In the age of Instagram selfies and Kim Kardashian’s ridiculous butt implants, young women need to feel empowered. They need to be reminded that they are strong and powerful in their own way. With that in mind, here is a list of books every young woman, either in college or post-grad, needs to read.

1. "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur.

Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry broken into four parts—the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. The poems in each section cover issues many women face in their lifetime, such as sexual abuse and toxic relationships. What I love most about this book is that it encourages women to self-love and self-heal, rather than rely on men to fix their problems.

2. "The Handmaid’s Tale" by Margaret Atwood.

Every woman should read this novel, in which a fanatically religious government has taken over the country and infertility has infected the population. The few fertile women who remain are called Handmaids, made to work as surrogates for Commanders and their wives, high-ranking members of society. It’s a powerful novel about feminism and freedom of religion

3. "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath.

Another great book on feminism, The Bell Jar follows a bright but mentally unstable college girl, Esther. Throughout the story, she grows into her sexuality and builds her career as a magazine writer in the 1960s at the cusp traditional values of the 50s are clashing with the new norm. The book also explores the mental health system of the era and how mental illness was stigmatized for years, especially in women.

4. "The Red Tent" by Anita Diament.

This noveltells the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and the younger sister of Joseph, the one with the amazing coat. In the Book of Genesis, Dinah is a footnote; the only notable thing worth mentioning about her was her rape by an Egyptian prince. The Red Tent creates a whole new side of her, as well as her mother Leah, Jacob’s other three wives, and the history of her and the women of the tribe. The book is focused on sisterhood, female identity, and women finding their own power in a world dominated by men.

5. "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte.

A classic, Jane Eyre follows a young woman who was orphaned as a child, abused by her aunt before sent to boarding school, and then forced to take on work as a governess because her relatives were withholding her inheritance. She thinks she has found a bright spot in her life at last when she falls in love with her employer, the wealthy and mysterious Mr. Rochester- except he never told Jane he was already married and hid his crazy wife in the attic.

Instead of running away with Mr. Rochester like he begged her to, Jane sticks to her Christian moral code and walks away, declaring she will be the one to take care of her. In a time where unmarried women, or women in general, had few rights, this was incredibly strong.

6. "We Believe You" by Annie E. Clark.

A work of nonfiction, We Believe You is a collection of stories written by survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. Whether or not you have ever been a victim of assault, this book is empowering. It’s about taking your life back, finding your own inner strength, and standing up for what is right. Some of the stories in We Believe You are graphic, but they drive the barb home.

7. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd.

Maybe some of you have seen the movie with Queen Latifa and Dakota Fanning, but it is based off a book. Nowadays, in books as well as movies and TV shows, we see a lot of women going out of their way to tear each other down. Daughters always clash with their mothers, but often times the relationships are portrayed in an unhealthy light. While that is the case for most people, The Secret Life of Bees has a plotline heavy with sisterhood and women building each other up, as well as older women inspiring the younger generations. And the book also reminds us you can have more than one mother.

8. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

Maya Angelou had a hard childhood. Her mother’s friend sexually abused her and then that same man was beaten to death by her uncles in retaliation. Thinking her speaking up is responsible for the man’s death, she was mute for years until a mentor finally helped her get her voice back. Maya encountered several other hardships in her life, but she always came out strong.

The years of Maya’s life covered in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings are in the 1930s in the American South, where being black was dangerous and being a woman made you lesser than men. Maya was both. And now she’s one of the greatest modern literary legends.

9. "A Room of One’s Own" by Virginia Woolf.

A Room of One’s Own is an essay written by Virginia Woolf where she puts into perspective how female writers of the times were not as appreciated as the male writers. She also explains that women of the time lacked the financial resources to pursue their creative passions, because at the time women relied financially on men for everything. Though this essay was written and published in 1929, much of it can be applied to now. More women than men are going to college now, pursuing their educations and not allowing men to be their primary financial support.

10. "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker.

A novel all about women standing up to men and building each other up, The Color Purple tells the story of Cecile as she survives an abusive father and then an abusive husband, and gets herself out of her situation. She finds strength in her relationship with her younger sister, Nettie, and her friendship with blues singer Shug Avery.

Our society seems intent on turning women against each other. The Color Purple reminds women that our relationships with the women in our lives can have just as much of an impact as our relationships with the men in our lives.