Books to Inspire You in 2016

"Let me take a minute to say that I love bossy women. For me, a bossy woman is someone to search out and celebrate. A bossy woman is someone who cares and commits and is a natural leader."

-Amy Poehler

Happy New Year, Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful start to 2016 and are looking forward to wonderful things to come! 

Every year around this time, I (like many others) find myself reflecting on the past and searching for ways to improve in the future. While the start of the year is a great time to make resolutions, it can be hard to keep that motivation going when your hectic schedule starts up again after the sleepy holidays. So, in order to help you through the next few months, I gathered up a few great reads meant to inspire and push you to power through and make 2016 the year you always dreamed of. 

1. "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler

See quote above. Amy Poehler is open, honest and overall incredibly inspiring in this down-to-earth book. Poehler discusses her rise to the top of the comedy game, only achieved through hard work, dedication, sacrifice and a serious lack of sleep over the past few decades. After reading this book, you'll be left wanting to jump out of your chair and start your own business...or three (while raising two kids, running charity workshops, making appearances, filming movies and mostly just running the world).

2. "Bossypants" by Tina Fey. 

While this book has been out for a few years now, if you haven't had a chance to check it out, or have been searching for an excuse to revisit it, now is the time. Fey is extraordinarily humble in this touching memoir where she describes her commitment to career, family and friends. Throughout the course of the memoir, Fey acknowledges the struggle women face in the professional world, especially in her realm of comedy, but the comedienne shows that hard work, dedication and loyalty combined with nurturing, supportive and even feminine qualities can truly be a winning combination in any sphere. 

3. "#GirlBoss" by Sophia Amoruso

Not for the faint-of-heart, this book is meant for all you ladies who never felt like you quite fit the mold but know you have something great to offer the world. Amoruso famously started her career dumpster diving for food and clothing after dropping out of school, and now runs a multi-million dollar vintage clothing company. How did she do it? You'll have to read this harrowing story to find out, but know that whether you subscribe to Amoruso's "kick-ass" mentality, you'll turn the last page wanting more and feeling ready to dominate any challenge facing you in life. 

I hope we can all dig a little deeper this year and find our inner "boss," whatever that means for you. Can't wait to see what 2016 brings for us all!  

Book Review: The Sand Child

Is gender something we're born with or something we develop? How is being female in your society different from being female in others?

What happens if you are forced to perform a gender role opposite to your sex? And what if that occurred in an Islamic society which conversely oppresses women and reveres men?

These are all questions explored in Tahar Ben Jelloun's compelling novel, "The Sand Child."

Set in Morocco in the mid-twentieth century, "The Sand Child" begins with a father in absolute anguish over the birth of yet another daughter. In a culture that considers the birth of even one girl unlucky, Hajji has been dealt the ultimate bad hand: seven daughters and not a single son. Faced with the possibility of having to name his contemptuous brother as his heir, Hajji decides his eighth child will be a boy, no matter what it's sex.

And so begins the nightmarish upbringing of Ahmed, physically female but brought up as a male. Hajji makes sure Ahmed receives all the privileges deserving of a sole male heir: a lavish welcoming party at birth, access to the best education the family could afford, permission to enter Mosques and to study the Koran, and reign over all seven sisters and his mother.

Despite these advantages, Ahmed finds he can't control his effeminate ways or his "female" mentality. Caught between a desire to keep the privileges of an Islamic man while identifying with a female mind and body, Ahmed closes himself off to society.

We are left asking what happens to this confused, isolated character, as he grows up caught within two separate identities. But in fact, Ahmed's true fate is left for the reader to decide, as the narration at this point in the novel switches to various forms and characters. Different theories of Ahmed's fate are espoused, and a fascinating tale is woven, painting the many options a man occupying the body of a woman in a violently restrictive culture can occupy.

The book itself broaches many provoking questions about gender identity, and the constant flux of the  narrative gives the text a disorienting feel while also reflecting the idea that gender identity itself is remarkably fluid.

A warning for any potential readers: This is a book the likes of which you have most likely never read before. Narrators switch without any warning, and you'll have to work hard to figure out who's talking when and where you even are. But if you can accomplish that, you'll be left with a fascinating story and the desire for more.


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Notable Books: I Am Malala

Sometimes you come across a book that inspires and strengthens you - a book that keeps you up at night reading into the early morning hours because you just can't get enough. Malala Yousafzai's autobiography is one of those books.

I took advantage of the gorgeous summer weather this weekend and settled myself outside with my new read. Throughout the book, Malala tells the story of her miraculous recovery after being shot by the Taliban, provides a comprehensive history of the violence plaguing Pakistan, includes harrowing stories about school bombings, and champions her fight for global women's education. 

"I Am Malala" highlights the fear and violence girls face every day just for wanting to learn how to read. Think of this: in over 70 countries around the world, girls have experienced violence simply for going to school. 

How lucky are those of us who were able to head to our classes without having to look over our shoulder for gunmen ready to shoot us down? It's almost impossible to imagine. 

This book was incredibly honest. Malala intersperses her war stories with teenage anecdotes about boys, her favorite T.V. shows, and her desperate desire to be a few inches taller. She is so immensely relatable, you can't help but fall in love with such an inspiring young woman. (She's only 18!!) 

I'm so inspired to keep the conversation about women's education going. Tell me, have you read the book? What did you think? Learn more at malalafund.org and sound off in the comments!