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Hello Giggles-The 40 Books Every Woman Should Read

Esquire recently compiled a massive book list titled "The 80 Books Every Man Should Read." Esquire calls it, "An unranked, incomplete, slightly biased list of the greatest works of literature ever published."
These 80 books are excellent and I've read many of them. I've studied them in school, read them on my own terms, and I totally respect any and all authors who are able to write compelling stories, whether that author identifies as male or female. But there's one major issue I have with this list: if you're going to suggest a bunch of essential books to men, why must they be all be written by men?
Because I believe we all need a diverse literary palate, I'm going to even out the playing field.
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from hellogiggles.com · made by Jen H
avg. score: 10 of 40 (24%)
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1
The Age of Grief (Jane Smiley)
The Age of Grief
Jane Smiley
2
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
Toni Morrison
3
Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri)
Unaccustomed Earth
Jhumpa Lahiri
4
A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
A Visit From the Goon Squad
Jennifer Egan
5
The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
6
The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton)
The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
7
The History of Love (Nicole Krauss)
The History of Love
Nicole Krauss
8
Near to the Wild Heart (Clarice Lispector)
Near to the Wild Heart
Clarice Lispector
9
The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende)
The House of the Spirits
Isabel Allende
10
Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx (Adrian Nicole Leblanc)
Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Adrian Nicole Leblanc
11
Play It as It Lays (Joan Didion)
Play It as It Lays
Joan Didion
12
The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
The Awakening
Kate Chopin
13
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
14
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
15
The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
The Secret History
Donna Tartt
16
Runaway (Alice Munro)
Runaway
Alice Munro
17
The Thing Around Your Neck (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
The Thing Around Your Neck
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
18
Sexing the Cherry (Jeanette Winterson)
Sexing the Cherry
Jeanette Winterson
19
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
Zadie Smith
20
Fun Home (Alison Bechdel)
Fun Home
Alison Bechdel
21
Cherry (Mary Karr)
Cherry
Mary Karr
22
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
Alice Walker
23
Bastard Out of Carolina (Dorothy Allison)
Bastard Out of Carolina
Dorothy Allison
24
The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
25
My Antonia (Willa Cather)
My Antonia
Willa Cather
26
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (ZZ Packer)
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
ZZ Packer
27
Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling)
Harry Potter
J. K. Rowling
28
Willful Creatures
Willful Creatures
29
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
Margaret Mitchell
30
The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
The Time Traveler's Wife
Audrey Niffenegger
31
The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
32
The Blue Flower (Penelope Fitzgerald)
The Blue Flower
Penelope Fitzgerald
33
Love Medicine (Louise Erdrich)
Love Medicine
Louise Erdrich
34
The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan)
The Joy Luck Club
Amy Tan
35
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
36
What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal] (Zoe Heller)
What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal]
Zoe Heller
37
The Golden Notebook (Doris Lessing)
The Golden Notebook
Doris Lessing
38
Broken Harbor (Tana French)
Broken Harbor
Tana French
39
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
40
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
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