Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

This book had been on my TBR ever since I met Jennifer at the NoVa Teen Book Festival last year, but for some reason I never got around to reading it. That changed when I picked this up as my first read of 2019. I knew it had a great message about feminism, so I figured that would be a good theme to start off the year. I do want to put trigger warnings on this book for sexual harassment and attempted rape.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu follows Vivian, a high school student fed up with the sexist, misogynist happenings at her school. Inspired by her mom's Riot Grrrl past, Viv anonymously creates a zine called Moxie, hoping to call the girls at her to action school and inspire a change.

I absolutely adored this novel and I'm so happy I started the year off with this read! I absolutely loved Vivian and was inspired by her determination to make a difference. I loved how she tried to remain anonymous to ensure that Moxie was about ALL girls, not just her. There were so many opportunities in this book where characters were able to learn and readjust their behaviors. Even though some never changed, you saw the eyes of a few open to things they believed didn't affect them previously and saw them work to change their behaviors and beliefs. I also really enjoyed the drawings of Viv's zines throughout the book!

Even though this is a YA fiction, I believe this book is important for women of all ages, and men as well! It accurately highlights what girls and women face on a regular basis and emphasizes understanding and change, rather than sympathy, from the opposite sex. We don't want you to feel bad for us. Sympathy isn't action. Instead we want you to understand and do better, and encourage others to do the same. We want you to take our allegations seriously. We want fair punishment for those that commit these crimes against us. We want these issues brought to light.

I am so happy I read this book, and am now empowered more than ever. Moxie girls fight back!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Can We All Be Feminists? Edited by June Eric-Udorie

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

So for today's post, I'd like to introduce a book that I think everyone needs to read. Can We All Be Feminists? edited by June Eric-Udorie is a book about feminism, but not the traditional feminism that has been gaining popularity.

The feminism described in this book, rather, is intersectional feminism about inclusivity. It isn't about just rights for white women, but for all women, regardless of things like race or natural born sex. In this collection of 17 essays, women tell their stories about their experiences, discuss what drew them to the feminist movement, share important information about feminism in history, and suggest how we can all work towards a more inclusive feminism.

The voices of each of these women came through in their stories, adding to the urgency of the overall message. The essays were interspersed with facts and figures in addition to personal anecdotes. It was hard-hitting, emotional, and motivating to read the words of these women.

One complaint with this read was that it was a little statistics-heavy, making it challenging to get through at points and a longer read. In addition, it came off as a little too preachy in some places, which can be a turn off for readers.

This is the kind of book that everyone should be exposed to, as these issues are facing us today more than ever. 

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Penguin Books for a copy of this important read! Can We All Be Feminists? edited by June Eric-Udorie is out TODAY!