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Culture June 6, 2018
"The world belongs to those who read." —Rick Holland
Photo by Jamie Taylor via Unsplash
When is the last time you said or heard someone say “I haven’t read a book in ages.” Probably pretty recently. Then we all have friends and relatives who say they “don’t like reading.” Another sad statement. When I hear people say this, I always tell them “that’s only because you haven’t read something you like.” With so many good books to read, there is always a book out there for you.
For those of you who are looking for a new novel to delve into or those who aren’t reading because you don’t know where to start, here is a list of award-winning books to read by amazing female authors.
“The Goldfinch” won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2014. After being published in 2013, the novel was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2013 by The New York Times Book Review. Tartt’s masterpiece is about a young boy, Theo Decker, who becomes an orphan after an accident kills his mother. As he navigates through a new family and home, the only remnant of his mother is a small painting called “The Goldfinch.” The painting becomes an important comfort that accompanies him throughout his life.
Immigration and race are major socio-political issues. “Americanah” is a powerful story of Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman who emigrates to the U.S. and returns to her homeland years after. Born in Nigeria, Ifemelu struggles when she arrives in America, where her identity is simplified into one word: “black.” However, Ifemelu refuses to cower to racial discrimination and judgment. Adichie tells the story of Ifemelu’s journey through education, love, success and identity with a raw sensibility and passion. If you’ve already read this winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, check out Adichie’s debut novel “Purple Hibiscus.”
“Pachinko” is the result of over 20 years in the making. Korean American author Min Jin Lee spent years researching Korean Japanese people’s stories because she wanted to get it right. The epic historical novel follows the journey of Korean girl Sunja who emigrates to Japan. Named by The New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2017, the novel chronicles the pains of life, suspicion of identity (for immigrants), the disappointments of values, morals and the power and destruction of families. The word “pachinko” is the name of a Japanese pinball game largely associated with gambling. Like a pachinko, Lee illustrates how life can be like a gamble. Some rig the game and win big. Others play fair have a clean conscious. And some just end up losing.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” has been in the spotlight recently thanks to the acclaimed Hulu TV series. But “The Handmaid’s Tale” has dystopian classic since its release in 1985. The award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood illustrates an America, taken over by a Christian totalitarian theocracy. In this new America, women lose all rights in the severely patriarchal society. The novel follows the subjugation of women and their attempts to rebel against a system that tries to erase their freedom and individuality.
Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, the novella “The Vegetarian” depicts a home-maker Yeong-hye’s radical (in Korea society) decision to stop eating meat. Yeong-hye’s decision to become vegetarian results in serious consequences, including disrupting her relationships with her family. The madness that ensues after her resolve to vegetarianism explores themes of misogyny in Korean society and the human appetite for desire, violence and freedom. Her follow-up book, “Human Acts,” is about Gwangju’s fatal uprising and is another recommended read.
“Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories that depict profound snippets of the lives of Indian Americans. Her stories are weaved with grace and eloquence while dealing with the heaviness of trauma, anxiety, brokenness and the fragile structure of community, religion and humanity. The winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, “Interpreter of Maladies” portrays the everyday beauty of humanity.
After the success of her debut poetry collection “Milk and Honey,” writer Rupi Kaur’s long-awaited following work “The Sun and Her Flowers” does not disappoint. The poetry collection reads in sections titled Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, and Blooming. Echoing the life cycle of a flower, the collection breathes words of life, the good and the bad. The power in Kaur’s poetry is the depth behind her few words that puncture deep in the soul. This is one of the best poetry books to read.
A champion feminist in the literary world, Virginia Woolf discusses privilege in writing in the extended essay” A Room of One’s Own.” The work often considered a feminist text, explains the obstacles women face in the male-dominated literary sphere. Woolf explains that without money or a “room of her own,” women are not free to write. Women should have the freedom and the luxury of an education to be able to produce quality content. Even with these resources, women are forced to submit to social expectations, including putting family before themselves. In the essay, Woolf questions how men can see themselves as intellectually superior to women when patriarchal society discriminates against women. This is one of the most iconic feminist books to read.
The first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, Toni Morrison is a powerhouse in literature. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award, “Beloved” is dedicated to the “Sixty Million and more” Africans who died due to the Atlantic slave trade. The novel is about former slave Sethe and her daughter Denver’s life after escaping slavery. A work of magical realism, Morrison explores themes of guilt, memory, family and the traumatic impact of slavery. All of Morrison’s work are wonderful books to read.
Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, Maxine Hong Kingston merges autobiography with folktale in “The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts.” The book won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The story examines the experience of women in Chinese culture and society.
Hope this helps you find one of your next books to read!
