The F Word in YA

Feminism.

I bet this wasn’t the word you thought I’d be writing about. But it makes just as many people uncomfortable as the other f-word. There’s been a lot of talk about it in the blogosphere. Go ahead and google it…you’ll find a wealth of information and conflicting thoughts.

I have my own shaky relationship with feminism. Because this is me:

The girlier the dress the better!

Note the matching apron and oven mitt!

 I like dressing up, I wear make-up, I have a not-so-alternate persona nicknamed “Suzy Homemaker.” Yet I was raised by a single mom who embraces feminism, and I proudly make my own decisions, support myself financially, and claim every right available to men as mine own, too. To me, feminism is the ability to make decisions and have all options open to you. Want to become a Congresswoman? Go for it! Want to work with orphans in Kenya? Go for it! Want to stay at home with your three children? Go for it! Want to do all three? More power to you! I know some don’t share my viewpoint and it’s one that I have worked hard to figure out. In my Women’s Studies 101 class during college I felt isolated and bullied when classmates were making fun of women who wear short skirts when I was, indeed, wearing a miniskirt. Perhaps I wasn’t ‘feminist’ enough to fit in with those students, and there’s nothing wrong with having differing views. My point in describing my complicated feelings towards feminism is because, well, there isn’t an easy answer and all the debates online naturally stem from the complicatedness of the issue. No matter how you define ‘feminism’, though, I absolutely think it’s important for young readers (girls and boys) to read books with strong heroines. Twilight might be an entertaining read, but there’s no way I want myself/my sister/my friend/my future daughter turning out as helpless and boy-dependent as Bella*. Pick up a book with a strong girl instead! My own list of my favorite feminist books or feminism characters is definitely up for debate and I hope you’ll leave comments with your thoughts.

* But to just prove how subjective lists like this are, Ms. magazine argued that Bella could be a feminist character because she does have sexual agency…and that’s true and important. While on a whole I still don’t believe that Bella is a strong female or great role model, that one point nicely illustrates how nothing is black or white.

Recommended Books with Feminism Themes:

Alanna in the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce: One of the earliest examples of feminist YA literature, Alanna is smart and a great fighter. Although she hides her gender at first in order to pursue a career at a knight, she later embraces both her feminine side and combat skills and is honored when she does. She also doesn’t give in to societal pressures by marrying Prince Jonathan but ends up with George, because of their shared love and independence a relationship with him provides.

Katsa in Graceling by Kristin Cashore: The same blurb for Alanna kind of belongs here: Katsa is clever, stands up to her demanding uncle/king, has amazing fighting skills and enters into a relationship on her own terms rather than society’s.

Nancy Drew in her eponyms series by Caroline Keene: Book-smart and street-smart Nancy solved mysteries better than the trained police force. And while she had a loyal boyfriend, he and his pals were sidekicks in the story, often showing up after Nancy had done all the dirty work.

Katniss in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins: There is no doubt about it: Katniss is one powerful chick. Standing up first for her family and then for the people of District 12, she is a character to look up to despite her sometimes morally questionable judgments. But in a situation like she’s in there aren’t any easy answers and she is more than capable of using her brain and fighting skills to do the right thing.

Professor McGonnagall in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: Although it can easily be argued that Hermione is a great feminist character (smart and keeps up with the boys), Prof. McGonnagall gives young readers an adult role model. As one of the few female professors at Hogwarts, she is in control and more than holds her own against Dumbledore and Snape. She’s not the flashiest of characters, but solid and admirable in her quiet (yet commanding!) way.

Jo in Little Women: Not your typical modest and prim girl from the 19^th century, Jo is a outspoken, passionate tomboy who ignores social conventions by becoming a writer and involved with an older man rather than her childhood (and seemingly destined) friend. She is a great example of ‘the independent woman’.

Lyra in The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman: Nothing is left untouched in this novel; politics, religion, class and race issues are all touched upon and explored deftly through Lyra who is clever and rebellious even when facing older and more powerful enemies.

I find it interesting that the majority of the books I listed are fantasy. Does this mean that outside of our modern society’s conventions writers are able to create stronger, more independent characters…or is it just a reflection of my own reading habits? Definitely something to ponder…

What other book or characters do you think are feminist? One website I saw recommended Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time but I don’t remember the book well enough to suggest her/it myself. And another website suggests The Book Thief which I’m only 100 or so pages into…so I’m sure there are plenty of other characters and books I’m forgetting/haven’t read…yet!

Virtual Witch Hunts

I meant to post this yesterday, but even though I'm at day late, it's still worth the reminder that everything you say (especially online) is public and that you need to be considerate of others and mindful of how you present yourself. 

Mid-Month Update

This month has been a busy, crazy one...and it’s only half over!  Here’s an update on where I stand in completing my Book Lover Goals:

Book Lover Goal #1: Editorial Assistant at a Children’s Book Publishing House

I had TWO interviews last week…my first interviews since August.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  And they’re both editorial assistant positions; exactly what I’m looking for.  The first was at Random House, working at Knopf Children’s Books.  The second was at HarperCollins, working at Katherine Tegen.  Both positions gave me a take-home writing test in which I need to read a manuscript/short story and provide a reader’s report and flap copy.   That being turned in, I’m anxiously waiting to hear whether I get a second interview…keep your fingers crossed!  Each interview, though, brings me closer and closer to achieving my first Book Lover Goal.

Book Lover Goal #2: Author of MG and YA Novels

I finished writing The Rose of Coracus, which is now in the hands of my trusted readers for their comments.  I’m hoping to revise once more based on their notes and then begin querying after the New Year (AHH!). In the meantime, I’m participating in NaNoWriMo on my new novel, The Lady and the Unicorn’s Lover (I couldn’t resist playing with the title of the famous tapestry).  NaNoWriMo started off great; I wrote 5,000 words in the first three days, keeping on par with the 1667 words a day goal.  I am currently at 5,000 words.  Life aka interviews got in the way of my writing at such a rapid pace.  And although I would have loved to come out of November with a 50,000 word manuscript, I know that The Lady and the Unicorn’s Lover WILL get written eventually…and if I come out of November with a job, it will be even better.

Book Lover Goal #3: Owner of a Bookstore and Bakery

This goal is the one that’s most in the future right now.  I’m okay with that.  Goals #1 and #2 are plenty to focus on right now.  I have been doing quite a bit of baking, though (as always!), and would like to share this seasonally appropriate recipe.  It’s a family favorite and a crowd pleaser.

Pecan Pumpkin Delight

15 oz    canned pumpkin (without spices)

12 oz    evaporated milk

1 c       sugar

3          eggs

1 t        vanilla

1 box    yellow cake mix

1 c        butter, melted

1 ½ c    pecans, slightly chopped

            whipped cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with non-stick foil or parchment paper.  Set aside.   In large bowl, combine pumpkin, milk and sugar.  Beat in eggs and vanilla. Pour in prepared pan.  Sprinkle with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter.  Sprinkle with pecans.  Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Invert onto a large serving platter.  Carefully remove paper or foil. Top with whipped cream if desired.  Enjoy!

So, there we have it…my crazy first couple weeks of November.   We’ll see what the next two bring; sleep and a bit of relaxing, hopefully…and a phone call with a job offer! (Remember: Book Lovers ALWAYS have hope!)

Professionalism

There has been quite a bit of talk recently about literary agency interns (and sometimes agents themselves) anonymously posting bits of queries on twitter.  While most of the tweets are written with the intention to amuse or educate, many querying authors have been insulted by the idea.  And blame agencies.  Which in turn get insulted, because most agencies would never ever employ an intern that had the gall to do that. Why do I think anonymously posting parts of queries online is so terrible? It comes down to one word: professionalism.

Some elements of professionalism seem old fashion: business causal attire, lunch meetings, etc. yet one element of professionalism should never go out of style: personal integrity.  And by invading a query author’s privacy and posting their query, which was written with the intention of only being read by the agency, online is not professional.

Many in my family are teachers so it’s easy for me to flip this situation around to apply to education, and teachers have been fired for acting similarly.   Take note:

Example #1, To Entertain: A student does something stupid or amusing in class.  The teacher remarks about it to her friends or in public.  It gets back to the student’s parents.  The parent complains to the principal or superintendant, and lo and behold, that teach is in deep do-do (to put it bluntly).

Example #2, To Educate: A teacher gives students an exam.  Wanting to help her students realize how they can improve, the teacher copies a poor exam, crossing out the student’s name, and hands it out to the class.  The student whose exam is passed out, is mortified, even if the exam is anonymous.  Again, the student’s parent finds out, complains and the teacher is in trouble. 

In both examples, the teacher isn’t trying to hurt the student.  He/she wants to entertain his/her friends or educate the students.  But they’re still invading the student’s privacy and right to respect. 

Thus, querying authors deserve the same respect.  They’re writing to the agency with the understanding that their query will only be seen by the agency (interns and agents, alike).  By breaking that trust, the intern tweeting about the query ruins any potential relationship that could be formed between the client and agent.  Integrity is about building trust, respecting others and being a generally upright person.  It’s part of what being a professional is.  And what I continue to strive to be; I get angry when interns are judged on the few who act unprofessionally.  We’re not all like that.  And I know for one that FP-NC would never ever tolerate an intern acting the way in which others are. 

So, to those who are tweeting queries, reconsider what type of person you want to come off as; someone who breaks trust easily, or someone who is respectful and professional.  I, at least, know what type of person I’d like to be and what type of person is going to get (or keep) the job in the end.

Imagination, and Other Book Lover Values

“Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive—it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?”

- Anne Shirley to Matthew Cuthbert, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Imagination.  The chance to dream and hope.  The skills to achieve those dreams.  I sat down today trying to figure out which books I read as a child influenced my book lover values.  I came up with four names: Anne, Laura, Jo, and Nancy*. These girls were some of my best friends and role models growing up, and even today.  I can turn to my (real life) best friend and we’ll happily recount their adventures.  We learned lessons about friendship, morals, perseverance and hard work, romantic relationships, but they never felt didactic.  I learned and grew along with the girls of those books.

One of the biggest characteristics of these characters were their big dreams.  They weren’t afraid to imagine a different world, and they worked hard to achieve it. Unlike her sisters, Jo wanted to be a writer and, in turn, became one.  Anne became a writer and was one of the only girls from Avonlea to go off to college.  Nancy solved mysteries.  Laura lead an adventurous life (traveling across the country, Native Americans, illness and crop failures) and became a teacher.  They had realistic dreams, they had unrealistic dreams (“call me Cordelia”, anyone?), they had little dreams, they had big dreams.  But they worked hard to achieve them and made their way in the world, with a few bumps and bruises, but overall coming out on the top. In college Anne learns “Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing” so maybe those scrapes that happened along the way aren’t so bad.  You try, you fail, but you learn, dream some more, and try again.

These girls also dealt with issues that modern girls could relate to:

Jo wasn’t considered feminine. More than any other heroine, as a child I could relate to Jo.  It’s funny, because I’m more of a Meg today, but when I was ten I was an outspoken and creative dreamer who also happened to be a bull-in-a-china-shop.  Jo even wanted to be a writer, too!  These qualities made Jo unusual for her time, and readers can relate to her because she is presented as a well-rounded lifelike character, full of good and bad qualities.

Anne had similar difficulty fitting in, and often suffered from body image issues, although that vocab most certainly didn’t make it into L.M. Montgomery’s books.  Anne hated her red hair and freckles, and got into many a scrape (dying her hair green wasn’t really what she was going for…) trying to change her look.  In the end, she realizes that maybe she should just embrace her appearance.

And Jo’s family’s financial situation and lessons that Marmee and their father (from afar) try to teach the little women about being content even if they don’t have everything was a lesson that I needed to hear growing up.  The March sisters worked hard and made do with what they had; if they could do it, so could I.  Laura’s family provided a similar example; they starved through long winters and had to sell a cow in order to buy needed supplies.  Such a lifestyle was (is, thank god!) foreign to me, yet I still had the example of Jo and Laura.  They were creative with and thankful for what they had.

Nancy (red hair and freckled and proud about it), the amateur sleuth, also proved that you could go anything you set your heart to.  Solve mysteries? Battle evil guys? Restore lost heirlooms? Drive a car, change a tire, drive a boat, speak French, ride a horse, etc.? Check, check, check AND check. The best part was, which I’m sure my feminist mom was proud of, although Nancy had a steady boyfriend, Ned, he only showed up at the end, once Nancy, George and Bess had solved the mystery.  Go gurrrrl power! Nancy could be in a relationship and perfectly self sufficient (and kick ass), too.

These four books/series are classics, yet haven’t lost any of their charm or ability for girls to relate.  From Civil War Massachusetts, the lonely Midwestern prairie, turn of the century Prince Edward Island, or 1930s River Heights, Jo, Laura, Nancy and Anne still experienced the same things I did when I was growing up.  Literary characters make great friends (they’re always around when you need them!), so if you know a girl who has reached the age of twelve and hasn’t yet read these books, get them for her now.  She’ll thank you for it.

* For those of you not on first name basis with the girls, they’re Laura Ingalls (Wilder) of Little House on the Prairie, etc., Josephine March of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Nancy Drew and her series by Carolyn Keene and Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables, etc. by L.M. Montgomery.