Women's Day 2021: 5 books to read to remember who you are
We are all accustomed to calling it in a hurry "Women's Day" but its name is International Women's Rights Day and occurs every year on 8 March.
Its purpose is to bring attention not only to the social, labor, economic and political achievements that women have achieved at the expense of a past of suppressed, but also to the need to continue to fight for discrimination and gender-based violence to cease. everything.
Watch: Women who fought for gender equality
See also
The origin of the recurrence
The "beginning of" 900 was a rather tumultuous historical period with regard to social struggles. New currents of philosophical and political thought began to spread rapidly. In this context, the issue of women's rights has also begun to be in the public domain.
This issue was first discussed at an important event on the occasion of the VII Congress of the Second Socialist International held from 18 to 24 August 1907 in Stuttgart.
There the socialist parties took on the "commitment to fight to introduce universal suffrage. A few days later, the"Socialist Women's Information Office.
Subsequently, on May 3, 1908, in Chicago, a conference nicknamed "Woman" s Day "was held in which the socialist party addressed the" exploitation of workers, the right to vote, the weight of the figure of women in society and gender discrimination. Here, it was decided to organize, for February 23, 1909, a demonstration, nicknamed "Women's Day", to ask for the right to vote for women.
During the second International Conference of Socialist Women, in 1910 in Copenhagen (the first was in 1907), it was decided to adhere to the idea of the United States and to establish an international day dedicated to the vindication of women's rights.
This institution continued to be a recurrence over the years and, in 1922, Italy also joined the adhering states.
The 5 books to read to remember who you are
We can say that, fortunately, since 1922 the condition of women in our country has improved enormously. For this, we have to thank the feminist movement that, in Italy in the 1970s, has given a lot of work: unforgettable the manifestation of the women's day organized on March 8, 1972, in Rome, in which women made themselves heard and they called for attention, especially with regard to the legalization of abortion.
Yet there are many countries in the world where women still suffer unspeakable suppressions. After all, even we, born in the most fortunate part of the planet, in our daily life, continue to be the object of prejudices and inequalities and we must continue to fight constantly so that the rights we have won are not taken away from us.
On this occasion, therefore, we want to give you the opportunity to reflect on all this, to read to remind you of who you are, how much you are worth, what you deserve and what you have to fight for.
Here is a selection of 5 stimulating but enjoyable books for you to read all in one breath, alone and with your girls, available in traditional format and in the digital version.
1. "Women of" my soul "by Isabel Allende, Feltrinelli
Isabel Allende tells us her story, with lightness and irony, starting from a "childhood and adolescence, spent in a rigid patriarchal frame, up to the present day", in which, a mature woman, she feels affirmed and has the full awareness of having freed itself from all forms of prejudice. A short book not to be missed if you are looking for a model to inspire you to fight against the little big daily injustices.
"Donne dell" anima mia "by Isabel Allende, Feltrinelli is available on Amazon for € 14.25
2. "What would Frida Kahlo do?" by Elizabet Foley and Beth Coates, Sonzogno
Many women, even today, find themselves daily struggling against the roles, canons and duties imposed by society. Why do we have to justify ourselves if we don't want to have children? What if we don't want a wedding? If we want to pursue a career and achieve job success as much as a man? So let's take an example from the women who rebelled before us! This is a collection of life lessons given by 50 women of the past. Busy but fun, deep but irreverent, it's one of those books that can teach us something.
"What would Frida Kahlo do?" by Elizabet Foley and Beth Coates, Sonzogno is available on Amazon for € 15.20
3. "Witches. Stories of indomitable women from medieval fires to #MeToo" by Mona Chollet, Utet
Tremble tremble the witches are back! After all, historically speaking, who were the witches? Women who did not conform to the social canons of the time, rebels, women who claimed to live freely, libertines, spinsters, elderly women who lived a life different from that of their peers. The author attributes to the persecution of all the thousands of women burned at the stake in the modern female condition. Since the accusations of witchcraft began to spread, women have begun to be locked up, and to lock themselves up, in their own homes, limiting their ambitions and suppressing their desires. Definitely an interesting "analysis worth reading.
"Witches. Stories of indomitable women from medieval fires to #MeToo" by Mona Chollet, Utet is available on Amazon for € 17.10
4. "Women who run with wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Pickwick
The cult book that changed the lives of millions of women. Drawing on the fairy tales and myths of the most diverse cultural traditions, Clarissa Pinkola Estés bases a psychoanalysis of the feminine around the extraordinary intuition of the Wild Woman, understood as a powerful, instinctual and creative psychic force, a feral and at the same time maternal she-wolf, but suffocated by fears, insecurities and stereotypes. This is who we are and what we must fight for.
"Women who run with wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Pickwick is available on Amazon for € 14.25
5. "Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls" vol. 1 and 2 by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, Mondadori
A collection of stories about the lives of 200 extraordinary women. A book that the authors have dedicated to rebellious girls from all over the world, to encourage them to dream bigger, aim higher and fight with more energy. Dedicated to young and old, it can be the perfect bedtime reading to teach your little girls how to become the women, with a capital d, of tomorrow.
"Bedtime Stories for Rebel Girls" vol. 1 and 2 by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo, Mondadori is available on Amazon for € 26.60
Also read: Mimosas for women's day: why are they the symbol of this day?
