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marasshelf's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
5.0
review coming soon on my instagram!!
charliedezeeuw's review against another edition
4.0
I recommend people of all genders, ethnicities, political standpoints, to pick this book up.
Nearly every essay hurts, and certainly every author brings her personal story in a way that will resonate with you some way. Whether you experienced sexual abuse, have been the victim of racism, or are part of the lgbt, you can feel the struggle of the authors.
It often hurt for me to read, as a trans boy who has never experienced anything like cat calling or worse. To read about the every day struggles of women, and realising they face every more on top of this if they are not cis and white. It’s confronting, and I often needed to take breaks in between stories. It forms a knot in your belly which I believe we need to feel more often, as society.
It is after all, our responsibility to untangle it.
Nearly every essay hurts, and certainly every author brings her personal story in a way that will resonate with you some way. Whether you experienced sexual abuse, have been the victim of racism, or are part of the lgbt, you can feel the struggle of the authors.
It often hurt for me to read, as a trans boy who has never experienced anything like cat calling or worse. To read about the every day struggles of women, and realising they face every more on top of this if they are not cis and white. It’s confronting, and I often needed to take breaks in between stories. It forms a knot in your belly which I believe we need to feel more often, as society.
It is after all, our responsibility to untangle it.
bookowllover's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
elinightingale's review against another edition
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
didn't read any except the authors i know. but somaiya daud and tracy deonn are fucking insane geniuses who i want to know
dani_mae's review against another edition
4.0
Rating is an average of all of the essays in this book.
1. My Immigrant American Dream - 4
2. Her Hair Was Not of Gold - 5
3. Finding My Feminism - 5
4. Unexpected Pursuits: Embracing My Indigeneity & Creativity - 4
5. Chilled Monkey Brains - 4
6. Roar by Robin Brown - 4
7. Easter Offering - 5
8. Trumps and Trunchbulls - 5
9. Tiny Battles - 4
10. These Words Are Mine - 4
11. Fat and Loud - 4
12. Myth Making: In the Wake of Hardship - 3.5
13. Changing Constellations - 4.5
14. The One Who Defines Me - 5
15. In Our Genes - 3.5
16. An Accidental Activist - 4
17. Dreams Deferred and Other Explosions - 3.5
18. Not Like Other Girls - 3
19. Is Something Bothering You? - 4
20. What I’ve Learned About Silence - 4
21. Black Girl, Becoming - 4.5
1. My Immigrant American Dream - 4
2. Her Hair Was Not of Gold - 5
3. Finding My Feminism - 5
4. Unexpected Pursuits: Embracing My Indigeneity & Creativity - 4
5. Chilled Monkey Brains - 4
6. Roar by Robin Brown - 4
7. Easter Offering - 5
8. Trumps and Trunchbulls - 5
9. Tiny Battles - 4
10. These Words Are Mine - 4
11. Fat and Loud - 4
12. Myth Making: In the Wake of Hardship - 3.5
13. Changing Constellations - 4.5
14. The One Who Defines Me - 5
15. In Our Genes - 3.5
16. An Accidental Activist - 4
17. Dreams Deferred and Other Explosions - 3.5
18. Not Like Other Girls - 3
19. Is Something Bothering You? - 4
20. What I’ve Learned About Silence - 4
21. Black Girl, Becoming - 4.5
lifeofaliterarynerd's review against another edition
4.0
"Ours are the marginalized voices they refuse to listen to. This book, this act of resistance, says our stories matter. Our lives matter. Our voices will not be silenced."This anthology review is going to be a little different than my other ones because it’s nonfiction stories, and it feel weird reviewing and rating each story individually when it’s someone’s personal experiences. I’ve been looking forward to this anthology since I read The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed last year and I discovered that she was editing an anthology about race, religion, activism, feminism, and the female experience.
I found many of the stories to be captivating and raw. Some of my favorites in the collection was “My American Dream” by Sandhya Menon celebrating everything that makes you who you are. “Finding My Feminism” by Amy Reed who shared a moving condemnation of rape culture and what being an activist means to her. “Tiny Battles” by Maureen Goo detailed the “tiny battles” that makes up your life’s journey and the powerful motivator anger can be. “Myth Making: In the Wake of Hardship” by Somaiya Daud discussed the complexities of intersecting identities. These stories all felt incredibly personal, while also universal - which I think is the highest praise I can give this anthology.
Overall, I really did enjoy this anthology. Now it can start to make you emotional, I drifted between sadness and anger a lot, but it does pull you in. And this was really one of my first experiences with nonfiction, but I was invested because it was stories from authors I love or subject matter that I value. Our Stories, Our Voices is a powerhouse collection of truths that need to be shared from an incredibly diverse range of YA authors that allows their voices to shine in an uncertain time.
I received a copy of the book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
ohsoyhappy's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 stars My Immigrant American Dream by Sandha Menon
I quite enjoyed this piece as I am also a first generation immigrant, I could resonate with the author. I completely agree with her quote "I'd been taught to always respect my elders, to never disagree, to accept what I was told. But adults, I was quickly learning, could be judgemental and cruel, prejudiced and bigtoed. Adults did not automatically get a pass anymore. I had the right to question them." as well as "There is no one way to be American. There is no one language, no one color, no one accent, no one religion. We are a country of multitudes; we should be proud to remain that way." A million time YES!
3/5 stars Her Hair Was Not of Gold by Anna-Marie McLemore
The focus of this is how the Virgin Mary and Jesus is normally portrayed and how the author realizes it and learns more about the whitewashing of the religion in a way. I can not relate as much, but it was an interesting read.
4/5 stars Finding My Feminism by Amy Reed
Survivor story. Powerful. This is the story of her journey as a feminist, how she felt fake and that she was not one of the survivors, and the spark within her to be that support for other women now through her writing.
4.5/5 stars Unexpected Pursuits: Embracing My Dignity & Creativity by Christine Day
An indigenous author's story about her life in school, erasure of her culture, finding her voice & passion, and the continuous journey she is taking.
4/5 stars Chilled Monkey Brains by Sona Charaipotra
Discusses the importance of own voices writing and how much representations really matter to us POC. This mentions the spark of this movement and the hope that it will become the norm.
4/5 stars Roar by Jaye Robin Brown
Important piece about finding and accepting oneself.
4.5/5 stars Easter Offering by Brandy Colbert
Talks about our whitewashed history and how racists the suffragists were. I now know that the quote "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" came from Fannie Lou Hamer, a black woman civil rights activist who focused on voting rights for Southern Black people. How cool is she? Yet, it is unfortunate that I never heard of her until now. Powerful and empowering piece.
4.5/5 stars Trumps and Trunchbulls by Alexandra Duncan
Very important essay that thoroughly describes gaslighting with examples. I also enjoyed the empowering way it ended.
4/5 stars Tiny Battles by Maurene Goo
Piece by a Korean-American woman whom I can relate to because I've gone through some similar things she has gone through. I really liked that she said "Rage has empowered me, and I give you permission to let it empower you."
4/5 stars These Words are Mine by Stephanie Kuehnert
This is a supportive piece to all survivors that can validate their experience. A strong message that you are not alone.
3/5 stars Fat and Loud by Julie Murphy
A piece on someone learning to be an ally. I appreciate that she acknowledged her privilege.
3.5/5 stars Myth Making: In the Wake of Hardship by Somaiya Daud
This piece felt like a letter to future writers.
3.5/5 stars Changing Constellation by Nina LaCour
This piece focused on a friend whovleft and what the author felt she could have done and what she learned from that friend. A thank you note for being their unapologetic self wherever they may be.
3.5/5 stars The One Who Defines Me by Aisha Saeed
It frustrates me to hear about how blatantly racists these teachers can be. They make such a big impact on their students whether negative or positive. I can relate to the not burdening my immigrant parents with racist things that happened to me in school. It took me a long time to actually talk to peers about it (college).
3/5 stars Our Genes by Hannah Moskowitz
I haven't got much to say about this one except we can learn from racist upbringing.
3/5 stars An Accidential Activist by Ellen Hopkins
Message to keep active and staying informed.
4/5 stars Dreams Deferred and Other Explosions by Ilene (I.W.) Gregorio
Yes! I love her end piece regarding smashing the model minority because that is exactly what I plan on doing.
3/5 stars Not Like The Other Girls by Martha Brockenbrough
Wow. Second grader. Men are sick. So many different memories regarding similar things happened to this author and it twists my stomach how hard she tries to be like a boy to try to level out the playing field.
4/5 stars Is Something Bothering You? by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Wow. A recalling of the time in her childhood where her father was terrorized and chased down by KKK members just because he answered someone's question back in Spanish. Chilling account of the fear after the event & then after the 2016 result were announced. But ends with hope.
3/5 stars What I've Learned About Slience by Amber Smith
Literally the title of this essay. How slience fester and finding strength and a voice.
4/5 stars Black Girl, Becoming by Tracy Deonn Walker
Denying ones identity due to micro aggression and the process of expressing oneself freely. Lovely.
Overall this was a phenomenal anthology filled will so many voices, experiences, and encouragement. It was reassuring to hear the shared nightmare November 8, 2016 was to a handful of these women as I felt completely hopeless that day and cried because I felt our America was crumbling down (granted it was not amazing for all in the first place, but we weren't regressing as much as we are now) the blatant racism and overall hate is flooding our America. However, what is emerging from this is a new sea of hope from people who are just tired of being slienced. This gives me hope.
I quite enjoyed this piece as I am also a first generation immigrant, I could resonate with the author. I completely agree with her quote "I'd been taught to always respect my elders, to never disagree, to accept what I was told. But adults, I was quickly learning, could be judgemental and cruel, prejudiced and bigtoed. Adults did not automatically get a pass anymore. I had the right to question them." as well as "There is no one way to be American. There is no one language, no one color, no one accent, no one religion. We are a country of multitudes; we should be proud to remain that way." A million time YES!
3/5 stars Her Hair Was Not of Gold by Anna-Marie McLemore
4/5 stars Finding My Feminism by Amy Reed
Survivor story. Powerful. This is the story of her journey as a feminist, how she felt fake and that she was not one of the survivors, and the spark within her to be that support for other women now through her writing.
4.5/5 stars Unexpected Pursuits: Embracing My Dignity & Creativity by Christine Day
An indigenous author's story about her life in school, erasure of her culture, finding her voice & passion, and the continuous journey she is taking.
4/5 stars Chilled Monkey Brains by Sona Charaipotra
Discusses the importance of own voices writing and how much representations really matter to us POC. This mentions the spark of this movement and the hope that it will become the norm.
4/5 stars Roar by Jaye Robin Brown
Important piece about finding and accepting oneself.
4.5/5 stars Easter Offering by Brandy Colbert
Talks about our whitewashed history and how racists the suffragists were. I now know that the quote "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" came from Fannie Lou Hamer, a black woman civil rights activist who focused on voting rights for Southern Black people. How cool is she? Yet, it is unfortunate that I never heard of her until now. Powerful and empowering piece.
4.5/5 stars Trumps and Trunchbulls by Alexandra Duncan
Very important essay that thoroughly describes gaslighting with examples. I also enjoyed the empowering way it ended.
4/5 stars Tiny Battles by Maurene Goo
Piece by a Korean-American woman whom I can relate to because I've gone through some similar things she has gone through. I really liked that she said "Rage has empowered me, and I give you permission to let it empower you."
4/5 stars These Words are Mine by Stephanie Kuehnert
This is a supportive piece to all survivors that can validate their experience. A strong message that you are not alone.
3/5 stars Fat and Loud by Julie Murphy
A piece on someone learning to be an ally. I appreciate that she acknowledged her privilege.
3.5/5 stars Myth Making: In the Wake of Hardship by Somaiya Daud
This piece felt like a letter to future writers.
3.5/5 stars Changing Constellation by Nina LaCour
This piece focused on a friend whovleft and what the author felt she could have done and what she learned from that friend. A thank you note for being their unapologetic self wherever they may be.
3.5/5 stars The One Who Defines Me by Aisha Saeed
It frustrates me to hear about how blatantly racists these teachers can be. They make such a big impact on their students whether negative or positive. I can relate to the not burdening my immigrant parents with racist things that happened to me in school. It took me a long time to actually talk to peers about it (college).
3/5 stars Our Genes by Hannah Moskowitz
I haven't got much to say about this one except we can learn from racist upbringing.
3/5 stars An Accidential Activist by Ellen Hopkins
Message to keep active and staying informed.
4/5 stars Dreams Deferred and Other Explosions by Ilene (I.W.) Gregorio
Yes! I love her end piece regarding smashing the model minority because that is exactly what I plan on doing.
3/5 stars Not Like The Other Girls by Martha Brockenbrough
Wow. Second grader. Men are sick. So many different memories regarding similar things happened to this author and it twists my stomach how hard she tries to be like a boy to try to level out the playing field.
4/5 stars Is Something Bothering You? by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Wow. A recalling of the time in her childhood where her father was terrorized and chased down by KKK members just because he answered someone's question back in Spanish. Chilling account of the fear after the event & then after the 2016 result were announced. But ends with hope.
3/5 stars What I've Learned About Slience by Amber Smith
Literally the title of this essay. How slience fester and finding strength and a voice.
4/5 stars Black Girl, Becoming by Tracy Deonn Walker
Denying ones identity due to micro aggression and the process of expressing oneself freely. Lovely.
Overall this was a phenomenal anthology filled will so many voices, experiences, and encouragement. It was reassuring to hear the shared nightmare November 8, 2016 was to a handful of these women as I felt completely hopeless that day and cried because I felt our America was crumbling down (granted it was not amazing for all in the first place, but we weren't regressing as much as we are now) the blatant racism and overall hate is flooding our America. However, what is emerging from this is a new sea of hope from people who are just tired of being slienced. This gives me hope.
chileanreader1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
enbylesbianism's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed many of the essays presented in this anthology and it introduced me to several YA authors I would like to read more of/from. However, it also made me uncomfortable more than once: sometimes, it was kind of the point, such as the essays focused on rape culture, sexual assault, racism etc. (which I still leave a trigger warning for, because it definitely is graphic and explicit enough for it to be needed), but there were also some moments where I don't seem to notice explanation for such discomfort, like Reed's usage of the F slur in her text as well as Caitlyn Jenner's deadname written on Brockenbrough's, which was also accentuated the lack of trans women amongst the authors. While I am aware that Reed addressed this issue at the beginning of the book, it still doesn't change this statement, although her awareness is positive.
sunstruck's review against another edition
4.0
A stellar collection of essays focusing on female empowerment, particularly with close emphasis on race, sexuality, and sexual violence. Most of the essays were raw and powerful, but my favorite was "Unexpected Pursuits" by Christine Day. Of course, while the messages are genuine, some essays shine brighter than the others and have a greater impact on the reader. Still, this book is a must-read for any young woman feeling alone, vulnerable, or unsure of what to do in such times ripe with dangerous political and socioeconomic climates.