Female Author Book List
This is a response to Naval Ravikant’s list of >170 recommended books, not one of which is by a woman
I will add to this list as I hear of more books. All are non-fiction and about science, engineering, medicine, psychology, or business. So far, Willful Blindness and Mindset are my favorites that I have read (all read books are marked with *).
A few books on this list do pertain to women’s issues. Some are specifically on how bias leads to substandard healthcare for women. But why shouldn't men read about problems that affect women? Surely they care about their mothers, wives, and daughters?
- Margaret Heffernan Willful Blindness*
- Carol Dweck Mindset*
- Mary Roach Bonk,* Stiff*
- Lucy Cooke Bitch*
- Caroline Criado Perez Invisible Women*
- Jennifer Doudna A Crack in Creation*
- Bethany McLean The Smartest Guys in the Room, All the Devils Are Here
- Sheryl Sandberg Option B,* Lean In
- Esther Perel Mating in Captivity*
- Liz Wiseman Multipliers
- Maria Konnikova The Biggest Bluff
- Hannah Fry Hello World, The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything
- Wednesday Martin Untrue*
- Zoe Chance Influence Is Your Superpower
- Francesca Gino Rebel Talent
- Katy Mack The End of Everything
- Soraya Chemaly Rage Becomes Her*
- Laura Huang Edge
- Angela Saini Inferior*
- Cathy O’Neal Weapons of Math Destruction
- Elinor Cleghorn Unwell Women
- Julia Galef The Scout Mindset
- Cordelia Fine Delusions of Gender
- Leah Feldman Barrett How Emotions Are Made
- Arianna Huffington Thrive
- Angela Duckworth Grit
- Molly Maloof The Spark Factor
- Barbara Tversky Mind in Motion
- Alyson McGregor Sex Matters
- Annie Duke How to Decide, Thinking in Bets
- Jane Jacobs The Death and Life of Great American Cities
- Jennifer Eberhardt Biased
- Katy Milkman How to Change*
- Kim Scott Radical Candor
- Laura Major What To Expect When You’re Expecting Robots
- Peggy Orenstein Girls and Sex,* Boys and Sex*
- Emily Balcetis Clearer, Closer, Better
- Gina Rippon The Gendered Brain
- Rosabeth Moss Kanter Think Outside the Building
- Becky Smethurst A Brief History of Black Holes
- Steffanie Strathdee The Perfect Predator
- Glennon Doyle Untamed
- Susan Cain Quiet
- Brene Brown Daring Greatly,* Dare to Lead
- Susan Fowler Whistleblower
- Maya Dusenbery Doing Harm
- Giulia Enders Gut
- Nicole Forsgren Accelerate
- Abigail Shrier Irreversible Damage
- Rose George Nine Pints
- Kate Manne Down Girl
- Elizabeth Wurtzel Bitch
- Mahzarin Banaji Blindspot
- Sue Lloyd-Roberts The War on Women
- Jennifer Block Everything Below the Waist
- Gabrielle Jackson Pain and Prejudice
- Renee Engeln Beauty Sick
- Margot Lee Shetterly Hidden Figures
- Kate Moore The Radium Girls
- Amanda Montell Wordslut
- Sue Johnson Hold Me Tight
- Dr. Laurie Mintz Becoming Cliterate*
- Betty Dodson Sex by Design
- Mary Jane Sherfey The Nature and Evolution of Female Sexuality
- Rachel Gross Vagina Obscura
- Melanie Mitchell Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans
- Laura Bates Men Who Hate Women
- Riane Eisler The Chalice and the Blade
- Virginia Woolf The Beauty Myth, Vagina
- Susan David Emotional Agility
- Mari Ruti The Age of Scientific Sexism
- Catherine Price The Power of Fun
- Mary Ann Seighart The Authority Gap
- Chaminde We Should All Be Feminists