The Spanish philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." As a genre, historical fiction allows us to shuttle back in time to stand in the shoes, clogs, chopines, and go-go boots of people—real and imagined—to consider the events that shaped their personal characters and the outside world.
Putting an obstacle in the path of your protagonist's hopes and dreams is Creative Writing 101, and it's a narrative practice that the patriarchy has been burdening women with since the dawn of time. As Trump's regime continues to make handmaidens out of its female citizens, we'd all do well to revisit books in which women gain ground—only to lose it— so that we can more thoughtfully examine the rinse and repeat cycle we're currently mired in. From blousy bestsellers to voice-driven literary fiction, there is a book for every tote bag on this reading list—particularly if the patriarchy's not your bag.
