Inspirational Books for Women
An inspiring book may change how we look at ourselves, our decisions, and sometimes at the obstacles standing in our path. Some books inspire us through their personal experiences, while other books teach us how to be confident, creative, independent, or develop ourselves.
In case you search for inspirational books for women, here is a list of memoirs and self-help books which include various inspirations. If you’d like a broader, gender-neutral starting point first, our best inspirational books to read guide is a good companion piece — but this list narrows things down specifically for women readers. From Becoming by Michelle Obama to Educated by Tara Westover, each book conveys a unique message with its own outlook on life.
Quick Comparison Table
Here is a quick look at some of the best inspirational books for women and what each one offers.
| Book | Main Theme | Best For | Difficulty | Rating |
| Becoming | Identity & resilience | Memoir readers | Easy | 9.5/10 |
| Educated | Education & independence | Readers seeking resilience | Moderate | 9.5/10 |
| Untamed | Self-discovery | Challenging expectations | Easy | 9/10 |
| Big Magic | Creativity | Creative readers | Easy | 9/10 |
| The Confidence Code | Confidence & career | Professional growth | Moderate | 8.5/10 |
| The Gifts of Imperfection | Self-worth | Perfectionists | Easy | 9/10 |
| You Are a Badass | Mindset & motivation | Practical motivation | Easy | 8.5/10 |
Ratings are editorial ratings based on relevance and overall reading appeal.
Why Read Inspirational Books for Women?
Motivation is unique to each individual. While someone may require confidence in order to start their career, another one is looking for independence and trying to define what exactly they want to get from life.
Inspirational books provide ideas and do not offer an exact recipe to success. They can help readers reconsider limiting beliefs and learn from the experience of other people. This overlaps a lot with our list of the best self-help books to read, since many of the same titles show up on both lists — the two genres borrow heavily from each other. Books that inspire women prove helpful far beyond a temporary motivational boost, and if you enjoy memoir-driven inspiration in general, it’s also worth looking at stories like the best APJ Abdul Kalam books, which take a similar personal-journey approach from a very different life story.
7 Best Inspirational Books for Women
Explore the 7 best inspirational books for women that every women should read for motivation, confidence, and personal growth.
Becoming (2018)
Rating: 9.5/10
Best for: Those who like memoirs about identity, work and resilience.
The memoir of Michelle Obama describes the writer’s life from childhood till the years spent as First Lady of the USA. Instead of offering a linear success story, the author describes how different experiences shape the identity of the person.
One of the most important messages of Becoming is that a person is always growing and changing themselves depending on different stages of life. Its personal style makes the book more approachable, while its topics of work, family, ambitions and changes make it one of the easiest inspirational books for women to read.
Educated (2018)
Rating: 9.5/10
Best for: Those who are interested in education, independence and resilience.
The book of Tara Westover is dedicated to her childhood spent in a survivalist family in Idaho and further getting a formal education. In her autobiography, the writer describes how from the childhood spent outside of schools, she managed to enter the universities including Cambridge.
Educated is more than just a story about education. It is dedicated to the process of a person becoming aware of the situation and the beliefs that surrounded him/her in his childhood. The main message of the book will be especially helpful for those who are interested in learning and making difficult decisions.
Untamed (2020)
Rating: 9/10
Best for: Women trying to understand themselves better and questioning imposed expectations.
Untamed is a memoir about identity, relationships, motherhood and personal freedom by Glennon Doyle. The author tells the readers to focus more on their desires and values rather than constantly trying to satisfy other people’s expectations.
As it is written in a straightforward manner, the book is very easy to read. The main theme of the book is sure to resonate with those who have been trying to live according to others’ expectations for a long time.
Big Magic (2015)
Rating: 9/10
Most suitable for: Creative women suffering from fear or self-doubts.
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert explores creativity and fear preventing individuals from creating. The author encourages her readers to treat creative activities with curiosity rather than perfectionism.
Even though the book is not solely addressed to women, it perfectly fits into a list of self-help books for women because of the idea encouraging readers to make room for their hobbies and interests. The book can become especially helpful to those who always postpone writing, painting, business ideas, etc.
The Confidence Code (2014)
Rating: 8.5/10
Most suitable for: Women concerned about confidence, career and leadership.
The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman discusses confidence and its impact on women’s professional life. The authors explore scientific research on the subject combined with the real-life stories of women from various professions like business, politics, and media.
The book is particularly relevant to readers who find themselves questioning their decisions a lot and afraid to speak up. Instead of treating confidence as an inherent quality, the book shows how it can be built. If career growth is your main focus, pair this with our roundup of the best books to read for business for more practical, workplace-focused reading, or explore the Tony Robbins books list for more mindset-and-confidence titles.
The Gifts of Imperfection (2010)
Rating: 9/10
Recommended for: People with perfectionism and self-criticism.
In Brené Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection, the themes of self-acceptance, authenticity, vulnerability, and giving up of unreasonable expectations are explored.
The message of this book is clear and valuable – a meaningful existence is not possible within the framework of perfection. Those people who are often comparing themselves with others or experiencing the necessity to pretend that everything is fine can benefit from reading this book because it teaches people how to be more self-respecting rather than achievement-oriented.
You Are a Badass (2013)
Rating: 8.5/10
Recommended for: Those people who enjoy energetic and practical self-help books.
Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass is a plain book about the topics of mindset, self-confidence, limiting beliefs, and taking action. The book uses humorous language, personal anecdotes, exercises, and pieces of advice to teach people in a practical rather than academic way.
In this way, the book becomes good material for those people who prefer motivational and energetic self-help material and who are eager to learn the ways of detecting self-destructive patterns and taking actions instead of waiting for perfection.
The Common Themes in These Books
Though some life-changing books for women focus on confidence, independence, resilience, and self-worth, each author has its own way of addressing these topics.
For example, Becoming discusses personal identity and personal development while Educated emphasizes the importance of education and critical thinking. Untamed poses the question about societal expectations while The Confidence Code discusses confidence within the professional setting. On the other hand, Big Magic promotes creativity and The Gifts of Imperfection encourages people to accept their flaws.
This same blend of career, mindset, and money-focused self-improvement also runs through titles outside this list — our Money Master the Game book review is a good example of how financial confidence ties into the same personal-growth themes covered here.
In conclusion, personal growth does not always mean the same thing as the definition of success. Some of the time, it may be a pursuit of something greater than oneself. Some other times it may be about setting boundaries, making your own decisions, accepting your imperfections or finally doing something for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the best inspirational books for women?
Becoming, Educated, Untamed, and The Gifts of Imperfection are the good examples of motivational books. The right book will depend on what one is looking for.
2. Which book should a women read first?
Becoming is an excellent book for people interested in reading personal stories while You Are a Badass or The Confidence Code might be better for those interested in self-help.
3. What are good inspirational books for women’s personal growth?
Educated, Untamed, The Gifts of Imperfection, and Big Magic address various aspects of personal growth such as independence, self-acceptance, identity, and creativity.
4. Are these books only about career success?
No. Inspirational books do not have to focus on career only. They may also discuss personal identity, personal relationships, creativity, resilience, confidence, self-worth, and personal freedom. If you want to explore women’s voices in literature more broadly, take a look at our list of the most successful female poets as well.
