Books by Women for Women’s History Month
EDITORS' PICK
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EDITORS' PICK -
For Women’s History Month in March, two Gryphon Media Company members, Millie Haberman ’27 and Loella Kleiner ’27, decided to reflect on some of their favorite books by female authors. While they are both prolific readers, Haberman and Kleiner have different tastes, thus giving Barefoot Times readers a more diverse array of books by female authors to dive into!
Loella’s Recommendations
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
If We Were Villains is M. L. Rio’s debut novel. It follows the former actor and currently imprisoned Oliver Marks, who is about to be released on parole after ten years. The night before his release, the lead detective on Oliver’s case approaches Oliver and announces his own retirement. The detective is suspicious of Oliver’s story of his supposed crime and asks him to tell the whole truth—off the record. Oliver launches into the tale of his time at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, where he lived with six of his classmates. The book is intercut between snippets of the present and his past experiences at the school. Following a thrilling performance of Julius Caesar, one of Oliver’s castmates is found dead the morning after the cast party. The death is originally ruled as an accident, but as more evidence is uncovered, the police grow increasingly suspicious that the actors are hiding something. With Oliver Marks as their storyteller, readers join the detective in finally uncovering the truth. If We Were Villains explores the ways in which life mirrors art, as the characters in the story increasingly resemble the characters they play onstage. It is written in a beautifully reminiscent way, but also contains action-packed scenes and dialogue, as themes of love, friendship, and death intertwine with the mysterious plot.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab is about a young woman named Addie in 1714 France who makes a deal with a mysterious being called Luc, who grants her immortality but curses her to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Now, in the present, Addie has been the subject of many works of art and has caused much heartbreak, but nobody can remember who she is. She is unable to form any long-lasting relationships because she is quickly forgotten by everyone who sees her. Despite this, everything changes when she meets a boy in a bookstore because when she returns the next day, she is finally remembered. This book pleasingly captures snapshots of everyday life and shines a light on the small, seemingly insignificant parts of living. It perfectly articulates the feeling of finding your place and telling your story, and shows the importance of leaving a mark and being remembered.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt centers around the life of Theo Decker, as his world is suddenly changed by a traumatic event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After the event, Theo comes into possession of a small painting of a goldfinch, and he is drawn to its enchanting quality. While his life progresses, he moves from place to place, gaining new experiences and getting caught up in the underworld of organized crime. As he searches for himself and the meaning of life, old friends resurface, and the captivating painting remains lurking in the back of his mind. The Goldfinch explores the meaning of life, art, and tragic loss. The book portrays art as the fuel of life’s meaning.
Millie’s Recommendations
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
The Idiot by Elif Batuman is book one of what will become a series of four books. It is centered around the character Selin (a semi-autobiographical representation of the author herself) and the first of four years she spends as a student at Harvard in the 90s. The novel focuses on the theme of coming of age as the reader gets to experience many firsts alongside Selin and watches her evolution as a character. The Idiot beautifully grapples with themes of connection as Selin learns languages in an attempt to connect with others. The novel is written in a way that reads mundanely; we follow Selin through her days and thoughts, but nothing ever quite happens. But at a closer glance, her thoughts are what make this book so wonderful. Selin is awkward, struggling to find her place in the big world that she has now found herself a part of. She is comical but also grounded in reality, a character that most readers can relate to. The Idiot is a fantastic book to read; it is a detailed and thorough account of coming of age in the 90s that readers will thoroughly enjoy.
Eve’s Hollywood by Eve Babitz
Eve’s Hollywood by Eve Babitz is a collection of stories about the author’s life in Los Angeles, spanning from the mid to late 60s to the early 70s. The book begins with almost ten pages of dedications. Dedications—to the Beverly Hills Hotel, to Andy Warhol and Paul Morrisey, to Jim Morrison, to the color green, and so on—quickly let the reader know what kind of book they have picked up. It is a book where Eve Babitz is someone who knows everything and everyone (or at least she thinks she does). She is an experimental writer with strange grammar, odd pacing, and a whole lot of ideas. Because of this, the book is charming and real. Getting to see LA in the 60s through Babitz’s eyes is a treat because she is a large part of the goings on at the time. In the book, Babitz covers a large range of topics, everything from the taquitos on Olvera Street to the people attending Hollywood High. The book is a stream of consciousness that every person in LA should read because it gives insight into the city during a time before a lot of us knew it.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a work of speculative fiction. The plot of the book centers around a group of women locked in a sort of underground enclosure where men guard them and keep them from escaping, but never speak to them. The main character of the book, an unnamed girl, has no memory of the outside world. When an alarm sounds and all of the male guards disappear, the women take their chance and make an escape. Back in the real world, they only find empty land. They spend the rest of the novel grappling with the mystery of what happened to them and the world around them. A book that crosses the boundaries of genre, I Who Have Never Known Men is a wonderful read for fans and newcomers to speculative fiction alike.