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The best part of english classes was discovering new authors because of assigned summer reading. I'd pretend to "complain," but I loved when my mom took me to the public library to find books I'd eventually cherish. From Maya Angelou's pivotal memoir to Barbara Kingsolver's assessment of one family's mission work, I learned women could be powerful wordsmiths.
As much as I love reading contemporary romance books or political thrillers that remind me of Paradise, the following novels are the ones I revisit when my TBR list is too overwhelming!
Read the instant-classic books that introduced me to the most iconic female authors of all time
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
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The Color Purple by Alice Walker
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White Teethby Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith's White Teeth outlines a friendship between two people from different backgrounds, showing how life isn't always confined to certain "rules." The things Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal found after fighting together in World War II have a profound effect on their friendship as well as their lives. From falling in love again to producing children who challenge the world around them, these two friends struggle to maintain a lease on the things they thought to be true.
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
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To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee
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Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
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The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
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The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Last but not least, there's this incredible work of Barbara Kingsolver. I find myself revisiting The Poisonwood Bible because the themes of it feel more relevant than ever. From the blind faith of Baptist preacher Nathan Price to his wife finally finding her voice after their youngest daughter died, neither they or their children leave the Belgian Congo unscathed. Despite their best efforts to adapt, this family learns that their ignorance stemming from a domineering patriarchal household caused them to be chewed up and spit out. That sometimes there's more than one way to find God, love, and justice if we're willing to look.
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