As a nod to Women’s History Month, we had originally planned to share a few of our favorite nonfiction picks highlighting the lives of women, and now, as many of us plan to spend most of our time social distancing, cozying up with a good book sounds better than ever.
Looking for your next read? Here are just a few of the books we’re devouring, filing with highlights and margin notes, and (virtually) discussing with our friends and colleagues:
Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener
This memoir of life in the tech industry follows Anna as she begins her career in San Francisco, detailing the intimate details of a “non-technical” woman in a mostly male, data-driven industry. Lauren Mechling at Vogue writes “[Wiener's] account of living inside the Bay Area bubble reads like HBO's Silicon Valley filtered through Renata Adler; Wiener is a trenchant cultural cartographer.”
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
Whether or not you’re a fan of her music, if you grew up in the early 2000s, you know Jessica Simpson. And after her reality shows and magazine covers, you probably feel like you know her—her life, her career, her relationships. Turns out, most of us were wrong: Simpson’s memoir is a behind-the-curtain look at our public v. private lives, the way the media portrays young women, and finding your own voice, even as “one of the most talked-about women in the world.”
This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins
If you read Roxane Gay or Rebeca Solnit, Morgan Jerkins should be on your radar. Her debut essay collection covers everything from Sailor Moon to being a black traveler in Russia, and explores the intersection of race and gender, asking: “What does it mean to exist as a black woman today?”
In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs by Grace Bonney
An inspirational read and a beautiful coffee table book, In the Company of Women profiles everyone from media moguls, chefs, ceramic artists, hoteliers, tattoo artists, comedians, and architects, sharing their experiences, challenges, fears, mistakes, and successes.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
For those more interested in visual storytelling, Persepolis is a beautifully illustrated graphic memoir, depicting Satrapi's childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.
Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury, and Women's Voices by Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst
Part cookbook, part essay collection, Rage Baking is perfect for anyone looking to learn more about the influential women throughout history who have turned the art of baking into the act of resistance—and, also, discover a few new recipes.
This list only scratches the surface of the stories being told right now—is there another book we should be adding to our TBR list? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter (@cred_sf)!
