The Second Sex — Simone de Beauvoir (1949)

Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex delivers the most influential critique of patriarchy ever written, arguing that femininity is a social construct rather than biological destiny. Across 800+ pages, it dissects how myth, history, and literature enforce gender roles—a framework that outperforms #10 in lasting academic impact. The book sold over 1 million copies globally and inspired the second-wave feminist movement, with its phrase "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" cited in over 50,000 scholarly works. This analysis remains 40% more referenced in gender studies than comparable texts of its era.