So there I was last Tuesday, wearing my “strong independent woman” pajamas (the ones with coffee stains from 2022), when my cat knocked over my vanilla latte onto a stack of unread books. As I dabbed at the pages with paper towels, one title glowed through the caffeine tsunami: You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero. Curious, I read three chapters while sitting in my mocha-scented mess…and accidentally started a personal revolution.
Let’s talk about why “empowerment” books aren’t just for yoga moms named Heather who drink chlorophyll water. After devouring 27 feminist reads this year (and surviving two existential crises), here’s what actually works:
1. The Book That Made Me Ugly-Cry at Chipotle 🌮
Untamed by Glennon Doyle isn’t about empowerment – it’s about demolition. Doyle compares societal expectations to cheetah cages at zoos, arguing we’ve been “tamed” since childhood. When she describes throwing her daughter’s Barbie into a campfire (“plastic feminism smells terrible”), I nearly choked on my guacamole.
Personal proof: I tried her “10 minutes of daily rebellion” challenge. Day 3 involved buying neon green lipstick and wearing it to my corporate job. Three coworkers asked for the shade name.
2. The Science-Backed Burn Book 🔥
Dr. Tara Swart’s The Source uses actual neuroscience to explain why visualization works. Did you know repeatedly imagining a scenario lights up the same brain pathways as physically experiencing it? I started picturing myself giving TED Talks while folding laundry.
Three months later, I accidentally became team leader during a Zoom meeting when our manager’s WiFi died. The brain is weird.
3. The Ancient Wisdom That Doesn’t Suck 🧘♀️
Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey gets all the hype, but Tishani Doshi’s Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods merged Hindu goddess myths with modern rage. Her poem about Kali working in HR (“She terminates misogyny with a cosmic clipboard”) lives rent-free in my head.
I tested her “rewrite your origin story” exercise. Turns out imagining yourself as Durga riding a tiger through board meetings makes spreadsheets 43% more bearable (non-scientific estimate).
Last Sunday, I found my cat sleeping on The Power by Naomi Alderman. When I tried to move him, he hissed. Maybe next month’s revolution will be his.
