My mother began reading to me and my sister ever since we were old enough to hold our evening snack in our hands without spilling any crumbs in the sheets. She would read Laura Ingalls Wilder, L. M. Montgomery, and others while we snuggled in our bunk beds, curling our toes to feel the heavy warmness of the quilts. As we lay awake and heard the adventures of Anne Shirley, Laura Ingalls and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, we would let our imaginations enter the story until they became our dreams and mother would silently place the bookmark and turn off the light. This period was crucial because not only did I inherit my mother's love for literature, but it was during these bedtime readings when I realized that, contrary to our school textbook, women can use their own voice to tell their own stories.

From that point on, I have been avidly collecting women's literature; novels, poems, stories, experiences, and lives. Although all women's writings are significant, my collection focuses on those writings which deal directly with women's issues, such as gender roles, self-esteem, sexual orientation, discrimination, domestic violence, and rape. Each book in my collection tells a woman's story which is not only her own, but is shared by countless women everywhere. Although the issues dealt with in these books are serious, they are not sad stories. These books are jubilant because every time a story is read, more people come to understand these issues facing women, and every time a story is read, a woman's-voice is heard. Toni Morrison, Jeanette Winterson, Doris Lessing, Alice Walker, and others all share their own songs, not just for others to hear, but as an invitation to join in the singing as well. My bookshelf contains not just volumes of ink on paper, but a living chorus of women's voices that sing aloud.

This collection of women's stories has taught me a lot about women's experience in the "real world" and has forced me to examine my own identity of who I am as a woman, as opposed to what society thinks a woman "ought to be." I treasure these books and, although they are currently only being read by myself and occasional friends, I look forward to the time when I can walk in my mother's shoes and share real women's stories with my children, just as my mother did with me.

Acker, Kathy. Blood and Guts in High School. New York: Grove Weidenfeld, 1978.

In this contemporary feminist portrait, a young woman suffers the raw horrors of rape, abuse, depression, and loss of self as her defining reality.

Alvarez, Julia. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent. New York: Plume, 1992.

The Garcia girls, transplanted from their Dominican Republic home, cope with the dilemma of trying to adopt "American" femininity while still keeping their sense of identity and cultural heritage.

Angelou Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. New York: Bantam Books, 1970.

After being the victim of childhood rape, the author depicts her lifelong battle against silence, emotional abuse, low self-esteem, and her success in finding her own voice.

Anshaw, Carol. Aquamarine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992.

Spanning three alternate lives, Anshaw's heroine explores what it means to be female in her experiences of being married, single, heterosexual, lesbian, and in constant search for home and love.

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1986.

This widely-acclaimed futuristic novel presents a chilling picture of what may happen to sex, politics, and women's rights to their own bodies.

Brown, Rebecca. Annie Oakley's Girl. San Francisco, California: City Lights, 1993.

Dealing with such issues as female identity, gender roles, sexuality, and lesbianism, this collection of short stories is a jubilant testimony of contemporary feminist thought.

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1989.

This collection of vignettes depicts the experience of a Hispanic girl growing up in Chicago, facing oppressive gender roles, discrimination, sexual ignorance, and rape.

Flagg, Fannie, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1987.

In this novel, Flagg follows the lives of women who struggle against domestic violence, low self-esteem, and cultural concepts of age, weight, and beauty, resulting in independence and a new concept of female sexuality.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1990.

Hurston presents the experience of a young black woman who journeys through three marriages while battling discrimination, low self-esteem, and emotional abuse.

Kincaid, Jamaica. Annie John. New York: Plume, 1986.

This coming-of-age novel is a telling account of a woman's experience with racism, low self-esteem, and the relationship with her own mother.

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior - Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. New York: Vintage International, 1976.

Kingston exposes the brutal traditions of foot binding, infanticide, rape, and men's ownership of women in this ground-breaking account of a girl's struggle to be "American" feminine and still keep in touch with her Chinese heritage.

Lessing, Doris. Martha Quest. New York: Plume, 1970.

Part of the "Children of Violence" series, this contemporary novel explores the major sexual, social, and psychological issues experienced by women today.

Lipton, Eunice. Alias Olympia - A Woman's Search for Manet's Notorious Model and Her Own Desire. New York: Meridian, 1994.

In the course of her search for the history of a well-known art model, the heroine begins to discover truths about her own female identity, self, and sexuality.

Lorde, Audre. Zami - A New Spelling of My Name. Freedom, California: The Crossing Press, 1982.

This "biomythography" explores in depth numerous women's issues, including those of identity, sexuality, lesbianism, and empowerment.

Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Washington Square Press, 1972.

In this eye-opening novel, Morrison portrays a young girl's experience with racism, low self-esteem, and incestual rape.

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Plume, 1987.

This brilliant novel depicts women's struggle with race, self, family, and the relationships with their own fathers.

Plath, Sylvia. Ariel. New York: Harper Perennial, 1965.

This collection of final poems offers a disturbing portrait of Plath's struggle, as a woman, with sex, love, depression, and her estranged relationships with those around her.

Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1982.

In this novel, Walker portrays a woman's battle with the harsh realities of incestual rape, teen pregnancy, domestic violence, race discrimination, and her success in finding empowerment and love.

Walker, Alice. Possessing the Secret of Joy. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1992.

This novel delves into the topics of misogyny and female genital mutilation, while exploring pathways in the feminine search for self.

Winterson, Jeanette. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1985.

Raised in a very religious family, a young girl's journey into adulthood is made more difficult by her family's opposition to her new female identity and lesbianism.