Ms. Readers’ 100 Best Feminist Non-Fiction Books of All Time

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Ms. Magazine, 100 Books

This list is a compilation of the top 100 feminist non-fiction books of all time, curated by Ms. Magazine based on reader input. The selection criteria focused on feminist themes, with particular emphasis on work, sex, and intersectionality, as reflected in the choices of Ms. readers. The list was created through a voting process that occurred over two-and-a-half weeks on platforms such as Goodreads, the Ms. Blog, and Facebook, with votes counted until September 25, 2011. To resolve ties, books were ranked by the number of platforms they received votes on, followed by their rank on Goodreads. This pseudo-scientific methodology involved contributions from several individuals, including Cortney Rock, Sarah Richardson, Holly Derr, Jessica Stites, and Mimi Seldner.

Who voted?
They don't specify the exact voter count. I am going to guess at least 50 people. If someone has more information please let me know

This list was originally published in 2011 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.

View: List Grid Table
Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
8291 Feminism Is For Everybody bell hooks 2000 American English
9563 Cunt Inga Muscio 1998 American English
1620 Sister Outsider Audre Lorde 1984 American English
173 A Room of One's Own Virginia Woolf 1929 British English
1204 Nickel And Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich 2001 American English
2315 Backlash Susan Faludi 1991 American English
10776 Female Chauvinist Pigs Ariel Levy 2005 American English
4202 Ain't I A Woman? bell hooks 1981 American English
8187 Feminist Theory bell hooks 1984 American English
11341 The Purity Myth Jessica Valenti 2009 American English
11212 Yes Means Yes Jessica Valenti, Jaclyn Friedman 2008 American English
140 The Second Sex Simone de Beauvoir 1949 French French
11060 Full Frontal Feminism Jessica Valenti 2007 American English
6973 Our Bodies, Ourselves Boston Women’s Health Collective 1970 American English
11851 Havana Real Yoani Sánchez 2011 Cuban Spanish
8546 Whipping Girl Julia Serano 2007 American English
8029 The Vagina Monologues Eve Ensler 1996 American English
10061 Persepolis 1 & 2 — The Complete Persepolis Marjane Satrapi 2000 French French
1655 The Beauty Myth Naomi Wolf 1990 American English
709 The Feminine Mystique Betty Friedan 1963 American English
10090 Manifesta Jennifer Baumgardner, Amy Richards 2000 American English
3231 This Bridge Called My Back Cherríe Moraga, Gloria Anzaldúa 1981 American English
11491 When Everything Changed Gail Collins 2009 American English
521 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou 1969 American English
1787 Sexual Politics Kate Millett 1970 American English
9258 Moving Beyond Words Gloria Steinem 1993 American English
6316 Borderlands/La Frontera Gloria Anzaldúa 1987 American English
774 A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft 1792 British English
10535 Colonize This! Daisy Hernandez, Bushra Rehman 2002 Multiple English
11081 How The Pro Choice Movement Saved America Cristina Page 2006 American English
3165 Gender Trouble Judith Butler 1990 American English
11544 Half The Sky Nicholas Kristof 2009 American English
11421 Feminism And Pop Culture Andi Zeisler 2008 American English
8384 Outrageous Acts And Everyday Rebellions Gloria Steinem 1983 American English
5577 Women, Race, And Class Angela Davis 1981 American English
8025 Gender Outlaw Kate Bornstein 1994 American English
9564 Reviving Ophelia Mary Pipher 1994 American English
10619 Girls To The Front Sara Marcus 2010 American English
6466 Fat Is A Feminist Issue Susie Orbach 1978 British English
6540 Black Feminist Thought Patricia Hill Collins 1990 American English
1666 Zami Audre Lorde 1982 American English
3852 Of Woman Born Adrienne Rich 1976 American English
11327 Learning To Drive Katha Pollitt 2007 American English
11636 The Means Of Reproduction Michelle Goldberg 2009 American English
1060 Fun Home Alison Bechdel 2006 American English
8914 Staying Alive Vandana Shiva 1988 Indian English
5712 How To Suppress Women's Writing Joanna Russ 1983 American English
5998 The Dialectic Of Sex Shulamith Firestone 1970 American English
11220 The Color Of Violence INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence 2006 Unknown English
10764 Communion bell hooks 2002 American English
8840 The Chalice And The Blade Riane Eisler 1987 American English
8751 The Creation Of Patriarchy Gerda Lerner 1986 American English
10792 Jane Sexes It Up Merri Lisa Johnson 2002 Unknown English
9284 Revolution From Within Gloria Steinem 1991 American English
12008 Big Girls Don’t Cry Rebecca Traister 2010 American English
10898 America’s Women Gail Collins 2003 American English
12186 Feminism For Real Jessica Yee 2011 Unknown English
11389 This Common Secret Susan Wicklund 2007 Unknown English
11253 Nobody Passes Matthew Bernstein Sycamore 2006 Unknown English
10023 Wounds Of Passion bell hooks 1997 American English
2220 Against Our Will Susan Brownmiller 1975 American English
11136 Conquest Andrea Smith 2005 Unknown English
9592 I Am An Emotional Creature Eve Ensler 2010 American English
6250 Assata Assata Shakur 1987 American English
11289 The Girls Who Went Away Ann Fessler 2006 American English
1771 Stone Butch Blues Leslie Feinberg 1993 American English
5125 Killing The Black Body Dorothy E. Roberts 1997 American English
10922 Women Don’t Ask Linda Babcock, Sara Laschever 2003 American English
9724 Outlaw Culture bell hooks 1994 American English
9528 Feminists Theorize The Political Judith Butler, Joan Wallach Scott 1992 Multiple English
5719 Manhood For Amateurs Michael Chabon 2009 American English
8824 The Sacred Hoop Paula Gunn Allen 1986 American English
11020 The War On Choice Gloria Feldt 2004 American English
9627 The Less Noble Sex Nancy Tuana 1993 Unknown English
8008 A Woman Speaks Evelyn Hinz 1975 Unknown English
10826 This Bridge We Call Home Gloria Anzaldúa, AnaLouise Keating 2002 Multiple English
10183 Tough Girls Sherrie A. Inness 1998 Unknown English
11840 Reality Bites Back Jennifer L. Pozner 2009 American English
9947 The Great Women Superheroes Trina Robbins 1996 American English
2845 Sisterhood Is Powerful Robin Morgan 1970 American English
12033 Living Dolls Natasha Walter 2010 British English
5925 In Search Of Our Mother’s Gardens Alice Walker 1983 American English
9638 Unbearable Weight Susan Bordo 1993 American English
9639 Sisters Of The Yam bell hooks 1993 American English
8245 The Work Of A Common Woman Judy Grahn 1978 American English
8970 Myths Of Gender Anne Fausto-Sterling 1987 American English
8093 When God Was A Woman Merlin Stone 1976 American English
12245 Marriage Confidential Pamela Haag 2011 American English
9259 The Sexual Politics Of Meat Carol J. Adams 1990 American English
12247 Cinderella Ate My Daughter Peggy Orenstein 2011 American English
9751 Talking From 9 To 5 Deborah Tannen 1994 American English
12248 Reading Women Stephanie Staal 2011 Unknown English
11307 James Tiptree, Jr. Julie Phillips 2006 Unknown English
12249 Sister Citizen Melissa Harris-Perry 2011 American English
11308 Mysteries Of The Middle Ages Thomas Cahill 2006 American English
5005 In A Different Voice Carol Gilligan 1982 American English
10937 Bitches, Bimbos, And Ballbreakers Guerilla Girls 2003 American English
6937 Century Of Struggle Eleanor Flexner 1959 American English
6765 Odd Girls And Twilight Lovers Lillian Faderman 1991 American English
10074 The Body Project Joan Jacobs Brumberg 1997 American English