BOOK REVIEW: OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES EDITED BY AMY REED

Our Stories, Our Voices edited by Amy Reed

Published August 14, 2018

ebook, 320 pages

MY GOODREADS RATING 5/5 STARS

(Thanks to Netgalley & Simon Pulse, I received an eARC)

 

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:     

From Amy Reed, Ellen Hopkins, Amber Smith, Sandhya Menon, and more of your favorite YA authors comes an anthology of essays that explore the diverse experiences of injustice, empowerment, and growing up female in America.

This collection of twenty-one essays from major YA authors—including award-winning and bestselling writers—touches on a powerful range of topics related to growing up female in today’s America, and the intersection with race, religion, and ethnicity. Sure to inspire hope and solidarity to anyone who reads it, Our Stories, Our Voices belongs on every young woman’s shelf.

This anthology features essays from Martha Brockenbrough, Jaye Robin Brown, Sona Charaipotra, Brandy Colbert, Somaiya Daud, Christine Day, Alexandra Duncan, Ilene Wong (I.W.) Gregorio, Maurene Goo, Ellen Hopkins, Stephanie Kuehnert, Nina LaCour, Anna-Marie McLemore, Sandhya Menon, Hannah Moskowitz, Julie Murphy, Aisha Saeed, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Amber Smith, and Tracy Walker.

 

MY THOUGHTS:

This was one of the absolute best anthologies I have ever read! I had to request it based on Ellen Hopkins, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Nina LaCour, and I.W. Gregorio who are some of my favorite authors. Seeing all these wonderful women coming together to add to this amazing book featuring their voices made it a MUST read!

There was so much representation in this book, it was a breath of fresh air. I noticed a lot of the essays revolved around the presidential election, which I’m sure most people can relate to on some level. I thought all of these authors were extremely raw, and told their experiences in a very real way.

I thought each of these essays was inspiring in it’s own way, and I feel like every woman or feminist should give this one a go. Each essay was well-written and made you think and feel in such ways that I will be re-reading it many times. I know I can’ t relate on a personal level to each and every one of these essays but they all moved me, some to tears.