Every Woman Should Read for Self-Growth (22 books)

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This reading list brings together books that explore women’s growth, identity, independence, and courage.

From feminist classics to modern memoirs and novels, these books reflect the struggles and possibilities women face while building their own lives.

Some books help us rethink society’s expectations, while others show how women navigate love, work, creativity, and freedom.

If you enjoy organizing your reading notes or visualizing ideas with mind maps or diagrams, tools like ProcessOn can be really helpful for breaking down books and building your own knowledge system:
https://www.processon.io/

Hope this list helps you discover inspiring books and perspectives.

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1	The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai by Wang Anyi 3.93 avg rating — 810 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang 3.94 avg rating — 4,899 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Golden Cangue by Eileen Chang 3.82 avg rating — 342 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Goodreads Author) 3.65 avg rating — 1,865,293 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo 4.16 avg rating — 198,569 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott 4.18 avg rating — 2,526,850 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 884,564 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Educated by Tara Westover (Goodreads Author) 4.46 avg rating — 1,951,444 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Untamed by Glennon Doyle (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 525,871 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Becoming by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 1,234,325 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	紫颜色 The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.28 avg rating — 769,239 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir 4.19 avg rating — 48,900 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 4.22 avg rating — 276,888 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Devil Wears Prada (The Devil Wears Prada, #1) by Lauren Weisberger 3.82 avg rating — 949,277 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.30 avg rating — 4,970,521 ratings score: 86, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.04 avg rating — 1,295,138 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 3.71 avg rating — 386,865 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 4.11 avg rating — 960,391 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Emma by Jane Austen 4.05 avg rating — 1,015,390 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.89 avg rating — 2,270,348 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery 4.33 avg rating — 1,147,793 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 3.91 avg rating — 1,525,386 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars