Books with category 🔆 Empowerment
Displaying books 49-96 of 126 in total

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

2016

by Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer, the Emmy Award-winning comedian, actress, writer, and star of Inside Amy Schumer and the acclaimed film Trainwreck, has taken the entertainment world by storm with her winning blend of smart, satirical humor.

In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy mines her past for stories about her teenage years, her family, relationships, and sex, sharing the experiences that have shaped who she is—a woman with the courage to bare her soul and stand up for what she believes in, all while making us laugh.

Ranging from the raucous to the romantic, the heartfelt to the harrowing, this highly entertaining and universally appealing collection is the literary equivalent of a night out with your best friend—an unforgettable and fun adventure that you wish could last forever.

Whether she’s experiencing lust-at-first-sight while in the airport security line, sharing her own views on love and marriage, admitting to being an introvert, or discovering her cross-fit instructor’s secret bad habit, Amy Schumer proves to be a bighearted, brave, and thoughtful storyteller that will leave you nodding your head in recognition, laughing out loud, and sobbing uncontrollably—but only because it’s over.

Matilda

2016

by Roald Dahl

Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence, and psychokinetic powers. She's unappreciated by her crass, dishonest family and finds solace in the books she devours at an astonishing rate. At just five-and-a-half, she's tackling complex math problems and immersing herself in the works of Dickens.

Despite her intellect and abilities, Matilda's life is far from perfect. Her parents are dismissive and self-absorbed, and her school is run by the tyrannical headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, who has a penchant for throwing children as if they were javelins. But Matilda is not one to be underestimated or downtrodden.

With a combination of cunning, patience, and a touch of magic, Matilda begins to turn the tables on her parents and Miss Trunchbull. Rallying with her beloved teacher, Miss Honey, Matilda devises clever plans to outsmart the grown-ups who underestimate her. Through her journey, she demonstrates that even a child can change her own story, proving that brains and kindness can triumph over brawn and cruelty.

Roald Dahl's Matilda is a testament to the power of imagination, the importance of education, and the unyielding strength of the human spirit, especially in someone so young.

The Princess Saves Herself in This One

2016

by Amanda Lovelace

Ah, life - the thing that happens to us while we're off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales.

A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. The princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind.

Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.

Luke Walker: Animal Stick Up For-Er

Luke Walker is an eight-year-old boy with a mind of his own. He's noticed that life often isn't fair for non-human animals, and that what adults tell him sometimes doesn't make sense. Wanting to right wrongs, he becomes a vegetarian outlaw who will not play by the rules if the rules mean being unkind.

He knows he's right, but he also knows that, in order to do the right thing, he sometimes needs to be sneaky. These first eight chapters of Luke Walker's adventures sticking up for animals are funny, inspiring, and very entertaining. Great mischief, great adventures, great fun! Luke Walker is a vegan 'Just William'.

Suitable for children aged 8 and up to read alone, or for reading to younger children.

Storm and Silence

2016

by Robert Thier

Freedom—that is what Lilly Linton wants most in life. Not marriage, not a brood of squalling brats, and certainly not love, thank you very much!

But freedom is a rare commodity in 19th-century London, where girls are expected to spend their lives sitting at home, fully occupied with looking pretty. Lilly is at her wits’ end—until a chance encounter with a dark, dangerous, and powerful stranger changes her life forever...

Enter the world of Mr. Rikkard Ambrose, where the only rule is: Knowledge is power is time is money!

A Mind of Your Own

Depression is not a disease. It is a symptom.


Recent years have seen a shocking increase in antidepressant use the world over, with 1 in 4 women starting their day with medication. These drugs have steadily become the panacea for everything from grief, irritability, panic attacks, to insomnia, PMS, and stress. But the truth is, what women really need can’t be found at a pharmacy.


According to Dr. Kelly Brogan, antidepressants not only overpromise and underdeliver, but their use may permanently disable the body’s self-healing potential. We need a new paradigm: The best way to heal the mind is to heal the whole body.


In this groundbreaking, science-based and holistic approach, Dr. Brogan shatters the mythology conventional medicine has built around the causes and treatment of depression. Based on her expert interpretation of published medical findings, combined with years of experience from her clinical practice, Dr. Brogan illuminates the true cause of depression: it is not simply a chemical imbalance, but a lifestyle crisis that demands a reset. It is a signal that the interconnected systems in the body are out of balance – from blood sugar, to gut health, to thyroid function – and inflammation is at the root.


A Mind of Your Own offers an achievable, step-by-step 30-day action plan—including powerful dietary interventions, targeted nutrient support, detoxification, sleep, and stress reframing techniques—women can use to heal their bodies, alleviate inflammation, and feel like themselves again without a single prescription.


Bold, brave, and revolutionary, A Mind of Your Own takes readers on a journey of self-empowerment for radical transformation that goes far beyond symptom relief.

Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity

2016

by Julia Serano

Whipping Girl is a provocative manifesto that tells the powerful story of Julia Serano, a transsexual woman whose supremely intelligent writing reflects her diverse background as a lesbian transgender activist and professional biologist.

Serano shares her experiences and observations—both pre- and post-transition—to reveal the ways in which fear, suspicion, and dismissiveness toward femininity shape our societal attitudes toward trans women, as well as gender and sexuality as a whole. Her well-honed arguments stem from her ability to bridge the gap between the often-disparate biological and social perspectives on gender.

She exposes how deep-rooted the cultural belief is that femininity is frivolous, weak, and passive, and how this “feminine” weakness exists only to attract and appease male desire. In addition to debunking popular misconceptions about transsexuality, Serano makes the case that today's feminists and transgender activists must work to embrace and empower femininity—in all of its wondrous forms.

The Golden Braid

The Golden Braid is a delightful retelling of the classic Rapunzel story. This version proves that the one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower.

Rapunzel is no ordinary girl. She can throw a knife better than any man and paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. Her voice is so sweet, it can coax even a beast to sleep. However, there are two things she fears her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

Devoted fiercely to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter, warning that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer proposes to Rapunzel, her mother decides to move them to the large city of Hagenheim.

The journey to Hagenheim proves treacherous. Rapunzel is rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek. But in a twist of fate, Rapunzel rescues him later down the road. Grateful, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt by teaching Rapunzel to read. Could there be more to this knight than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?

As Rapunzel adjusts to life in the new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this unique retelling, a world of secrets and treachery is revealed after seventeen years of lies. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?

Woman at Point Zero

From her prison cell, Firdaus, sentenced to die for having killed a pimp in a Cairo street, tells of her life from village childhood to city prostitute.

Society's retribution for her act of defiance - death - she welcomes as the only way she can finally be free.

This powerful narrative takes you through the struggles and triumphs of a woman who defies all odds to find her freedom.

A Bird Without Wings

2015

by Roberta Pearce

After an impoverished and indigent childhood, Callie Dahl is interested in one thing: money enough to buy her own home. Love and marriage are impractical pursuits, and hold zero attraction for her—though she alleviates her loneliness through the guilty pleasure of an at-far fantasy of her temporary boss, Lucius Ransome.

So when Lucius gives her the task of disproving a long-standing Ransome Family legend, it’s a tossup for her whether the main attraction is the financial bonus he’s promised or the chance to spend time in his company!

Her investigation unravels more than family secrets. As she plunges into a steamy affair with Lucius, everything she holds true comes apart as he introduces her to a world where love actually might mean more than money.

Equating the Equations of Insanity: A Journey from Grief to Victory

People commit suicide not because they are in grief, but because they were unable to solve the lateral equations of insanity.

The world has observed a number of acts of brutality in the form of domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape. Some of the major cases in recent past were of Elizabeth Pena, Rehtaeh Parsons, Oksana Makar, and Nirvaya, to name a few.

Some victims manage to survive, but not all. They live in grief for the rest of their lives, and if not, they QUIT.

This work is inspired by such cases where the victims have set examples by their life from grief to victory. They can inspire you if you or someone near you is in grief.

All the Truth That's in Me

2014

by Julie Berry

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last.

We Should All Be Feminists

What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists, a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. With humor and levity, here Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century—one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviors that marginalize women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often masked realities of sexual politics. Throughout, she draws extensively on her own experiences—in the U.S., in her native Nigeria, and abroad—offering an artfully nuanced explanation of why the gender divide is harmful for women and men, alike. Argued in the same observant, witty and clever prose that has made Adichie a bestselling novelist, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman today—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.

Don't Make Me Beautiful

2013

by Elle Casey

Don't Make Me Beautiful is a romantic suspense novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle Casey. This story, inspired by true events, explores themes of survival, healing, and the power of love.

At twenty-two, Nicole's life has been overshadowed by a monster, leaving her to hide in darkness, believing she deserves nothing more. Her world is changed unexpectedly when an autographed baseball from Brian Jensen enters her life, offering a glimmer of hope and the potential for transformation.

Temptation and fear intermingle as Nicole grapples with the idea of accepting help and revealing her deepest secrets. Despite knowing the pain hands can cause, she dares to hope they might also heal.

Elle Casey sheds light on the important subject of domestic violence, crafting a narrative that is both heart-wrenching and heartwarming. Nicole's journey of restoration and courage is a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the possibility of a second chance at life.

Note: This book contains themes of violence and adult situations, making it suitable for mature readers.

The Feminine Mystique

2013

by Betty Friedan

Released for the first time in paperback, this landmark social and political volume on feminism is credited with being responsible for raising awareness, liberating both sexes, and triggering major advances in the feminist movement. Reprint.

Keep Holding On

Keep Holding On is a romantic and empowering book about bullying. Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart.

But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself—and for the love that keeps her holding on.

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

2013

by Jen Sincero

You Are A Badass is the self-help book for people who desperately want to improve their lives but don't want to get busted doing it.

In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word.

If you're ready to make some serious changes, You Are a Badass will help you:

  • Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want
  • Blast past your fears so you can take big exciting risks
  • Figure out how to make some damn money already
  • Learn to love yourself and others
  • Set big goals and reach them

By the end of You Are a Badass, you'll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can't change, how to change what you don't love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

2013

by Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In is a massive cultural phenomenon and its title has become an instant catchphrase for empowering women. The book soared to the top of bestseller lists internationally, igniting global conversations about women and ambition.

Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Meta (previously called Facebook), draws on her own experience of working in some of the world's most successful businesses. She looks at what women can do to help themselves and make the small changes in their life that can effect change on a more universal scale.

In her famed TED talk, Sandberg described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.

Lean In combines personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career.

She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.

Easy

2012

by Tammara Webber

Easy is the New York Times Bestseller by Tammara Webber and first novel in the Contours of the Heart series, for fans of Colleen Hoover! Rescued by a stranger. Haunted by a secret. Sometimes, love isn’t easy… He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior… The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart. Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love. A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

The Midwife's Apprentice

2012

by Karen Cushman

From the author of Catherine, Called Birdy comes another spellbinding novel set in medieval England. The girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and becomes her apprentice.

As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies, Brat—who renames herself Alyce—gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something from life: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.

Medieval village life makes a lively backdrop for the funny, poignant story of how Alyce gets what she wants. A concluding note discusses midwifery past and present.

Parnassus on Wheels

Parnassus on Wheels is a delightful tale by Christopher Morley, featuring the spirited and adventurous Helen McGill.

Helen, a middle-aged spinster, has devoted her life to taking care of her brother Andrew and their successful traveling bookshop, known as Parnassus. However, she longs for adventure and freedom.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when the intriguing and quirky book salesman Roger Mifflin arrives at her door with an offer to buy Parnassus. Concerned that her brother is squandering his life on the road, Helen decides to sell the bookstore and embark on her own creative journey.

As she meets new people and navigates the world of bookselling, Helen quickly discovers that life on the road is both thrilling and challenging. Alongside Roger, she forms an unusual and heartwarming friendship, discovering not only literary delights but also the joys of companionship.

This heartwarming story is a must-read for book lovers, with its simple yet beautiful writing style and a strong, relatable protagonist.

The Birth House

2011

by Ami McKay

The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare, the first daughter to be born in five generations of the Rare family. As a child in an isolated village in Nova Scotia, she is drawn to Miss Babineau, an outspoken Acadian midwife with a gift for healing and a kitchen filled with herbs and folk remedies.

During the turbulent years of World War I, Dora becomes the midwife's apprentice. Together, they help the women of Scots Bay through infertility, difficult labors, breech births, unwanted pregnancies, and even unfulfilling sex lives.

When Gilbert Thomas, a brash medical doctor, comes to Scots Bay with promises of fast, painless childbirth, some of the women begin to question Miss Babineau's methods. After Miss Babineau's death, Dora is left to carry on alone. In the face of fierce opposition, she must summon all of her strength to protect the birthing traditions and wisdom that have been passed down to her.

Filled with details that are as compelling as they are surprising—childbirth in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion, the prescribing of vibratory treatments to cure hysteria, and a mysterious elixir called Beaver Brew—The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to maintain control over their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine.

How to Be a Woman

2011

by Caitlin Moran

How to Be a Woman is a hilarious and insightful exploration into the life of modern women. Although women now have the vote and access to contraception, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk. Caitlin Moran, with her rapier wit, dives into the uncertainties and questions that plague women today.

Why do bras hurt? Why are we supposed to get Brazilians? And why the incessant talk about babies? Caitlin Moran interweaves laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own life with provocative observations on women's lives. From the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother, Moran slices right to the truth—whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children.

With humor, insight, and verve, How To Be a Woman lays bare the reasons female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself.

The Sleeping Beauty

2011

by Mercedes Lackey

Heavy is the head—and the eyelids—of the princess who wears the crown...

In Rosamund's realm, happiness hinges on a few simple beliefs:

  • For every princess there's a prince.
  • The king has ultimate power.
  • Stepmothers should never be trusted.
  • And bad things come to those who break with Tradition....

But when Rosa is pursued by a murderous huntsman and then captured by dwarves, her beliefs go up in smoke. Determined to escape and save her kingdom from imminent invasion, she agrees to become the guinea pig in one of her stepmother's risky incantations—thus falling into a deep, deep sleep.

When awakened by a touchy-feely stranger, Rosa must choose between Tradition and her future...between a host of eligible princes and a handsome, fair-haired outsider. And learn the difference between being a princess and ruling as a queen.

The moral of the story? Sometimes a princess has to create her own happy endings....

Gender Born, Gender Made

2011

by Diane Ehrensaft

Gender Born, Gender Made is a groundbreaking guide to caring for children who live outside binary gender boxes. We are only beginning to understand gender. Is it inborn or learned? Can it be chosen—or even changed? Does it have to be one or the other?

These questions may seem abstract—but for parents whose children live outside of gender “norms,” they are very real. No two children who bend the “rules” of gender do so in quite the same way. Felicia threw away her frilly dresses at age three. Sam hid his interest in dolls and “girl things” until high school—when he finally confided his desire to become Sammi. And seven-year-old Maggie, who sports a boys’ basketball uniform and a long blond braid, identifies as “a boy in the front, and a girl in the back.”

But all gender-nonconforming children have one thing in common—they need support to thrive in a society that still subscribes to a binary system of gender. Dr. Diane Ehrensaft has worked with children like Felicia, Sam, and Maggie for over 30 years. In Gender Born, Gender Made, she offers parents, clinicians, and educators guidance on both the philosophical dilemmas and the practical, daily concerns of working with children who don’t fit a “typical” gender mold. She debunks outmoded approaches to gender nonconformity that may actually do children harm. And she offers a new framework for helping each child become his or her own unique, most gender-authentic person.

Cut

Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside.

Now she's at Sea Pines, a "residential treatment facility" filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak.

But Callie can only stay silent for so long...

The Help

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.


Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.


Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.


Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.


Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.


In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

Out of My Mind

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow.

In this breakthrough story, reminiscent of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, from multiple Coretta Scott King Award-winner Sharon Draper, readers will come to know a brilliant mind and a brave spirit who will change forever how they look at anyone with a disability.

Because I Am Furniture

2010

by Thalia Chaltas

Anke’s father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first, just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard. Soon, she’s imagining a day that her voice will be loud enough to rescue everyone at home—including herself.

The Lonely Hearts Club

Love is all you need... or is it? Penny's about to find out in this wonderful debut.

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice...and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her non-dating ways... which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like...

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide is a deeply felt and inspirational work by Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This book serves as a passionate call to arms against the pervasive human rights violation of the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.

Join Kristof and WuDunn on an odyssey through Africa and Asia where they introduce us to extraordinary women. Among them is a Cambodian teenager who escapes sex slavery, an Ethiopian woman who overcomes devastating childbirth injuries to become a surgeon, and a Zimbabwean mother of five who earns her doctorate and becomes an AIDS expert.

Through these compelling stories, the authors illustrate how unleashing women's potential is key to economic progress. They show how small acts of help can transform lives and emphasize that emancipating women globally is not only right but also a strategic approach to fighting poverty.

This book is essential reading for every global citizen, offering clarity, anger, sadness, and ultimately, hope.

The Beauty Myth

2009

by Naomi Wolf

The Beauty Myth is the bestselling classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity. In today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which she argues may be just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife.

It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty." This gripping and frank exposé reveals the oppressive function of the beauty myth and the destructive obsession it engenders.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment

2009

by Steve Harvey

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man is the #1 New York Times bestseller from the new guru of relationship advice, Steve Harvey. This invaluable self-help book empowers women everywhere to take control of their relationships.

The host of a top-rated radio show listened to by millions daily—and of cable TV’s The Steve Harvey Project—Harvey knows what men really think about love, intimacy, and commitment. In this book, the author, media personality, and stand-up comedian gets serious, sharing his wealth of knowledge, insight, and no-nonsense advice for every good woman who wants to find a good man or make her current love last.

Discover surprising insights into the male mentality and strategies for taming that unruly beast. Women should listen to Steve Harvey when it comes to what a good man is about. Harvey dispenses a lot of fabulous information about men, making this book a must-read for anyone looking to understand the opposite sex better.

He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys

He's Just Not That Into You is based on a popular episode of Sex and the City and offers tough love advice for otherwise smart women on how to tell when a guy just doesn’t like them enough. This way, they can stop wasting time making excuses for a dead-end relationship.

For ages, women have come together over coffee, cocktails, or late-night phone chats to analyze the puzzling behavior of men. Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo are here to say that—despite good intentions—you’re wasting your time. Men are not complicated, although they’d like you to think they are. And there are no mixed messages.

The truth may be, He’s just not that into you. Unfortunately, guys are too terrified to ever directly tell a woman, “You're not the one.” But their actions absolutely show how they feel. Reexamining familiar scenarios and classic mindsets that keep us in unsatisfying relationships, Behrendt and Tuccillo’s wise and wry understanding of the sexes spares women hours of waiting by the phone, obsessing over the details with sympathetic girlfriends, and hoping his mixed messages really mean, “I’m in love with you and want to be with you.”

He’s Just Not That Into You is provocative, hilarious, and, above all, intoxicatingly liberating. It deserves a place on every woman’s night table. It knows you’re a beautiful, smart, funny woman who deserves better. The next time you feel the need to start “figuring him out,” consider the glorious thought that maybe, He’s just not that into you. And then set yourself loose to go find the one who is.

I Am Apache

2008

by Tanya Landman

I Am Apache is a gripping tale set in the nineteenth-century American Southwest. It follows the journey of a young Apache woman, Siki, who is determined to avenge her brother's death by becoming a warrior. Filled with a burning desire for vengeance, she turns away from the traditional path expected of her.

Under the tutelage of Golahka, the greatest warrior of her tribe, Siki's skills grow, and she passes test after test. However, whispers from men like the envious Keste about her father's dishonorable death sow seeds of doubt. As she earns her place among the warriors, Siki begins to sense a dark secret in her past—one that could challenge everything she knows about herself.

This riveting narrative draws on historical accounts to imagine the struggles of the Black Mountain Apache as they fight for survival against the encroaching progress of other nations. It's a story of courage, identity, and the unyielding spirit of a woman warrior.

Warrior Rising

2008

by P.C. Cast

From a stellar talent comes another scorchingly sensual novel. The Goddesses have had it with the Trojan War. So much devastation—all because of some silly male egos. The worst of the bunch is that cocky, handsome brute Achilles. But the only way to stop a man like Achilles is to distract him with something far more pleasurable than combat.

Enter Kat, a modern girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Goddesses transform her into a Trojan princess, having no doubt that she'll capture Achilles's attention. But can her independent spirit match the unquenchable fire of his epic rage? Goddess only knows!

Fire Study

2008

by Maria V. Snyder

The apprenticeship is over—now the real test has begun. When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before...

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Three Little Words

"Sunshine, you're my baby and I'm your only mother. You must mind the one taking care of you, but she's not your mama." Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes, living by those words.

As her mother spirals out of control, Ashley is left clinging to an unpredictable, dissolving relationship, all the while getting pulled deeper and deeper into the foster care system. Painful memories of being taken away from her home quickly become consumed by real-life horrors, where Ashley is juggled between caseworkers, shuffled from school to school, and forced to endure manipulative, humiliating treatment from a very abusive foster family.

In this inspiring, unforgettable memoir, Ashley finds the courage to succeed - and in doing so, discovers the power of her own voice.

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

2007

by Audre Lorde

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches is a profound collection of fifteen essays by the influential black lesbian poet and feminist writer, Audre Lorde. Written between 1976 and 1984, these essays give clear voice to Lorde's literary and philosophical personae.

In this charged collection, Lorde takes on issues such as sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class. She propounds social difference as a vehicle for action and change. Her prose is incisive, unflinching, and lyrical, reflecting struggle but ultimately offering messages of hope.

These essays explore and illuminate the roots of Lorde's intellectual development and her deep-seated concerns about increasing empowerment among minority women writers. Lorde's works stress the continuity and the geographical and intellectual links between Dahomey, Africa, and her emerging self.

This commemorative edition includes a new foreword by Lorde-scholar and poet Cheryl Clarke, who celebrates the ways in which Lorde's philosophies resonate more than twenty years after they were first published.

Does My Head Look Big in This?

When sixteen-year-old Amal decides to wear the hijab full-time, her entire world changes, all because of a piece of cloth...

Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full-time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else.

Can she handle the taunts of "towel head," the prejudice of her classmates, and still attract the cutest boy in school?

Brilliantly funny and poignant, Randa Abdel-Fattah's debut novel will strike a chord in all teenage readers, no matter what their beliefs.

Song of the Sparrow

The year is 490 AD. Fiery 16-year-old Elaine of Ascolat, the daughter of one of King Arthur's supporters, lives with her father on Arthur's base camp, the sole girl in a militaristic world of men.

Elaine's only girl companion is the mysterious Morgan, Arthur's older sister, but Elaine cannot tell Morgan her deepest secret: She is in love with Lancelot, Arthur's second-in-command. However, when yet another girl -- the lovely Gwynivere -- joins their world, Elaine is confronted with startling emotions of jealousy and rivalry.

But can her love for Lancelot survive the birth of an empire?

Sold

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor, but her life is full of simple pleasures, like raising her black-and-white speckled goat, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.

He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid working for a wealthy woman in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi undertakes the long journey to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution.

An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt – then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave.

Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother’s words – “Simply to endure is to triumph” – and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision – will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?

Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.

The Almond

2006

by Nedjma

The Almond is an autobiographical erotic novel penned by an observant Muslim woman in contemporary North Africa. The Almond offers a truly unforgettable journey into the sexual undercurrents of a world that appears to Western eyes as puritanical.

Badra is a young Muslim widow who escapes the small town of Imchouk to find solace with her Uncle Slimane's iconoclastic ex-wife. In Imchouk, Badra's life was confined by her husband's wishes. However, at Aunt Selma's, Badra begins to contemplate her own desires and aspirations.

She recalls her youthful curiosity about sex, her fascination with the two beautiful prostitute sisters who lived on the outskirts of Imchouk, and her first attempts to spy on men. As she embarks on a passionate relationship with a wealthy doctor, Badra rediscovers her own sexual identity in scenes that are both erotic and revelatory.

The Almond is an inspiring and illuminating novel that highlights the transformative power of desire and pleasure, reminiscent of a Muslim Vagina Monologues.

So Much More

So Much More is not another Christian-teenage-girl survival guide. Instead, it offers bold insights into how Christian girls can wage war with the world and win. The Botkin sisters focus on how young women can rise above their God-hating culture and change it for the better.

Today, countless young ladies face difficult problems and challenging questions. While many long for godly purpose in their lives, their bewilderment mounts when they observe broken homes, distant fathers, overwhelmed mothers, degrading college courses, and a lack of spiritual guidance — both at home and at church. As hope for security and stability fades, it is no wonder that many young ladies feel orphaned, unprotected, and without hope for their futures.

Within the pages of this book, discover practical, biblical solutions for the young woman who wants to do so much more than just survive in a savagely feministic, anti-Christian culture. Find the answers a girl is not likely to get from her church, her peers, or her culture.

Pirates!

2005

by Celia Rees

Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family's plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother's willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away and join a band of pirates.

For both girls, the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position.

Told through Nancy's writings, their adventures will appeal to readers across the spectrum and around the world.

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls

2005

by Mary Pipher

Reviving Ophelia is a profound exploration by therapist Mary Pipher, who was increasingly troubled by the rising issues facing adolescent girls. Why were so many of them turning to therapy? Why had these promising young individuals succumbed to depression, eating disorders, suicide attempts, and crushingly low self-esteem?

The answer struck a chord with Pipher, with parents, and with the girls themselves. They were caught in a "developmental Bermuda Triangle," coming of age in a media-saturated culture obsessed with unrealistic ideals of beauty and dehumanized sexual images. It was a culture rife with addictions and sexually transmitted diseases, causing them to lose their resilience and optimism in a "girl-poisoning" environment that promoted values contrary to those needed for survival.

Reviving Ophelia is voiced by the brave, fearless, and honest girls themselves who are emerging from the chaos of adolescence. It is a call to arms, offering important tactics, empathy, and strength. This book urges a change where young hearts can flourish again, rediscover, and reengage their sense of self.

Empress Orchid

2005

by Anchee Min

Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China’s last empress. The novel introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seizes power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue.

When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. This is a novel of high drama and lyricism, providing an extraordinary look inside the Forbidden City during its last days of imperial glory. It breathes life into one of the most important women in history.

Richly detailed and completely gripping, this story portrays a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world. Through her life, readers are introduced to the world of the Chinese court and the sexual and political lives of the royal concubines.

Living Alone and Loving It

2003

by Barbara Feldon

Living Alone and Loving It is a delightful celebration of living solo in a world that often exalts marriage and family. Written by Barbara Feldon, the universally loved actress known as the effervescent spy "99" on Get Smart, this book is both a guide and a testament to relishing a life without a partner.

After a relationship impasse, Feldon found herself living alone, embarking on one of the most enriching and joyous periods of her life. In this book, she shares her secrets for embracing solitude and loving it.

Learn how to:

- Stop imagining that marriage is a solution for loneliness

- Nurture a glowing self-image that is not dependent on an admirer

- Value connections that might be overlooked

- Develop your creative side

- End negative thinking

Whether you're blessed with the promise of youth or the wisdom of age, Living Alone & Loving It will instill the know-how to forge a life filled with adventures and happiness.

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