A Rant

elle

OK, I promise to be short, but I just got in a snit over this, and I have to take it out somewhere. And really, that's the great reason to have a blog, you can rant and people will read it.

NPR posted an essay with a list of the top 100 novels of the 20th century and in my quick glance through it I counted 6, 6! women. There were more books about women by men than female authors on there!! ACK!!! OK, the author does state that this is his personal list, but really I don't care, I'm mad.

So, there it is once again. This is not blatant sexism on Dick Meyer's part, nor do I assume he is an unenlightened boar. This is an example of how we aren't exposed to the art of women. I'm not sure I could come up with 100 20th century books by women of the caliber to go on a "best" list. We don't read these books in school, they aren't on the must read lists, and people shy from highlighting the work of women in fear of being called discriminatory.

So, congratulations to Toni Morrison (whose oeuvre could fill our list alone), Willa Cather, Harper Lee, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, and Alice McDermott. However, to this esteemed company I not-so-humbly add off the top of my head:

The House of Mirth--Edith Wharton
The Red Tent--Anita Diamant
The Joy Luck Club--Amy Tan
Their Eyes Were Watching God--Zora Neal Hurston
White Oleander--Janet Finch
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings--Maya Angelou
Bastard Out of Carolina--Dorothy Allison
Cane River--Lalita Tademy
The Color Purple--Alice Walker

Hmmm, a pile of books about women of color, lesbians, etc. Wonder why they didn't make the list...

Send us your suggestions, we're going to make the OSU top 100 books by women in the 20th century! Woo Hoo!!