Tag: graphic novels

In Case Emma Watson’s Looking for Suggestions for Her Feminist Book Club

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Emma Watson, aka Hermione Granger, aka magical bookworm, is starting her own feminist book club. She’s starting off with Gloria Steinem’s My Life on the Road, but it got me thinking about what books I’d include in a feminist book club.

For powerful and thoughtful YA novels about girls and family and their place in the world:

  • Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
  • The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
  • Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero
  • Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
  • Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
  • Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

For YA novels about girls fighting back in many different ways:

  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
  • Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
  • Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
  • All the Rage by Courtney Summers
  • Far From You by Tess Sharpe
  • Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

YA feminism isn’t limited to the real world:

  • The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
  • The Fire Wish by Amber Lough
  • Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker
  • Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

And graphic novels are perfect for a feminist book club:

  • Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro, Taki Soma, Robert Wilson
  • This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki
  • Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen

And some of your favorite elementary/middle school reads are perfect for feminist book club:

  • A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
  • Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
  • Matilda by Roald Dahl
  • Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
  • Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
  • From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

This is obviously not a complete list, because there are so many awesome books featuring compelling female characters and dealing with feminism and what it means to be a woman.

Did I leave out a favorite? Shout out in the comments.

Going Graphic

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Love this idea of the graphic cannon. No, not the cannon of graphic novels–these are works in the literary cannon that have been made into graphic art. Aside from being totally awesome, it sounds like The Graphic Canon: The World’s Great Literature as Comics and Visuals would be a great way for teachers to get reluctant readers interested in the classics.

Candlewick also has graphic versions of classics like Moby Dick and The Merchant of Venice, which are fantastic. Works like these might not replace the standard text version, but I think they’re an awesome accompaniment.

(image: Beowulf illustrated by Gareth Hinds, via The Atlantic)

Cool Graphics

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I don’t read a lot of graphic novels, but based on this list of suggestions it sounds like I should venture into those waters more often. One that looks especially cool:

For fans of young adult: ‘Friends With Boys‘ by Faith Erin Hicks (writer/artist). First Second, 2012. Softcover. Black & White. 224 pages. $15.99
An energetic and thoroughly engaging story about a teenage girl headed to high school after being home schooled her whole life. Though her three older brothers are already installed safely at high school, Maggie faces her own challenges, especially as their mother has recently vanished, with no sign of returning. With incredibly expressive art and vivid character design, Hicks’ story leaps off the page with its enthusiasm and sweetness, tinged (as all high school stories probably should be) with just enough darkness to keep things interesting. There’s also a supernatural element to Friends With Boys, and the way it resolves is decidedly unexpected and strengthens the book’s metaphors even more powerfully.

They know their target audience! Lots of other great suggestions, too.

What literary-leaning graphic novels would you suggest?