Welcome to International Womens Day 2017 at Book Riot

Welcome to International Womens Day 2017 at Book Riot International Women’s Day always feels timely; to say that this year it feels more timely than ever is to repeat ourselves from last year. And yet, women’s lives, rights, and livelihood are under serious and continued threat. Planned Parenthood, a mainstay of access for many women to basic and lifesaving healthcare, is facing serious plans to defund it. President Trump not only reinstated but expanded the “global gag rule,” which blocks US federal funding for non-governmental organizations that include abortion counseling or referrals, potentially costing worldwide health programs $9.5 billion dollars. His administration withdrew guidance to schools regarding transgender students’ right to use the bathroom matching their gender identity. To put this in perspective, there are no statistics for transgender persons harassing others in restrooms, while 12% of transgender youth reported being sexually assaulted in school settings in 2011. Globally, women earn 24% less than men, and at the current rate of progress (assuming we continue to make any), it will take till 2069 to close that gap. In literary news, the winners of the 2016 National Book Awards were all men, continuing the industry’s gender gap for rewarding authors’ work. A recent essay by Bonnie Nadzam reminded us that women are still routinely harassed and abused, both emotionally and physically, by acclaimed men in the publishing industry. This is, of course, just a reflection of a much broader problem: one in four women have been victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (and women with disabilities are even more likely to experience domestic violence than those without). Recently, a listener of the Get Booked podcast wrote in asking for books to help convince a male friend that feminism is still necessary. While we have many great books to recommend, I present the above paragraph as back-up. I present the Women’s March on Washington, which may have been the largest protest in US history. I present the Women’s Strike, in honor of which we are celebrating IWD a day late. And I present a few highlights of the past year, where we did actually see change. In pop culture, Hidden Figures brought us the story of the black women who made the space program possible. Roxane Gay was hired as Marvel’s first black female writer. There are a record number of women of color serving in Congress this year: 35 Democrats and three Republicans. To put that in perspective, there are 535 voting members of Congress, 104 (or 19%) of which are women. As of 2015, women were 49% of the global population. Feminism’s goal is to bring about the social, political, and econo mic equality of all genders. Until those numbers match up, until millions of women don’t feel compelled to take to the streets, until we’re not still “discovering” women’s contributions to history, until we’re done with “first”s and “only”s, until our opportunities and safety match those of our male peers, we need feminism. International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women, and this year’s theme is “Be Bold for Change.” So today on Book Riot, we’re delighted to present bold women writing about the things that are important to them. Heroines, fandom, body image, queer literature; the topics vary as widely as our writers’ tastes, personalities, and geographic locations. Read, get inspired, and join us in continuing to strive for the changes that will make our world truly equal. 1082 days ago To Reach The Farthest Sea Community03-09-17 Bae Suah muses on the process of discovering the heroines of her novels. 1082 days ago Double Erasure: Latin American Women Writers Carolina Ciucci03-09-17 On the struggles faced by Latin American women writers to have their work recognized. 1082 days ago 5 Books by Queer Women Ilana Masad03-09-17 Books by queer women for International Women's Day! 1082 days ago Books for the Jewish Feminist Jaime Herndon03-09-17 I am a feminist. Im also a Jew. A Jewish feminist. While Im not super-observant, I did go to religious ... 1082 days ago 5 Latin American Women Authors to Read Right Now Ines Bellina03-09-17 A short list of buzzed-about female authors from Latin America. 1082 days ago Welcome to International Womens Day 2017 at Book Riot Jenn Northington03-09-17 Why we're celebrating International Women's Day (and why we're celebrating it a day late) this year! 1082 days ago Must-Read Black Feminist Literature Christina Vortia03-09-17 Books about feminism by black authors to read ASAP! 1082 days ago Romance Without Feminism is No Longer an Option Jessica Pryde03-09-17 On the feminist nature of modern romance novels, with reading recommendations! 1082 days ago Flaunt Your Lady Love, Book Fetish Style Kelly Jensen03-09-17 28 pieces of lady writer/lady reader swag. 1082 days ago Feminist Middle Grade Books Karina Glaser03-09-17 The best middle grade feminist books for International Women's Day! 1082 days ago Madonna and the Madwoman: On the Women of Jose Rizals Classic Noli Me Tangere Angel Cruz03-09-17 This post on  Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal is part of our International Women’s Day celebration. See all the posts ... 1082 days ago 5 Women of Color Who Are Changing The World For The Better Community03-09-17 Keah Brown discusses five women of color who are making the world a better place through their creative work. 1082 days ago Fiction That Breaks Sexist and Racist Stereotypes Deya03-09-17 Fictional characters who are breaking harmful stereotypes about women. 1082 days ago On Writing as a Woman Priya Sridhar03-09-17 A consideration of the expectations placed on women writers. 1082 days ago 4 French Feminist Writers Celebrating Women Tara Cheesman03-09-17 Four books from French writers, all celebrating the life of women. Also In This Story Stream To Reach The Farthest Sea Double Erasure: Latin American Women Writers 5 Books by Queer Women Books for the Jewish Feminist 5 Latin American Women Authors to Read Right Now Must-Read Black Feminist Literature Romance Without Feminism is No Longer an Option Flaunt Your Lady Love, Book Fetish Style Feminist Middle Grade Books Madonna and the Madwoman: On the Women of Jose Rizals Classic Noli Me Tangere 5 Women of Color Who Are Changing The World For The Better Fiction That Breaks Sexist and Racist Stereotypes On Writing as a Woman 4 French Feminist Writers Celebrating Women View all international women's day 2017 posts--> Sign up to Today In Books to receive  daily news and miscellany from the world of books.