Must-Read Feminist Books of 2014
(please feel free to add to this list)
Must-Read Feminist Books of 2014
At Ms., we’re often the first to know which highly anticipated feminist books are coming out and which feminist giants have taken to the pen again. Countless new books pass through our editors’ hands, and then we pass our recommendations onto our readers. Now that the holidays season is winding down, we hope you’ll curl up with some of these books and enjoy them as much as we did!
Good Catholics: The Battle Over Abortion in the Catholic Church by Patricia Miller
Miller was the editor of the “Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report” and former editor of Conscience magazine, published by Catholics for Choice. Now she tells the story of the debate surrounding abortion in the Catholic Church and recounts the five-decades-long struggle over the right to an abortion. She describes the influence the Catholic Church has had on the U.S. political system regarding abortion and argues that Catholics have the right to disagree with Church leadership. The book lends a voice to Catholics who support abortion rights, giving legitimacy to a group that is often overlooked in the abortion debate.
A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernández
This coming-of-age memoir traces the life of Hernández, a Colombian Cuban woman, as she grows up in America. Struggling with conflicting identities, Hernández worries she is betraying her family by not continuing cultural traditions but betraying herself if she does. With poignant clarity and touching detail, Hernández recounts the lessons she learned about race, money and love, with special attention to explorations of her budding sexuality.
Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights by Katha Pollitt
In her signature confident style, Pollitt argues persuasively that abortion must be considered a quotidian part of women’s reproductive lives and that the procedure can be a source for social good in today’s world. The longtime feminist and columnist for the Nation contests the idea that life begins at conception, dismantles several myths surrounding abortion, and demonstrates the strong link between opposition to abortion and anti-feminism.
Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America by Linda Tirado
After her blog post, “Why I Make Terrible Decisions, Or, Poverty Thoughts,” went viral last year, Tirado was able to raise enough money to leave her job as a cook at a cheap chain restaurant and turn the provocative essay into her first book. In Hand to Mouth, Tirado draws upon her own life experiences to present a harrowing account of what it’s like to live and work within the cycle of poverty. She shows how a combination of sleep deprivation, taxing work hours and hopelessness lead poor people to make unavoidable “bad decisions.”
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http://msmagazine.com/blog/2014/12/26/must-read-feminist-books-of-2014/