Girls Write Now

GIRLS WRITE NOW is a beautiful collection of essays which would make a fabulous holiday or graduation gift.  It is subtitled “two decades of true stories from young female voices” and these short writings feature typical teen concerns (first kiss, bullying and belonging, work and school pressures) as well as lifelong issues associated with gender, poverty and opportunity. Due to the non profit's location, many of the inspirational young writers are from the New York area, but several other states and countries are represented and the surnames reflect the breadth of ethnic experiences which are included. Well-known, established writers (e.g., Alice Walker, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Francine Prose), have provided brief reflections on writing, such as:

“Everyone has a voice. It’s just a question of finding the courage to use it, and the first step in finding the courage is knowing that no matter who you are or how quiet you think your voice is, your voice matters. You are never going to please everyone with what you say, but you don’t have to worry about that….” ~Roxane Gay

“To write is to bring an inner voice into the outer world, to believe that our thoughts are worth entering the thinking of others and to make real what has never existed in quite the same way before. What could be a better path to self-value than that?” ~Gloria Steinem

GIRLS WRITE NOW is full of emotion and will elicit even more from readers; this title received a starred review from Booklist. Get this text as an advisory/homeroom read and pair it with other readings like The New York Times feature – “This is 18.”  In fact, many of the essays in GIRLS WRITE NOW would be appropriate to share with middle school students (School Library Journal suggests grades 7 and up) which makes this collection a great book for parent-student reading.  That, in turn, offers the possibility of complementing this text with the NEW Frontline Dispatch Podcast on the refugee crisis which has been designed specifically for parents to share with tweens and teens.  

Girl Rising by Tanya Lee Stone

 

I have blogged in the past about the movie Girl Rising and was very excited to see the release this past week of an accompanying text: GIRL RISING by Tanya Lee Stone. It is not often that we see a film become a book, but award-wining author Stone has used the 45 hours of raw video, field notes and her own research to expand upon the truly inspirational stories in the 2013 film.

The many, many vivid photographs of young girls and their comments about the importance of education in GIRL RISING are truly moving and unforgettable. I know that our advisors have used the movie and high school curriculum in the past and I hope they continue to do so since, as Stone reminds us, “Girls are girls, no matter where they live.”  She recounts some amazing statistics:

• a girl on planet Earth has a one in four chance of being born into poverty;
• in more than 50 countries, school is not free; and
• 62 million girls are not in school
• even though education leads to increased earning, later marriages and pregnancies, fewer infant deaths and longer, healthier lives for women. 

Stone continues to share statistics on human trafficking which disproportionately impacts young girls, and of forced labor (called restavek in Haiti and kamlari in Nepal). She briefly profiles organizations such as Restavek Freedom, Nepal Youth Foundation and other NGO’s which rescue girls. Nicholas Kristof has also written frequently about these issues such as in “President Trump’s War on Women Begins” and the books Half the Sky and A Path Appears, written with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn. 

GIRL RISING continues with more statistics on child marriage and explores the factors behind limited access to education, as well as the key role of parents. In addition, there is an entire part that discusses possible solutions and offers hopeful updates on the girls profiled in the movie. There is an extensive bibliography with numerous articles, reports, videos and websites, plus source notes. GIRL RISING received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus.

More Non-fiction in February ...

Over the past few weeks I have spent quite a bit of time helping students with research, with citing sources and with choosing non-fiction books to read for Junior Theme.  Their interests are many and varied, often covering topics that I have noted in previous posts on non-fiction works related to poverty, fracking, class issues, health care, and race or ethnic identity to name just a few. Here, now are comments about several NEW nonfiction books that were just published in February:

How to Have a Good Day (Crown Business, Feb. 2) is written by Caroline Webb, a former McKinsey consultant.  Webb builds upon earlier works and offers practical suggestions in sections with titles like Priorities, Productivity or Relationships.  I have already been recommending this book and feel that it is one to which I could often refer. I especially like that Webb bases her comments on research, but intersperses stories and includes massive amounts of information in three helpful appendices, a glossary and suggestions for further reading.  How to Have a Good Day is likely to join other business-oriented books like The Originals by Adam Grant, Grit by Angela Duckworth and Small Data by Martin Lindstrom on best-selling lists. In future posts, I will be reviewing those later titles and upcoming author appearances ( by Grant and Duckworth) at local Family Action Network events.

And Then All Hell Broke Loose (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 9) by Richard Engel is, to me, a fascinating read since it is based on his 20 some years reporting from the Middle East.  In that role, Engel has had the unique experience of not only interviewing politicians and personally witnessing historic events, but living in the region and making numerous local contacts, even surviving a kidnapping in 2012. In addition to these personal and professional stories, he has been able to step back somewhat and craft observations on the changes and trends that have occurred in order to offer readers a broader perspective on the Middle East.  Engel’s writing style is extremely accessible and informative.  I learned much as I read and look forward to handing And Then All Hell Broke Loose to students and faculty. Starred review from Booklist.

Five Rising Democracies (Brookings Institution, pbk Feb. 23) by Ted Piccone, a senior fellow with the Project on International Order and Strategy at Brookings. This work focuses on India, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and Indonesia. Piccone discusses events and trends which he sees as impacting global efforts regarding human rights and democracy. Given the upcoming Olympics and challenges from the Zika virus, the section on Brazil seemed especially timely. Five Rising Democracies has more of a scholarly tone and language, but should have some interest for faculty and specialized Senior classes.

Finally, Untangled (Random House, Feb. 9) by Lisa Damour is subtitled “Guiding Teenage Girls through the Seven Transitions to Adulthood.” Damour, a psychotherapist, draws upon her clinical experience to offer parents guidance on communicating about difficult topics that range from romance, drugs and alcohol, to eating or mood disorders, to coping with social media bullying or anxiety, and much more. Damour asserts that there are predictable paths, although travelled at different rates, as girls move from middle school, through high school and on towards independence. In its review, Kirkus describes Untangled as, "Expert information and counsel on helping parents raise well-rounded girls.” Others, like Madeline Levine, call it “grounded,” “practical”, “logical,” and “smart;” this title could easily be a One School, One Book program choice for parent and teacher groups.