Short chapters that are deeply informative and pack in a lot. Great diversity of topics and issues covered in this little book that also contains loadShort chapters that are deeply informative and pack in a lot. Great diversity of topics and issues covered in this little book that also contains loads of resources, as well as thought-provoking exercises at the end of each chapter for either you yourself, your friends/family, or your class to do together. This would be perfect reading material for a Women’s Studies class!...more
I still love this story and for the most part thought it translated well into graphic novel. For me personally, I do prefer the original. There also aI still love this story and for the most part thought it translated well into graphic novel. For me personally, I do prefer the original. There also appeared to be a few slight differences in the graphic novel version that differed from the book. So by itself, this is still a great feminist graphic novel that I would highly recommend. But in terms of the original vs the graphic novel adaptation? Eh, it was fine. ...more
As part of my International Women's Month/Women's History Month reading, I decided to pick this one up!
Unfortunately, this didn't end up wowing me, esAs part of my International Women's Month/Women's History Month reading, I decided to pick this one up!
Unfortunately, this didn't end up wowing me, especially when compared to similar novels like The Nowhere Girls, which I also read this month and absolutely loved. Moxie, by comparison, read much more like a light, YA contemporary romance than the fierce, political, girl-power novel that I wanted. It definitely has a lot of important conversations and is a good beginning novel about feminism and teen social activism for sure, but I just felt that it lacked a lot and was overshadowed by elements of YA contemporary/romance more than I would've liked.
Also, let's be real: my dislike for Seth in this novel is like 95% the reason behind my two-star rating. We'll get to him later, but... yeah.
First of all: The Pros! - I really liked seeing Claudia's character growth over the course of the novel. In the beginning, she was very insecure and wary of Lucy as she becomes closer friends with Viv, but you can see that gradually change throughout the novel as Claudia and Lucy become closer themselves and Claudia realizes she has no reason to worry about her friendship with Viv. In the beginning, Claudia is also very skeptical of feminism and the feminist label as a whole, but by the end she sees why feminism is so important, and it's just really refreshing to see her fully embrace feminism by the end.
- I also really appreciated how Viv's perception of Emma changes over the course of the novel. She never really hates Emma, per se, but she very much holds certain reservations about her simply because she's a pretty girl and popular, and so assumes that the two girls could never have anything to do with each other. By the end, though, Viv realizes her mistake in misjudging Emma and in doing so fully grasps that feminism is stronger when women support each other rather than build walls between them and other women. Especially in the end when it appears that Emma and Viv are going to continue being friendly with each other and might even become good friends, it's just a sweet moment and a good message within feminism overall.
- I... love Viv's mom? She's so awesome and I love how open and honest her relationship with Viv is. It sort of reminded me of Rory and Lorelai's mother-daughter relationship in Gilmore Girls. There are just a lot of sweet moments between them where it feels like Viv's mom is the type of mom you can open up to and talk about anything with, and I love mother-daughter relationships like that. I also just love that her mom was a super badass punk feminist chick in her early years and that you still see glimpses of this in her today.
What I Didn't Like As Much
Pretty much this entire section is just going to be about Seth and how much I hate him. Because wow, he annoyed me SO much. In the entire time reading this novel, he never once became a character I found myself invested in. I didn't share in Viv's feelings of falling in love with him at all. He just struck me as the most generic teenage boy and nothing about him seemed particularly...remarkable? Which is why I found it so hard to understand why Viv fell so hard for him because I'm just like, "... What are you seeing that I'm not seeing?" Because to me, he just seems like a very basic teenage boy with literally nothing going for him whatsoever.
Personal taste in guys aside, Seth is also just so annoying. Especially when it came to feminism. Every time he opened his mouth, I just wanted him to shut up, because it felt like he was always saying the wrong things that just made you internally groan.
When Seth first finds out that Viv is responsible for Moxie, there's this weird moment where he gets butthurt because she wants to focus on putting the zines in all the girl's bathrooms rather than the boys. He then makes this kind of smartass comment like, "I mean, I can see why you'd want this to be a lady thing." Yeah... because it's fucking feminism, idiot. Of course it's going to primarily be geared toward "ladies," because it's "ladies" who are largely affected and need feminism the most. Like, literally stop being a patronizing asshole and making this all about you. JESUS. We're off to a great start, right? -_-
After that, it feels like Seth just gets more and more pouty. For the remainder of the novel, any time Viv brings up some new issue they're facing at school or voices her thoughts on why it's wrong, Seth is right there to throw out the whole "Not all guys" narrative, which is honest to god one of the most irritating, self-centered rebuttals if I ever heard one. Every time he starts a sentence with this, it strikes a nerve with me and I want to tell him off so badly. He absolutely downplays what's going on at school as "Oh, you can't blame all guys on a few jerks at school. They're not all like that—I mean, take my friends I hang out with!" even going so far as to say, "Why do you care? You'll graduate soon anyway and be away from them," without even bothering to understand the larger issue of toxic masculinity and rape culture and misogyny—and that this is a constant, ever-present reality in women's lives. Like, yeah, I get that he's a teenage boy and he's not going to be the most self-aware human being, but at the same time I just absolutely hated any time he trivialized Viv's very understandable feelings of outrage over what's happening at school and to the other girls in her grade. Like, say you don't exactly get it, ask to have it explained to you, whatever—but literally don't get pissy and defensive when your girlfriend is speaking out about injustice and all you can do is make it about yourself and your own wounded pride. (There's also a moment where Seth gets defensive when a girl accuses a fellow male student of rape and says that's a big thing to accuse someone of, so... ya know. Boyfriend of the year)
I think the other part that just gets me about Seth is, he never truly is given any accountability for his attitudes and the things he says. Every time he says something ignorant, Viv is sort of just too timid to call him out on it most of the time—and for pretty weak reasons, because she doesn't want to get into a fight with him, her first/new boyfriend. There are a few moments where she gets better at standing her ground and sticking by her beliefs, and she definitely shows more frustration at him as she realizes he's just not getting it. But by the end of the book I still didn't feel like he truly received the accountability that he should have. It was very much half-assed and lighthearted and largely excused, and a part of me sort of resents Viv for being such a weak character in that regard and letting her having a boyfriend overrule her being able to call him out on these issues of sexism, misogyny, toxic masculinity, etc., and why all these things matter in regard to feminism.
That being said, not once did I grasp the appeal of Seth. I feel like Viv kept having to tell us how cool and dreamy Seth was, as opposed to... me actually getting that vibe myself. (Meanwhile, there I am in the corner, screaming the entire time, "DUMP HIM.")
Overall thoughts I thought Moxie was... okay. It definitely read more as a YA contemporary romance, at times to the point where it felt like the larger story of Moxie was taking a back seat and the romance was garnering more of the spotlight as Viv has her first boyfriend who she can't stop thinking about kissing *OMG!!*. While Moxie has its strengths, it definitely could've been a stronger novel than it was. It was cute, it was a good first step. But there's only going up from here, and hopefully those who read Moxie will go on to read other novels with similar themes and continue being motivated to immerse themselves in feminist fiction. (Might I suggest The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed? :) )
Oh, this book was so good. It's so needed, especially in the world we live in today, and in my opinion, this should be a required reading for everyoneOh, this book was so good. It's so needed, especially in the world we live in today, and in my opinion, this should be a required reading for everyone
MAJOR trigger warnings for rape/sexual assault, misogynistic language and attitudes, toxic masculinity, homophobia, and lot of other language and content that could be very upsetting to some Part of what makes this book so impactful is the way that Amy Reed writes, which is incredibly visceral, in a way that at certain points makes you feel like you're experiencing something through the perspective of a rape survivor. So if you're especially triggered toward this kind of content, I would be verrrrry cautious before approaching this book.
But oh my goodness, this book was so... *clenches fists* good. I love the intention behind this book. I love that it's an open and honest discussion among girls and between all different kinds of girls: straight girls, queer girls, girls of color, disabled girls. There are so, so many important conversations that take place in this book and I love that it's this sort of consciousness-raising experience—about not initially knowing everything or about the differing experiences that each person goes through, but progressively growing and learning as you go. I love that it explores girls having disagreements at first and saying their piece, but ultimately coming to an understanding in the end and, more importantly, realizing that women are stronger together.
* * *
It was impossible for me to not give this book five stars. However, there were just a few critiques I had: (SPOILERS AHEAD)
1. I felt that Otis's role in the book sort of just fizzled out? At first, I really wasn't sure whether his intentions were good and if he could really be trusted. Once I knew that he could (thank goodness! I could not handle Erin getting hurt again!), I really appreciated his role in the book and how well he catered to Erin and her little quirks. And then he told Erin about what he overheard from Spencer and the gang and he became something of a hero/catalyst for the Nowhere Girls finally seeking justice. And then that stupid, pointless thing happened with him and Amber, and Otis remained incredibly loyal to Erin (aww!) and told Amber to leave. And then he... just fizzles out of the story and we never hear from him again. He doesn't reunite with Erin after that point. We have no idea what's going to happen between them or where their future will lead. Which was a bit anticlimactic and he's definitely a character I would've liked more closure from, for sure.
2. Referring back to that ^, Amber's mini-plotline was a bit random and just... not incredibly necessary? It didn't really do much of anything or have that much impact in the story. It was just sort of there and I really could've done without it. I mean, of course it's worth analyzing her character and her motivations behind certain things, and it's definitely puzzling trying to work out why she ultimately decided to turn the Nowhere Girls in. When I was first introduced to her character, I really, really wanted her to be a character I could sympathize with and understand, and I wanted the other girls to understand her as well, and to surround her with love and support. And it definitely seemed like it was heading that way... But then that last portion of the book just killed it for me. It felt like she just gave up very flippantly and said, "You know what? Fuck 'em. Fuck these girls" and went around their backs. And it was over something SO petty. That's what gets me. Like, Otis was just being such a great, loyal person toward Erin and told Amber very politely that he only liked her as a friend, and then she immediately gets upset and defensive and behaves in such an immature and nasty way. I'm sorry, but getting mad at a guy for not feeling the same way about you is one thing. But being offended because he'd rather date a "retard" (in this case, someone with Aspergers) and placing those with mental deficiencies at the bottom of the social ladder, marking them as people who aren't typically chosen or worthy of a dating life, is another thing entirely. I did not like that AT ALL. I'm still trying to work out my feelings toward Amber, her motivations, and Amy Reed's intentions of including her in the story, because that last portion SERIOUSLY put my feelings toward her at a complete 180 in the wrong direction...
3. Okay, this last one might be me just being a liiiittle too nit-picky. While I'm SO glad that justice was eventually served, it felt like the ending worked itself out a bit too conveniently. So what you're telling me is... all they literally needed to do was get out of their hella-corrupt town where all the wrong people are friends with the law enforcement and just drive to the next county over to seek proper justice? That's... that's all they needed to do? After that—and talking to a chief who wasn't a hella corrupt, incompetent dipshit and was actually a decent human being who did their job—justice seemed to come oh so swiftly. I don't know, it just seemed a bit too easy and everything very quickly fell into place after that.
4.Finally, it would've been nice to have seen the aftermath following the conclusion and everything that happens. What is life at high school like after that? What are the reactions from the hella corrupt principal and the hella corrupt football coach (seriously, like, ALL the adults in this book so incredibly corrupt and horrible). There were just a few loose ends that I would have liked to have seen followed through.
* * *
Again, these critiques are actually verrrry minor in comparison to the overall novel and how much I absolutely loved it and felt that fire in me burning the whole way through. If you can and you feel you're in a good place to read this, I highly implore everyone to read it, because it's among the most important, impactful YA books I've ever read....more
* An all-girl Fight Club, dedicated to fighting the patriarchy and all injustices.
* Multiple wlw characters, includingReasons Why Heavy Vinyl is Great
* An all-girl Fight Club, dedicated to fighting the patriarchy and all injustices.
* Multiple wlw characters, including an interracial couple (Also I hardcore ship the main romantic plot in this comic omgomgomg so cute)
* The main character openly mentions that she has anxiety
* Another character has same-sex parents (two fathers)
This comic was just such a delight to read. Where else can you find a badass group of young women working in a record store together while also being a part of a secret organization that stands up for injustice and supports girl power?? 💛 It definitely gave me both a bit of Lumberjanes and Totally Spies vibes, which I love. Everyone should read this wonderful, feminist comic ASAP....more
I'M SORRY, OKAY. I wanted to like this, I really did. It just wasn't my style. While the concept is really interesting, the comic itself didn't fully I'M SORRY, OKAY. I wanted to like this, I really did. It just wasn't my style. While the concept is really interesting, the comic itself didn't fully do it for me. And honestly, I just got really bored after a while......more
I genuinely really liked this book, which served as a sort of comprehensive introduction to feminism, especially in terms of where feminism is today. I genuinely really liked this book, which served as a sort of comprehensive introduction to feminism, especially in terms of where feminism is today. It features essays written by women from a wide range of identities and backgrounds, which just shows the scope of all the different types of women and issues that make up the feminist movement and truly speaks volumes to how intersectional it's become. I will admit, I was a bit disappointed that there weren't any essays about asexuality and how that interacts with feminism, which as an asexual I'm constantly on the lookout for, as I feel that asexuality's place in feminism isn't a topic that's discussed a lot, and I do definitely believe it deserves its own space.
Regardless, this was overall a really enjoyable read. The layout and style is fun, and there's a lot of lighthearted content throughout, from pop culture references, FAQs about feminism, and lists like: -Six Great Comics by Women, About Women, For Everyone. - Great Girl Friendships in Fiction - Feminist Songs to Sing Along To
At the same time, there are still a wide variety of stories that make up this book—stories of struggle, of oppression, of hurt and confusion and adversity, but also of hope and light and rising above, finding your voice, and finding that fire inside of you to stand up for other women. There's such a great mix of both light and dark, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. I especially loved the important overarching theme of this book that there is no one feminism. There's no one right or wrong way to be a feminist, and not everyone's feminism is going to look the same. It's perfectly okay to be an imperfect feminist sometimes, too. Being so doesn't make you any less of a feminist—it's just part of being human and trying to carve out a space for yourself and finding that feminism that works for you. I hiiiighly believe that this message should be reiterated and conveyed more often in feminist spaces, as it's something that I personally believe in and I think it's a much more inclusive approach to feminism while also recognizing that even while we're part of the same movement, we all sort of have our own individual feminisms that we carry with us as they pertain to our own individual experiences and who we are as people. I think that's such a beautiful way to look at feminism, and I'm really happy that that was conveyed as a major takeaway in this book....more
If you want to learn more about transgender history, this is the book to read. This book is a comprehensive look through transgender history, startingIf you want to learn more about transgender history, this is the book to read. This book is a comprehensive look through transgender history, starting from, I believe, the 1800s and ending at where we are now in the transgender movement. There's so much fascinating information peppered throughout and it covers a broad array of subjects, from the struggles of trans people of color to the inequalities trans people have faced, like being denied housing and employment, to... basically anything you need to know. I also really appreciated how it puts everything into perspective in terms of how far the trans movement has come. It can be easy to assume that this is the only time where the trans movement has really been present, but I can assure you that it has a loooong history, and by reading this book you learn about a lot of really cool people in the past who were great cis-allies and helped improve the treatment of trans people.
All in all, this book is really well laid out with lots of different information and interesting facts. I only gave it four stars because while it's very manageable to read, the writing is a bit dense for my liking and there were times when I felt like I was back in school. Of course, I'm also someone who's primarily more of a fiction reader ;) But I still think this is 100% a must-read in trans literature....more
I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I can’t even bring myself to name all of the reasons why I lI received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I can’t even bring myself to name all of the reasons why I love this book. If I did, I would probably have to write an entire essay, which, honestly, I wouldn’t have minded doing a year ago while working on my Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies minor. That’s because this book is an incredibly diverse and feminist YA novel, about a girl who struggles to find where she belongs.
I learned a little about Masters and Johnson in college and wanted to brush up on them, so I was looking for a comprehensive book on them and their reI learned a little about Masters and Johnson in college and wanted to brush up on them, so I was looking for a comprehensive book on them and their research. This was that comprehensive book, and it was more than I could've asked for. Anyone who's thinking of reading about this duo should pick this book up right now, because it has EVERYTHING. There was a lot in this book that I didn't even know about, and I loved how this book broadened my understanding of them, especially Virginia Johnson. What I really love about this book, though, is that it's not just a book on sex research, peppered through with facts and statistics and research methods. It's its own story in a way and goes very deeply into both Virginia and Bill's life throughout, from their early childhood to their relationship together. There's just a lot of personal history and detail interwoven that I really liked and made it that much more captivating to read....more
I was really interested in reading this,what with bell hooks being so influential within the feminist movement. I'd read maybe one bell hooks piece beI was really interested in reading this,what with bell hooks being so influential within the feminist movement. I'd read maybe one bell hooks piece before in college, but I knew I wanted to read more from her, and this book has been one of her most highly-regarded. I was especially drawn to this book because I firmly believe that feminism should not be just for women, but for everyone, and this seemed to be the premise for this book. bell hooks considers her book a beginning, easily-approachable guide to feminism that anyone can read.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel that this was the case.
I didn't feel right rating this book one star because it really does have useful information on the history of the feminist movement and is packed with great insight. This book is split up into short chapters, each focused on a different feminist issue, which makes it helpful if you want to skip ahead and read about a particular topic. Despite this, though, I found this book really hard to get through for a couple of reasons. The first is that this book is pretty dense, despite the fact that bell hooks' hopes for this book was to provide an approachable feminist text without overly complicated, academic language. It's still pretty academic and not exactly an easy read, so I wouldn't exactly recommend this as the first book someone read if they wanted an introduction to feminism.
Okay, secondly, I don't know if I got a bad copy or something, but this book was SO POORLY EDITED. It felt like this book didn't have any commas in it. Just imagine how frustrating that sounds: long, wordy sentences... no commas. And this was CONSTANT, throughout the entire book. Along with that, there were sentences that would even have whole words missing. Whoever's job it was to "edit" this book seriously needed to be sued. Like, I am genuinely surprised that it made it through publication. Again, it's not the material. It's just the fact that this book didn't look like it made it past an editor at all.
Another thing that was a bit of a letdown was that I was under the impression that this book would talk about men being a part of feminism, and the introduction addresses this, too. But aside from that, the book doesn't actually go into this until about halfway through, and only briefly. The rest of this book delves heavily into the history of the feminist movement, and occasionally into modern day with other topics. And the book goes into other forms of inclusion, like race, class, and sexuality, but again, among women, and it doesn't seem to fully pull through with a proper, lengthy discussion on combating the stereotype that feminism is "anti-men" and allowing men into the feminist movement that it had promised. Half a page just isn't enough for me. ...more
This was okay. A pretty decent introduction to feminism, breaking down the very gendered world we live in and the different expectations for men and wThis was okay. A pretty decent introduction to feminism, breaking down the very gendered world we live in and the different expectations for men and women while also delving into other topics like masculinity and women in leadership roles. I also appreciate Adichie's perspective that she brings forward as a Nigerian woman and how much she sheds light on gender in Nigerian culture.
I would only say that this was a very...basic discussion of feminism? Nothing about this was particularly revelatory or anything I hadn't heard before. For being a conversation around gender, it was also very limited and only juuust scratched the surface of gender and what that means for different people. It didn't quite tap into just how complex it really is, and I very much felt like Adichie got stuck on thinking in terms of men vs. women and hyperfocused on biological differences:
"Men and women are different. We have different hormones and different sexual organs and different biological abilities—women can have babies, men cannot. Men have more testosterone and are, in general, stronger than women."
While I definitely think this book is a good first step, it does lack in a lot of crucial areas in feminism and, unfortunately, only has a very rudimentary understanding of gender. ...more
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