March 8th is International Women's Day, but any day is a great time to read books off of the 2020 list from Rise: A Feminist Book Project (formerly known as the Amelia Bloomer Project). Each year, members of this committee choose the best feminist works of literature for readers ages 0-18. Here are this year's top ten books from the Rise list, but you can see the full list here. (Many of these books are currently on display in the Teen Room as well).
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Shout : a poetry memoir
by Laurie Halse Anderson A poetic memoir and urgent call-to-action by the award-winning author of Speak blends free-verse reflections with deeply personal stories from her life to rally today's young people to stand up and fight the abuses, censorship and hatred of today's world. |
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What do you do with a voice like that? : the story of extraordinary congresswoman Barbara Jordan
by Chris Barton A New York Times best-selling author and a Caldecott Honoree present a picture book biography about the remarkable congresswoman Barbara Jordan, a lawyer, educator, politician and civil rights leader whose big, bold, confident voice and whose struggles, mission and perseverance in the face of adversity continue to inspire today. |
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Rise! : from caged bird to poet of the people, Maya Angelou
by Bethany Hegedus A biography of African American writer, performer, and activist Maya Angelou, who turned a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime. |
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We set the dark on fire
by Tehlor Kay Mejia A society wife-in-training has an uncomfortable awakening about her strictly polarized society after being recruited into a band of rebel spies and falling for her biggest rival. |
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The proudest blue : a story of hijab and family
by Ibtihaj Muhammad The Muslim-American Olympic medalist and social justice activist presents a vibrantly illustrated story about two sisters who endure criticism and bullying when they begin school on the first day the elder wears her beautiful blue hijab. |
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A boy like you
by Frank Murphy A celebration of the many wonderful ways to be a boy challenges readers to move beyond gender stereotypes, revealing the courage it takes to be oneself, ask for help and learn the stories of others. |
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Forward me back to you
by Mitali Perkins Meeting during a summer service trip in Kolkata while working with survivors of human trafficking, a young jujitsu champion with a haunted past and an adopted boy who faces learning about his Indian heritage with trepidation discover the complicated entanglements of justice and healing. By the author of the National Book Award-nominated You Bring the Distant Near. |
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Thirteen doorways, wolves behind them all
by Laura Ruby Abandoned in a Depression-era Chicago orphanage with her sister, a young woman endures injustice, poverty and violence while struggling to survive in the years leading up to World War II. By the award-winning author of Bone Gap. |
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At the mountain's base
by Traci Sorell Separated from a loved one by distance and duty, a family waits for a soldier’s return in a lyrical celebration of the bonds of Cherokee culture and the bravery of history-making female pilots. By the author of We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga. |
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Surviving the city
by Tasha Spillett Indigenous teens Miikwan and Dez are best friends that navigate living in the city together, but when Dez's grandmother gets sick, Dez runs away instead of going to a group home, leaving Miikwan and the community to try and find her. |