I don't think any single one person has the feminist "voice" within our movement and so I don't have a favorite author. But there are pieces of literature that have transformered my life. So a fun post that won't require you to think too much. What are some of your favorite pieces of feminist lit?
Mine are:
The Subjugation of Women - John Stuart Mill. Perhaps one of the earliest pro-feminist men in history, Mill always has a place in my heart. His progressive views on marriage certainly created controversies, but also very consistent with the feminist message.
Ain't I a Woman? - Sojourner Truth? Even very early on, Truth makes us think about the intersectionalities of race and gender. A short piece that makes me think.
Bitch Manifesto - Joleen Freeman. A woman is a bitch because she is strong, unapologetic and ambitious. Freeman paints a wonderful picture of a feminist "bitch." Also speaks a lot about gender roles we're each assigned to.
Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity - Robert Jensen. Robert Jensen isn't interested in being a man. He is interested in being a good human being. This piece paints a truthful and horrifying picture of the porn industry, often masked by erotic images that prevent us from seeing reality of it all.
Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm - Cynthia Koedt. What can I say? This piece made me rethink my sexual practices as well as how sex - something so natural and intimate, can at times be anti-feminist.
Getting off On Feminism - Jason Schultz. I read this during a struggle with the unhappy fact that sometimes feminist activism and women's studies courses do not connect. It made me realize that life is especially complex, as feminists, and we can be normal and still live the feminist life.
A nice book called "Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation." - A collection of essays from "young," third-wave feminists. My favorite piece is one called, "Don't Call me a Survivor."
Feminine Mystique - Betty Friedan. One of the first pieces of literature I'd read as a freshman. Although somewhat radical, Friedan did a good job with reporting on the conditions of women who became mothers and wives not because they wanted to, but because they were conditioned to do so.
If Men Could Menstruate - Gloria Steinem. On the night before a big dinner with Ms. Steinem that I was fortunate enough to have been invited to, I whipped out this piece of literature and studied up on it. It does a wonder job painting the constructions of gender roles through nature and what's most natural.
What are your suggested reading?
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Handmaid's Tale: Brilliant, funny, and really depressing in a way that only Margaret Atwood can be. A dystopian alternate reality that really feels like it can happen.
bell hooks "Feminism from Margin to center"
Leila Ahmed "Women and Islam"
my personal favorites :)
Whipping Girl: A Transexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity
It appears that you only have one book from supposed 'third-wave' feminism. Have you read any queer theory or New Gender Politics?
Try:
"Transgender Studies Reader" edited by Susan Stryker
"Gender Trouble"
"Undoing Gender"
"Bodies That Matter"
and others by Judith Butler
"Manifesta" and "Grassroots" by Jennifer Baumgartner and Amy Richards
"Queer Theory, Gender Theory" by Riki Wilchins [This is a fantastic overview of queer and gender theory to get your feet wet!]
"History of Sexuality" by Michel Foucault
"Cunt" by Inga Muscio
Hope this helps!
If you're interested in some inspiring feminist fiction, "The Yellow Wallpaper (and other stories)" and "Herland" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are two of my favorites. Charlotte was way ahead of her time.
I enthusiastically second the list provided by UofM Feminist, but I would add:
PoMoSexuals: Challenging Assumptions About Gender and Sexuality
The Trouble with Normal by Michael Warner
Maternal Thinking by Sara Ruddick (it can be a bit essentialist, but some interesting ideas are there, so I'd pair it with bell hooks' critique of it)
Surprised nobody's mentioned Faludi's Backlash, one of the basics. It's very, very readable and well-researched. I haven't read any of her other books, though -- any suggestions, y'all?
Bitchfest is also a good mustread for pop culture junkies.
nobody passes: rejecting the rules of gender & conformity (by matt bernstein sycamore)
to be real: telling the truth & changing the face of feminism (edited by rebecca walker)
cunt (by inga muscio)
feminism is for everybody (bell hooks)
sister outsider (by the *incredible* audre lorde)
live through this: on creativity & self destruction
listen up (barbara findlen)
HotPinko - I LOVED "To Be Real." It was one of the big eye-openers for me as a feminist. I remember reading that book at the end of a feminist theory course and all the sudden, everything made sense in a personal, humanistic kind of way.
I still have it in my cupboard somewhere.
I am surprised? No "Vindication on the Rights of Women" by Mary Wollingstonecraft?
Also, "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" is extremely feminist for its time period. Rock on, Anne Bronte, you forgotten radical you! Particularly awesome is the speech Helen (the main character) gives at a party concerning the differences in male and female education.
"Fantomina" by Eliza Hayworth is also pretty cool. It depicts a woman having sex like a man, way WAY before it was at ALL accepted. I'm pretty sure you can find it on the internet, too. The end is pretty anti-feminist but overall it is an interesting piece.
Two that I found to be interesting were:
"Female Chauvinist Pigs" by Ariel Levy. While there are definite issues with the book, I thought it was a really interesting and easy read. I agreed with a lot of what she said, but I think she missed out on a lot, too. To me, it was pretty identifiable.
"A Self-Made Man" by Nora Vincent. This may not necessarily be feminist, but it was certainly an interesting look at cisgender privilege and the downfalls of gender essentialism. Not to mention, she's a really good writer.
In no particular order:
Sexual Politics By Kate Millett
The Feminist Memoir Project
Full Frontal Feminism By Jessica Valenti
The Female Eunuch By Germaine Greer
The Hite Report On Female Sexuality By Shere Hite
Women Loving Women By Shere Hite
The SCUM Manifesto By Solanas
He's A Stud, She's A Slut By J. Valenti
The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath {its not strictly feminist but it started me on the right road}
Intercourse By Andrea Dworkin
And I have read lots of her essays and speeches