In celebration of Women’s month, we’ve rounded up the most inspiring new reads from leading women writers around the world.
The South African fiction must-read
When the Village Sleeps by Sindiwe Magona (2021)
The doyenne of South African storytelling has blessed us with yet another superb work of fiction. Told through the lives and spirits of four generations of amaTolo women, including The Old, who speak wisdom with ever-increasing urgency, this is a powerful call to respect the earth that nurtures human life.
The short story anthology
Disruption: New Short Fiction from Africa (2021)
Standing on its own as an impressive genre-spanning collection of fiction examining abrupt change in an African context (post-apocalyptic landscapes and space stations), we’re recommending it because it contains ‘Five Years Next Sunday’, a story about a young woman with the power to call the rain in her hair, for which its author, Kenyan Idza Luhumyo, won the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing.
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The read for budding young bookworms
Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us by Xolisa Guzula and Athambile Masola (2021)
You can’t begin inspiring and instilling confidence in girls young enough, which is why this ground-breaking series of children’s books is so powerful. Each introduces the stories of South African women who’ve cleared a path for women and girls in different fields, from the arts to science to activism. An absolute essential for any parent’s bookshelf.
The true story of a woman’s fight for justice
Kwanele, Enough! My Battle with the South African Police Service to get Justice for Women by Andy Kawa (2020)
In December 2010, Andy Kawa was abducted, attacked and raped for 15 hours. Her attackers were never caught. This novel is her account of how she successfully sued the police for failing to properly investigate her attack. We’ve got goosebumps already.
The Oprah-endorsed page-turner
Nightcrawling by Leila Motley (2022)
Number 1 on Oprah’s Book Club list, and a New York Times best-seller, Motley began writing her remarkable fiction about a black high school drop-out, failed by the US justice system, at only 16. It’s been described as ‘fierce and devastating’, and Motley as ‘prodigiously talented’.
The outsider’s success story
Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela Coel (2021)
If you’ve seen ‘I May Destroy You’ on Showmax, you’ll be familiar with British actress, screenwriter and director Michaela Coel’s searing brand of drama. The show, for which she won numerous awards, was inspired by her own experience of sexual assault, but her debut book, Misfits, is based on her MacTaggart lecture at 2018’s Edinburgh Festival, which touches on her experiences with racism and misogyny. Her publisher describes the book as “a powerful manifesto on how speaking your truth and owning your differences can transform your life”.
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The feminist nerd-out
And Wrote My Story Anyway: Black South African Women’s Novels as Feminism by Barbara Boswell (2020)
Described as part literary history, part feminist historiography, Boswell critically examines influential novels by eminent black female writers such as Sindiwe Magona, Zoë Wicomb, Rayda Jacobs and Zukiswa Wanner – and argues that black women’s fiction should be read as a subversive site of knowledge production in a setting which, for centuries, denied black women’s voices.
The seasoned storyteller
Still Life by Zoë Wicomb (2020)
Did someone say Zoë Wicomb? The 73-year-old doyenne’s latest fiction novel about an author struggling to write a biography of long-forgotten Scottish poet Thomas Pringle promises a playful journey across time and space.
The historical hommage
Women in Solitary: Inside South Africa's Female Resistance to Apartheid by Shanthini Naidoo (2020)
This non-fiction tome draws on harrowing interview records to weave together the narratives of four women who experienced detention and torture in the late 1960s (including Winnie Mandela), shining a light on the experiences of female activists, and the brutal attempts of the apartheid government to break their spirit.
The Booker Prize short-lister
Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (2021)
Slip into this surrealist Korean author’s world of shocking, chilling fables that take on the patriarchy, capitalism and the reign of big tech, with humour and bite. A delicious take on the ills of modern society.
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10 MUST-READS FROM INSPIRING WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
August 03, 2022
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
August 03, 2022
Rating:
