Hillary Clinton's Favorite Books Are Timeless Explorations Of Womanhood

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

No matter how you feel about her, there's no denying that Hillary Clinton is a strong woman. Throughout her legal and political career, she's proudly stood up for herself and her fellow women on numerous occasions, refusing to back down when told to be quiet.
So it's not surprising that her taste in literature would run toward stories with compelling female characters written by some of literature's most famous female authors.

At a 2017 American Library Association conference in Chicago, Clinton revealed how deep her love of reading runs. "Over the years, my love of reading has seen me through good times and hard times," she said, according to Daily Mail. For Clinton, books are a source of solace and strength. She went on to share some of the titles that comforted her after losing the 2016 presidential election — many of them by women. "I finished Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels, I devoured mysteries by Louise Penny, Donna Leon, Jacqueline Winspear... the poetry of Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver." Clinton didn't just turn to books; she turned to women's stories and voice. But what else would we expect from the first female presidential candidate of a major political party?

This Civil War-era novel about four sisters coming of age in Concord, Massachusetts, celebrates close bonds between women. It explores gender roles, presaging modern feminist theory. Each sister finds different ways of navigating the expectations placed on women in the late 1800s. Jo, in particular, rails against the constricting rules for female behavior as she strives to be a fully-realized author in a world where women were bound to the domestic sphere.

It makes sense that this story felt meaningful to Hillary Clinton, who has publicly balanced the roles of wife, mother, and public figure. "This book was one of the first literary explorations of how women balance the demands of their daily lives, from raising families to pursuing outside goals," said Clinton in an interview with Oprah.com. "The book was written more than a century ago, but its message resonates today."

This is, after all, the book that humbled the famous Ernest Hemingway The story follows Markham's childhood in Africa to her record-setting west-bound solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In an interview with Five Books, political journalist and Bill Clinton biographer, David Maraniss, weighed in on what makes "West with the Night" so meaningful for Hillary Clinton. "When she was a kid, Hillary wanted to be an astronaut," he explained. "She's always been attracted to flying and space... She's always been attracted to strong women, and she's always been attracted to daring people."

Markham's memoir certainly ticks all those boxes. This is, after all, the book that humbled the famous Ernest Hemingway. He was personally acquainted with Markham and considered her to be difficult. And yet, her icon status was undeniable. "She has written so well, and marvellously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer..." he wrote in a letter to a friend. "But this girl, who is to my knowledge very unpleasant... can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers." Clinton is no stranger to the personality criticisms so often lobbed at women who defy traditional roles, so perhaps Markham's persistence and fearlessness struck a chord.

Amy Tan's 1989 novel is another modern classic that makes Hillary Clinton's favorites shelf. The multigenerational story follows several Asian American families and sheds light on the immigrant experience, as well as mother-daughter relationships. In 16 interlocking tales, Chinese immigrant mothers clash with their American-born daughters. In an essay for The Cut, comedian Margaret Cho reflected on the novel's legacy: "It's among the canon of Asian-American stories that are feminist and that are true to our being. It's a book that has stayed with me and lived in me."

One Amazon reviewer described it as a book about "mothers who don't understand their daughters, and daughters who only very gradually begin to understand their mothers," praising the complexity and richness of the characters. The reviewer recommended it to daughters seeking to better understand their mothers because it's a story that examines the most primal female relationship of all.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about Black womanhood is among Hillary Clinton's favorite books. The story centers on Celie, who manages to carve out small avenues of self-expression and connection in the face of extreme racism and abuse. Female relationships are key to her survival, which is part of why "The Color Purple" remains such an iconic story.

"[Walker] gives us one horrifying glimpse after another into the lives of women ravaged by unspeakable brutalities like rape and abuse, lives searching for meaning and connection and seeking out that elusive ray of hope amidst the darkness of despair," wrote one Goodreads user. Walker is clear-eyed about the private hardships of women's lives, as well as the private joys, and her book celebrates both honesty and resilience. It's a story so enduring that it's been adapted for film and stage. In 2017, Hillary Clinton was applauded when she attended a Broadway performance of the story, proof that its themes of women's strength are still close to her heart.

Hillary Clinton named "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver as a beloved favorite. Set in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this 1998 bestselling novel tells the story of a Baptist missionary's wife and daughters. The patriarchal institutions of Christianity and colonialism are seen through the eyes of women. The work draws lightly on Kingsolver's own childhood there, and questions the restrictive gender roles imposed by Western culture and religion. Readers have praised the story for its clear and realistic depiction of its female characters. "These five voices are a triumph of first-person narration, so distinct and arising organically from the characters' personalities and experiences," wrote one Goodreads user.

In doing so, Kingsolver captured, with great precision, the impacts of harsh institutions. "It's one of the most powerful books I've read about the evil consequences of patriarchal oppression, be it personal, cultural, or political," Clinton told Oprah.com. Clinton has long been an advocate for international women's rights, so a generational examination of the conditions of women's lives was likely deeply resonant.