AWF Reading List

A list of additional resources which have informed and inspired AWF's work.

50 Ways to Improve Women’s Lives by National Council of Women’s Organizations. Contributor Martha Burk.

An inspiring collection of essays by women who have successfully advocated for social change includes contributions from Gloria Steinem, Madaline Albright, Betty Friedan, Hillary Clinton, Eleanor Smeal, and several key Congresswomen. New World Library 2005. 

Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Mohammed Yunus.

The founder of the Grameen Bank relates how he developed the system of micro-credit to help eradicate poverty in countries such as Bangladesh by providing financial education and small loans to rural families. PublicAffairs 2003.

Effective Philanthropy: Organizational Success through Deep Diversity and Gender Equality.  Mary Ellen Capek and Molly Mead. 

In Effective Philanthropy, Mary Ellen Capek and Molly Mead offer strategies for strengthening organizations through a commitment to diversity and gender equality. Capek and Mead's research shows that institutionalizing a more nuanced understanding of what they call "deep diversity" allows organizations to make full use of all the resources they have available, both inside and outside their doors. MIT Press 2006.

Faith and Feminism: A Holy Alliance.  Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D.

Why do so many women of faith have such a strong aversion to feminism? And why do so many feminists have an ardent mistrust of religion? These questions are at the heart of Helen LaKelly Hunt's illuminating look at the alliance between spiritual conviction and social action. Intelligent and heartfelt, Faith and Feminism offers a perceptive look at the lives of five spirited and spiritual women of history, women who combined their undying faith with feminist beliefs and who made the world a better place by doing so. Simon & Schuster 2004.

Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy by Tracy Gary with Nancy Adess and Suze Orman.

The newest edition of this classic book shows how anyone can align and integrate values, passions, and dreams for their communities and families into their giving plans. Inspired Philanthropy explains how to make a difference by creating giving and legacy plans, tells what questions to ask nonprofits, and spells out how to partner with advisors and nonprofit leaders for inspired outcomes. 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How all Men Can Help. By Jackson Katz

"These pages will empower both men and women to end the scourge of male violence and abuse. Katz knows how to cut to the core of the issues, demonstrating undeniably that stopping the degradation of women should be every man's priority." --Lundy Bancroft, author of Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry andControlling Men. Sourcebooks, Inc. 2006.

Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism, and the Future by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards.

A powerful indictment from within of the current state of feminism, and a passionate call to armsFrom Lilith Fair to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the WNBA--everywhere you look, girl culture is clearly ascendant. In an intelligent and incendiary argument, Baumgardner and Richards address issues of feelings and the political as well as the personal. They describe the seven deadly sins the media commits against feminism, provide keys to accessible and urgent activism, discuss why the ERA is still a relevant and crucial political goal, and spell out what a world with equality would look like. They apply Third Wave confidence to Second Wave consciousness, all the while maintaining that the answer to feminism's problems is still feminism. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux 2000.

To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism by Rebecca Walker.

An anthology of essays by up-and-coming feminist and gay writers reevaluates the objectives and philosophy of the feminist movement, calling for more emphasis on liberating women than on guarding their sexual behavior. Anchor Books 1995.

Women, Philanthropy, and Social Change: Visions for a Just Society by Elayne Clift.

The seldom-heard "voice" of women's philanthropy speaks in this highly readable and richly contextualized collection of new writings. Elayne Clift, in her quest to demystify and honor women's philanthropy, turns to an impressive array of the movement's current leaders. As these remarkable women share their reflections and knowledge on the women's funding movement, it becomes clear that "women and philanthropy"--not so long ago a seeming oxymoron--harbors the marvelous potential for global social change across gender, race, and age barriers. UPINE 2005.