Thank you Walker Books for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis:
To respect yourself, to love yourself, should not have to be a radical decision. And yet it remains as challenging for an American girl to make today as it was in 1927 on the steps of the Supreme Court. It’s a decision that must be faced when you’re balancing on the tightrope of neuro-divergence, finding your way as a second-generation immigrant, or facing down American racism even while loving America. And it’s the only decision when you’ve weighed society’s expectations and found them wanting. In The Radical Element, twelve of the most talented writers working in young adult literature today tell the stories of girls of all colors and creeds standing up for themselves and their beliefs — whether that means secretly learning Hebrew in early Savannah, using the family magic to pass as white in 1920s Hollywood, or singing in a feminist punk band in 1980s Boston. And they’re asking you to join them.
Stories by:
Dahlia Adler Erin Bowman Dhonielle Clayton Sara Farizan Mackenzi Lee Stacey Lee Anna-Marie McLemore Meg Medina Marieke Nijkamp Megan Shepherd Jessica Spotswood Sarvenaz Tash
Review:
I always find it hard to review anthologies and this one is no different. It is hard to judge a collective of stories, especially when some of them are amazing compared to others. The Radical Element is short stories about woman who don’t fit in and have to fight to get their voices heard.
Young woman should read this book and hopefully it encourages them to stand up for their beliefs and follow their hearts to find what they want in life. The Radical Element does send a strong message and gave me appreciation for my current situation in life, because I know there are woman out there that are not so lucky. Personally, I wasn’t as excited by the stories as I thought I would be. I liked the stories but I expected to be moved.
These stories give an insight to women that are judged due to religious belief, culture views and even over baring and strict parents but each one won in some way to get the chance to fight for what they want in life and not what others believe she should do. The stories are the following:
Daughter of the Book– Dahlia Adler
You’re a stranger here – Mackenzi Lee
The Magician – Erin Bowman
Lady Firebrand – Megan Shepherd
Step right up – Jessica Spotswood
Glamour – Anna-Marie McLemore
Better for all the world – Marieke Nijkamp
When the moonlight isn’t enough – Dhonielle Clayton
The Belle of the Ball – Sarvenaz Tash
Land of the sweet, home of the brave – Stacey Lee
The birth of Susi go-go – Meg Medina
Take me with U – Sara Farizan
As mush as I found these stories unique and charismatic, I just didn’t find them as diverse as I thought they would be. Personally, I found that the stories lacked something and I found a few of them hard to get into compared to the others. I heard that the Spotswood next release will be Toil & Trouble, and will be supernatural based which I may find more interesting.
Rating: 3/5
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 9780763694258