Some recommended reading for YOUNG FEMINISTS  

Broken down by age appropriateness, but feminists of all ages will love all of these! I did. 

 For most of these there's no agenda being pushed in the book. They are "feminist recs" for being a well-told story that just happens to emulate feminist qualities. ---L 

 +++Middle Schoolish+++

Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke  This story, this art-- makes my heart happy! J's 9 year old is bananas for everything Ben Hatke and Zita is just fantastic. 

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson  Just so fun! Laughed out loud quite a bit reading this. Again, J's son loves it and quotes it all the time. 

DC Superhero Girls by Shea Fontana  They are FINALLY catering to the huge audience of young female readers who love superheroes! I've been waiting for something like this ever since my nieces were born. 

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters  I want to be a Lumberjane! Friendship to the max!! Like a Girl Scout sleepaway camp, but awesomer ;) This first volume TOTALLY lived up to the tremendous expectations that are placed on this amazing book. My niece read it and loved it. I'm sending a copy along with her to her first summer at sleepaway camp for her to, of course, reread and enjoy. But mainly, so she can pass it along and share with the girls she meets, which will undoubtedly win them over... insta-friends! She's kinda shy in new situations so this would give her something to talk about with them and open up. 

The Legend of Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Origins by Renee De Liz  Soooooo good! Amazing art. Fantastic representation of WW's origin story. Lots of WW stories out there, I'm pretty sure I've read them all - this one's my favorite. 

 +++Young Adult+++ 

Beauty Queens by Libby Bray  A plane of beauty queens crash land on a deserted island - not something I'd typically be drawn to. But man, oh man, did I LOVE this book!! Hilarious and smart with a great takeaway my middle school/high school self would've really benefited from hearing: it is OK to be whoever you want to be, and not who other people expect you to be. Also, listening to this on audiobook was a treat.  

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older  There is so much to love about this book! The magical realism is rooted in fascinating culture that is imbued with the sense that it has been passed down throughout the rich history of this character and her family. And the act of shadowshaping, bringing art to life, is so evocative of phenomenal imagery throughout this story! Older uses language so beautifully to cut to the core of Sierra and her experience of the world. His writing provides his lead character with tremendous depth which is refreshing in a sea of YA fantasy/adventure series starring young women. 

Fallout (a story of a young Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond  The comics geek in me loves Fallout as a Lois Lane story. And it also wins as a YA story with an awesome female lead character, for those not familiar with the comics. 

I am Princess X by Cherie Priest  Love!!!! 

 +++Young Adult, graphic novel+++ 

Strong Female Protagonist by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag  ---all the YES for this one!! I will be buying a copy for my niece, as soon as she is old enough to read a book with the word "f#$k" in it. 

This was such a fun read. The writer's page-by-page meta commentary was hilarious. I loved how Alison fundamentally struggles with the role of superheroes, questioning the amount of good they are able to do when their brawls with villains do nothing to alleviate the true hardships of poverty and illness around the world. 

Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story by Peter Bagge  So accessible and such an important story!! I never encountered anything about Sanger in school, so this book fills an important gap that I suspect is still tragically absent from Elementary and Middle School. 

+++(Should be) Required reading for all humans everywhere+++ 

Elf cowbows? Faerie queens? Unicorns?

Are you ready for a Valentine romance? Preorder your copy of Love in Print by Darby Blake!

Fantastic Comics Dealing with Social Issues

Bitch Planet Highly recommended commentary on our society set in a future dystopia. Hey kids! Patriarchy!

Dykes to Watch Out For Alison Bechdel’s hilarious webcomic. Check out the collection The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For.

The Trouble with Women Jacky Fleming is spot on with her portrayal of how women have been treated - historically, and in history. Funny, funny stuff. Well, maybe not the subject - but the cartoons definitely are.

Strange Fruit: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History Powerful stories about people making it in the face of impossible odds. As horrifying as they are inspiring.

The Silence of Our Friends A moving account of racial (white-on-black) violence on a college campus in the 60s. Compelling art. Engaging story.

Great Feminist Books

Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks An excellent primer on feminism and intersectionality.

Ain’t I a Woman by bell hooks A wonderful history on feminism and race.

Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit Why feminism? Because maybe we can stop the worldwide cycle of violence if we pay attention to ½ of the population instead of trying to silence them.

I love me some GoodReads LISTS. This one covers a subject that’s of particular interest to J and myself.

Gay & Christian: A list of books relevant to LGBTQI issues and Christianity

OUR PICK FROM THIS LIST….. 

Changing Our Mind by David Gushee

If you are progressive in AL, LGBTQI or not, you probably find yourself wishing you had the perfect argument to make to explain to anti-LGBTQI Christians exactly why their hatred and exclusion simply doesn't jive with Christianity as Christ intended.

Gushee is a pastor who clearly and succinctly makes a case: pointing to the often-cited bible passages and explaining how they are being taken out of context by fundamentalists; looking at the roadblocks that exist within the culture of Christian communities today; and ultimately proving how being anti-LGBTQI simply isn't consistent with what Christianity is supposed to be about.

I'm not Christian, but I'm a progressive who wishes Christians would stop picking on LGBTQI people. I love this book because it is a Christian appealing to other Christians and holding up a mirror to encourage a bit of self-reflection and critical thinking.