What really makes a woman, a woman?
Oftentimes, I wonder what the world would be like without women authors. Would there be fewer stories? Would our femininity be shaped, even tainted, by patriarchal propaganda? Would none of us pursue endeavors beyond what’s expected of us? Or worse, would we find contentment in being less?
Generations after generations, these writers have challenged conventions with perspectives that reveal the complexities of womanhood and the many ways it is experienced. I’ve always believed our world would remain much smaller without them.
In celebration of their voices, this list brings together must-read books that allow us to imagine life through different women’s realities.
1. I Who Have Never Known Men (1995), Jacqueline Harpman
What roles do we play in a world without men?
In this French dystopian novel, 40 women are imprisoned underground with no sense of society. Once freed, they must survive an empty world and build community on their own, adapting in routines that reveal the depth of womanhood and how they define their roles for themselves.
2. Detransition, Baby (2001), Torrey Peters
Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021, Peters confronts readers with how much we truly understand about queerness and the social constructs that surround it.
Told through an unconventional story of parenthood involving three women, transgender and cisgender, this book refuses to simplify modern family dynamics.
3. A Room of One’s Own (1929), Virginia Woolf
Since the 19th century (or even before that), women have sought the freedom to express themselves fully. We see this in Woolf’s exploration of the social, economic, and literary barriers that constrain women’s creativity and independence.
And as women of today continue to confront similar obstacles, we draw courage from those who first dared to speak, write, and create.
4. The Yellow Wallpaper (1892), Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Another classic of feminist fiction, this short story follows a woman’s rapid descent into madness as confinement takes its toll. Gilman exposes the consequences of repressing self-expression and patriarchal control, proving that freedom and autonomy are what make a woman, a woman.
5. Seek Ye Whore and Other Stories (2022), Yvette Tan
Adding a hint of diversity to our list, this Filipino horror collection presents the uncanny through stories both eerie and absurd. By her genius at the horrorification of everyday culture, Tan forces us to reckon with both the literal monsters of Philippine folklore and the ones present in our society.
6. Insect Hag and Other Stories (2005), Yvette Tan
Tan’s third and most renowned short story collection cements her as the queen of Philippine horror.
In one sitting, you can devour poignant and culturally evocative narratives that show how Filipinos turn to superstitions to cope and live. The collection also glimpses what a woman is capable of when faced with injustice, and how far she can go to reclaim what is denied to her.
7. Seventeen Prayers to the Many-Eyed Mother (2004), Eliza Victoria
What makes short stories so compelling?
Victoria offers answers through a woman making a blood pact for a visa, time loops, diwata removing their wings, and all things otherworldly. In this collection of 17 horror and speculative stories, we witness individual existential crises that also reveal the larger forces that shape them.
After all, fiction always reflects the world around us.
8. Beloved (1987), Toni Morrison
There are many reasons why Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and Beloved may be the most powerful one. This novel reads like a ghost story about a formerly enslaved woman haunted by a tragic choice she made to keep her child from a life of slavery.
Morrison gives us a deeply human portrayal of life under slavery and how it alters every fiber of a person’s being.
9. Women Without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran (1989), Shahrnush Parsipur
With the long-running struggle faced by Iranian women now coming to light, this read educates us about what they are truly fighting for.
Women Without Men follows five women who leave violent marriages, expectations, and political unrest to find a shared refuge in a garden outside Tehran. Banned in Iran and a cause of the author’s arrest, her work later reached international audiences and remains a landmark of feminist literature.
10. Some Days I Wish I Was A Cat (2025), Jade Sharma
What is it like being a modern Filipina?
We end this list with a collection of every question that runs through an angry Filipina’s mind. Why are things associated with women treated as lesser? Why is masculinity celebrated as the default? Is every woman’s end goal really marriage and motherhood so she can say she’s made it?
And while we frustrate ourselves trying to find answers, the book only offers a promise: “a lingering hope that maybe it can get better for women if they keep fighting for their right to be here—and be whatever the fuck they want.”
