Lonely pregnancies, jealous sisters, fears of physicality, and loss of identity are Margaret Drabble's specialties. She spins tales of London's upper-middle-class life, and for the past 30 years England has eaten them up. Fans devour her hyper-accurate descriptions of the furniture, values, and perso

Clean, Composed, Eclectic, Post-war literature, Witty, Women's literature

French critic and novelist Simone de Beauvoir reinvented the feminist debate with her shocking text, "The Second Sex" (1953), which has become a theoretical bible for those interested in Existentialist and Marxist analysis of women's societal subservience. Since the arrival of Postmodernism at the ce

Existentialist literature, Existentialist theory, Feminism, Feminist, Pioneering, Smart, Social revolution, Women's literature

Violent and timely, contemporary and historical, true and fantastical, Bharati Mukherjee's work has been a windstorm sweeping up the major flavor of her times. Born into a wealthy, traditional Calcutta family in 1940, Mukherjee was raised and schooled in India, Great Britain, and the U.S. (where she

Eclectic, Intense, Pioneering, Political, Post-colonial literature, Women's literature

As a teacher, writer, and cultural critic, bell hooks consistently pinpoints the nastiest dust balls of sexism, racism, and homophobia that lurk in the dark corners of society. She challenges readers of all cultural or political stances with the perspective that no 'ism' is flawless and no one is ent

African american fiction, Deconstructive, Feminism, Feminist, In-your-face, Political, Women's literature