Kelly Jensen (2)

I first learned about Kelly Jensen when I was introduced to her 2018 compilation (Don’t) Call Me Crazy. I love that the stories she collects are targeted towards teens and young adults (but really are for everyone) and that they include a variety of authors and experiences.

One of the things I love most about non-fiction books is their ability to make you feel less alone and her anthologies are made for this. I remember vividly my experiences of visiting the library as a pre-teen and show more adolescent and looking for books that would demystify and normalize our bodies, our complicated feelings, and the worries we all had but rarely discussed – but most of the time I would come up short.

We are lucky to finally live in a time where a lot of things have changed. YA authors take on important and multifaceted issues more often than not, we have the internet at our fingertips and there are resources galore. But that also comes with a struggle, information overload!

Enter Body Talk. Kelly Jensen compiled stories from 37 diverse voices that explore the beautiful and diverse bodies we inhabit – from the complexities we have from our own feelings to what society expects of them. She includes stories that are heartwarming and some that are heartbreaking, and everything in between. I love the inclusivity in this anthology and while it would be impossible to include everything, I love that most readers could relate in some way.

When we share our own unique experiences with one another, the more we are actually able to understand each other and ourselves. While we all experience life differently, but we can all relate to the complexities and intricacies of being human and what that feels like both physically and emotionally.

And you cannot talk about bodies without talking about the shame and anxiety that can come along with it and this theme was woven in throughout the stories and text in. The Q&A sections were a wonderful and informative addition and the gorgeous artwork brings it all together. I highly recommend this for readers of all ages and am so happy to have this collection on our family’s bookshelf because I know I will refer back to it again and again.

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for a gifted copy. As always, all opinons are my own. show less

Here We Are is a collection of forty-four pieces about feminism - mostly short essays, but also some comics, art, and poetry. Divided into topics like "starting the journey," "body and mind," "gender, sex, and sexuality," "culture and pop culture," "relationships," "confidence and ambition," and "go your own way," the anthology covers a wide range of issues. Most of the pieces - particularly the chapter intros by editor Kelly Jensen - have an introductory or basic feel to them; the target show more audience is likely teens and young adults. That said, as an adult barreling toward middle age, I found a lot here to love as well. Here We Are would make an excellent gift for the budding young feminist in your life - but don't be surprised if you find yourself leafing through the pages too!

What most attracted me to the book is the wide variety of names attached to the project. Some are authors whose work I know and love (Malindo Lo, Roxane Gay, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jessica Luther, Nova Ren Suma); others have had books on my TBR pile for what feels like forever (Daniel José Older, Brandy Colbert, Courtney Summers, Kody Keplinger). There are even a few contributions from well-known politicians (Wendy Davis) and actors (Amandla Stenberg). The book showcases a nice diversity of voices, with people of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and abilities. There are even a few men present - something that made me hesitate at first, until Matt Nelson won me over with his essay, "Privilege."

Normally with anthologies, I do a brief summary or at least a rating of each piece, but 44 is a little more of a challenge. Instead I'll just point to a few of my favorites. Roxane Gay's "Bad Feminist: Take Two" is both amazing and laugh out loud funny (not a surprise). I also found Malinda Lo's "Forever Feminist," in which she writes about her grandmother's immigration to China (right before Japan invaded Shanghai in 1937) incredibly touching.

In "Pretty Enough," Alida Nugent writes about growing up a biracial teen in Westchester, New York. While vising Puerto Rico didn't magically cure all the insecurities Nugent had about her body - big nose, curly hair - it gave her a place where she finally felt like she fit in: "And oh, how beautiful it is to feel just like yourself."

Shveta Thakrar's "A Thousand Paper Cuts" legit gave me chills, and "Dragging Myself into Self-Love" by Constance Augustus Zaber is wonderful as well. And these are just the ones I remember off the top of my head (it's been a few months since I finished).

A word of caution: this is one of those crafty-type books, with lots of art and illustrations, so it's better read in print form or - for the ebook version - on a PC, iPad, etc. The art is next-to-impossible to make out on a Kindle. show less

A good and diverse overview about what feminism is (and isn't). I really enjoyed reading from so many different contributers with different backgrounds.

A fantastic collection, diverse in many ways: in terms of contributors, content, and format. An excellent book to hand to any young person, essential for school and public libraries.

Quotes

From the Introduction:
Feminists come in every shape, size, form, and background. What unites feminists is the belief that every person - regardless of gender, class, education, race, sexuality, or ability - deserves equality....This is a movement about listening as much as it is about speaking up.

"Feminism show more helped me understand that my body was not up for public debate and discussion." -Angie Manfredi (p. 32)

"...our brains are malleable; the more we think about things in a certain way, the more we will default to that way of thinking." -Lily Myers (p. 45)

"You'll marvel at the way it feels to say 'I am a feminist.' Like both the bravest of declarations and nothing more than the most basic of truths.
I am: my life.
A feminist: has value."
-Kayla Whaley (p. 63)

"Judgments" by Pomona Lake: photo of a woman's legs, a hand holding up her skirt. Writing on one leg with little hatch marks for skirt length (top to bottom): whore, slut, asking for it, provocative, cheeky, flirty, proper, old fashioned, prudish, matronly. (p. 71)

"...when we begin to connect with people as human beings, then it becomes really difficult to discriminate against them, and to say that they don't deserve life and that they are not human beings." -Laverne Cox (74)

"Cornel West reminds us that justice is what love looks like out in public." -Laverne Cox (75)

"Feminism is for all women, which means it is made up of as many approaches as there are women." -Mikki Kendall (101)

"An inclusive feminism is a more effective feminism....Equality for all has never meant that everyone would agree on the best way to do anything." -Mikki Kendall (104)

"Whenever anyone implies, or...declares that representation doesn't matter, I want to put them in my childhood shoes....Allowing a group to exist only as stereotypes is an insidious type of erasure." -Brandy Colbert (149)

Wanderer, your footsteps are the road,
and nothing more; wanderer,
there is no road, the road is made by walking. -Antonio Machado

"Our patriarchal gender norms, the rules that tell us how to fit into pre-assigned boxes labeled "man" and "woman," have nothing to do with love and everything to do with power." -Daniel Jose Older (189)

"There is power in what we choose to consume as readers, and there is power in what we choose to amplify, celebrate, and share." -Nova Ren Suma (199) show less