Books
38 Books Every Southern Woman Should Read
As anyone who has spent time in the region will tell you, the South is a place unlike any other. The mere mention of it brings to mind contrasting images of gentility and grit, hospitality and racism, beaches and bayous. Those of us who live here are well aware of these contradictions, as the art, literature, and music coming from this area often reflects.
These are the titles every Southern woman should read, whether or not she was born here, and whether or not she still lives here. These books are the distilled, moonshine essence of the South.
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'Like One of the Family: Conversations from a Domestic's Life' by Alice Childress
Like One of the Family: Conversations from a Domestic’s Life offers readers a glimpse into the power dynamics of white households with black maids in the mid-20th century. These are not stories one often reads, and they aren’t as bright and sunshine-y as those found in similar books. Childress’ novel is one of honesty and integrity.
'Swamplandia!' by Karen Russell
Set in the Florida Everglades, Swamplandia! is the story of Ava Bigtree: a young girl intent on saving her family’s alligator-wrestling theme park. There’s a magical realism to Karen Russell’s debut novel, with a sweaty, looming quality that will keep you from putting the book down. Swamplandia! is a fairytale, pure and simple.
'Pale Horse, Pale Rider: Three Short Novels' by Katherine Anne Porter
The three stories in Katherine Anne Porter’s Pale Horse, Pale Rider examines the past, present, and future in its dealings with the aftermaths of various deaths in Southern and Western communities. Its titular tale takes place during an influenza epidemic in the midst of World War I. It’s a dark, poetic collection of stories, and well worth the time to read.
'The Awakening' by Kate Chopin
In The Awakening , protagonist Edna Pontellier has done everything right. She married well, raised a family, and kept a house, and she now lives a cookie-cutter life. But she longs for more, and wrestles with the idea of freeing herself from gendered expectations. Written in 1899, Chopin’s examination of societal pressures on womanhood continues to challenge us today.
'Nothin' But Good Times Ahead' by Molly Ivins
In Nothin’ But Good Times Ahead , Molly Ivins skewers prominent 1990s politicians with razor-sharp wit and Southern charm. Her tongue-in-cheek style will appeal to fans of Stephen Colbert and Sarah Silverman, and, even if the jokes are a bit dated by now, trust me: the political landscape hasn’t changed too much for Ivins’s comedy to still ring true.
'Bastard Out of Carolina' by Dorothy Allison
Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina is true grit lit. There are no mint juleps or seersucker suits here, only miserable gravel and clapboard houses. Set in Greenville County, South Carolina, the novel follows Bone Boatwright as she struggles to survive in a community of rough men and embittered women.
'The Sheltered Life' by Ellen Glasgow
Ellen Glasgow’s The Sheltered Life is a portrait of Southern life in transition, from the Old South to the New. Its characters are torn between the uncertainty of progression and their inevitable stagnation in societal expectation. In her novel, Glasgow examines the falsity of the Southern demeanor, and its implications for future generations.
'Familiar Heat' by Mary Hood
Mary Hood’s novel involves a foiled bank robbery, a kidnapping, an amnesiac woman, and her failing marriage. And that’s without mentioning the bright cast of minor characters. Set in a small town on the Florida coast, Familiar Heat is the story of an interconnected community hoping to redeem its slipping relationships.
'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' by Fannie Flagg
In Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe , two women from disparate generations connect over the elder’s stories about the Cafe’s owners: Idgie and Ruth. Against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the two lovers raise a child, combat racism, and conceal a murder while serving up heaps of barbecue and — of course — fried green tomatoes.
'St. Dale' by Sharyn McCrumb
St. Dale is a book that could have only come from the South. After all, any Southerner of a certain age remembers where she was the night Dale Earnhardt died. Sharyn McCrumb’s novel takes readers on the Dale Earnhardt Memorial Pilgrimage. In a style resembling Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, we learn the stories of the strangers who have only the roadtrip in common. Even if you aren’t a NASCAR fan, it’s a solid read.
'Storyville' by Lois Battle
In Storyville , Lois Battle tells the tale of Kate Cavanaugh, a New Orleans prostitute, and Julia Ransome, a suffragette intent on closing down the city’s brothels. Classism and love collide when Kate falls in love with Julia’s son, Lawrence. Battle highlights the socioeconomic issues at the heart of the prostitution argument, and the profession’s conflict with the burgeoning women’s rights movement.
'Women, Race and Class' by Angela Davis
Angela Davis Women, Race and Class tells the history of racial and class tensions within the women’s movement, highlighting the alienation African-American women feel from mainstream feminism. It’s an important book, particularly for those living in a part of the country that has yet to fully confront its ugly past.
'Beloved' by Toni Morrison
Beloved is the story of one woman’s life after slavery. Sethe escapes to Ohio, but cannot shake the scars of her former life, particularly the memory of a child who died nameless and is buried far away. When a woman who bears the same name as her dead child’s gravemarker appears, Sethe falls into supernatural delusions that threaten the safety of her entire family. Toni Morisson’s novel is a thrilling cascade of emotion, damnation, and redemption.
'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver
When a white family of women follow their firebrand patriarch on a missionary trip from Georgia to the Congo, none of them expect to be transformed by the experience. They meet with people who are wildly different than their 1950s Southern assumptions, and must reconcile their place as outsiders in a country fighting for independence from the West. The Poisonwood Bible is a brilliant novel that pits midcentury Southern racism against African political turmoil.
'Ellen Foster' by Kaye Gibbons
Ellen Foster is the award-winning tale of a young girl’s search for a stable home. Author Kaye Gibbons gives us Ellen, a preteen who hopes to escape her negligent father by joining the Foster family. More than escaping her father, however, Ellen is searching for a new mother to replace the one she has lost. It’s a touching and honest story, told from the perspective of a nearly-hopeless child.
'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s story of young Scout Finch’s coming of age is a classic, and one you’ve almost certainly read, but it bears mentioning here — and, hey, probably a reread, too. To Kill a Mockingbird provides an unblinking look at the victims of Southerners’ compulsion to hide their family secrets, and at the sacrifices the good people pushed to the fringes must make.
'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter' by Carson McCullers
In The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter , Carson McCullers throws together a ragtag cast of social outcasts, including people of color and those living in poverty or with disabilities. The novel is a somber look at a community forced into creation on the fringes of society. It’s a haunting and beautiful story: an intense look at what happens to those whom Southern hospitality does not embrace.
'The Keepers of the House' by Shirley Ann Grau
Shirley Ann Grau’s novel, The Keepers of the House , tells the story of Abigail Howland: a young woman who inherits her family’s fortune, only to face a racist backlash as information about her grandfather’s relationship with his black housekeeper comes to light. Although the Howlands have historically fought for white supremacy, Abigail must now reconcile appearance with truth, and must choose between societal pressure and connection with her biracial cousins.
'Serena' by Ron Rash
In Serena , Ron Rash paints two contrasting images of womanhood — power and maternity — that converge within the Appalachian landscape itself. It’s a story driven by the basest instincts of disenfranchised women: sex, control, love, and jealousy. Set against the backdrop of a North Carolina logging operation, Serena resonates with the beauty and ugliness of Southern womanhood and marriage.
'Salvage the Bones' by Jesmyn Ward
Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones won the National Book Award in 2011. It’s the story of motherless children facing individual tragedies in the days before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. It’s a tale involving alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, and a boy trying to protect animals in danger, but — more than that — it’s about a family fighting to keep itself together.
'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou
Many have cherished Maya Angelou’s poetry over the last few decades, but only those who have read her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , can truly understand her work. Angelou’s story is as unique in its tragedy as it is in its success, and she relates it all with poise and dignity. It’s a modern classic, and you’d be nuts to miss it.
'A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories' by Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O’Connor’s unimposing prose disguises the intellectual nature of her work. Her short stories examine the absurdities of life, and the ways in which people try — futilely — to control their environments. O’Connor’s characters keep their motivations close to the vest, leaving readers to investigate what makes them tick. Instead of divulging everything, the cast of A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories resemble closely the Southerners you encounter on the street.
'The Optimist's Daughter' by Eudora Welty
The Optimist’s Daughter follows Laurel, who returns to Mississippi for her father’s funeral, as she confronts the events that have disconnected her from her place of origin. Laurel’s struggle to understand her father is complicated by the indifference of others, including her stepmother. Eudora Welty’s novel is simple but elegant in its study of human life.
'Ugly Ways' by Tina McElroy Ansa
When the Lovejoy sisters reunite after their mother’s death, they find that her manipulation still haunts them all. The three siblings are forced to reconnect as they plan their mother’s funeral, and each must sort out her feelings so that the healing of childhood trauma may begin. Ugly Ways is a novel that uncovers how the ways in which we grow up continue to affect us as adults.
'Beasts of the Southern Wild and Other Stories' by Doris Betts
It should be noted that this Beasts of the Southern Wild has nothing to do with the film of the same name. Nevertheless, Doris Betts’ story collection is excellent fiction. The characters and narratives are working-class absurdist, à la Flannery O’Connor. Most interestingly, the author’s explorations of the interior lives of mid-20th century women are second-wave feminism meets Southern Gothic.
'Strange as this Weather Has Been' by Ann Pancake
Ann Pancake’s 2007 novel Strange as this Weather Has Been follows a coal mining family of six at a time when internal and external conflicts threaten to pull them apart. As the children come of age and into themselves, environmental hazards caused by the mining company — and layoffs within it — force the adults to choose between company loyalty and dissention. At the heart of the tale lie Lace and Bant, a mother and teenage daughter whose strengths and loyalties align.
Image: Counterpoint Press
'Almost Perfect' by Alice Adams
In Almost Perfect , North Carolina native Alice Adams examines the suspect underpinnings of Stella Blake and Richard Fallon’s seemingly flawless love affair. As tensions and curiosities mount, readers find themselves sliding into the inner-workings of the protagonists. While not set in the South, Almost Perfect remains familiar to Southern women, who know all about keeping up appearances.
'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God is a powerful examination of black womanhood. Readers follow heroine Janie Crawford in her journey to self-discovery and -empowerment through three marriages rife with torment. Her outlook is realistic, yet hopeful, and Janie refuses to allow any person or situation to hold her back. Hurston’s novel is a masterpiece, just as gripping today as it was when it was first published in 1937.
'A Killing in This Town' by Olympia Vernon
In the Bullock County, Mississippi backwoods, a black pastor is torn between his compulsion to warn a group of white plant-workers about a looming occupational hazard, and the fear of being murdered by local Klansmen. Meanwhile, a young white boy pushes back against societal pressures to join the Klan with an initiation lynching. Olympia Vernon’s novel is a dark exploration of Southern patriarchy and prejudice.
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'The School of Beauty and Charm' by Melanie Sumner
After her brother’s death, Louise Pepper rebels against her good, Baptist parents in the way all good, Baptist girls do: she seduces an older man, takes up drinking, and runs off to join the circus. The School of Beauty and Charm follows Louise’s exploits — both funny and tragic — and her parents’ attempts to save her from the jaws of sin and damnation.
'Nancy Culpepper' by Bobbie Ann Mason
Nancy Culpepper is Bobbie Ann Mason’s collection of Culpepper family stories. The eponymous Nancy returns to her childhood Kentucky home, having spent her adulthood among Massachussetts Yankees. After inheriting her parents’ farm, she must find some way to bring cohesion to her birth and adopted ways of life. Mason’s book will resonate with any woman who has experienced the divide between Southern and New England cultures.
'Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood' by Rebecca Wells
The film of the same name, based on Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and its prequel, Little Altars Everywhere, became an instant-classic long ago, but fans will find the Abbott-Walker family’s history much darker in its original format. In Divine Secrets, Wells unravels the Spanish moss and wisteria weighing down on the womanhoods of Vivi Abbott Walker and her daughter Siddalee.
'The Liar's Club: A Memoir' by Mary Karr
Her 1995 memoir The Liar’s Club retells author Mary Karr’s difficult coming-of-age in a working-class Texas family. Though brutally honest, the author manages to remain witty and poignant as she weaves her tale of growing up surrounded by an alcoholic father, a seven-times-married mother, a mouthy sister, and sexually predatory neighbors.
'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker
Alice Walker’s award-winning 1982 novel chronicles the lives of two sisters and the families they create over three decades. The Color Purple focuses largely on the experiences of Celie, an uneducated African-American woman, as she overcomes the internalized prejudices that have kept her from maximizing her potential. Through interacions with her sister, Nettie, and her lover, Shug, Celie begins to take pride in her African heritage and lesbian identity. Walker’s novel is a must-read exploration of intersectional feminism as fiction.
'Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady' by Florence King
Another treatise on Southern life, Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady is Florence King’s memoir about growing up a misanthropic disappointment in an eccentric family. It highlights the contrasting values of the Old South and the New in King’s grandmother: a lower-middle class snob holding fast to the traditions of her affluent ancestors. Any Southern woman who lacks — or rejects — the genteel propriety foisted upon her by her elders will immediatly identify with the author’s tales of rebellion, substance use and abuse, and bisexuality.
'Victory Over Japan: A Book of Stories' by Ellen Gilchrist
Ellen Gilchrist’s award-winning short story collection Victory Over Japan follows a central group of women — some of whom also appear in the author’s other works — as they navigate life in the mid-20th century South. These are wild women, fallen women, women who have learned how to fight and finagle for what’s theirs. You’ll see in Rhoda, Lanier, Diane, Nora Jane, and Crystal what you see in yourself and your mothers: the grit and gusto needed to take on the heat of Southern life.
'July 7th' by Jill McCorkle
When a convenience store clerk is murdered in the night, the event throws Marshboro, North Carolina into an uproar. The cast of characters in Jill McCorkle’s July 7th will be familiar to anyone who has experienced small town life in the South. The formerly poor are trying to escape their gritty upbringings as those born to affluence attempt to drink it all away. McCorkle’s novel is a poignant comedy about learning how to keep on keeping on in the face of tragedy.
'Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast' by Natasha Trethewey
After Hurricane Katrina devastated her hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi, poet Natasha Trethewey attempted to piece together an understanding of the social and cultural position of the Gulf Coast. What she discovered was an area already separated by race and class prior to the disaster, which had only served to widen the chasm between that region and the rest of the country. Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the result of Trethewey’s effort: a memoir of her home, weaving family life and regional history into one.
