Books Every Woman Should Read In Her 20s – 10 Books

Books Every Woman Should Read In Her 20s: The twenties are a hugely formative period for anyone. This is the decade where you kickstart your career, find your own footing in life and perhaps even make leaps in your personal life. For women, it is also a time where they cement their ideologies and opinions of the world, and gain a perspective on life. Here is a list of 10 books to read during this formative period that might benefit you in some way.

#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso

This is the memoir of the founder of the multimillion-dollar company, Nastygal. From being a petty thief to being on Forbes’ list of the richest self-made women, Amoruso has had quite the journey in life. In this book, she unravels it all – from the ups to the downs – and helps women like her believe that they can do it all too. This is an immensely inspiring read as well as a push to start working harder at what you want.

What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey’s book is not your average memoir. It is a compendium of life lessons she’s accumulated over many years and how they’ve shaped her success in her professional as well as personal life. These are small insights of profound wisdom, which will be beneficial to women from all walks of life. As a young woman in her twenties at the height of her personal and professional prowess, this book is a must-read to ground you.

Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

This collection of essays is brilliant yet intimate and personal. Gay presents herself as a feminist with some inhibitions about the way the word is interpreted in traditional discourse. She loves being taken care of, but is also fiercely independent, for instance. This book will give you the courage to explore dualities and ambiguities within yourself, as a woman. It will help you love yourself a little more, whoever and whatever you are.

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Through anecdotes and examples that swoon the reader, Greene attempts in this book to decode the journey from ambition to power. Young women now are empowered and determined to take on their goals heads on, but everyone needs a little direction. This book provides exactly that – concrete, practical ways to convert your vision of empowerment into reality. This book also provides solutions for ambiguous, confusing situations that everyone faces.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

It is the duty of every young woman, who is the face of the future, to understand what needs to change and to facilitate it. One such issue is environmental degradation. This book is a classic in its own right and gets the credit for singlehandedly launching the environmentalism movement. Carson writes about the negative impact of pesticides, but really, this book delves into the heart of the environmentalism issue.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

In this book, a middle-aged divorcee woman turns her life around through solo travel. She goes to Italy to treat herself to delicacies, India to discover spirituality and Bali to fall in love. This book is an ode to the independence of women, not just in taking the decisions they want to but also in feeling happiness and fulfilment within. As a woman in your twenties, this book will tell you that no man can dictate your life, worth or joy.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

At its heart, this book might seem like a romantic comedy featuring a host of women as they go about finding their suitable matches. But there are so many more layers to this book than just women finding men to settle down with. Each of the Bennett sisters has a unique personality, temperament, ambition and destiny. Following their personal journeys feels much like embarking on a journey of womanhood in the nineteenth century

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

This long essay by Woolf has its roots in two of her lectures and is perhaps one of the most important pieces of writing in the twentieth century. In this essay, she brings to the forefront the marginalization of women throughout history. The authors of great works in all disciplines are rarely women, and renowned names in those fields are also rarely women. This book prompts us to think about what our ambition means for womanhood collectively.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

In this dystopian book, Offred, our female protagonist, enters into a life of sexual servitude to Fred, in order to fulfil her purpose of repopulating the planet. This book raises several important questions about womanhood in the twenties. Some of these include starting families and whether that’s the only thing that determines a woman’s worth, consent and its importance in a relationship and what role a wife plays in a marriage.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

In her twenties, every woman lays the foundation for her financial and career trajectory throughout her life. And in an education system which does not value this at all, this is a very important book. In this book, Kiyosaki makes it a point to distinguish between theoretical and practical knowledge of finances. In the process, he gives some really good insights into where to make investments and what to do with money to have the best returns.

Also Read: Things Parents should Never Say To Their Children