Give me a book about the sisterhood and I am hooked. I am fascinated by the complexity and diversity of the sisterhood. I don’t mean sisterhood as in female siblings, though that is a facet of course. I mean The Sisterhood–the universe of women’s relationships. Women come together and bond in such unexpected ways. How their relationships develop, often in the most inhospitable conditions, is awe-inspiring. Oh sure, you can pit them against each other with scarce resources and even scarcer opportunities in the workplace, social situations, and family dynamics, but come after one of them (or heaven forbid, their children) and they will form a truly powerful and terrifying force. That threat will become an unbreakable bond.
Again, the sisterhood is complex and diverse. There is a book that explores every facet no doubt.
Books about women who understand surviving loss and leaving and betrayal and love, as in How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto. These are women who, though they may not understand exactly what you are going through, understand the pain and burden of it all. Women who guard your dignity, standing ready to ward off the slightest encroachment on the peace you deserve.
Books about women who’ve shared every decade from birth to the grave, as in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells. These women understand each other’s origin stories so deeply they can call each other to account and still give the gift of unconditional grace.
Books about women bound by a critical slice of time when their lives held both their greatest possibilities and were scarred by their greatest mistakes, as in The Last Road Trip by Jennifer Klepper. These are women who are willing to open their wounds if it means healing themselves and each other.
Books about women thrown together by their circumstances and bonded by their shared strength, as in The Lion is In by Delia Ephron. These are women who see in each other their caged courage, beauty, and wisdom and break down the walls to set them free.
Books about women who are so different they might never meet, but find a shared passion that opens a safe space to discover common ground and explore different worldviews, as in I Love You Charlie Tanner by Lynne Golodner.
Books about women who are tough and independent yet cultivate the space for others to grow and change, especially when those changes are unwelcomed and inevitable, as in The Blue Iris by Rachel Stone.
Friends, rivals, siblings, groups, pairs, multi-age, diverse, similar, bonded, divided. It doesn’t matter. Just give me a book about the sisterhood.
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And now, the announcement you’ve all been waiting for:
Congratulations, Sylvie Kurtz, you’ve won all eight paperbacks!
Thank you to everyone who entered.
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OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
In each post, we bring you a list of books we love. Today we’re sharing Books About Families:
Catherine Matthews: This Isn’t Everything You Are by J. Marie Rundquist is an uplifting beautiful story.
Rachel Stone: I was fascinated by the famous, close-knit and often dysfunctional Riva family at the center of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I love a layered story told through different compelling yet clashing perspectives, and this one delivered.
Kathryn Dodson: As Though You Were Mine by J. Marie Rundquist is an exquisitely told tale about a woman who has to take on her sister’s small children after a tragedy, and the struggles, love, and joy that building a new family entails.
Sara LaFontain: I enjoyed Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson is the story of estranged siblings coming together after their mother’s death, and learning the truth about their family.
Rachel Del Grosso: Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson is about a family that represents old money living in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City. It is entirely addictive.
Julie Brown: Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro - A compelling read about a family haunted by a secret that impacts them for decades. Explores themes of guilt, isolation, and the redemptive power of connection.
Jen Sinclair: Mae Van Dorn’s Perfect Storm by Sheila Athens is all about a woman forced to move in with her estranged brother right before a hurricane. It’s full of humor, a little light intrigue, and at the heart of it, what family is all about.
