Recommendations based on All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nationby Rebecca Traister

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman

    by Lindy West
    A humorous and honest memoir about growing up as a woman, challenging societal norms.

    Coming of age in a culture that demands women be as small, quiet, and compliant as possible–like a porcelain dove that will also have sex with you--writer and humorist Lindy West quickly discovered ... (Goodreads)

  2. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  3. We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    An exploration of the Obama years, and the racial injustices that still plague America.

    "We were eight years in power" was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. ... (Goodreads)

  4. Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    by Irin Carmon
    Celebrating the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

    New York Times Bestseller Featured in the critically acclaimed documentary, RBG, "It was beyond my wildest imagination that I would one day become the 'Notorious RBG." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2019 She ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. Lab Girl

    by Hope Jahren
    A memoir about a young woman's journey to discover her scientific calling and resilience.

    Acclaimed scientist Hope Jahren has built three laboratories in which she’s studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. Her first book is a revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also so much ... (Goodreads)

  6. Bad Feminist

    by Roxane Gay
    A collection of essays exploring feminism, race, and gender, and their intersections.

    Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be, cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read, Vogue, and I’m not doing it ... (Goodreads)

  7. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

    by Sarah Vowell
    A humorous and insightful look at the role of the Frenchman Lafayette in the American Revolution and his complicated relationships with the Founding Fathers.

    From the bestselling author of, Assassination Vacation, and, Unfamiliar Fishes, a humorous and insightful account of the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette–the one Frenchman we could all ... (Goodreads)

  8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory

    by Caitlin Doughty
    A journey through the funeral industry, exploring death, grief, and the beauty of life.

    "Morbid and illuminating" ( Entertainment Weekly )—a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession. Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

    by Atul Gawande
    An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.

    In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)

  10. Year of Yes

    by Shonda Rhimes
    A memoir of Shonda Rhimes' journey to saying "yes" to everything that scared her, leading to personal growth and success.

    In this poignant, hilarious and deeply intimate call to arms, Hollywood's most powerful woman, the mega-talented creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away with ... (Goodreads)

  11. Everyday Sexism

    by Laura Bates
    An exploration of the various ways sexism manifests in society and the need for change.

    In 2012 after being sexually harassed on London public transport Laura Bates, a young journalist, started a project called Everyday Sexism to collect stories for a piece she was writing on the issue. ... (Goodreads)

  12. We Should All Be Feminists

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A call to action for an inclusive, gender-equal society through an examination of feminism.

    What does “feminism” mean today? That is the question at the heart of We Should All Be Feminists , a personal, eloquently-argued essay—adapted from her much-viewed TEDx talk of the same name—by ... (Goodreads)

  13. Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right

    by Jane Mayer
    Exposes the network of ultra-wealthy individuals who have funded the radical right-wing political agenda for the last four decades.

    Why is America living in an age of profound economic inequality? Why, despite the desperate need to address climate change, have even modest environmental efforts been defeated again and again? Why ... (Goodreads)

  14. So You Want to Talk About Race

    by Ijeoma Oluo
    A guide to discussing race and racism in America, providing insight and tools for productive conversations.

    In this breakout book, Ijeoma Oluo explores the complex reality of today's racial landscape–from white privilege and police brutality to systemic discrimination and the Black Lives Matter ... (Goodreads)

  15. My Life on the Road

    by Gloria Steinem
    Steinem's memoir of her travels as a feminist activist, sharing stories of the people and experiences that shaped her life and work.

    Gloria Steinem—writer, activist, organizer, and one of the most inspiring leaders in the world—now tells a story she has never told before, a candid account of how her early years led her to live an ... (Goodreads)

  16. Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America

    by Jill Leovy
    In-depth examination of unsolved murder cases in inner-city Los Angeles, exploring themes of violence and racial injustice.

    On a warm spring evening in South Los Angeles, a young man was shot and killed on a sidewalk minutes away from his home, one of hundreds of young men slain in LA every year. His assailant ran down ... (Goodreads)

  17. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

    by Yuval Noah Harari
    An exploration of humanity's future, and the potential paths of our species.

    Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed, New York Times, bestseller and international phenomenon, Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning ... (Goodreads)

  18. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

    by Matthew Desmond
    An exploration of eviction’s devastating consequences on the lives of the urban poor.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NAMED ONE OF, TIME,’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • One of the most acclaimed books of our time, this modern classic “has set a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. The Wordy Shipmates

    by Sarah Vowell
    A humorous and insightful look at the Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and their impact on American history.

    The Wordy Shipmates is an exploration of the Puritans and their journey to America to become the people of John Winthrop's "city upon a hill"—a shining example, a "city that cannot be hid." To this ... (Goodreads)

  20. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

    by David Grann
    Exposé of a series of murders of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma and the FBI's investigation.

    In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, ... (Goodreads)

  21. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate

    by Naomi Klein
    Examination of global capitalism's role in exacerbating climate change and potential solutions.

    Forget everything you think you know about global warming. It's not about carbon—it's about capitalism. The good news is that we can seize this crisis to transform our failed economic system and ... (Goodreads)

  22. Hunger: A Memoir of

    by Roxane Gay
    A candid and raw exploration of body image and its effects on a woman's life.

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist : a searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself. “I ate and ate ... (Goodreads)

  23. One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter

    by Scaachi Koul
    A collection of personal essays exploring identity, culture, and family, with humor and honesty.

    A collection of essays about growing up the daughter of Indian immigrants in Canada, "a land of ice and casual racism," by the cultural observer, Scaachi Koul. In One Day We'll All Be Dead and None ... (Goodreads)

  24. Men Explain Things to Me

    by Rebecca Solnit
    Examines the cultural phenomenon of men explaining things to women without full understanding of the topic.

    In her comic, scathing essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” Rebecca Solnit took on what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She wrote about men who wrongly assume they know things ... (Goodreads)

  25. Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls

    by Lauren Graham
    An intimate memoir of the actor's experience playing Lorelai Gilmore and her journey to becoming an author.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • In this collection of personal essays, the beloved star of, Gilmore Girls, and, Parenthood, reveals stories about life, love, and working as a woman in Hollywood—along ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

    by Angela Duckworth
    Examining how passion and perseverance can unlock hidden potential, and the power of resilience in achieving success.

    In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, students, and business people both seasoned and new that the secret to ... (Goodreads)

  27. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

    by Cheryl Strayed
    Collection of heartfelt advice from a wise and compassionate storyteller.

    Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills - and it can be great: you've had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the ... (Goodreads)

  28. From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way

    by Jesse Thistle
    A memoir of Jesse Thistle's journey from a difficult childhood to homelessness and addiction, and his eventual path to recovery and reconciliation with his Métis heritage.

    In this extraordinary and inspiring debut memoir, Jesse Thistle—once a high school dropout and now a rising Indigenous scholar—chronicles his life on the streets and how he overcame trauma and ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Sun and Her Flowers

    by Rupi Kaur
    An exploration of personal growth, healing, and finding one's self.

    From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry. A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry ... (Goodreads)

  30. Born to Run

    by Bruce Springsteen
    Autobiographical journey of Bruce Springsteen's life and career as a musician.

    “Writing about yourself is a funny business…But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I’ve tried to do this.” —Bruce Springsteen, from ... (Goodreads)