It’s the time of the year that I both love and loathe: “best of” lists. While I love seeing what books different journals consider the best of the best, I hate knowing that those lists tend to overlook certain types of books. We will absolutely see feminist books on best of lists this year, but they’re not going to be the unabashed girl story type feminist books. Girl voices aren’t seen or praised in the same way that others are. I’ve already been bummed to see one of the best decorated, beautiful books this year go unrecognized on more than one list, and I can’t help but point to the fact it’s because it’s a very female-driven story.
I can’t change things, but one thing I can do is celebrate female-driven, feminist stories. And one way I can do that is by offering up a big giveaway of some of the best girl stories out this year.
I’m giving away 9 — yes NINE — YA novels that came out in 2015 that feature female-driven narratives and focus on girl stories. These books range from dark realism to lighter romances to fantasies and more. Here’s what’s up for grabs:
I’ll draw a winner at the end of November to win this feminist starter set. It’ll be perfect for you or perfect to give to the budding feminist in your life (or to stock your library/classroom bookshelves). US only, simply because shipping elsewhere is really expensive.
All you need to do to enter is fill out this entry form. I want to know your favorite female-driven YA novel, too, past or present. I’ll do a big round-up in December so we can highlight the amazing girl stories out there.
OMG… I can’t even tell you how much I’d love this stash!!! I am an unabashed feminist, a 40-yo woman who almost exclusively reads YA, and someone who laments the backlash against feminism and desire to *NOT* consider oneself a feminist that I see among women today. I know it’s existed for as long as feminism has been around, but it seems worse to me these days than in the past. Maybe that’s because I see it among so many *young* eomen, which I find especially troubling. I saw a hashtag on Twitter the other day, #womenagainstfeminism, and I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I’ve worked too damn hard, and way more women have done way more than me, for this to be an issue in 2015!!!
I’m so excited to see this awesome group of books and authors (and the giveaway of course), and I hope that young girls and women will read them and understand the imprtance of feminism — it’s crucial, in fact! I can’t wait for your anthology to come out (even though it’s still so far away!) and for more young women to discover the critical importance of feminism to their lives.
Anyway, I love what you do, love your blog and your tweets and your Book Riot posts, etc etc!! So glad you’re out there giving voice to what’s important! Thank you for all you do!
Oh, and last thing, I couldn’t keep my “favorite feminist book” to just one book 😉 But here are my faves (remember, I’m old, so these are classics ;-)): HERLAND and THE YELLOW WALLPAPER (short story) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, ORLANDO by Virginia Woolf, THE AWAKENING by Kate Chopin (probably my most favorite), and THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood. Thanks again!! I’ve got my fingers crossed… I’d soooooo love to win this!!
This is a great group of books! Thanks for the giveaway.
I filled out the form with more YA books than I probably should’ve but I wanted to explain that my sister (who is 17) is going through a little bit of a rough patch – although things have been looking up lately – and I’m always looking for good, empowering books to recommend to her. And of course for me to read, too. So thanks for the opportunity to find some new ones!
This reply fills my heart with joy. Good luck with your sister!