Outlawed

The opening line, "In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw," sets the tone for this unique and adventurous western novel. At 17, Ada marries her sweetheart and all is well in the world until she fails to conceive a child within a year. Forced to flee her village due to rumors and accusations of witchcraft; she hides in a convent passing the time transcribing medical books. Unable to keep still, she runs away to find the Hole in the Wall Gang where she joins The Kid and her merry band of troublemakers. Their thieving, cowboy ways help fund a life of safety for female outcasts, many who were also barren like Ada. Together they decide to make their own future free from men and their simple minded ideas about femininity and motherhood. Bank robbing, cattle hustling, and deception are just some of their many ploys. Action packed and full of adventure this unique western with unforgettable characters will appeal to fans of True Grit and feminist and LGBTQ literature. A must read. 

The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly

So stinking cute! I grew up in the region and we LOVED going to Medieval Times in Chicago, Illinois -this young adult feminist, coming of age, romance is set in the same location! Careful never to actually call it medieval times, the book is still obviously centered around the same thing. Jousting, serving wenches, knights, broadswords - the whole kit and caboodle. Kit has worked in the castle for three years with her friends and family. Her older brother is a knight, her Uncle is the king (manager) and her two best friends are also there. She loves everything about it....  except that girls can't try to be knights - it's only for men. The only place up from serving wench is princess. Kit knows she is just as good as the knights - she's been practicing with her brother for years! During one of the shows, her brother lets her ride out in his place (helmet on) and she rocks the night - even becoming the champion. When she rips off the helmet and reveals she is a girl she becomes a viral sensation. But just because she's having a moment in the spotlight doesn't mean things are easy. Their electricity is turned off at home, she has a crush on her best friend, she's unsure how she'll pay for college, and she just wants to take care of her mom. A wonderful, witty, fun, and feminist read. Loved it.

Girls on the Verge

Camille is 17 and pregnant.  She's supposed to be going to a prestigious theater camp but instead she finds herself jumping through hoops trying to get an abortion. It's 2014 and Texas doesn't make it easy for a woman to get a legal abortion. Camille has met dead ends at every turn and when she tells her best friend Bea what she's going to do her best friend is a dead end too. Like her parents, she's religious and doesn't understand why she won't keep the baby. In desperation she turns to Annabelle an older actor who Camille has idolized for years. Together they decide that they will have to journey down to the Mexican border and try to get the pills that way. This is like Juno on a road trip. Full of humor, levity, seriousness, and friends coming together. A wonderful novel that explores what women are forced to do when all routes to a safe abortion are closed. Perfect for teens and adults. Very powerful without being uber preachy.

Damsel

Wow, what a blistering take on the age old tale of rescuing a damsel. This dark, thematic young adult book is really NC 17 - there is a lot of sexual abuse, self-harm, and harassment in this book - spoiler alert. The book opens with Prince Emory traveling to a far off land to slay a dragon and rescue a damsel. He must successfully bring a damsel back to his kingdom to be wed or he will never be king. For as far back as anyone can remember, the cycle has always remained the same; slay a dragon, rescue a damsel, wed her, impregnate her with one son, who will then turn around and repeat the process when it is his turn to be king. For Ama, this is all new. She has no memories before being rescued by Prince Emory; she has to take his word for everything and trust that he knows best. As she tries to adjust to her new place in the castle with her pet lynx; Ama realizes that she is unhappy, why shouldn't she get a say in her? She is constantly talked down to, bossed around, taken advantage of, and demeaned; Prince Emory doesn't seem so heroic anymore. Ama wishes she could just remember what life was like before he "rescued" her. Dark, twisted, and wonderful; the ending alone is worth reading this book for!

The Princess Saves Herself in This One

I started with her second collection first (which I loved!), but hell this book is just as good! Amanda Lovelace writes powerful poetry that women will instantly relate to. Even though this collection primarily deals with dark themes (depression, abuse, rape, suicide, and more), it ultimately ends hopeful. Each poem is about how the world and people can (and will) let you down, but then exalts the ways in which we can build ourselves back up and be our own heroes. Proud, feminist, and empowering; this poetry collection is great for women of all ages. 

The Future is Feminist

So I really enjoyed some aspects of this book and hated others. The main thing I hated..... was the damn font color! The neon orange was damn near impossible to read, it literally hurt my eyes. When the text was in pink it was "ok" to read, but it was mainly frustrating. Other than that, I really enjoyed the variety of feminist voices and stories shared in this compilation.Some feminist writers I had heard of but never read, others were brand new to me. This collection is empowering and superbly well written. I liked that it included a variety of formats (speeches, poems, essays, etc.), diversity, and feminist text from not just several decades, but from several centuries. They made sure that feminism included not just the middle class white women, but females from all of the world, in different financial circumstances, ages, and ethnicity.  The collection ranged from calls to action, empowerment, humor, and educational. A great read in a horribly formatted book.

Red Clocks

I was momentarily disoriented in the first 25 pages, but once the format and story-line clicked, it was magic. Fascinating, dark, dreamy, beautiful magic. Told from the perspective of five wildly different women, Red Clocks re-imagines what the United States would be like if abortion was once again illegal and criminalized. The new personhood amendment overturned Roe vs. Wade and harshly persecutes women who abort or attempt to abort while also outlawing single parents from adopting. The women in this novel each deal with this new reality in different ways; with contempt, fear, outrage, and anarchy. It's a perfect read for fans of Margaret Atwood and fans of feminist literature and is more timely then ever. This book will make you think and feel. What a wonderful journey; I look forward to reading more by this wildly talented author.

Maresi

Translated from Finnish, this book is a combination of the horrifying possibilities in The Handmaid's Tale with ancient pagan tales. It's a wonderfully feminist, empowering, dark teen novel. Maresi is a 13 year old novice at the Red Abbey. The Abbey is located on a remote island and only women are allowed. They worship the goddesses and are completely self sufficient from men. Everything changes the day that Jai comes to the island. Maresi takes the scared girl under her wing and shows her the wonders and beauties of an island filled with only women. Little does Maresi know that she may have to take on role as savior for the Abbey and stop hiding behind her books and her new friend Jai. Very fairy tale-esque.

The Power

Poignant, powerful, and wonderfully different for a change. For once, women are the power hungry, the dominant, the top of the food chain. Eerily reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale and other dystopian literature, The Power chronicles the female ascent to the top. Worldwide young girls are discovering that they have the power to release electrical charges, effectively shocking other people, sometimes to death. They also discover that when they shock older women they have the power to waken the dormant abilities. Soon women all over the world have this power and for once the men know fear. Told through multiple perspectives over a ten year span we see a female mayor aspiring to be governor, a young teenage girl with stronger raw power then anyone has ever seen, Mother Eve a prophet of the power, and a journalist, the lone male voice in this book. Together their panic, amazement, and greed tell the tale of how men became the weaker sex and the movement that changed the course of history forever, Wonderfully fresh and inventive. I loved it!

Shrill

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! Literally I heart it soo much. It was very empowering, inspiring, and heartfelt and it made me think differently about myself, my body, and my gender. Lindy (and I'll admit I had no idea who she was until I read this book) does a wonderful job relating to the reader different instances in her life and her career that helped her become the feminist she is today. She talks about rape culture in comedy, abortion, body image, obesity, self worth, family, and more. She is a strong humorous writer and can make you laugh as easily as make you cry. Definitely a great book for women and those struggling with body weight, self confidence, and feminism. An all around win that I will definitely read again and recommend!