Tag: feminist

Such a Fun Age

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Y’all, I try not to post reviews super far in advance of when a book is going to come out for publication. But I recently read an ARC of Such a Fun Age, and it was so good that I have to tell you about it now. Emira Tucker is a twenty-five year old babysitter for the Chamberlain family. When Alix Chamberlain call Emira late on a Saturday night to watch her toddler while she deals with a family situation, Emira picks up Briar and brings her to the grocery store for Briar’s favorite activity of perusing the nut aisle. A security guard sees African-American Emira with Caucasian Briar, and accuses Emira of kidnapping Briar. And so we enter the story, following the dual narratives of Emira and Alix as they navigate the complexities of race and class and privilege. This novel sucked me in from the first page, and I could not put it down. As a heads up, there is a solid amount of language and sexual content in this book – but it was also one of my favorite adult reads in a long time. Look for it in January 2020!

Favorite Passage:

“But she’d never say good-bye to Emira, which made it seem that Emira would never be completely free from her. For the rest of her life and for zero dollars an hour, Emira would always be Briar’s sitter.”
— Twenty-six
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

How can I choose just one thing? Reid wrote Briar’s dialogue in a way that was so on-point for the little ones I have in my life, which I feel like many adult writers struggle to do. But I also loved seeing Emira pour herself out for this little girl, filling in the gaps to make sure Briar knew she was valued and valuable. And I also loved seeing the accurate portrayal of the economic realities of so many people in my millennial generation – seeing Emira be in this job that she loves that just doesn’t pay enough/offer insurance/seem to be a viable long-term career option. So basically, I loved all of it.

Read this book if you like:

Examining the intersection of race and class, millennials, books that you binge in long sittings because you can’t put them down

Book Details:

  • Author: Kiley Reid
  • Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
  • Date of Publication: January 7, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: Adult
  • Check out Such a Fun Age on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

Screen Queens

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

ValleyStart is a tech competition, aimed at helping high schoolers showcase their coding/design/creative skills. The goal for all contestants is to land an internship at one of the most prestigious companies in Silicon Valley. Lucy, Maddie, and Delia are paired up by the competition administrators to be a team – and when they arrive, they realize they are the only all-female team. Screen Queens is an incisive examination of what it means to be a teenage girl with hopes of making it in the male-dominated field of technology. It touches on sexism and female friendships and achieving the high goals one sets for oneself. I have nothing but positive things to say about this novel – go pick it up.

Favorite Passage:

“‘I had drinks with him.’
‘So?’
‘I smiled and laughed. I flirted.’
‘And?’
‘I led him on. I -‘
‘Did nothing to invite him to put his hands on you — and not remove them when you said to.'”
— Twenty

What I Loved Most:

This is one of those books where you’re super mad while reading it, but it’s the good kind of mad. It’s a great depiction of being a woman in a male-dominated field. Screen Queens doesn’t pull any punches in its exploration of abuse of power by men, particularly to more vulnerable, younger women. I’m here for any story about women in STEM fields, and I think Screen Queens does a great job of helping teenagers learn about this crucial social justice issue in a way that is age appropriate.

Read this book if you like:

Feminism, girls in STEM, subtle diversity

Book Details:

  • Author: Lori Goldstein
  • Publisher: Razorbill
  • Date of Publication: June 11, 2019
  • Age Recommendation: 10th – 12th grade
  • Check out Screen Queens on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

Seafire

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

In the nautical world of Seafire, Caledonia Styx has a mission to bring down the oppressive regime run by war-lord Aric Athair. A ship under the authority of Athair was responsible for the murder of her family when she was a pre-teen. Since then, she has become a captain of her own ship (Ghost), supervising a crew of fifty-two females who have also suffered at the hands of Aric’s men. Her crew aims to take down ships in Athair’s Bullet fleet.

Caledonia’s best friend, Pisces, is her second-in-command. When Pisces is captured by a Bullet crew, Caledonia fears the worst. However, Pisces escapes with the help of a rogue Bullet. Caledonia has always had a strict no-male rule on her ship, but her rules are challenged when the Bullet tells them he has important information that might help them take down Athair.

This book caught my eye when I was browsing in my library. The cover art is absolutely stunning, and the story drew me in from the first page. Parker has created a cast of characters that are complex and multidimensional. She gives them rich backstories, and I found myself wanting a book written on each one of the five women in Caledonia’s command crew. Thankfully, this is the start of a trilogy, so we’ll get to follow the story of the women of the Ghost! I highly recommend you add this to your to-read list.

Favorite Passage:

“On the back of the sea, who do we trust?” she called.
Her crew answered together, “Our sisters.”
Caledonia raised her voice a little more. “When our ship falters, who do we trust?”
“Our sisters.”
She shouted, “In a storm of Bullets, who do we trust?”
Their voices spiraled together, rising up like the early morning sun. “Our sisters!”
With a grin, she finished the call. “We fight together.”
And they responded, “Or not at all!”
Chapter Thirty-Seven

What I Loved Most:

The crew on the Ghost are a diverse crew, including a character (Hime) who uses sign language to communicate. Her signing is normalized in the book; the other members of the crew also sign when they talk with her. Hime is a complex character – we get to hear about her backstory, which includes trauma and addiction, in addition to her romantic relationship with another crew member being a low-key side story. I loved how Parker didn’t make it a big deal that Hime doesn’t speak verbally – it was a part of who she was, but not her whole identity.

Read this book if you like:

Strong female protagonists, diverse characters, adventure

Book Details:

  • Author: Natalie C. Parker
  • Publisher: Razorbill
  • Date of Publication: August 28, 2018
  • Age Recommendation: High School
  • Find Seafire on Amazon if you’d like to own a copy!
  • Find Seafire on WorldCat to see what libraries around you have this title available!