9 Books that Illuminate and Explore Women’s History
Since 1970, the Feminist Press has published empowering books that challenge societal norms and center previously untold stories. This list features only a small fraction of the FP titles that analyze, represent, and complicate the legacies emboldening today’s feminists.
A Life in Motion by Florence Howe
Throughout her extraordinary life, Feminist Press founder Florence Howe was an influential educator, leader, and author. A Life in Motion provides an in-depth look at Howe’s influence on the role of women in publishing and the birth and growth of women’s studies as a discipline. The book guides readers through 90 years of personal struggles and tireless advocacy while exploring Howe’s experiences as a leading member of the contemporary feminist movement.
But Some of Us Are Brave edited by Akasha (Gloria T.) Hull, Patricia Bell-Scott and Barbara Smith
A foundational text of contemporary feminism, But Some of Us Are Brave was recognized by Audre Lorde as a book that marked “the beginning of a new era, where the ‘women’ in women’s studies will no longer mean ‘white.’” This comprehensive collection—featuring a variety of scholars, activists, teachers, and writers—confronts the neglect of Black feminist perspectives within women’s studies as a discipline, as well as in broader conversations about women’s lives.
The Riot Grrrl Collection edited by Lisa Darms
In conjunction with the rise of bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, and Bratmobile, the Riot Grrrl movement fostered creativity and community, allowing young women to speak out against rampant sexism, oppression, and male domination. The Riot Grrrl Collection showcases zines, posters, and other original materials that demonstrate the value of DIY movements.
Jumping Through Hoops by Betsy Golden Kellem
Betsy Golden Kellem explores the stories of women who broke and reshaped gender expectations in this fascinating analysis of nineteenth-century circus culture. Amidst mounting pressure for women to conform and confine themselves to the role of homemaker and housewife, Jumping Through Hoops is a reminder that women are inherently capable of overcoming limitations imposed by patriarchy and society.
Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026, Women Without Men is a defiant, evocative depiction of women breaking repressive traditions in 1950s Iran. After its original publication in 1989, the book was banned in Iran and Sharhnush Parsipur was imprisoned and exiled. Despite this attempted suppression, the story continues to resonate with women around the world as they fight to live full lives unfettered by gendered expectations.
The Echoing Ida Collection edited by Cynthia R. Greenlee, Kemi Alabi and Janna A. Zinzi
Consisting of Black women and nonbinary writers, Echoing Ida is a writing collective guided by Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s belief that the "way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” With a foreword written by Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, The Echoing Ida Collection is a testament to the possibility of building a more just, equitable, and inclusive world.
On Strike Against God by Joanna Russ
A prolific writer, academic, and feminist, Joanna Russ authored numerous works of science fiction, fantasy, and feminist literary criticism during her lifetime. On Strike Against God, originally published in 1980, depicts the homophobia and misogyny experienced by lesbians within queer and feminist movements. Alison Bechdel writes that “Russ was both enlisting me in her struggle and, I see now, throwing me a rope so I wouldn’t have to struggle quite as much as she did.”
Tsunami edited and translated by Heather Cleary and Gabriela Jauregui
Incorporating a multitude of voices and perspectives that have historically been silenced and pushed aside, Tsunami dismantles and confronts patriarchy, gender-based violence, and Eurocentric feminism. Plurality strengthens this hybrid collection as it looks critically at the feminist waves—allowing it to uproot, unsettle, and uncover the systems that enable structural injustice.
Witches, Midwives, & Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English
First published in 1973, Witches, Midwives, & Nurses is an exploration of the delegitimization of women-led methods of healing in the name of patriarchy. Uncovering the corruption and corrosion of medicine, the book considers the demonization of women healers that stems from a cultural fear of witches, deeply embedded sexism, and the medical industry as a facet of capitalism.
