10 books every Christian woman should add to her reading list this World Book Day

To celebrate World Book Day, Woman Alive book club host Claire Musters and other book club members share the titles that have been transformational in their own lives.

Glorious Weakness by Alia Joy (Baker Books)

This deeply personal book invites us to embrace true vulnerability and authenticity with God and with one another. Ali describes it further: “Alia shares her story of poverty, sexual assault, racism, mental and physical illness and points us to how we can find God’s comfort in our weaknesses. This is a book about finding hope within struggles that don’t go away. It’s not an easy read but it’s a powerful one and her writing is beautiful.”

I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (Virago)

Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with racism came when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. This book charts her journey to self-worth. Tanya describes it further: “A New York Times bestseller lauded by Reese Witherspoon and Brené Brown, this quietly stunning memoir about living as a middle-class black woman in America deserves all the hype it’s received. There is one chapter where Austin recounts a day in her life at a Christian organisation exposing the emotional and mental exhaustion of the black person navigating the expectations and ignorance of the ‘well-meaning’, subtle racism of a white community. The tone of the book is concise, well-reasoned, accessible and far more gentle than its readers probably deserve, yet lacking nothing in its power. Although it speaks particularly to American culture, it made me reflect on the insidious nature of middle-class Christian whiteness in general, and I am grateful for that. Highly recommended.”