Christmas gift guide 2023 - non fiction

by The Feminist Bookshop Team, November 2023

We had such a wonderful response to last year's Christmas Gift Guides, we decided to bring it back for 2023! Here we focus on a range of genres that are currently topping the bestseller lists, suggesting our favourite authors in these categories who are writing incredible books that otherwise often get overlooked.

You can read our 2023 fiction gift guide here.

for linguists & polyglots

wordslut

An informative, fun and engaging deconstruction of the English language. An accessible writing style weaving pop culture, science and history to show us how patriarchy is ingrained in every aspects of our lives, until language itself.

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no more/c'est tout

A bilingual edition (FR-EN) of Marguerite Duras' meditation on facing death. Unsettling and powerful.

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women in translation gift box

Celebrate women in translation all year round: this box has been specially curated to include some of the best translated works, and/or non-fiction about the work of translation, gorgeously wrapped and displayed in our exclusive The Feminist Bookshop gift boxes!

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social justice for teens and tweens

allies

The best tool to learn and unlearn ingrained behaviours and sitting with the discomfort of growth.

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disability visibility

Eye-opening essays written by disabled people. Accessible and engaging.

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everyday action, everyday change

An inspiring educational guide providing every day action to create change.

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stocking fillers

bffs

Do you have a special friend who's been with you through thick and thin? This is the perfect gift. Short, profound, funny and full of pop culture references. A delight.

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the divine feminine

Much more than a colouring book, this is also filled with creative prompts for personal growth. Pairs perfectly with a good podcast and Boxing Day leftovers.

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christmas eve at the moon under water

An enchanting festive poem by Carol Ann Duffy, former Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, adorned with sumptuous illustrations by artist Margaux Carpentier. The perfect festive gift for the poetry lover in your life.

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for futurists and techies

machine readable me

Identification technologies - passports, ID cards, ancestry reports - put us in boxes, determine where we can go and where we can’t, and change how we relate to those around us. Machine Readable Me is a tour of the many ways in which identification technologies are impacting our lives in both ways we see and ways we don’t.

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augmented exploitation

Augmented Exploitation explores the reality of the impact of AI on workers' lives. While the consensus is that AI is a completely new way of managing a workplace, the authors show that, on the contrary, AI is used as most technologies are used under capitalism: as a smokescreen that hides the deep exploitation of workers.

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she's in ctrl

Why are women so under-represented in the tech world? Why does this matter? What can we do about it? A book that asks essential questions and provides long-overdue practical solutions.

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for foodies

happy vegan christmas

Are you getting stressed about what to cook for Christmas? Don't worry, we've got you! Happy Vegan Christmas dishes will enchant friends and family.

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taste makers

Who's really behind America's appetite for foods from around the globe? This group biography from an electric new voice in food writing honours seven extraordinary women, all immigrants, who left an indelible mark on the way Americans eat today.

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manju's cookbook

Authentic Indian food from Manju, one of the world's oldest chefs, and her award-winning restaurant in this homage to the vegetarian cuisine of Gujarat.

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for the social justice warrior

bringing down goliath

A revealing, empowering vision of how the law can work better for all of us, from Jolyon Maugham KC, founder of Good Law Project. Our legal system often feels like it only works for the rich and powerful - for those who have the means to use the courts to enforce their will and defend their interests. But we can fight back.

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the socialist manifesto

The book both explores socialism's history and presents a realistic vision for its future. A primer on socialism for the 21st century, this is a book for anyone seeking an end to the vast inequities of our age.

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it's not that radical

Climate justice offers the real possibility of huge leaps towards racial equality and collective liberation as it aims to dismantle the very foundations of these issues. In this book, Mikaela Loach offers a fresh and radical perspective for real climate action that could drastically change the world as we know it for the benefit of us all.

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for the witches, wizards and warlocks

wiccan feasts, celebrations & rituals

A beautifully illustrated guide from a Celtic Wiccan High Priestess to celebrating the Wiccan way, from Halloween to handfastings, as well as everyday rituals to enhance all areas of your life.

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radical tarot

A dynamic re-envisioning of the tarot, including tarot card imagery that describes how the tarot is queer, that the archetypes are alive, and that tarot doesn't tell the future; it creates it.

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rebel folklore

Rebel Folklore gathers 50 of the darkest and most complicated folktale characters from around the world, showing readers why we should care about the rebels and misfits of ancient stories. A beautiful gift, with black sprayed edges.

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for writers and poets

body work

Candid and inspiring, Body Work will empower readers and writers alike, offering ideas-and occasional notes of caution-to anyone who has ever hoped to see their true self reflecting back from the open page.

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poetry is political bookclub subscription

Our new bookclub centred on the political power of poetry starting in January 2024!

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state of play

A mix of essays, poetry and epistolary anthology. The perfect gift for a literary friend.

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for the fangirls

the woman in me (indie edition)

It's Britney Bitch! The icon of a generation reclaims her voice and finally shares her story and her truth with us and we're HERE for it.

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pageboy

Pageboy is full of behind-the-scenes details and intimate interrogations on sex, love, trauma and Hollywood. But at its core, this beautifully written, winding journey of what it means to untangle ourselves from the expectations of others is an ode to stepping into who we truly are with defiance, strength and joy.

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i'm glad my mom died

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor-including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother-and how she retook control of her life.

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for the nature lovers

belonging

A love letter to nature, especially the northern landscapes of Scotland. Beautifully written and featuring Amanda Thomson's artwork and photography throughout, it creatively explores how place, language and family shape us and make us who we are.

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hidden places

Savour a moment to delight in the serenity and seclusion of the secret escapes collected in this beautifully illustrated guide, full of surprise, wonder and sights otherwise unseen.

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nature gift box

The perfect, curated gift for yourself or the nature-lover in your life- gorgeously wrapped and displayed in our exclusive The Feminist Bookshop gift boxes!

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for music lovers

her word is bond

Psalm One tells her own story, from growing up in Englewood, Chicago through her life as a chemist, teacher, and legendary rapper. Intrinsically feminist, this story is a celebration of the life and career of one artist who blazed the trail for women in hip hop.

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revenge of the she-punks

In Revenge of the She-Punks, Vivien Goldman probes four themes: identity, money, love, and protest, to explore what makes punk such a liberating art form for women.

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deeping it

Challenging the often racist discourse surrounding grime, this Inkling titles 'deeps' how the criminalisation of UK drill cannot be disentangled from histories, technologies, and realities of colonialism and consumerism.

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righteous rage

good and mad

Good and Mad offers a glimpse into the galvanizing force of women’s collective anger, which, when harnessed, can change history.

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eloquent rage

Far too often, Black women's anger has been caricatured into an ugly and destructive force that threatens the civility and social fabric of American democracy. But Cooper shows us that there is more to the story than that.

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rage gift box

Embrace the potential power of your anger with our rage box, gorgeously wrapped and displayed in our exclusive The Feminist Bookshop gift boxes!

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for the mind, body, spirit reader

please yourself

The perfect guide, especially during the festive season, to start prioritising yourself and set boundaries with family, friends, and beyond.

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why women grow

Women have always gardened, but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that. To understand what encourages women to go out, work the soil, plant seeds and nurture them, even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders.

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disobedient bodies

Emma Dabiri offers alternative ways of seeing beauty, drawing on other cultures, worldviews, times, and places, as well as looking beyond the capitalist model - to reconnect with our birth right and find the inherent joy in our disobedient bodies.

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feminist toolkit

the feminist killjoy handbook

The timeless guide for every single feminist who's ever been called a killjoy.

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collapse feminism

Alice Cappelle looks at how a conservative backlash is being orchestrated online and why we must fight against it. Reversing our contemporary catastrophism, the author asks readers to join her and others in building a future that will liberate us all.

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femlit gift box

Our Fem-Lit box is perfect whether you're new to feminist literature or a life-long expert, with a mix of poetry, fiction and non-fiction to fully immerse you, gorgeously wrapped and displayed in our exclusive The Feminist Bookshop gift boxes!

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for pop-culture fiends

unlikeable female characters

Unlikeable Female Characters traces the evolution of highly memorable female characters, and the ways in which pop culture is finally allowing us to celebrate the complexities of being a woman.

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monsters: a fan's dilemma

A passionate, provocative and blisteringly smart interrogation of how we experience art in the age of #MeToo, and whether we can separate an artist's work from their biography. What do we do with the art of monstrous men?

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musical truth

This book redefines British history, the Empire and postcolonialism, and will invite you to think again about the narratives and key moments in history that you have been taught up to now. Thrilling, urgent, entertaining and thought-provoking.

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i have no idea what they want

gift voucher

You're a week away from Christmas and still have no clue what to get? A gift voucher is always a good idea. Can be spent online or in-store!

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Bookclub Subscription - Festive Gift Edition

Give the gift of a bookclub subscription this festive season. Purchase either a 6-Month or 12-Month subscription, and we'll make sure your loved one receives their first book in time for Christmas, alongside a personalised The Feminist Bookshop card.

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personalised gift box

The ideal box for someone who wants something unique and created just for them. Our personalised gift boxes contain books which are tailored specifically for you or someone special in your life.

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tfb staff's 2023 favourites

doppelganger

This is a book for our age and for all of us. It's for anyone who has lost hours down an internet rabbit hole, who wonders why our politics has become so fatally warped, and who wants a way out of our collective vertigo and back to fighting for what really matters.

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"you just need to lose weight" and 19 other myths about fat people

The co-host of the Maintenance Phase podcast and creator of Your Fat Friend equips you with the facts to debunk common anti-fat myths and with tools to take action for fat justice. 

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all the living and the dead

A surprisingly hopeful and comforting book about death and how we look after dead people. Fascinating and thought-provoking.

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for the non-reader

activity books and journals

We have a small range of undated diaries, journals and stationery for your feminist friend.

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tote bags

The Feminist Bookshop tote bag, hand screen printed in the UK, earth positive trademarked and 100% organic cotton. Available in Natural, Pink and Navy.

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badges

Communicative pin badges made by a local artist. Perfect if you've got a new jacket for Christmas and would like to make a statement out of it!

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tarot decks

We have a wide range of tarot decks stepping away from the traditional binary imagery the tarot is renowned for.

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t-shirt

Wanna rep us everywhere you go ? Our pink and red combo got your back! Perfect with a glittery cardigan at the Xmas dinner table.

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feminist art prints

Exclusive prints with powerful literary quotes. Perfect for freshening up your walls.

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Christmas Gift Guide 2023 - Nonfiction

Thank you so much for reading. We would love to hear about your gift recommendations or trickiest gift decisions to make in the comments below. Also, scroll down to check out our other blog posts and let us know what you'd like to read about in the coming months!

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