I pulled some of my faves to share with the younger gals here on ye olde tumbl, because I want y’all to read some good good shit, AND to get a head start on gaining the kind of perspective that unfortunately usually only comes with age: You are not the only one who thinks she’s fat, or unlovable, or weird, or destined to be alone. You’re not the only one wondering just what in the hell you’re going to do with your life, either. NB: Note the near-total lack of male voices in this pile; that is because you already fucking hear enough men’s voices all goddamn day. @lanalikesnobanana, girl, for some reason I thought of you as I wrote this. Love from across oceans from your Auntie Gleemonex!
From top to bottom, reasons they’re in the pile:
The Handmaid’s Tale: Classic, awesome novel of a dystopian future, and how fucked up religious fanaticism and the Axis of Dick truly are. Warning: this is a gateway drug. There’s so much more Atwood, and it is SOFA KING good.
The Secret History: One of the most original novels in modern lit. Written by a woman, who has produced exactly three novels in her decades-long career, two of which are destined for the canon.
Bossypants: Funny, kind of painful, beautiful and awkward -- Tina Fey is my patronus.
Cringe: Read ‘em and weep. And laugh. And, um, [cringe]. Sarah Brown, friend never met, does not look away from the awkward abyss.
Rebecca: Another classic novel by a woman. Do you ever feel like no one knows or notices you? The protagonist -- the fucking first-person narrator -- in this book does not even have a name, y’all.
Notorious RBG: Get to know the wondrous bounty of awesome that is Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Yes Please: Amy Poehler, another wellspring of truth and weirdness.
How to be a Woman: Christ this was funny. A fresh voice, and a UK perspective. She's rad.
If You Can’t Live Without Me, Why Aren’t You Dead Yet? ~and~ Sex Tips for Girls: Seriously, sincerely -- these were life-changing books for me. Cynthia Heimel made me feel, as one reviewer put it, “militantly on my own side.” This shit is funny, and real, and I will never not love it (even if you young ‘uns might be puzzled about 80s stuff like answering services -- just roll with it).
Superstud ~and~ Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence: My sole male exception, made because Paul Feig is just pants-wettingly funny (you have not understood “awkward” until you read these books, trust) and because he turns out to be a modern-day feminist we can all count as an ally.
Nickel and Dimed: How exactly do the poor get screwed, and why are women disproportionately affected? Read and learn, people.
