American citizen on the basis of gender. The day may have started with women getting equal voting rights, but today, women’s equality is so much more than just the right to vote. 

Women’s equality is about giving equal rights, opportunities, and responsibilities to women and girls across the globe. Gender inequality impacts all ages and backgrounds. Equality is the only way that will ensure that women and girls across the world can live free from violence and suppression, and the day that will happen we wouldn’t have to fight a battle against discrimination or raise our voices to make ourselves heard. 

So, to mark this Women’s Equality Day 2020, here are 5 thought-provoking literary works that explore the topic of women empowerment and gender equality:

1. "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott 

This classic American novel follows the lives of the March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. It tells the story of these young girls from their childhood to womanhood. The author once said that she wanted to write a novel that gave women more options than marriage and children, and she certainly did that. 

2. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou 

This novel is a memoir, describing the early years of the American writer and author, Maya Angelou. It is a coming-of-age story that chronicles her life from the ages 3 to 16. It is one book that will make you angry, emotional and smile at times.

3. "Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall 

Drawing on her own experiences of hunger and violence, Kendall wrote a critical feminist text that interrogates the failings of the mainstream feminist movement. It is an essay collection that every feminist should read. 

4. "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison 

Published in 1970, this novel is the first novel written by Toni Morrison. It tells the story of a young African-American girl named Pecola who grows up during the years following the great depression. Morrison’s novel asks powerful questions about race, class and gender with grace – which has always been a part of the author’s writing. 

5. "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath 

This novel revolves around the life of Esther Greenwood, a college student who dreams of becoming a poet. She struggles with issues of identity and societal norms as she continues to live her life in New York City. This novel is a quintessential coming-of-age story for young feminists to read. 

Tell us your recommendations in the comments section below. 

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