Suzette Haden Elgin takes a look at the war between the sexes in this science fiction/alternate history story. What if women lost their rights? What if our society had to use these women to communicate with alien races? An interestingly bleak and somewhat feminist look at the differences between men and women: the first book in the Native Tongue trilogy.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. I highly recommend it. It was a page turner from the beginning. It's got aliens and cool situations but mainly is about the spirit of the women and how they secretly work to better themselves and their lives.