The cover for The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu is LIVE! 😍 Check it out!
"Ready for a fun night? How about having a few fellow Moxie Girls over to your place for some popcorn and a seriously fierce feminist film? Whether it’s inspiring, funny, or a cult classic you’re after, this list should get you started. Happy viewing!"
There are still a few days left on the Fierce Reads Tour! Don’t miss Caleb Roehrig, Anna-Marie McLemore, Jennifer Mathieu, and Mitali Perkins!!!
Happy New Book Tuesday!
It's Tuesday, which means it's time for new books! 👏 What new releases are you picking up this week?
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Grab Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu for the feminist YA novel of your dreams 💥
Start reading Finding You by Lydia Albano if you love thrilling YA suspense novels 😱
7 Perfect Back-to-School Books
School’s great and so is required reading (seriously, sometimes there are GREAT books on those syllabi) but just in case you need some recommendations for your TBR stack, here’s a list of books we hope will inspire you as you get back to that daily grind of class, homework, tests, and more.
1. Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu Because every school needs more kick ass feminists.
2. In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody For the overachiever AND for those who wish they’d made a different choice.
3. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo You’ll have to wait until September 26th for this one, but the magical tales in this book will A. Definitely help you escape from the world of homework and tests and B. 100% get you in the mood for Halloween.
4. Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough It’s history AND it’s Hamilton! Very education, perfectly on theme.
5. Kissing Max Holden by Katy Upperman Romance isn’t just for the summertime, friends.
6. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira It all started with a homework assignment...
7. Heartless by Marissa Meyer Okay, this one’s pure escapism. (But if anyone asks, it’s a prequel to Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, which is totally academic.)
#bookish#booklr#list#back to school#moxie girls fight back#jennifer mathieu#Jessica Brody#The Language of Thorns#Leigh bardugo#grishaverse#Alexander Hamilton#Martha Brockenbrough#kissing max holden#katy upperman#love letters to the dead#ava dellaira#heartless#Marissa Meyer#young adult#i read ya#yalit#bibliophile#book lover#book nerd
September has arrived and new books are on the way! 😍
Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary by Martha Brockenbrough (September 5) You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins (September 12) The Equals by Daniel Sweren-Becker (September 12) Spinning by Tillie Walden (September 12) Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (September 19) Finding You by Lydia Albano (September 19) The Language of Thorns by Leigh Barudgo (September 26)
#new books#new releases#Alexander Hamilton#Martha Brockenbrough#You Bring the Distant Near#mitali perkins#moxie girls fight back#jennifer mathieu#daniel sweren-becker#lydia albano#tillie walden#the language of thorns#leigh bardugo#grishaverse#bookish#booklr#book photography#bibliophile#book lover#book nerd#young adult#i read ya#yalit
An Interview with Jennifer Mathieu, Author of MOXIE
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu hits shelves in a few short weeks! 🎉 To celebrate the release of this brand-new inspiring novel, Team Fierce Reads asked Jennifer some questions about the book and life as an author.
TEAM FIERCE READS: What makes Vivian fierce? JENNIFER MATHIEU: Viv sees a problem in her school and overcomes her natural shyness and fear to fight that problem with all her heart. That's not easy to do, but she does it.
TFR: If you'd met Viv when you were a teen, would you have been friends? JM: Oh, TOTALLY. I'll be honest, Viv is a lot like I was in high school. I wasn't as shy, but we share a lot of the same characteristics. So yeah, I would have been Viv's friend and I would have been a Moxie Girl, too!
TFR: Describe your book in 3 words: JM: Teen Feminist Army
TFR: If you could give Viv one piece of advice, what would it be? JM: I would tell Viv that her instincts are right and she should keep the fight going. I would also recommend a few bands she might like since she's so wild about Bikini Kill! My top recommends would probably be Sleater-Kinney and Fea, a band out of San Antonio!
TFR: What's one fun fact most people don't know about you? JM: My first language was Spanish! My mom and dad came to the United States from Cuba and Chile, respectively, and I didn't learn English until I went to school.
TFR: What's your favorite part of being an author? JM: Meeting readers both in person and online. I'm especially grateful when a reader shares with me how much one of my books validated them or inspired them. It doesn't get better than that.
Learn more about Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, on sale September 19th!
Like SPEAK? Try...
The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
Everyone knows Alice slept with two guys at one party. When Healy High star quarterback Brandon Fitzsimmons dies in a car crash, it was because he was sexting with Alice. Ask anybody.
Rumor has it Alice Franklin is a slut. It's written all over the "slut stall" in the girls' bathroom: "Alice had sex in exchange for math test answers" and "Alice got an abortion last semester." After Brandon dies, the rumors start to spiral out of control. In this remarkable debut novel, four Healy High students tell all they "know" about Alice-and in doing so reveal their own secrets and motivations, painting a raw look at the realities of teen life. But in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, exactly what is the truth about Alice? In the end there's only one person to ask: Alice herself.
fiercereadsya reblogged
“At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.”
She called herself a “daughter of the revolution”, and revolutionary she was. Happy birthday to this month’s Moxie Monthly, Frida Kahlo! An accomplished painter and outspoken activist, she fiercely defied gender roles, societal expectations, and colonialism in both her professional and private life.
Kahlo was always surrounded by sickness. After contracting polio at age six, she received a well-rounded education from her epileptic father, and the two of them bonded over living with disability. He kickstarted her interest in the arts and encouraged her to try out for sports despite her disability and cultural norms at the time. Ferociously rebellious and intelligent, she took up boxing and was one of 35 women accepted to the highly prestigious and newly co-ed National Preparatory School. Here, she began to develop her interest in social justice and the Mexican identity.
Although she had shown budding talent in the arts, she set out to be a doctor. She showed promise, getting good grades and devouring books. However, everything changed after she was impaled in a near-fatal bus accident. Bedridden, her dreams of becoming a doctor were shattered. But here, she began to paint.
Kahlo painted her truth, brazenly depicting sexuality, disability, miscarriage, abortion, and the female form. She drew inspiration heavily from Mexican folk art and was a part of the Mexicanidad movement, which celebrated Mexican identity.She began to dress in traditional Mexican clothing, favoring the style of the matriarchal indigenous society of Tehuantepec. At first, she was overshadowed by her husband Diego Rivera; publications were condescending and she was not known for much other than being his wife. However, her popularity grew. She became the first Mexican artist featured in the Louvre, she was featured in Vogue, and she inspired many artists and fashion designers. Although her health rapidly declined in her later years, she continued to paint, and even attended her last solo exhibition in her bed.
Throughout her life, Kahlo lived her truth at a time when norms were restrictive. She was openly bisexual and wore men’s suits, didn’t hide and even emphasized her mustache and unibrow. She tackled taboo subjects in her art, which was sometimes deemed too graphic for display. She was always defying colonialist ideals, dressing in traditionally Mexican clothing and celebrating the indigenous identity in her art and activism. For living so authentically and rebelliously, we salute you, Frida Kahlo! To wrap up, here are 5 fun facts about this revolutionary feminist:
- Everything she did, she did with style. Kahlo decorated all her medical aids, from her prosthetic leg to her supportive corsets.
- She loved her pets. Along with dogs, she owned a fawn, parrots, and spider monkeys, some of which were featured in her self portraits.
- Her art was record-setting. A painting of hers sold for 8 million dollars - the highest auction price for any Latin American artist.
- She took many famous female lovers. Among them, Georgia O'Keefe, Josephine Baker, actress, Dolores del Rio, and actress Paulette Goddard.
- She was politically active ‘til the very end. Kahlo protested American intervention in Guatemala just 11 days before her death. Dedication!
fiercereadsya reblogged
riot grrrl essentials for the modern woman proud of her sophisticated tastes and her steel-toed boots.
rebel girl // freewheel // dream number nine // stuck here again // mujer moderna // oh bondage up yours // gimme brains // one more hour // feels blind
Have you heard? Four fab authors are hitting the road this fall for the Fall ‘17 Fierce Reads Tour! Click HERE to learn more about the authors and their books.
fiercereadsya reblogged
The notion that I should be fine with the status quo even if I am not wholly affected by the status quo is repulsive.
To write is to be heard, and we hear Roxane Gay loud and clear. Roxane Gay is an associate professor of English at Purdue and a writer. Her writing has been described as wry, witty, non-polarizing, and accessible with a strong focus on the real human experience: flawed, complex and multifaceted.
Gay was born to Haitian immigrants in Omaha, Nebraska, the oldest of 3 siblings. Growing up, her parents were very strict. Although that meant no sleepovers, she and her siblings came out of it with strong bonds. She first started writing when she was 4 years old, but it picked up in her mid-teens; she used it as an outlet after an assault that left her feeling traumatized and isolated. Her teacher saw the cries for help in her writing and reached out. And although he encouraged counseling, he also encouraged her to write every day, and helped her hone her craft.
As a black bi woman, she once felt feminism wasn’t for her. She felt its primary focus was on straight white women to the detriment of others. Now, she is passionate about feminist issues like body image, assault, intersectionality, representation, reproductive rights, and pop culture. Although she agrees very much with feminism’s aims, she has also criticized it for requiring perfection and shunning the messy complexities of being human. Her unique perspectives and straightforward honesty make her a must read not just for feminists, but for anyone.
Gay speaks her truth without fear and has educated and enthralled leagues of feminists; for that, we are proud to honor this “bad feminist” and queer woman of color as our Moxie Monthly on Pride Month. Thanks, Roxane! And now, here are 5 facts about the amazing Roxane Gay:
- She’s one of the first black female lead writers at Marvel. She and Yona Harvey write for World of Wakanda, a spinoff of Black Panther.
- She’s a competitive Scrabble player. Her advice? Study your word lists, learn your threes, and treat the game like chess, not checkers.
- She loves The Bachelor. Does that make her a bad feminist? She embraces the label, but still notes the show is “very, very damaging”.
- Her favorite singer is Beyonce. Because, obviously.
- Her new book Hunger comes out June 13th! In it, she explores food, weight, self-image and self-care through her own experiences.
Weekly Fierce Reads Recap
Hi friends! How was everyone’s week? We’ve been busily sharing fun new things with all of you. But, just in case you missed something, let’s do a quick recap.
New Books: Three new books came out this past week: 1. A Lie for a Lie by Robin MacCready 2. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller 3. Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot
Cover Reveal: The paperback of The Lovely Reckless by @kamigarcia has a new cover!!! It’s 🔥 and we love it.
Book Announcement: The Huffington Post announced our upcoming collection of essays written by woman and girls about the many obstacles they’ve faced throughout their lives simply because of their gender. The collection will be called Because I Was a Girl and will be edited by Melissa de la Cruz! (We are SO excited about this extra special project and we hope you are too!!!)
Fun Bonus Stuff: Author Jennifer Mathieu has launched @moxiegirlsfightback, a kickass Tumblr that’s 100% mandatory for every feminist we know.
eDeals: We also have a few eBooks on sale! Make sure you check those out.
And now, for a really cute gif just in case you has a really bad week (or even if you had a good week -- this is really for everyone):
BIG MOXIE MOVIE NEWS!!!
“Amy Poehler's and Brooke Posch's production banner Paper Kite has acquired the film rights to Jennifer Mathieu's upcoming feminist YA book Moxie.” - YEAH THEY DID
Entertainment Weekly just revealed the cover of Jennifer Mathieu's latest YA novel, MOXIE! We're absolutely in love and are so excited to share it (and an exclusive excerpt from the book!!!) with all of you!