8 books to celebrate International Women's Day
March 8 – also known as 8M – is a fundamental day in the history of women worldwide. Since 1909, in countries like Germany, a revolution began for feminist rights against male privileges, such as access to suffrage, paid work and freedom of expression. From that moment on, the movement has taken place in all contexts.
Among these spaces, the most important are the economic, social and cultural areas. Through the latter, Women have found a way to express their ideals, creating works in favor of humanitarian awareness that have graced all the arts, including literature. An example of this are these 8 books to celebrate International Women's Day.
1. Stories of samurai women (2023)
The codes and honor associated with Japanese warriors have always fascinated Western society. Throughout history, great men have been known to fight to protect their nation. Which many do not know is that women They also played a fundamental role in the battle, moving away from the role that society had chosen for them.
Stories of samurai women presents seven stories written by author Sebastián Pérez and illustrated by artist Benjamin Lacombe. In them, allusion is made to the exploits, real or legendary, that took on female characters such as Empress Jingu or Nagano Takeko. Both the careful documentation process and the art make this book a masterpiece.
2. The women's barracks2024)
This historical novel written by the Spanish author Fermina Cañaveras tells how, During the Civil War, a series of ladies were forced into prostitution in concentration camps. The protagonist, Isadora Ramírez García, tells these events to her daughter, María, a journalist who has become addicted to alcohol and who needs to find her true identity.
In 1939, Isadora, her mother, Carmen, and her aunt Teresa left Spain to look for Ignacio, the main character's brother.. Some time later, the group separated and the protagonist ended up in Ravensbrück, where she was forced to provide sexual services. This is a play about pain, loss, and women's resilience.
3. Nothing to say (2023)
Winner of the Tusquets Novel Editors Award (2023), follows the life of a woman who must face the weight of her contradictions and passions. After leaving an unhappy marriage, she has a torrid romance with one of the directors of the company where her ex-husband works. Little by little, the author's psychological picture of her character becomes darker and more chaotic.
The plot talks about the consequences of excessive passion and desire, about how a woman is able to overcome the midlife crisis, the disenchantment of home and motherhood, the pressure to succeed at work and the attraction to the forbidden. This novel by Silvia Hidalgo has earned her the title of “the Spanish Marguerite Duras.”
4. Easy reading: no master, no god, no husband, no football game (2018)
Laureate with recognitions such as the Herralde Prize (2018) and the National Narrative Prize (2019), this novel written by the young Spanish lawyer and author Cristina Morales presents the stories of Marga, Nati, Patricia and Àngels, four women with intellectual disabilities who live in a sheltered apartment in Barcelona, and who must face various forms of social control.
The title is inspired by the term used to refer to the set of adaptations that must be made to facilitate reading and understanding for those who find it difficult. The author has mentioned that Its intention was to review the systematization and marginalization of certain members of society that do not respond to regulations.
5. The Blazing World (2014)
In 2024, the Seix Barral publishing house brought back one of the great titles by the acclaimed American writer Siri Hustvedt. The novel tells the story of Harriet Burden, a hostess and patron, wife of a powerful art dealer, who unleashes a scandal in the New York art scene when, tired of her paintings not being taken into account because she is a woman, she does something unexpected:
She recruits three young people to present their artwork as their own. However, The dangerous game in which he decided to participate with his daring ends up leading to a disturbing and strange death..
6. look at that girl (2022)
Winner of the Tusquets Editores de Novela Prize (2022), it was written by the Spanish philologist and author Cristina Araújo Gámir, and is about a teenager who was gang raped at the end of her high school studies.. Miriam and her friends were ready for summer, they dreamed of sunny days at the pool and contemplated the future, but no one warned them that life can change suddenly.
After the abuse suffered by Miriam, nothing will be the same again. Pressure from the police and the media invades all spaces, as well as people's distrust regarding the young woman's story and the wave of anger on the part of the accused. The trials are increasingly harsher, more ferocious. This is a brilliant and necessary book on a difficult topic that keeps happening.
7. Le Bal des folles — The dance of the crazy women (2021)
Written by the French philologist and author Victoria Mas, The novel tells the story of two women who are admitted to the Salpêtrière hospital., directed by the eminent neurologist Professor Charcot. The protagonists, Louise and Eugénie, maintain the fervent desire to escape, but first, they must overcome the dangers posed by their own doctor, family, and the implacable supervisor Geneviève.
This book about the value of women takes place during March 1885, in Paris. In that month, the popular “crazy ball” is held at the Salpêtrière hospital, where the inmates wear extravagant dresses and the most illustrious figures of France attend, including Louise's uncle and Eugénie's father.
8. The sisterhood of bad daughters (2023)
This novel written by the Spanish author Vanessa Montfort explores the complicated mother-child ties between a group of friends and their respective mothers. The story begins when Orlando, the neighborhood dog walker, mysteriously dies. Afterwards, Mónica, who trains dogs for the National Police, will try to discover what happened.
Her search leads her to reunite with her best friends from high school. They suspect that her mothers have had something to do with the mystery, and they will do everything possible to find out what is behind it. At the same time, women They struggle to resolve their relationships with their parents and their internal conflicts and traumas.
