Books & Flicks

Below are my feeble attempts to make must lists for books and movies. If you’ve got suggestions, I encourage you to send ‘em or post ‘em.

BOOKS

This list is in no particular order. I think the best way to learn about awesome books is through word of mouth!

Books:

1. The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
2. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
3. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
4. Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis
5. Fast Girls by Emily White
6. Our Bodies Ourselves
7. The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler
8. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
9. A Handmaid’s Tale By Margaret Atwood
10. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
11. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
12. Valencia by Michelle Tea
13. anything by bell hooks
14. Wonder Woman: The Complete History by Les Daniels
15. Girl Culture by Lauren Greenfield
16. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (Dated, yes, but certainly one of the first modern quest stories with a girl as the hero.)
17. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire (The Wicked Witch is certainly a radical feminist and an animal rights activist.)
18. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (added by Natalie)

On my bookshelf (waiting):

1. Catfight by Leora Tanenbaum
2. Bitch by Elizabeth Wurtzell
3. Female Chauvanist Pigs by Ariel Levy
4. Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti
5. Pink Think by Lynn Peril
6. Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent
7. Pin-Up Grrrls by Maria Elena Buszek
8. The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order
9. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
10. Rent Girl by Michelle Tea

MOVIES

This is a list of movies that are either overtly or covertly feminist. This list is by no means comprehensive and it’s not in any kind of order. We need to spread the word about the movies we’ve seen because so many of the good ones are indies.Here goes:

1. Thelma & Louise
2. Citizen Ruth (brilliant! if you haven’t seen it, go watch it right now!)
3. But I’m a Cheerleader
4. Erin Brokavich
5. Ever After — A Cinderella Story
6. Mean Girls
7. Whale Rider
8. Bend it Like Beckham
9. The Wizard of Oz
10. The Long Kiss Goodnight
11. La Femme Nikita (and it’s American remake Point of No Return)
12. Run Lola Run
13. Lara Croft – Tomb Raider
14. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
15. G.I. Jane
16. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
17. Mona Lisa Smile (debatable, perhaps)
18. His Girl Friday
19. Woman of the Year
20. Adam’s Rib
21. Norma Rae
22. Silence of the Lambs
23. 9-5 (depressingly still relevent 27 years later)
24. Tank Girl
25. Contact
26. V for Vendetta
27. Frida [added 10/24/07]
28. Chocolat [added 11/19/07]
29. Juno [added 2/10/08]
30. Mulan [added 2/14/08]
31. Fargo [added 3/9/08] – way to go Coen Bros for giving us pregnant homicide detective Marge Gunderson. Hurray for working through a pregnancy! (added by Natalie)
32. Shut Up & Sing [added 3/27/08]
33. Baby Mama [added 5/24/08]
34. North Country [added 3/26/09]