You and your boyfriend love to read, but have totally different tastes! You love real stories about women and the issues they face; Matt prefers to read the title of whatever you’re reading and say “Meh, that looks lame.” Here are some excellent feminist memoirs that you can leave around so that your boyfriend may glance at the exterior and think about your life’s passion for a second or two!
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
Leave the legendary feminist’s travel memoir in the bathroom so that Matt might peruse if he forgot to bring his phone in there. Who knows? Reading that feminists like Steinem can be “thoughtful and astonishingly humble” from the O! The Oprah Magazine’s blurb on the back might make him reconsider his stance on “feminazis”.
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
The blurb for transgender activist Mock’s book describes hers as a voice for “anyone fighting to define themselves on their own terms.” This might make Matt consider what his life would have been like if he hadn’t been able to follow his dream of becoming a mash-up DJ. It’s a reductive comparison, but at least he’s making connections!
Shrill by Lindy West
Reading the back of West’s collection of essays, Matt might be intrigued by how Lindy West has had a “public war with stand-up comedians over rape jokes” but can also “make a trip to the abortion clinic funny.” Is she a prude or chill or what? He’ll never find out because he won’t read the book.
Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
Your boyf knows all about Lena Dunham from the internet, but reading her biography on the back of her collection of essays you left on the coffee table might teach him that she has her own show on HBO, directs movies, and lives in Brooklyn. Not really the most important details, but it’s a start!
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Matt used to be indifferent that “this chick” was always in the news, but reading the back of her autobiography made him admit that getting shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home is “pretty badass.”
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Leaving the famous creator of the Bechdel test’s illustrated memoir on his bedside table might make Matt concede that finding out your Dad is gay just before he kills himself sounds pretty interesting. Just don’t push Matt on reading it, otherwise he’ll tell you he’s “more of a comic book guy.”
Leaving these books around will provide your relationship with plenty of stimulation––just reading the jackets will give your boyfriend plenty of points to argue with you. Now he knows exactly what kind of books they are just from seeing the covers!
