International Women’s Day Must-Read List

For International Women’s Day, I decided to share my list of must-read books on women and gender. Each book has influenced the way we raise our three daughters to grow up to be bold, powerful, brave, kind, gutsy, intuitive, creative, compassionate, confident, empathetic, comfortable with and proud of their bodies, and in touch with their own unique feminine power.

Here’s my list of must-reads:

1. Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein dives into how gender bias begins in infancy and is set in stone through the toddler-preschool years thanks to the proliferation of the Princess Industrial Complex.
2. B by Sarah Kay. This beautiful poem about daughters and mothers makes me cry every time. Take a moment to rewatch Sarah Kay’s powerful TED talk “If I Should Have A Daughter” where she shares her poem on stage.
3. Redefining Girly by Melissa Atkins Wardy shares definitive tools for making change starting at home (before your kids are even born), with family and friends, at school, and through mobilizing our power as consumers. This book is why my girls consider pink just another color in the rainbow versus the defining color of their wardrobe.
4. Girls & Sex by Peggy Orenstein scared the hell out of me when I read it. My girls are in preschool and kindergarten, so to face the daunting new sexual landscape of today’s teenagers and college students made me sweat. This book addresses the hidden truths of modern day sexuality complicated by technology and the unreal expectations from pornography. With the advent of the #metoo movement, this is one of the most important books of our generation that will help us educate our children and young adults about sexuality– from consent, to limits, to the benefits of pleasure. In addition to reading this pivotal book, I highly encourage you to watch Peggy’s TED talk “What Young Women Believe About Their Own Sexual Pleasure.”
5. Your Story is Your Power by Elle Luna & Susie Herrick is a beautifully written and illustrated guide to understanding each of our unique feminine stories. Elle and Susie provide tools, questions, and prompts to help us harness the power of our individual truths to change our futures. What I love most about this book is that it celebrates women’s voices, intelligence, compassion, and courage.
6. Gutsy Girl by Caroline Paul & illustrated by the amazing Wendy MacNaughton inspires lives of bravery, confidence, and adventure through tales of Caroline’s life as a firefighter, paraglider, and ice luger–not to mention other impressive girls and women throughout history. We tend to model the images and content we are raised with, so all kids and their parents need to read this book. Also, watch Caroline’s TED Talk “To Raise Brave Girls, Encourage Adventure.”
7. Don’t Call Me Princess by Peggy Orenstein is a compilation of Peggy’s most important essays collected in one place. She covers often taboo topics such as miscarriage, the infertility industry, the emotional complexities of motherhood, breast cancer, princess culture, and the benefits of girls’ sexual pleasure.

I encourage parents of girls AND boys, to read these books to reshape how we raise our children to live in a more respectful, equitable, and just world.