The Bookish Mutant’s Feminist Books for Women’s History Month (2024 Edition)

Happy Friday, bibliophiles, and more importantly, Happy International Women’s Day!

Here in the U.S., March is Women’s History Month! In the years since I’ve started making these posts, the amount of attacks on women—in terms of laws attacking our bodily autonomy (as well as the bodily autonomy of trans and nonbinary people) and worldwide violence—has only increased. And amidst all of this turmoil, all I can take from this is that now, more than ever, we need feminism. We need to educate people, we need to help people to become less ignorant about the litany of issues plaguing marginalized groups here in the states and elsewhere. That, to me, is the most insidious consequence of the book bans spreading across the country: you take away a child’s ability to learn about perspectives outside of their own, and you produce an ignorant generation that does not question authority. In the absence of sound authority figures, books, more than ever, are our most valuable teachers.

Another change from my lists in previous years is that since my reading tastes have expanded, I’ve added adult and nonfiction books to this list—all of which I believe are just as valuable to feminism as any other book I’ve included. Enjoy!

For my previous lists, click below:

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021

Let’s begin, shall we?

THE BOOKISH MUTANT’S FEMINIST BOOKS FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH (2024 EDITION)

SCIENCE FICTION:

• Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) – Octavia Butler | Adult | Dystopia | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Crane Husband – Kelly Barnhill | Adult | Novella, Dystopia, Magical realism, Retellings | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Meru (The Alloy Era, #1) – S.B. Divya | Adult | LGBTQ+, Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Ammonite – Nicola Griffith | Adult | Dystopia, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• Cloud Parliament – Olivia A. Cole | YA | Dystopia, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Bitch Planet, vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine – Kelly Sue DeConnick | Adult | Graphic Novels, Dystopia, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

FANTASY:

• The Monsters We Defy – Leslye Penelope | Adult | Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Mystery | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Siren, The Song, and the Spy (The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea. #2) – Maggie Tokuda- Hall* | YA | High Fantasy, LGBTQ+. Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• VenCo – Cherie Dimaline | Adult | Paranormal, Urban Fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• To Shape a Dragon’s Breath (Nampeshiweisit, #1) – Moniquill Blackgoose | YA | Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Lost Dreamer – Lizz Huerta | YA | Historical Fiction, High Fantasy | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• Everfair – Nisi Shawl | Adult | Alternate History, Steampunk, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*NOTE: The Siren, The Song, and the Spy is book 2 in a series, but I feel it should be included on this list for the feminist themes included in this book in particular.

REALISTIC FICTION:

• Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay – Kelly McWilliams | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• The Luis Ortega Survival Club – Sonora Reyes | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Imogen, Obviously – Becky Albertalli | YA | LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley | YA | Mystery, Thriller | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Not Here to Be Liked – Michelle Quach | YA | Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
• So Lucky – Nicola Griffith | Adult | Disability, LGBTQ+ | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Forever Is Now – Mariama J. Lockington | YA | Novels in Verse, LGBTQ+, Romance, Disability | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Where You See Yourself – Claire Forrest | YA | Disability, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• A Scatter of Light – Malinda Lo | YA | Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

NONFICTION:

• Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• A Black Women’s History of the United States – Daina Ramey Berry and Kari Nicole Gross | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the 21st Century – edited by Alice Wong | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
• Invisible: How Young Women with Serious Health Issues Navigate Work, Relationships, and the Pressure to Seem Just Fine – Michele Lent Hirsch | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts – Rebecca Hall | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Have you read any of these books, and if so, what did you think of them? What are your favorite feminist books? Let me know in the comments!

Today’s song:

That’s it for this list! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!