Books are external manifestations of what are inside peoples' hearts and minds. Until today, women, referred to as the weaker sex, bemoaned their miserable lives due to discrimination and oppression. From Austin's female protagonist in "Pride and Prejudice" to Amy Tan's women in "Joy Luck Club", these books echoed their assertion for individuality as persons.

As a feminist, these women-centered novels will satisfy your quest for domination.

1. "Jane Eyre" (1847) by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre undergoes five distinct stages: (1) her emotionally and physically abused childhood at Gateshead Hall; (2) her education at Lowood School where suffers cruelty; (3) as governess at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with her employer, Edward Rochester; (4) her time with the Rivers family; and (5) her marriage to Rochester. She told Rochester at his face that she is talking to him as an equal, not as his servant. By this statement, she dumped all inequalities, whether it is age, class, experience or gender.

2. "The Awakening" (1899), initially entitled "A Solitary Soul," written by Kate Chopin

Its setting is the end of 19th century New Orleans. The plot focuses on Edna Pontellier and her story electrified readers with the manner female marital infidelity was treated. Trapped in a stifling marriage, Edna desires passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation. This story is a landmark of early feminism that generated mixed reactions from contemporary readers and critics.

3. "Gone with the Wind" (1936), the only novel written by Margaret Mitchell

It pictured Atlanta, Clayton County & Georgia during the America's Civil War and the Era of Reconstruction. Scarlett O'Hara, unlike the ladies of the period, is a free-spirited, willful modern woman. Being the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, she uses every means at her disposal to come out of the poverty she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea.

4. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (1943) by Betty Smith

It is the story of the young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan that covers her bittersweet growing years in the slums of Williamsburg during the first two decades of the 20th century. Despite her hardships, she was able to overcome the most tragic, sublime and heartbreaking experiences due to her indomitable spirit of optimism. The novel is divided into five parts; each part covering different stages in the characters' lives.

5. "Diary of a Young Girl" (1952) by Anne Frank

Within the pages of her diary, Anne Frank described her own life including all the sorrows and complexities of the world. Anne lived up to her ideal amidst her crumbling world -- hiding in a secret place and sufferings as Nazi prisoner. From a 15-year-old's point of view, her diary expressed positivity and staying strong despite the sufferings and adversities befalling her life day-by-day.

6. "The Joy Luck Club" (1989) by Amy Tan

It presented the lives of four immigrant families of Chinese-American descent who settled in San Francisco. They organized a woman's club known as The Joy Luck Club. The book is created like a mahjong game, with four parts divided into four sections to create sixteen chapters. There are three mothers and four daughters sharing stories that showed their strength and unconquerable spirits as women who were living on hard times.