Question of the Day | 08/21/2008 12:00 am

What one book must all young women read before they turn 21?

Liz Smith | 08/21/2008 12:00 am

What the West Is Really All About

Well, this is a silly question because one hopes she’d have read too many books to count already. So I’ll just say the gloss achieved by reading and paying attention to the great Shakespearean scholar Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon would point her in the direction of what Western civilization’s greatest thinkers and writers were all about. Bloom dissects the major literary works of post-Roman and Biblical times. And if one doesn’t know what to take from that, then one isn’t concerned with being a fully realized, thinking soul. At the very least, The Western Canon shows us what we don’t know and need to know and haven’t really read.

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Joan Ganz Cooney | 08/21/2008 12:00 am

Why Young Women Need Edith Wharton

I would never recommend just one book for any young person but I would tell her that the novels of Edith Wharton would give her immense pleasure as well as make her grateful to the women’s movement for changing the way it would have been for her had it not occurred.

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Yes, thanks, Phyllis. Got it.

By Mugsy Peabody on 08/21/2008 11:55 am

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I love to read <> I think it can make men love their life and family. The book is very important to me. There’s one time that I was always lose my confidence，my friend recommend me to read this book. I have never read such a book like it.before,it couraged me and made me happy,

By xu xiaonan on 08/21/2008 6:22 am

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Not necessarily a “must read”, “The Box Car Children” left quite an impression on my sisters and I back in the day.

By Bonnie D-Z on 08/21/2008 6:57 am

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Bonnie D-Z—Oh my, I read that book as a child. Great book. I remember loving it.

By kermie b on 08/21/2008 2:34 pm

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It’s available on Amazon.com. should you wish to read it again. Enjoy!

By Bonnie D-Z on 08/21/2008 4:01 pm

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I think everybody should read a great deal of books before turning 21, but “Gone with the wind”! Every young girl should read that one!!! it’s a great story that really points out that there’s nothing to do, but to find new sulutions to your problems!

By Ine Drage on 08/21/2008 7:53 am

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Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet”. I still cherish the copy I got when I was in college.

By Vivvy Stewart on 08/21/2008 8:11 am

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oh, there are quite a few… i guess i would say any of the books by jane austen & also, the golden notebook by doris lessing.

By a. m. on 08/21/2008 8:12 am

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“A Room of One’s Own” - Virginia Woolf — absolutely! It is my HS graduation gift to every young woman — along with a check of course.

By Laughing Allegra on 08/21/2008 8:33 am

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The Color Purple. Very empowering book for young women, and definitely had a huge impact on me in my college years.

By Lorraine Bates on 08/21/2008 8:41 am

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I’m going to answer this question with the same response that I gave here for the most important book I’ve ever read: “The book that changed my life was one that came too late. It was 1990 and I was going through a divorce from an abusive husband. I don’t remember who told me about this book, but it is a must read for every African American woman- every woman for that matter. The book was “Mad At Miles- A Black Woman’s Guide To The Truth” by Pearl Cleage. This book helped me examine why I ended up in an abusive marriage and literally opened my eyes to the possiblity of a healthy relationship with men. I did not fully adhere to all of the advise and ended up later in a three year relationship with a committment-phobic man. But the happy ending is that I later married a good man (we’ve been married 12 years) and I gave it to my daughter when she turned 15. With that book and our great relationship, she has become an honor roll college freshman. Pearl empowers her sisters to remember their worth in a misogynist culture.” There a too many horror stories of young women being violated by young men who profess to love them. If a young woman has the benefit to read “Mad At Miles” hopefully she will see that she still has the personal power to end an abusive relationship before it’s too late.

By Lena B on 08/21/2008 9:13 am

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Hello Lena: Thank you for sharing your experiences. I’m not familiar with this title, but I’m happy this book helped you, and I’m sure the information you’ve shared will help others. Congratulations on your successful marriage.

By Maizie James on 08/21/2008 4:30 pm

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No thank you for being so gracious Sister Maizie. It is my belief that one of the worst things to happen to a woman is to be held hostage in an abusive relationship. It takes years to overcome the physical and emotional damage. Our young women must be mentored to believe in themselves. I struggled and suffered, so I make it a point to empower my daughters and other young women. “Mad At Miles” (ISBN-10: 0962814202) was published in 1990 and is apparently hard to find today. Only used copies are available on Amazon books and Ebay.

By Lena B on 08/21/2008 5:31 pm

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One of the best ways for young women to be mentored in healthy relationships is to see them and experience them in their own childhood homes. A daughter’s relationship with her father is a good predictor of her ability to attract honorable men. The quality of her parents’ marriage is also a strong predictor of her own relationship success.

By Bella Mia on 08/22/2008 2:10 am

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Hey Sister Bella! You are so very right. When a father imparts wisdom and loving encouragement to his daughter, there is nothing she can’t do. My wonderful dad cautioned me, yet I still made reckless choices. But he never gave up on me and when that bad marriage was over, he was right there for me. The important thing is to never give up on any young woman or man caught in that vicious cycle. Whether she has a loving father or no father figure in her life, every woman should be empowered. It was thought that women, who grew up without the benefit of a strong fatherly role model, usually gravitate towards controlling or abusive men. I’m proof that it’s not true in all cases- like everything else in life it’s a matter of personal choice.

By Lena B on 08/22/2008 12:13 pm