Reviews

Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America by Hannah Moskowitz, Amy Reed, Tracy Deonn Walker, Sandhya Menon, Ellen Hopkins, Amber Smith, Sona Charaipotra, Somaiya Daud, Stephanie Kuehnert, Julie Murphy, I.W. Gregorio, Tracy Deonn, Anna-Marie McLemore, Martha Brockenbrough, Christine Day, Jaye Robin Brown, Aisha Saeed, Alexandra Duncan, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Brandy Colbert, Maurene Goo, Nina LaCour

vera_michele's review against another edition

No Rating

I always feel uncomfortable when giving ratings to nonfiction books. Especially anthologies. I have given ratings, but I just don't feel comfortable with this one.
I really enjoyed this anthology. It was about being a woman in America. I related to a lot of these stories, but I didn't with others. I don't really have a lot to say about this other than the ones I loved the most:
1. "Her Hair Was Not of Gold" by Anna-Marie McLemore
2. "Chilled Monkey Brains" by Sona Charaipotra
3. "Roar" by Jaye Robin Brown
4. "Easter Offering" by Brandy Colbert
5. "These Words Are Mine" by Stephanie Kuehnert
6. "The One Who Defines Me" by Aisha Saeed
7. "In Our Genes" by Hannah Moskowitz
8. "What I've Learned about Silence" by Amber Smith

mishmashedme's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

kits_little_library's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

This book is really wonderfully written. There are so many voices, stories, so much intersectionality, and different types of empowerment stories in this collection. 

I loved seeing some of my favorite authors (Ellen, Nina, and Amber) plus seeing that when this was published, some amazing authors hadn’t been published yet (Tracy and Christine). 

I think a lot of cis women will find this empowering and they will feel very seen. I think a lot of trans women will feel like their voices weren’t in this collection but the editor’s note does point out they were lacking trans voices. 

Overall, good read. 

natsthecats's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

starswereenough's review against another edition

4.0

Personal favorite was Anna-Marie McLemore

amberrose's review

4.0

A wonderful collection of essays discussing everything from racial identity, feminism, and sexual assault in the wake of the 2016 election. It's a humbling reminder that these issues are complex and that there is always, always something to be learned and something to be working towards.

thedisabledreader's review against another edition

dark

3.0

ellieafterall's review against another edition

3.0

good intentions but mediocre executions.

review to come. (also, mediocre executions is a sick band name)

megjonesy's review against another edition

5.0

These real life stories written from perspectives of young women in our country (many are minorities and/or victims of sexual assault) are eye-opening and powerful. One experience in particular was told by a girl who references her hometown of Springfield, MO.

lifeofaliterarynerd's review against another edition

4.0

"Ours are the marginalized voices they refuse to listen to. This book, this act of resistance, says our stories matter. Our lives matter. Our voices will not be silenced."

This anthology review is going to be a little different than my other ones because it’s nonfiction stories, and it feel weird reviewing and rating each story individually when it’s someone’s personal experiences. I’ve been looking forward to this anthology since I read The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed last year and I discovered that she was editing an anthology about race, religion, activism, feminism, and the female experience.

I found many of the stories to be captivating and raw. Some of my favorites in the collection was “My American Dream” by Sandhya Menon celebrating everything that makes you who you are. “Finding My Feminism” by Amy Reed who shared a moving condemnation of rape culture and what being an activist means to her. “Tiny Battles” by Maureen Goo detailed the “tiny battles” that makes up your life’s journey and the powerful motivator anger can be. “Myth Making: In the Wake of Hardship” by Somaiya Daud discussed the complexities of intersecting identities. These stories all felt incredibly personal, while also universal - which I think is the highest praise I can give this anthology.

Overall, I really did enjoy this anthology. Now it can start to make you emotional, I drifted between sadness and anger a lot, but it does pull you in. And this was really one of my first experiences with nonfiction, but I was invested because it was stories from authors I love or subject matter that I value. Our Stories, Our Voices is a powerhouse collection of truths that need to be shared from an incredibly diverse range of YA authors that allows their voices to shine in an uncertain time.


I received a copy of the book from Simon Pulse via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.