First of all, the feminist text of Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, published by Editions Gallimard in 1949 for the first time in France, is still an international reference, very modern, and is translated around the world.

Among the many books published every year on women’s issues, I strongly recommend these books on women’s health and issues:

Rebecca Chalker

• The Clitoral Truth, The World At Your Fingertips, illustrated by Fish, Seven Stories Press, New York October 2000; ISBN 1-58322-038-0
• Overcoming Bladder Disorders, with Kristene E. Withmore, M.D., Harper and Row Publishers, New York 1990 – ISBN 0-06-016277-5
• The complete Cervical Cap Guide, New York, Harper and Row, 1987 ;

Rebecca Chalker and Carol Downer

• A Woman’s Book of Choices, Abortion, Menstrual Extraction, Ru-486, Illustrations by Susan Gage, Foreword by Barbara Ehrenheich, Introduction by Barbara Herbert, MD, Four Walls Eight Windows, New York / London 1992, ISBN 0-941-1423-86-7;
• A New View of a Woman’s Body (éditrice), The Federation of the Women’s Health Center, Simon and Shuster, 1981, Feminist Health Press, 1991.
• How to stay out of the Gynecologist’s Office (éditrice), The Federation of The Women’s Health Center, Peace Press 1981, Feminist Health Press 1991.

Robin Morgan

• Sisterhood is powerful, Ventage 1970 : coordonated and with a Foreword by Robin Morgan with articles by women specialists on a broad range of issues;
• Sisterhood is forever , the women’s anthology for a new millenium, Washington Square Press, NY, 2003 : with articles by women specialists on a broad range of issues;
• Sisterhood is global, The International’s Women’s Movement Anthology, coordonné, édité, et avec une introduction de Robin Morgan, Feminist Press, 1996;

Finally, I would also recommend the following texts and authors (mostly in French):

Catherine Deudon, who is the photographer of the French Women’s Liberation Movement, author of thousands of pictures and of some booksamong which:

• Un mouvement à soi, Images du mouvement des femmes 1970 – 2001, collection Nouvelles Questions Féministes, éditions Syllepse Paris 2003, 230×185 pages, Format : 214, ISBN : 2-874797-017-7

Yvette Roudy

• A cause d’elles, Préface de Simone de Beauvoir, Editions Albin Michel, 1985 ;
• Mais de quoi ont-ils peur ? Editions Albin Michel 1995 ;

Gisèle Halimi

• La cause des femmes, les malentendus, Editions Gallimard, 2006
• Avocate irrespectueuse, Pocket éditions, 2003
• La nouvelle cause des femmes, Editions du Seuil, 1997
• Histoire de Vivre, Anne Zelensky-Tristan, Editions Calmann-Levy, 2005
• Le Sexisme Ordinaire, préface de Simone de Beauvoir, Editions du Seuil, 1979
• Les Femmes dans l’art, Marie-Joe Bonnet , Editions de la Martinère,2006.
• Louise Abbema, peintre dans la Belle-Epoque, Denise Gellini, Editions Le Jardin d’Essai, 2006
• Le livre noir des femmes, Foreword by Christine Ockrent and postword by Françoise Gaspard, X0 Editions, Paris 2006

Julia Kristeva

• Colette, un génie féminin, Edition de l’Aube, 2007
• Le Féminin et le sacré, with Catherine Clément, Editions Pocket, 2007
• Lé génie féminin, tome 3, Colette, Editions Gallimard 2004
• Le génie féminin, tome 2, Mélanie Klein, Editions Gallimard, 2003
• Le génie féminin, tome 1, Hannah Arendt, Editions Gallimard, 2003

The calendar 365 jours au féminin from Marie-Hélène Vincent, celebrates women all year long and quotes one of them each day or an exceptional event. It is very interesting and inspiring. You can contact Marie-Hélène by email: mhv-c [at] orange [dot] fr.