Speaking as a female writer and entrepreneur, I sincerely hope your Women’s History Month was wonderful! I spent the month of March pouring over a number of great titles–from fiction to nonfiction, prose to poetry, realism to fantasy, and so much more–all written by women! I gave them a shout-out last month, but will do so again here: if you’re in New Orleans, give woman-owned Blue Cypress Books a visit!
As always, families: please read together! These titles would make for great conversation in the home and encourage an environment of literacy and learning! While the majority of these books feature female-identifying protagonists, all of the featured texts contain topics and themes to which everyone can relate. Please note: While the books listed here are all considered YA, discretion is advised. I’ve included an asterisk next to those with foul language.
*I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust by Livia Bitton Jackson
In this powerful memoir for young adults, thirteen-year-old Jackson vividly recalls the horrors of her experience in concentration camps. As a young Jewish girl living through World War II, she and her loved ones experienced great persecution and abuse at the hands of the Nazis. Elli–Jackson’s nickname–must call on her perseverance, optimism, and strength to carry not only her family, but herself through this harrowing period in their lives. Jackson’s graphic descriptions make readers feel like they were there, too. You will feel as if you, too, are eating bowls not of hot, nourishing porridge, but of gray dirt, grit, glass, gravel, and mold. You, too, will feel Elli’s heartache when she gazes upon her brother, skeletal from lack of food, and doesn’t recognize him.
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
This historical fiction–written through a series of short poems–follows fourteen-year-old Billie Jo Kelby, whose family suffers the wrath that is the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in the 1930s. This is a quick read with enjoyable language and imagery, great for reluctant readers. Natural and manmade factors contributed to the Dust Bowl phenomenon, both of which are described in the book. Billie Jo outlines her family’s struggles, including her father’s failure as a farmer and her mother’s pregnancy when poverty already threatens them. Two descriptions left me in awe. In one scene, the Kelbies sit for dinner, all the plates and cups set upside down, napkins covering the utensils. Because there was so much dust, this was a necessary procedure. When they sit, Ma tells them to flip everything over so they can eat. Under the dishes are clear circles, free of dust. Later, Daddy comes into the house after a dust storm only to blow his nose and cough: the result is mud. I never learned colorful details like these when learning about the Dust Bowl in school and really enjoyed them here.
Bone Jack by Sara Crowe
A supernatural mystery, Bone Jack follows Ash. He lives in Thornditch, known for holding the infamous Stag Race every year. He has made the cut to run at the front of the race as the “stag,” chased by a mob of other boys called “hounds.” By running as the stag, Ash hopes to impress his father, a former stag runner recently returned from the war with PTSD. In ancient times, if the mob caught the stag, they killed him as a sacrifice to ensure the prosperity of the land. Today, the race is more civilized–or so Ash thinks. But weird things keep happening–scary, supernatural things. He meets Bone Jack: the gatekeeper between life and death, the “soul-taker” who decides who dies next to benefit the drought-stricken land. Who will it be? I didn’t see some of the twists and turns coming in this one.
Longbow Girl by Linda Davies
This book’s title describes main character Merry Owen, whose prowess in archery and horseback riding impresses all who meet her. Her best friend is Lord James de Courcy, of the de Courcy estate adjacent to her family’s farm. The two families have been enemies for generations, with the de Courcy family constantly plotting to obtain Owen land back that was once theirs. One day while riding, Merry finds an ancient book that transports her to the 1500s. There, it is crucial that she wins an archery tournament to save her family’s land hundreds of years from that very moment. Will she live up to and surpass the challenge, or will she crumble and lose her family’s prized possession?
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
This is the first book of The Lunar Chronicles. Protagonist Cinder is a futuristic Cinderella, so we have another fresh retelling of a classic tale. She is considered the best mechanic in New Beijing, but only because of the secret she hides from everyone. She’s a cyborg–half human, half robot–and therefore a second-class citizen. Sadly, both humans and robots persecute her because of this affliction. Her stepmother and stepsisters see her only as a mechanic and breadwinner for their house, since she is the only one in the house with a job. One day, Prince Kai enters her shop and asks her to repair an android robot he used as a child. Though she knows they could never be together, she immediately falls for him. This is the major plot, but one subplot involves a new virus’s swift spread across New Beijing as well.
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
I’ve read this book at least three times, and it’s one of those sweet, heartwarming stories about finding friends in unlikely places. You may be familiar with Holt’s My Louisiana Sky, whose Southern charm is also reflected in this text. The book is set in Antler, Texas, a small, rural town. It’s the 1970s, and the country is watching news centered around the Vietnam War. Toby Wilson narrates the book and tells readers that “nothing ever happens” in Antler–until Zachary Beaver, the Fattest Boy in the World, comes to town. This is going to be a summer no one ever forgets. Toby’s mom has just left home to try making a name for herself as a famous country singer, and his best friend Cal’s brother is off fighting in Vietnam. There are also plenty of snow cones and bike rides to be had. The descriptions about what the kids do for fun over the summer make me nostalgic. Fun Fact: According to Holt, she was inspired to write this book after visiting the Louisiana State Fair as a thirteen-year-old and seeing the Fattest Boy in the World herself.
Every Stolen Breath by Kimberly Gabriel
This dystopian novel follows Lia Finch, whose father was murdered two years prior to when the novel begins. Over the last decade, a group known as the Swarm has been responsible for systematic, targeted beatings and sometimes even killings. Tourists are the typical casualties, but Lia’s dad wasn’t a tourist. He was an attorney trying to build a case to condemn the Swarm. Seeing him as a threat, this Death Mob killed him. Lia just wants answers, so badly that she’s willing to put her own life in danger to catch the Swarm in the act of violence. Unfortunately, no one listens to Lia: not Detective Irving, not even her mom. They’re more worried about Lia’s life-threatening asthma and PTSD from her father’s death. Now the Swarm has taken notice of Lia asking questions, and if she doesn’t back off, they threaten that she may suffer the same fate as her father.
Off the Record by Camryn Garrett
Seventeen-year-old Josie Wright has concerned parents: they think that she doesn’t get out enough, that she doesn’t have enough friends. But she has her friends online who follow her tweets, and her editor-mentor for her senior project who cheers her on. The thing is, Josie is a writer and has been all her life. She lives and breathes it: it’s her passion. Her life changes one day when she is chosen to write a celebrity profile on a budding young actor for her favorite magazine. She goes on a press tour, meeting all the celebrities she’s only ever seen on TV or read about. Everything is going well… until an actress comes forward with a disturbing accusation of sexual misconduct about the actor Josie is profiling. This actress’s story leads to another and another–reminiscent of the way the #MeToo movement began–and Josie feels the pressure to do right by these women by telling the full story.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
This is the first book of the Samurai series and is based on a true story from the 1840s. Japanese teenager Manjiro Nakahama dreams of becoming a Samurai, despite he and his family’s generations-long trade as fishermen. They are poor, and everyone tells Manjiro that all he’ll ever be is a fisherman. Only inheritance can grant one the royal title of Samurai. One day, Manjiro and his fellow fishermen are rocked in a violent tempest while out at sea and stranded on an island where they believe they will perish. An American ship eventually rescues them, and Manjiro’s journey in a foreign land unfolds. He experiences both joys and hardships on his adventure. Additionally, this is a beautifully illustrated novel, containing the drawings of Manjiro Nakahama himself.
*The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Rachel Chavez is the new kid at a prestigious private high school in New York City. She’s having a hard time fitting in, though. After being attacked by home invaders, she finds more relief watching horror flicks than partying with "boring trust-fund babies." But one night when she’s dragged to a party she has no desire to attend, a séance prank goes wrong and the victim accuses her. Her social reputation ruined, she has nothing to lose as she investigates who really pulled the prank: not one prankster, but a group of pranksters. They dub themselves the Mary Shelley Club, and they seek to pull humiliating pranks on their victims, inspired by scenarios in the films Rachel loves. Eventually, Rachel’s membership in the club leads her to tracking down a real killer: have these “Fear Test” pranks gone too far? There’s a lot of great one-liners and sarcasm in this one, too.
Though March is over, this recommended reading list is only the beginning! I urge you to patronize your local bookstore, particularly your woman-owned bookstore, if you have one. Also: call your mom today! And be sure to tell all the women in your life that you appreciate them.
Here are a few quick fun facts, courtesy of LiveYourDream.org:
Victoria Woodhull is the first woman to run for U.S. President in 1872.
Shirley Chisholm is the first African-American woman in Congress, with the motto “Unbought and unbossed” (love this quote) in 1969.
Katharine Graham is the first woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company (The Washington Post) in 1972.
The National Women’s History Project petitions Congress to make March “Women’s History Month” in 1987.
19% of Congress’s members are women.
25 Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs (5%).
But what about you, dear reader? What titles are you reading this month, and what women do you admire? Share with us in the comments below or on social media at @LaurelAcademics. Happy reading!
Samantha Eroche is an educator, theatre artist, writer, and founder of Laurel Academics, an online tutoring company. Learn more at LaurelAcademics.co.
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