Someone by Alice McDermott Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2013 240 pages The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant Scribner, 2014 336 pages The company where I work serves the real estate industry, which has two primary trade show seasons each year: one that runs January-May and one that runs August-November. Being the marketing director, I do … Continue reading Someone and The Boston Girl
I’m Thankful for: Professor M
Every year around Thanksgiving, I share a post about an inspiring woman I’m grateful to have known. There was never any doubt about what I'd study in college. When I looked at prospectuses, my first step was always to flip to the English department section, to see what courses they offered and what the English faculty's … Continue reading I’m Thankful for: Professor M
Brown Girl Dreaming
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Penguin, 2014 352 pages I don’t read a lot of poetry, and I’m not entirely sure why. When my poetry-loving friends put up Facebook posts sharing a favorite line or two from what they’re currently reading, I always think, “How beautiful. I really should read more poetry.” Maybe verse is not … Continue reading Brown Girl Dreaming
Women in Clothes
Women in Clothes by Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, Leanne Shapton et al. Blue Rider Press, 2014 528 pages I have an ambivalent relationship to fashion. I love clothes. I love expressing myself through what I wear. I love the idea that, by picking out an outfit, I can give people a piece of the code … Continue reading Women in Clothes
Rosie Revere, Engineer
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty; ill. by David Roberts Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013 32 pages Over on the Read Like a Girl Facebook page, I've been sharing a lot of posts related to the relative dearth of women in STEM fields. It's a subject that's top-of-mind for me because my daughter, who … Continue reading Rosie Revere, Engineer
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan HarperCollins, 1985 58 pages For most of my childhood, my family attended a church that had a lending library. Among the books were novels about pioneer-era mail-order marriages, which I completely devoured. They were trite and fluffy reads, but through them I caught a glimpse of something serious: … Continue reading Sarah, Plain and Tall
Super Secondaries: The Women (and Girls) of Harry Potter
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling; ill. by Mary GrandPre Scholastic Shortly after I started writing this blog, I had an idea for a series: something that would recognize books with strong female secondary characters. After all, girls don't always read books about girls--nor should they. But we can still steer them to books with … Continue reading Super Secondaries: The Women (and Girls) of Harry Potter