Some recommended reading for YOUNG FEMINISTS
Broken down by age appropriateness, but feminists of all ages will love all of these! I did.
For most of these there's no agenda being pushed in the book. They are "feminist recs" for being a well-told story that just happens to emulate feminist qualities. ---L
+++Middle Schoolish+++
Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke This story, this art-- makes my heart happy! J's 9 year old is bananas for everything Ben Hatke and Zita is just fantastic.
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson Just so fun! Laughed out loud quite a bit reading this. Again, J's son loves it and quotes it all the time.
DC Superhero Girls by Shea Fontana They are FINALLY catering to the huge audience of young female readers who love superheroes! I've been waiting for something like this ever since my nieces were born.
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters I want to be a Lumberjane! Friendship to the max!! Like a Girl Scout sleepaway camp, but awesomer ;) This first volume TOTALLY lived up to the tremendous expectations that are placed on this amazing book. My niece read it and loved it. I'm sending a copy along with her to her first summer at sleepaway camp for her to, of course, reread and enjoy. But mainly, so she can pass it along and share with the girls she meets, which will undoubtedly win them over... insta-friends! She's kinda shy in new situations so this would give her something to talk about with them and open up.
The Legend of Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Origins by Renee De Liz Soooooo good! Amazing art. Fantastic representation of WW's origin story. Lots of WW stories out there, I'm pretty sure I've read them all - this one's my favorite.
+++Young Adult+++
Beauty Queens by Libby Bray A plane of beauty queens crash land on a deserted island - not something I'd typically be drawn to. But man, oh man, did I LOVE this book!! Hilarious and smart with a great takeaway my middle school/high school self would've really benefited from hearing: it is OK to be whoever you want to be, and not who other people expect you to be. Also, listening to this on audiobook was a treat.
Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older There is so much to love about this book! The magical realism is rooted in fascinating culture that is imbued with the sense that it has been passed down throughout the rich history of this character and her family. And the act of shadowshaping, bringing art to life, is so evocative of phenomenal imagery throughout this story! Older uses language so beautifully to cut to the core of Sierra and her experience of the world. His writing provides his lead character with tremendous depth which is refreshing in a sea of YA fantasy/adventure series starring young women.
Fallout (a story of a young Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond The comics geek in me loves Fallout as a Lois Lane story. And it also wins as a YA story with an awesome female lead character, for those not familiar with the comics.
I am Princess X by Cherie Priest Love!!!!
+++Young Adult, graphic novel+++
Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag ---all the YES for this one!! I will be buying a copy for my niece, as soon as she is old enough to read a book with the word "f#$k" in it.
This was such a fun read. The writer's page-by-page meta commentary was hilarious. I loved how Alison fundamentally struggles with the role of superheroes, questioning the amount of good they are able to do when their brawls with villains do nothing to alleviate the true hardships of poverty and illness around the world.
Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story by Peter Bagge So accessible and such an important story!! I never encountered anything about Sanger in school, so this book fills an important gap that I suspect is still tragically absent from Elementary and Middle School.
+++(Should be) Required reading for all humans everywhere+++
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
