We Should All Be Feminist by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We Should All Be Feminist is an extraordinary collection of essay by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, rallying everybody, men and women, to fix the present issue of gender. Through personal experiences she emphasizes how stereotypes are able to limit and shape our thinking, specifically focusing on the injustices women face. Rather than recognizing how we are, gender prescribed how we should be, setting huge expectations that do a disservice to the entire population. 

She highlights how despite being biologically different, society exaggerates these differences. However, we don’t have to be confined to a system because our ideas are able to evolve. Through expressing our feelings and anger, we will be able to collectively bring about positive change. 

I highly recommend checking out this book. It’s a short read but full of inspiration. Additionally, you can also check out Adichie’s Ted Talk which this book is adapted from. I especially enjoyed this read because of the message to be unapologetic for who you are and gender should not be the weight pulling you down in life. 

Review Written by Jessica, 11th Grade

Little Women Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is a tale of 4 young women who are sisters: Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth. Their father is serving as a chaplain for the North during the American Civil War and so the four sisters live with their mother. The story is about the stories of all four girls as they all learn to love and accept one another, as their personalities are wildly different.

One sister falls in love with the boy next door, while another travels to France. One gets married, and the other goes through hard times. However, the four sisters overcome these differences together and demonstrate amazing growth in character throughout the novel, as they strive to support and help their family.

This is an amazing tale of personal growth with many interesting stories of the girls woven throughout, making for a book that is rarely dull. With themes such as struggle, growth, and familial duty, I believe that this is a book that makes for a very worthwhile read. I particularly enjoyed this book because of such themes, as the story of personal growth as well as watching the familial bond between the four sisters strengthen, was very touching.

Review Written by Elizabeth, 12th Grade

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

This historical fiction novel is about a black girl named Cora who is a slave on a plantation in Georgia. It depicts the harshness of slave life, and all the consequences of disobeying your master or attempting to run away. Cora always thinks about her mother who she thinks ran away and abandoned Cora as a little girl. 

One day a fellow slave named Caesar tells her to run away with him. They find what was known as the Underground Railroad that leads them to several places. Cora meets several good and bad people along the way in her adventures in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, all the while being chased by a slave bounty hunter named Ridgeway. It's a very harsh life on the run for Cora, and the brutality described is very graphic--sometimes hard to read or imagine. But in the end, it's definitely worth the read. 

 Review Written by Malia, 12th Grade