Without a doubt, Carrie Fisher should be remembered as a feminist. Her role in the original Star Wars challenged the tired stereotypes of female film characters, but that was only the beginning. Princess Leia is a part of Carrie Fisher, but it shouldn’t define her legacy when she was also a prolific author.
Fans have asked those giving tribute on social media to stop posting Princess Leia’s iconic bikini and instead remember her as a feminist icon. We’d take it a step further: fans should remember Fisher as a bestselling author who wrote with sass and heart about fame, mental health issues, and feminism.
Fisher was the author of a string of bestselling books, including Postcards from the Edge (1987), Wishful Drinking (2008), and the recent The Princess Diarist (2016), which set the internet ablaze when she confessed her affair with Han Solo actor Harrison Ford. Yet Fisher did more than just write about what it was like to have Elizabeth Taylor as a stepmom or enter Hollywood as blockbuster actress at 19. Her characters, both real and imagined, work through real-life problems like drug addiction and toxic relationships.
Although 2016 was a train wreck year for feminist issues, what we need now more than ever is to read books by and about women. Fisher’s books may be topping the bestseller charts in the days after her death, but we’re sure these feminist reads releasing in 2017 are just what you’ll need to remember the feminist icon in the new year.
1. Difficult Women by Roxane Gay
Release Date: January 3
Literary superstar Roxane Gay’s latest book is a story collection which dazzles with candid stories that directly confront feminist issues. From privilege to poverty and marriage to singledom, these women deal with their past pain in profound situations that teach us the difficulty of the day-to-day. Strippers, sisters, and lovers dole it out in this timely collection.
2. Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons, #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Release Date: August 29
Both Fisher and Leia are feminist icons, and in 2017 we need all the fierce women we can get. Bardugo’s Wonder Woman is Diana, a princess of the Amazons who risks everything when she saves mortal girl Alia from a tragedy at sea. When Alia discovers that she’s a Warbringer and direct descendant of Helen of Troy, she has to make some tough choices to hold back some seriously dangerous enemies.
3. Rise: How a House Built a Family by Cara Brookins
Release Date: January 24
Cara Brookins has no idea how she’ll provide for her four children after she gets out of a toxic marriage. All she knows is that her family needs a home. With nothing but YouTube tutorials, a loan, and her own motivation, Brookins and her kids build themselves a new life. Rise tells the story of a strong woman who refuses to be a victim and learns how to bravely step into a new life. Based on the already viral news coverage of Brookins’ inspiring story (like this story on Buzzfeed), we’re sure this book will be a bestseller in no time.
4. South and West: From a Notebook by Joan Didion
Release Date: March 7
Famed memoirist and essayist Joan Didion is back with another chronicle of her real-life adventures, this time detailing a road trip she took with her husband through the South in 1970. This one’s a must read, although we also recommend Didion classics like Play It As It Lays while you’re at it.
5. How to Murder Your Life: A Memoir by Cat Marnell
Release Date: January 31
Confessional and candid, How To Murder Your Life is about Cat Marnell’s time as a beauty editor at Lucky and her subsequent secret life struggling with prescription drug addiction. Marnell’s star rises at Conde Nast, but her self-loathing always conflicts with her writing ambitions. This memoir is a reminder that no matter how defeated we get, there’s a way to overcome obstacles.
6. The Rules Do Not Apply: A Memoir by Ariel Levy
Release Date: March 14
New Yorker writer Ariel Levy had everything she wanted in 2012: a loving husband, baby on the way, and financial security. When she left for a reporting trip to Mongolia, everything she thought was secure unraveled in a matter of months. Although women struggle with the myth of having it all, Levy writes sincerely about what happens when the things you thought you wanted get tested.
7. All the Lives I Want: Essays About My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers by Alana Massey
Release Date: February 7
This collection of essays about famous female figures ranging from Sylvia Plath to Britney Spears is equal amounts humorous and personal. Massey critiques pop culture, but also writes about mental health and the profound struggles of prominent women. Although Amber Rose and Anna Nicole Smith don’t even occupy the same quadrant of our mental space, Massey ties them and other women together in a must-read collection for feminists.
8. The Men in My Life: A Memoir of Love and Art in 1950s Manhattan by Patricia Bosworth
Release Date: January 31
Carrie Fisher’s books had no shortage of shocking Hollywood confessions, and Patricia Bosworth’s memoir is no different. If you love reading about the adventures of celebrities, Bosworth’s story about how she broke away from the idea of a traditional woman to be an actress won’t leave you hanging. Plus, it’s got plenty of appearances from greats like Marilyn Monroe and Paul Newman to remind you why you miss Mad Men so dearly.
9. Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Release Date: April 25
Strout’s My Name Is Lucy Barton received critical acclaim this year for its complex portrayal of the relationship between mothers and daughters. The Pulitzer Prize Winner’s new book is no different. With stories about the bond between sisters, PTSD, and faith, Strout shows us the struggles of women at all stages of life.
10. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Release Date: June 6
Evelyn Hugo was once a legendary Hollywood starlet. Now she’s a recluse in the Upper East Side who’s ready to tell her story to newbie journalist Monique Grant. Jenkins Reid chronicles a legendary career that begins in 1950s Los Angeles. Much like her real-life inspiration Elizabeth Taylor, Evelyn divorced seven times and struggled with her fame. If you want to read about old Hollywood and a woman’s fierce determination to succeed, this book is a must-read.