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[sonya any]

A lot of books I've encountered dealing with this kind of topic tend to fall in the camp of girl power fables where women instinctively grasp that they are equal and capable and go on a goal achieving journey and damn the consequences. Several of these are fantasy novels where women become warriors in settings where generally only men can do so and go on to kick ass, take Pandora Outlet Store names and prove themselves.

I generally like stories dealing with gender barriers and women who fight society's norms to achieve their goals, but in a lot of these, especially fantasy, the characters' struggles seem very artificial, because the characters don't even seem to have been raised in the society the book is set in, or be affected at all by its norms. That's not really how people function; they internalize what they're taught. I want more complex characters and more compelling conflicts, stories in which strong female characters are capable and ambitious, but must deal with their own internalized insecurities and prejudices on top of those of their peers to achieve their goals. I would be interested particularly in any contemporary memoirs from women living in areas with extreme gender disparity, but the story can be a novel, short story, memoir, etc., and the gender based barriers the women overcome can take any form.

YA, but well written, with a lot of attention given to the protagonist's evolving ideas about her gender and class: True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi.

posted by apparently at 11:05 AM on April 23, 2011 [3 favorites]

Jill Ker Conway's "The Road from Coorain" hits a lot of what you're looking for. From the publisher, via Powell's: "One women's [sic] journey from a childhood in Australia's outback to adulthood as a successful American career woman. Or, in Tiffany Aching's case, her own witch, despite the pressures of mean girls, the testing by wise women, and the occasional evil supernatural creature.

posted by MonkeyToes at 11:08 AM on April 23, 2011

Nonfiction: Bossypants by Tina Fey! Also it's hilarious. Here's an excerpt.

posted by you're a kitty! at 11:10 AM on April 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers. It's technically a mystery but isn't really, and it's incredible. You don't need to have read the previous (many) Wimsey books to appreciate it.

posted by you're a kitty! at 11:15 AM on April 23, 2011 [5 favorites]

Ohmygosh when Tina Fey writes in Bossypants about meeting Amy Poehler and instantly Pandora Sunshine Diva Sunglasses Charm recognizing a kindred feminist spirit with a happy heartfelt "My friend is here! My friend is here!" I cheered out loud and now carry that giddiness in me every time I think of my own best girl friends.

Julia Child's "My Life In France" is so, so good. How she talks about slowly discovering her own passion later in life, having an unconventional marriage, defining her sense of self in her own terms she's fantastic. And the very definition of "a hoot."

posted by sestaaak at 11:26 AM on April 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor

The Women of Brewster Place depicts seven courageous black women struggling to survive life's harsh realities. Since the book was first published in 1982, critics have praised Gloria Naylor's characters. They contend that her vivid portrayal of the women, their relationships, and their battles represents the same intense struggle all human beings face in their quest for long, happy lives. For example, in a review published in Freedomways, Loyle Hairston says that the characters ". throb with vitality amid the shattering of their hopes and dreams." Many commentators have noted the same deft touch with the novel's supporting characters; in fact, Hairston also notes, "Other characters are . equally well drawn."

posted by knilstad at 11:27 AM on April 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Believe it or not, Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

"Nothing her mother taught her was of any value whatsoever now and Scarlett's heart was sore and puzzled. It did not occur to her that Pandora Darling Daisies Clip Ellen could not have foreseen the collapse of the civilization in which she raised her daughters, could not have anticipated the disappearing of the places in society for which she had trained them so well. She had taught her to be gentle and gracious, kind and modest. Life treated women well when they had learned those lessons, Ellen said. Scarlett thought in despair, 'Nothing, no, nothing she taught me is of any help to me!"

posted by Nixy at 11:27 AM on April 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

And and and Katharine Graham's Pulitzer winning "Personal History" an autobiography that tells of how she grew up wealthy and sheltered, married wealthy and sheltered, and everything falls apart when her husband commits suicide.

She takes over the reigns of the Washington Post and it becomes a major paper as it scoops the Watergate scandal. her journey and the self deprecating way she describes going from being a subservient daughter and wife to a publishing power player is fantastic.

posted by sestaaak at 11:33 AM on April 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

Beloved, by Toni Morrison. Ranks in my top five favourite books of Pandora Clear Pave Heart Dangle Charm all time.

posted by aunt_winnifred at 11:37 AM on April 23, 2011posted by vespabelle at 11:38 AM on April 23, 2011 [1 favorite]