A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers, and Other Badass Girls

Quantum Leap for adolescent girls? I kind of want to buy a few dozen copies and give them out every time i encounter a teen girl and tell her, "You might need this to learn to be a kickass heroine". Some stories are incredibly moving and inspirational, some are depressing, but all are historically accurate (with the except of one fantasy story) stories of strong-willed girls who chased their dreams. Most stories feature minorities from African Americans to Native Americans to Chinese Americans and/or socio-economic, sexual and religious diversity. At least one story made me cry and at least one made me extremely happy. One (accidental?) theme of A Tyranny of Petticoats is standing up to evil/bullies/corrupt authority; some stories show more remind me a lot of The Secret Life of Bees. I've never been particularly into American History (...whatsoever), but in several cases A Tyranny of Petticoats had me reaching for Wikipedia. Very highly recommended. show less

I got through the first three stories and then I bailed. Life's too shorts to rage read.

A very short breakdown:
1/ A story about an escaped slave who dies for reasons 100% unknown and unclear in the story, other than it created a magical cliffhanger ending instead of an actual happy ending. Written by a white woman.

2/ Inupiat story written by an Asian American woman, in which colonizers brutally murder just about everybody and the "good guys" who rescue her are missionaries, a group of people who in reality helped crush the population of indigenous people in the Americas. So poorly researched the author wrote about using reins on sled dogs (not how that works) and reported her favorite story growing up was the very problematic Julie of show more the Wolves. (And I'm not just saying that as a veterinarian who hates the "alpha" bull**** and the incredibly inaccurate depictions of wolf pack dynamics.)

3/ A story about a young black woman who wants to be the mistress of a white man she barely knows, but then learns better and decides to marry a black man she isn't attracted to. Written by a white woman.

When I got this collection and saw the write up, I assumed it would be a diverse collection of stories written by a diverse collection of women. I think there is some truth to that but I think you have to recognize the impact of writing problematic stories, even if you're trying to be "woke." Especially if you're trying to be "woke." I think saying only #ownvoices writers can write anyone who is not cisgender, white, heterosexual, blah, blah, blah is wrong and limiting, but this collection is really changing my mind after just 3 stories. show less

A Tyranny of Petticoats is a collection of short stories about teenage girls throughout American history. I borrowed it for the Elizabeth Wein short story, “The Color of the Sky”, about a girl who meets Bessie Coleman, the first black woman to get a pilot’s licence, which was sad but excellent.

However, the rest of the collection reminded me that short stories, young adult and historical fiction are all things I enjoy and probably haven’t read enough of in the past year. I also learnt a few things I didn’t know about US history.

My favourites stories were: “Pearls” by Beth Revis (1876; girl gets job as a teacher out west), “The Legendary Garrett Girls” by Y.S. Lee (1898; two sisters run a pub in Alaska), “Bonnie and show more Clyde” by Saundra Mitchell (1934; girl robs banks disguised as a boy), “Hard Times” by Katherine Longshore (1934; girl travels looking for work) and “The Pulse of the Panthers” by Kekla Magoon (1967; girl who has never left home meets members of the Black Panthers movement).

As a rule, I liked the straight-historical stories much more than the ones with fantasy/supernatural elements. show less

3.3 stars

I don't really know what I expected from this collection of stories as I rarely put my hands on short reads. A bunch of tough girls and lots of action was my minimum, I guess. Something to inspire and aspire to. Women finding their place and voice in the world of men.
There were sisters and loners, with black skin and white skin, rich and poor, straight and homosexual. Not all of the stories met my expectations, but some of them really hit the spot. I also loved that every novella had a historical background and introduced me to some events or personas I've never heard about.
All in all, I do recommend checking this out.

Mother Carey's Table by J.Anderson Coats. A really disturbing pirate story - gloomy and decorated with folk show more tales. I'm glad I read it but I wish I didn't at the same time. 4 stars.

The Journey by Marie Lu. A girl surviving in Alaskan wilderness, seeking help in gods and spirits of nature. Raw and primeval. 2.5 stars.

Madeleine's Choice by Jessica Spotswood. New Orleans' gens de couleur libres, voodoo priestess and a girl learning to tell right from wrong. The ending is equal parts reasonable and disappointing.
2 stars

El Destinos by Leslye Walton. Greek Moirai in times of Texas annexation. Dark, magical and tragic. Loved it the most. 5 stars.

High Stakes by Andrea Cremer. A girl who takes her gloves off only when she's about to kill. A mysterious man who pays her for protection. And two deaths. Loved the last line. 3.5 stars.

The Red Raven Ball by Caroline Tung Richmond. Sisters, spies and not everything nice. 2 stars

Pearls by Beth Revis. Forced marriage with a despicable man (and money) vs poor single life with guns (and books). What will a girl choose? 2.5 stars.

Girl in the Roots of the Grass by Marissa Meyer. Your typical dead boy meets medium girl story. 2.5 stars.

The Legendary Garrett Girls by Y.S. Lee. Kickass sisters dealing with bad guys in cold, gold-dusted Alaska. 3.5 stars

The Color of the Sky by Elizabeth Wein. Real-life story, built around the first black woman to gain a pilot's license. Made me go through a whole spectre of emotions and even the overly sweet ending couldn't ruin it for me. 4 stars

Bonnie and Clyde by Saundra Mitchell. A teen bandit boy is running from a teen lawman. Actually, it's a girl and the lawman is her unsuspecting boyfriend. Smiled all the way. 5 stars

Hard Times by Katherine Longshore. Teens of 1930s leaving their homes in search of something better - begging for food, train-jumping and trusting no one. Didn't like the rushed ending, but enjoyed the story overall. 3.5

City of Angels by Lindsay Smith. Women taking men's places in industry during World War II, discovering their potential and sexuality. 3 stars

Pulse of the Panthers by Kekla Magoon. A story inspired by The Black Panthers Party movement - what they stood and fought for as seen through the eyes of a naive, overprotected girl who never crossed the line. 3.5 stars

The Whole World Is Watching by Robin Talley. Student protests against war in Vietnam and the bloody outcome that was later named "Battle of Michigan Avenue" and a personal battle of a girl torn between an idea of who people want her to be and who she really is. 3.5 stars. show less

While there are some eras and decades not represented--I would love to see a story of a teen girl in the 50s straining against the constraints of society or a story of a girl in the 70s or 80s who was part of the punk movement--overall, this is a wide-ranging exploration of both American history and of young women refusing to settle.

ETA (1/31): The stories are generally strong, and there are several I would love to see expanded upon, either into novellas or novels. There's also a nice mix of races and cultures represented. And, while there are some stories featuring romance between two women, all of the heroines are cis-females and that was a little disappointing.

This book. This. Book. Love it! Amazing authors, amazing content. So, so good. This is stuff teen girls need to read. Kick ass girls doing kick ass things and being generally kick ass. This was a joy to read, though I did have my favorites, as anyone would when it comes to an anthology. I was so looking forward to this book and it lived up to my expectations in a way a lot of books haven't lately. I would recommend this book. I wish I could give it more than 5 out of 5 stars. Wonderful job to all the authors! This was brilliant.

As with most anthologies, some stories I liked better than others... However, there was nary a petticoat to be seen in at least 3/4 of these stories (just saying.)