WITH many industries being dominated by men, it is undeniable that women had to exert greater efforts in order to excel and be successful in the respective fields they have chosen.

This is especially true in the literary world. 

According to bestselling author Elizabeth Jane Howard, who wrote the well-received The Cazalet Chronicles, the writing industry is the “worst for women” compared to other forms of art.

And because most editors and critics in this field are said to be “more sympathetic to the works of men,” female writers suffer, compelling them to use male or gender-neutral pen names to get published like George Eliot, whose real name was Mary Anne Evans, A.S. Byatt (Dame Antonia Susan Byatt), and J.K. Rowling (Joanne Kathleen Rowling), to name a few. 

But thanks to a more progressive society, many female authors have been continuously emerging in this male-dominated industry, fostering an era of representation, equality, and inclusivity.

With March being women’s month, what better way to recognize and celebrate women’s contributions than to read a bunch of books penned by women?

These eight novels written by female authors are proof that despite being discredited most of the time, women will continue to emerge strong, valiant, and powerful as they show beyond doubt that whatever men are able to do, women can, too. 

Half of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Published in 2006, Half Of A Yellow Sun recounts the agonizing tale of Nigeria’s Biafran War through a story that centers on love, loyalty, betrayal, resilience, and hope.

With Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie putting humanity in the face of a war, the novel shows how love can complicate colonialism, moral responsibility, and ethnic allegiances.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

With the novel revolving around the story of twin sisters, Brit Bennett tells an impressive tale of how the past greatly impacts a person’s decisions, desires, and expectations.

The Vanishing Half helps readers understand humans’ nature to long for companionship and support through the story of how Desiree and Stella depend on each other as they work through the trauma from their father’s murder.

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

With objects and people constantly disappearing in an unnamed island, a young woman navigates through fear and loss in the hope of protecting the people she values from being taken away.

Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police is a gut-wrenching story about grief, the trauma of loss, and the immense power of memory and how it drives people to continue living.

Human Acts by Han Kang

Using her unique writing voice, Han Kang penned this work about the May 1980 Gwangju uprising in South Korea, with the death of a student activist as its central point.

In Human Acts, the South Korean author describes how both mercy and murder are human tendencies and how the eternal ache of loss can make people move and become catalysts of change.

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

In an oppressive societal setting, Mieko Kawakami narrates the intimate and emotional journey of three Japanese women as they confront inequalities and uncertainties on their respective paths toward peace and a future they can genuinely call their own.

Published in 2019, Breasts and Eggs is a story about womanhood, bodily disgust, and motherhood. It is also about how several moral values and practical and bureaucratic factors adversarially affect women in their attempts to begin a new life.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is among the many controversial books that has been banned in several countries, including Spain, Portugal, and some states in the United States like Texas and Oregon.

This 1985 novel tackles many societal issues such as how women are being subjugated in a patriarchal society, the suppression of women’s reproductive rights, and how women relentlessly attempt to resist oppression to gain independence and a sense of individuality.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh 

Published in 2018 by one of the most celebrated literary voices in contemporary literature, Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation tells the story of an unnamed young woman who attempts to escape her cognitive imbalance by hibernation through the help of prescription drugs.

Replete with evocative descriptions of gross parts of existence, cynical humor, and brutal confessions, the novel helps readers, ironically, to see the goodness of life and the importance of rest especially during difficult times.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

This mystery fiction penned by Mia P. Manansala is centered on the story of Lila Macapagal, a girl who just went through a horrible break up and decided to work for her family restaurant.

When her ex-boyfriend dies during a meal with his grandfather, Lila becomes the prime suspect. She then conducts her own murder investigation to prove her innocence and save her aunt’s restaurant.