YA Books to Reads After The Women's March
Whether you were able to go to the march or had to stay at home I think we can all admit that it was a great turn out and hopefully another addition to equality for all women regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, disabilities, etc. While the march is over now, there are many different things that people can do to keep fighting this good fight. One of those things is reading books by and/or about women of all different backgrounds. The more that people read about diverse groups of women, the more they are able to understand, empathize, and feel the desire/need to lend their help and support to those whom need it.
For instance, maybe a women out there is hesitant to read a book with LGBT characters because she is homophobic, but if she reads a book with maybe a lesbian character in it she will start to understand that characters emotions and feelings and be able to become an ally to the community rather than an adversary. Maybe someone whom did not understand why a girl in a wheelchair has been campaigning for a more easier accessible ramp at her school, will read a book about physical disabilities and understand and even try to campaign with her after getting more of an understanding. I am not saying that a book can change all people's minds or opinions, but reading is a powerful thing and something that can help at least make people more sympathetic to other's emotions and experiences.
Here are 5 YA books that you can read that can possibly help with that (these books are in no particular order):
1. To All the Boys I've Loved Before and possibly sequel: P.S. I Like You
This book is a great own voices book (as many of the books are on this list). To All the Boys I loved before features a biracial (Korean mother and Caucasian father), female main protagonist,Lara Jean, as she tries to track down letters that were accidentally sent out to boys she liked over the years, as well as win the heart of a guy she has a crush on. While this book may seem to be mostly romance it actually brings up important issues like grief, family, and issues that Lara Jean has to occasionally deal with from others due to her background and being a female. This includes things like people believing that she is dressed as an anime character every Halloween and other people's reactions to females being sexual compared to men being sexual. This book is very feminist, fun, and will be a great addition to anyones bookshelf. I have only read so much of the sequel but so far I feel safe recommending it as it brings up a lot of good issues I feel are important for everyone, especially young women to read.
2. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Nicola Yoon is one of my favorite authors and another ownvoice author. While I enjoyed Everything Everything (though looking back I do have a few issues with the ending), I liked The Sun is Also a Star better. The book follows 2 teenagers, Natasha and Daniel as they fall in love in a day while dealing with the issue that the Natasha will be deported in 24 hours. This book is great because it not only has sweet romance (if you are not into insta love I get it but I do urge people to give this book a chance as I felt that resolution of the insta love was realistic, but hopeful too), but different character POV, lots of diversity (Daniel is Korean American and Natasha is Jamaican), factual backgrounds related to different cultures, and more. Yoon is a fantastic writer who is able to use this book not only to talk about issues like undocumented immigration, racism, family issues,etc. but also the fact that even the smallest thing or person can make a difference is someones day, perhaps without him or her realizing their impact. When I have to think of a book that I felt was basically perfect this one most likely comes to mind. I highly recommend it.
3. The Duff by Kody Keplinger
While the movie was not amazing as I wish it was, I learned from this reading experience to never judge a book by its movie since I read the book after seeing the film. I wanted to give it a chance and boy am I glad I did. This book has a lot of great feminism and plot points revolving on serious issues like female sexuality, standards of beauty, and dealing with alcoholism. Bianca Piper is a girl whom has been called a "DUFF" or "designated ugly fat friend," because of this she starts to get into a enemies with benefits situations with Wess, a popular jock at her school. This book premise may seem different than other YA books you may see, but that is exactly the point. It tackles tough issues and is not afraid with its subject matter or messages. This is unlike the movie that was more a "nerdy girl learns to become popular" Pygmalion type story distancing itself from the book's content in more ways than one. If you wish to watch both I would say go ahead, but in this case (like many film adaptations), the book is just entirely better than the film version.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
What is more feminist than a girl leading a revolution. In this bestselling novel or novels depending on if you wish to continue the series, the future is divided into districts and each year there is one boy and one girl chosen from each district to compete in a fight to the death with only one winner by the end. After Katniss volunteers in place of her sister to compete in the games she is thrust into a world of training, survival, trust, love, and more. While it has been debated if the romance story is really something that should be given as much attention as it is, I feel like that is just one aspect of the story. The entire book series shows a girl whom is leading a revolt against a totalitarian government. Katniss is a great example of a character that stands up for what she believes in. While is exactly the kind of role models that young girls need, especially now.
5. Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World
This is a book I have sadly not been able to read yet, but has been talked a lot about online. The reason why I have not written the byline is because there are a large amounts of women whom contributed to writing this book. From TV and Movie star, Mindy Kailing to author Roxanne Gay. Even some women in the political world like Wendy Davis were able to contribute their talents to this book. This book discusses what true feminism is in a scrapbook like style for many teenagers to read and learn. The fact that all these various women of different backgrounds, bother personally and professionally, were able to contribute to this book and help it to become the great guide and hopefully inspiring literature it is makes this a great pick to read after the march.
This is only 5 of the many different books that girls can read after the march. There are thousands of books from children's to Adult. Search for ones you like and hopefully you'll find education and empowerment in every book you read.
- Jessica
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