Etaf Rum recommends 6 empowering reads centered around women
The author suggests works by Zora Neale Hurston, Sylvia Plath and more
Etaf Rum’s best-selling first novel, "A Woman Is No Man," focused on three Palestinian- American women pushing against tradition. "Evil Eye," her follow-up, is narrated by a woman who feels beyond such constraints until she’s reminded of a family curse.
'Woman at Point Zero' by Nawal El Saadawi (1977)
Feminist thinker and writer Nawal El Saadawi delivers a true account in the voice of a woman awaiting execution in a Cairo prison for having killed a pimp. “Let me speak. Do not interrupt me. I have no time to listen to you,” the protagonist begins, describing her life, from childhood in a village to prostitution in the city, with a steely defiance of patriarchy. She ultimately welcomes society’s retribution for her act of defiance — death — as the only way a woman can finally be free. Saadawi’s novel paints a vivid picture of female oppression and of an unapologetic, burning desire for liberation. Buy it here.
'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)
Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel manages to capture the challenges faced by Black women seeking liberation in a racist, misogynist world while also highlighting the liberating power of Black joy. Buy it here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Beloved' by Toni Morrison (1987)
Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel confronts us and asks us to open our eyes and bear witness to the parts of our history that would be easier to ignore. An important and transformative read. Buy it here.
'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath (1963)
In her only novel, Sylvia Plath brought awareness to the struggles of young women seeking to find their place in the “real world.” She also explored the ways in which women are continuously suffocated by what society thinks we should do or want. Buy it here.
'A Room of One’s Own' by Virginia Woolf (1929)
A powerful book for self-questioning and reflection. Woolf explores the ways in which women could never live their lives the way she had — writing for a living — without a steady income and a room of their own. Buy it here.
'Minor Detail' by Adania Shibli (2017)
A young Bedouin woman is raped and murdered by Israeli soldiers shortly after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which established Israel as a nation and displaced several hundred thousand people. A half-century later, a second woman seeks to recover and tell the victim’s story. Shibli uses an attention to the smallest details to convey that the dispossession that begun with that war carries on unabated. Buy it here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
What's next for US interest rates?
The Explainer Stubborn inflation forestalls anticipated rate cuts
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Russia rattles nuclear saber, orders tactical nuke drills
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian military to hold nuclear weapons drills in response to Western "threats"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Five top new women's watches
The Week Recommends From dancing diamonds to reconfigured classics, these models were recently revealed at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
Tom Crewe's 6 favorite works that challenge societal norms
Feature The novelist recommends works by Margaret Oliphant, Patrick White, and more
By The Week US Published
-
On the trail of India’s wild lions at Sasan Gir National Park
The Week Recommends The sanctuary is a 'roaring' conservation success
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: almond marmalade cake
The Week Recommends This syrupy cake can be toasted for brunch
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: houses with enchanting gardens
The Week Recommends Featuring pretty homes in Hampshire, Devon and West Sussex
By The Week UK Published
-
Venice Biennale 2024: from the good to the bad to the downright 'bizarre'
The Week Recommends Central exhibition features the work of some 330 artists
By The Week UK Published
-
Sunset Song: gripping theatre that's 'close to magic'
The Week Recommends Morna Young's 'first-class adaptation' of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's classic novel
By The Week UK Published
-
Challengers: 'the most purely pleasurable film of the year so far'
The Week Recommends Zendaya plays a former tennis player turned coach in this 'almost ridiculously' sexy drama
By The Week UK Published
-
Baby Reindeer: a 'compelling and unforgettable' series
The Week Recommends Comedian Richard Gadd's disturbing Netflix drama about stalking
By The Week UK Published