Cinderella Liberator

Rebecca Solnit takes the Cinderella story apart and rebuilds it: her Cinderella goes to the ball, enjoys herself, and then declines to be rescued, opening a cake shop instead and freeing everyone around her to be who they actually are. Illustrated with Arthur Rackham silhouettes, it works as a children’s book and as an argument about the stories we hand to girls. Emma Watson chose it for Our Shared Shelf in her final selection as host of the club.