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	The Paladin - by C. J. Cherryh Set in an oriental medieval empire, a young girl swears revenge upon the warlord who destroys family, home, village, etc. She makes the journey to a reclusive weapons master for the necessary skills and forces him to teach her. The thing about this novel that really "makes" it is that it is told from the point of view of the weapons master. It's not quite the usual "She came, she saw, she kicked ass." because the author portrays it with more than usual (personal) depth. This is a really good inspirational book for those times when there's a slightly kamikaze feeling in the air. Anything else by C. J. Cherryh is pretty good, especially The Chanur Series.
	Pandora - by Sylvia Fraser. This book delivers and excellent portrayal of the life of a young, independent, strong girl by the name of Pandora. Misunderstood by her family, and rejected by society, Pandora journeys through life guided by her strong wit, wisdom, and intense sense of self, rejecting the ideals of society about women and becoming a role model in her own right. This is a superb novel, highlighted by the strong character, the colourful imagery and the interesting point of view of a young female pushed into a cruel society.
	The Passion of Molly T. - by Laurence Sanders Molly T. is a woman tired of living in a man's world. She starts off by forming a small group of women who begin fighting for the rights that they believe in. Their small group is tired of their friend being abused by her husband. They lure him outside and proceed to beat the crap out of him, letting him know that this is just a warning. The next time he touches his wife it will mean castration, which eventually becomes one of their trademarks. Their organization eventually grows to world-wide status. The Passions of Molly T. is an inspiration to all women, and hats off to Mr. Sanders for inventing her.
	Pope Joan - by Donna Woolfolk Cross The legend of Pope Joan has been floating in and out of popular opinion since the Middle Ages. Cross's novel is a fictional account of a woman who, disguised as a man, rose to the Papal throne. In a time when women were considered "unclean," treated as property, and forbidden to learn Latin, Joan is an extremely brilliant child, who excells in Latin, Greek, and the teachings of the Bible. After a Viking raid, Joan disguises herself as her slain brother, and takes his place as a monk. Throughout the book, Joan fights for equality for women and knowledge for all, despite the strict taboos of the period. The novel is beautifully written, and the triumph and tragedy of a woman 1,100 years dead comes vividly to life. Pope Joan has attracted quite a following in the year it has been out--already a musical and a film are in the works, and the debate over the female pope's existence has reignited.
	The Path of the Fury - by David Weber (Sci-Fi)
	Polgara The Sorceress - David and Leigh Eddings A prequel to the popular Belgariad and Mallorean books, it tells the life story of a principal player in the books. The daughter of a powerful sorcerer and enigmatic shape-shifter, Polgara's actions shaped the evolution of her world. Creating nations, destroying tyrants, and guarding the Child of Light, who would free their world from the tyrany of the dark god Torak.
	The Portable Curmudgeon - by Jon Winokur Do you believe that cynicism is simply common sense? Do sunny smiles make you want to snarl? Do you have the feeling you may answer with something unprintable the next time you hear "Have a nice day"? Then you'll be in the best of company with the whiplash wits and sardonic savants brought together in this collection. 15 line drawings.
	The Postman - by David Brin (Bantam Spectra, ISBN: 0-553-27874-6.) It contains a very interesting look at the "exciting asshole" problem, and the part women have played in conserving these genes in our pool... The thesis is that mothers have a duty to make sure asshole little boys don't grow up to be asshole men - by all necessary means.
	Pride and Prejudice - by Jane Austen Classic Heartless Bitch material, though somewhat toned down due to the time in which it was written.
	A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver - by E.L. Konigsburg This is basically a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Technically it's written for middle-school age, but it's really a great book, and still gets across the girl-kicks-ass, rules Europe, message that anyone gets out of hearing about Eleanor.
	Prozac Nation : Young and Depressed in America : A Memoir - by Elizabeth Wurtzel Wurtzel's heart-wrenchingly candid autobiography detailing her life of drugs and depression. The most salient point for me was that Elizabeth sorted herself out, got successful treatment for her depression and she did it WITHOUT A MAN and FOR HERSELF. Something we can all learn from.
	Push - by Sapphire This book starts with teenaged protagonist Precious Jones explaining, "I was left back when I was twelve because I had a baby for my fahver." Now 16 and pregnant by him again, Precious seeks to escape her disgusting and abusive mother and the depressing conditions she sees around her. This book is scary-powerful. The author, Sapphire, is one of the original Angry Women in the REsearch book, and here she manages to outdo her previous American Dreams with an intensely true, hardcore beautiful novel.
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	Queen Of The Damned - by Anne Rice A story about one of the first vampires, Akasha, who goes around killing every vampire alive except for those with Lestat and Louis.
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	RL's Dreams - by Walter Mosley Kiki is a hard-drinking, hard-punching red-headed Arkansan living in NYC who takes in a dying bluesman from Mississppi. She drinks Jack Daniels in the morning and pulls an insurance scam which gets a rapist fired.
	Real Knockouts: The Physical Feminism Of Women's Self-Defense - by Martha McCaughey, NYU Press (ISBN 0-8147-5577-1) By a women's studies professor at VA Tech, this book is about women, violence, and self-defense from a feminist perspective. It is not a how-to self-defense book, but instead a book on how and why women's self-defense training is an important route to the empowerment of women in what the author refers to as "our 'rape culture.'"
	Reviving Ophelia - by Mary Pipher. A good book about helping girls to keep their self-confidence during adolesence.
	The Robber Bride - by Margaret Atwood The main character is a manipulative, cruel bitch, but the good guys have to do some appropriately heartless things to protect themselves from her.
	Rose Madder - by Stephen King Battered wife escapes from husband who degenerates into somethin less that human and then makes the mistake of going to look for her.
	Rubyfruit Jungle - By Rita Mae Brown Molly is the feisty, outspoken heroine who beats up boys, loses her virginity to her best girlfriend in sixth grade, and gets thrown out of college for having an affair with her roommate. All along her difficult, but humorously narrated, life's journey, she questions the hypocrisies of this country and vows--despite the answers--that she will succeed.

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