23 Important Young Adult Feminist Books To Inspire Gen Z

Young adults are the next wave of feminists, and luckily there are heaps of amazing feminist literature that is bound to inspire their values and actions. These books remind the young person that the feminist flame has to keep burning bright in our society. And it is so easy to take for granted for all that the feminist philosophy has done for us.

Yet these books show there are more battles to be won, and provide invaluable advice on how to make our lifestyle, way of thinking and habits healthier for the world and those around us. Definite shopping basket items in this list!

#1 Être: Girls, Who Do You Want to Be? by Illana Raia

ÊTRE brilliantly does what no other organization or book does. It reaches middle school girls exactly where they are and helps them soar. Using fresh, engaging language, ÊTRE provides these girls with the tools to identify, preserve and foster their most authentic selves, the part that so often gets lost in the societal pressures of middle school. And then ÊTRE encourages them to become the best version of that authentic self. A must-read for every middle school girl and everyone who loves her.

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#2 The Book Of Awesome Women by Becca Anderson

This book outlines the power of she roes in a largely he ro driven world. Anderson gives an insight into some of the most awesome, accomplished, and groundbreaking women in history. The Book Of Awesome Women is the ideal starter book for young adults looking to understand the capability, influence, and virtue of the never-to-be-underestimated woman.

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#3 The Boss Lady Investor™ by Krista Goodrich

It’s well beyond time for women to stop being intimidated by money and finances, and take the reins on their financial future so they can live the life of their dreams. This is the empowering, entertaining financial literacy book that women waited WAY too long for. It’s great for women of all ages, but there’s no better time to start building a solid financial foundation than when you’re young and starting out.

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#4 Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea

It’s rare to read a story whose protagonist is an average, run of the mill person. Even more uncommon is a tale of magic and inspiration set in a low-income, middle America town. But Mermaid in Chelsea Creek uses both of these, and does so in a seamless and beautiful way. Written by Bay Area gem Michelle Tea, this novel is a must-read story that chooses to ignore the cliche of rags to riches, representing a neglected demographic so many young adults belong to.

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#5 Life Is a Squiggly Line by Fallon Ukpe

Fallon Ukpe has written a book that will relate to all readers who are trying to find their purpose in life and that includes young adults. Fallon, who has completed a Medical Degree at Duke University’s School of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration degree at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, knows a little something about continually changing the course of life and wants to help readers of any age find their purpose. This book can really impact how a young person sees the trajectory of their life and inspire them to find their true purpose while letting go of being perfect and embracing imperfection.

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#6 150 Holiday Self-Care Activities by Scott-Hudson MA MFT, Christine

Instead of getting overwhelmed by the holidays this year, learn how to do it differently! Christine Scott-Hudson is a licensed psychotherapist who shows young women how to create a peaceful and cozy holiday season. Scott-Hudson believes that the holidays do not have to be stressful and her book , 150 Holiday Self-Care Activities, details 150 ways to create an intentional and mindful holiday season.

Scott-Hudson shares how supporting your own self-care before, during, and after the holidays will reduce anxiety, help you feel good, and help you focus on the things that truly matter. “Self-care isn’t selfish. Self-care is sacred. Self-care is necessary. During the holidays, self-care is needed more than ever!” says Scott-Hudson. Christine Scott-Hudson is a Santa Barbara psychotherapist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Clinical Art Therapist, and Certified Somatic Therapist..

She is also the owner of Create Your Life Studio, a private psychotherapy practice and art therapy studio for women and girls in Santa Barbara. Scott-Hudson is a Creative Wellness Expert. She has written and been published in around 300 psychology articles. This is her first book.

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#7 Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Our Year of Maybe follows Sophie, who has donated her kidney to her best friend Peter. The problem is, she’s in love with Peter, and he’s…not so sure. As Sophie and Peter recover from surgery, they explore their sexual and religious identities in a way that’s sex-positive and very feminist.

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#8 Searching for God in the Garbage by Bracha Goetz

Experience what goes on inside the mind of a feminist Harvard grad who broke the habits that were imprisoning her in this raw and candid memoir about overcoming eating disorders. How to fill the emptiness within? It’s a deeper kind of hunger than we had realized.

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#9 Evolution of Goddess by Emma Mildon

By examining goddess myths, folklore, and archetypes, Mildon seeks to encourage her readers to look within themselves to find their own inner goddess. For someone who wants a light-hearted book with colloquial prose to help them explore their femininity, this one is it.

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#10 Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

This book kept getting recommended to me, and for good reason. Mercy is such a powerful character that is so easy to love and root for. She has an incredible spirit in the face of hardship. The story is a powerful exploration of various cultures, differences, and relationships.

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#11 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

A classic portraying the life of a fierce and independent young woman. Jane Eyre a story about coming of age where one chooses to live life on her own terms by faing her fears, overcoming adversity and defying social norms. …One of those books you just have to read….

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#12 A Silver Lining by Sarah Louise Persson

Thoughtful poetic insights into the life of a sensitive child, woman and mother. The prose shares memories of her sometimes difficult childhood and the emotional issues she grappled with in adulthood as a result. The words celebrate her recovery and convey the inspiration she gained through her journey to health where, with renewed spirit, she connects with the world and the joy it offers.

Her love for her two sons, her friends and Mother Nature are clear, as her words get to the heart of what really matters in life. A Silver Lining reflects the good that came from the bad. And when the storm died, I wandered again, Towards home this time, to my safety den, It’s beautiful out there, the nature around, The storms and the sunshine, the mountains and ground.

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#13 Expression by Sara Johnson

This expressive collection follows the life of a girl trying to survive the modern world. As she works through her feelings on her sexuality, self-abuse and self-doubt, she speaks with a voice that anyone who has experienced the pain of growing up can relate to. Dealing with serious contemporary issues, Expression is written with a humour and self-awareness that make it readable over and over again. At its heart, hope and love pierce this coming of age collection, as the author learns lessons on love, life and social media.

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#14 Hear Silent Whisper by Aria Aimes

While walking through unknown, ask yourself a question or two…. Do not be afraid to break the code of social expectations, believe in yourself and always follow the tiny voice of your heart; there is no need for doubt. Hear Silent Whisper from inside and become a creator, protector, friend… and a helping hand. Share your smile and become the warrior of light.

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#15 Words Unspoken by Jacey Mae

One person’s journey into the past, emotional pages written with words never spoken, to tell a story of one’s struggle to be loved and the finding of hope…

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#16 Worth It! by Reet Mann

Heer Shergill was relishing a dream life when she suddenly finds herself falling into abyss. Enduring disaster in every way possible, when no mortal comes to her aid, she has no choice but to look within. She can now trust no one but listens to and follows her inner voice. She tries to fix everyone and everything that devastated her, but grasps no success.

With dismay only spreading further, submerging her life, she takes a decision to heal herself to comprehend everything around her. Sated with faith, she goes on a life-changing journey to rediscover herself and stumbles by – meeting God on the way. She experiences divine and surrenders to the infinite power and discovers it was within her all along! Heer learns to let go, breathe out and honour herself, she elects to set her soul free from the disgrace and pain caused by others. Rising from her own ashes, Heer reconstructs herself, exploring horizons of pinnacle unknown to her.

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#17 Who Am I? by Susan Ash

Your 20s are meant to be those years of your life where you discover who you are. My name is Sam, and this is my story. It’s much like yours, no doubt – trying to figure out a career, practising for my driving test, making time for friends and family… except then my whole life got turned on its head and I realised that there was so much more to me, so much that was just waiting to be discovered.

This is the story of how I met a woman, how she unravelled a side of me I never even knew existed – a physical, adventurous, reckless self. This is the story of how I fell in love for the first time and how I struggled to share my new life with my friends and family. This is the story of how I frantically sought an answer to the question we’ve all asked ourselves… Who am I?

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#18 Yours, Juli by Thalia Lark

The last thing Juli wants to do is leave the open spaces of the Australian outback and move to a suburban boarding school, but after her father moves to Melbourne and her mother’s health is left on shaky ground, she has no choice. Life at St Peter’s holds more than a few surprises; however, when Juli chances across Alexandra Calvin, she is suddenly forced to deal with new and unfamiliar feelings that she fears shouldn’t be there.

While struggling to figure out how she feels, Juli is bombarded with an influx of sudden life events that leave her treading waters herself. Can she overcome the obstacles she is facing? Can she battle the fear that is holding her prisoner? If she can’t, she could lose everything that was ever important to her – and everything she has grown to love.

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#19 A Women’s Guide to Saving the World by Karen Eberhardt Shelton

A stream of stories by women, known and not, from various walks of life and areas of persuasion – presented as an anthology to provide suggestions, solutions, opinions on what we all can do to make the world out there, or in our midst, a better, kinder, friendlier, more equitable and rational place to live; not just through barely managing, but by putting into practice the harmony needed for co-existing with each other and everything on earth.

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#20 Girl Seeks Life by Laura Bannerman

Girl Seeks Life is both reflective memoir and guidebook for a young woman navigating the muddy waters of growing from awkward teenager into fully functioning, successful and fulfilled woman. It unpacks the experiences of the author with the added benefit of hindsight, self-compassion and understanding, and discusses common mistakes, fears, desires and dreams of many during this confusing and conflicted period of personal development.

In society, where perfection is celebrated and authenticity is just a buzzword, the author exposes deeply personal and delicate issues with humour and frankness, encouraging the reader to uncover their own inner being and truly get to know themselves. Girl Seeks Life aims to connect readers with their honest identities and provides practical tools for the discovery of unconscious thoughts, feelings, beliefs and behaviours which are contributing to a lack of confidence, issues within relationships and the fear of moving forward in life.

Chapters include discussions about topics relevant to growing up, such as family relationships, friendship, love, sex, feminism, success, creativity and travel.

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#21 Beauty Redefined by Seline Shenoy

In our beauty-obsessed culture, women have become accustomed to using the standards set by society and the media as a barometer to measure their own worth. They perpetually wonder where they stand on the attractiveness continuum and question everything about their outward appearances, from their skin colour to their waistline, to their fashion sense.

They keep asking themselves, Am I good enough? Do I matter? Will others love and accept me for who I am? Beauty Redefined explores this critical issue by looking at beauty from a cultural, biological and historical perspective and provides solutions on what we can do on a collective and individual level to redefine what it means to be a beautiful woman. By reading this book, you’ll be convinced that your voice matters and you’ll feel empowered to make your own unique mark in the world, no matter what your size, shape, colour or ethnic background is.

You’ll learn how to love yourself (warts and all!) and embrace every unique aspect of your being and use it to make the world a better place.

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#22 Fragments of an Everywoman’s Life by Eileen Ballman

In her ground-breaking first book, author Eileen Ballman proves she herself is an ‘Everywoman’ in every sense of the word. By drawing on relatable, personal experiences such as childhood, growing pains, education, careers, marriage, parenthood, and gracefully aging, her exploration of the myriad ways women handle life’s milestones offers a compelling, evocative, and emotive read. Jesting she is Shakespeare’s sister, she quickly draws the reader into her stories and musings as she demonstrates her love of the human condition; the bond and friendship which develops between the author and the reader is immediate and gratifying.

Her unique hybrid approach to memoir/self-help journaling will change how readers view these genres. Because she seeks the reader’s opinion of her own handling of various situations, the reader advances from the side-lines to the forefront.

Encouraged to document their personal accounts on the pages provided, readers now find themselves an integral and valuable part of a storyline. As she tackles challenging subjects such as ‘How Far Will You Go’, ‘Loss of Innocence’, ‘Bouncing Back’, and ‘Defining Moments’, Ms. Ballman reveals her extensive knowledge of the complexity of life’s challenges, as well as her authentic compassion for the female role. Characterizing herself as an ‘Everywoman’, she notes, Although we may not be prominent, notable figures ourselves, our universally relatable stories certainly are, and this ability to relate creates our impregnable bond.

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#23 Think Like a Man by jD Shapiro

This book gives away secrets, the secret desires of men and how any woman can use what a man needs in order to get what she wants. Political correctness aside, this book is a MANual that will show you how to operate a man in a way he will LOVE and LOVE YOU for doing so. For the first time ever, you have that tool within the pages of this book. All you need to do is read it and act upon it. This book is the best book for any man or woman you know in or out of your life. For example, if you see a birthday or holiday party and you’re not even invited, show on up with this book and you will be welcome with open arms! Or keep it for yourself, read a few times and then resell it on platforms like Amazon so that more people can read and enjoy it… and resell it. But first YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK. Like right now.

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