Moxie

So, basically...I'm obsessed with this book and think everyone should read it.The book is narrated by Vivian Carter, a "good girl" who attends high school in a small town in Texas that worships the football team and seems designed to keep its female population oppressed and subjected to sexist behaviors and comments on a daily basis. Inspired by her mother's younger days as member of the punk rock feminist movement called Riot Grrrl in the early 90s, Vivian decides to fight back by publishing an anonymous underground feminist zine, which slowly turns into a quiet--and then much louder--movement at her school. Meanwhile, Vivian also ventures into unfamiliar romance territory with a new boy at her school, struggles to understand her mom's new relationship with a man from her work, and worries over her best friend Claudia's difficulty understanding the Moxie movement and Vivian's new friendship with a new student named Lucy.Moxie should be required reading for every teenager, both male and female. This beautiful book somehow manages to do it all, in terms of young adult fiction. It features an incredibly dynamic main character and includes a fantastic teenage romance, complex friendships, parents worthy of several eye rolls, and plenty of high school drama; however, Moxie also includes crucial lessons about gender inequality and racial divide. From the very first page, I felt my inner feminist doing cartwheels in my heart, and she jumped, cheered, shook her fists in anger, and wept with pride all the way through the final page. Reading Vivian Carter's thoughts was like reading about myself, if I had attended a high school in Texas and been introduced to the idea of feminism earlier in life. She did everything she was expected to do and never caused trouble. She made good grades, tried to stay out of the limelight, and never let her mother or grandparents down. That was me, in high school. If Vivian was a real person and been a student at my school the year I graduated, she would have been part of my tightly-knit circle of friends, and I found myself identifying with her so closely that I became more invested in her story than I ever anticipated.Vivian is a highly relatable character, and Jennifer Mathieu made an excellent decision by making her a straight-laced student instead of a born rebel. Had Vivian been the kind of girl who spoke out about issues often or made waves when something bothered her, her decision to begin creating and distributing her zine, Moxie, would not have had the impact on readers that it did. Instead, her decision showed the power in stepping outside our comfort zones to stand up for the things we believe, and the change that Vivian underwent throughout the book was like a rallying cry for all the girls in the world who are tired of being subjected to sexism.Moxie serves as an incredible introductory guide to feminism for all teenagers. First and foremost, the behavior of the boys at Vivian's school and the lack of response from the administration and teachers highlights the need for feminism in the first place, and the response of some members of the female population of the school also demonstrates the reasons that many girls are hesitant to adopt the cause. Furthermore, Vivian's frustrations with Seth, even though he is not like the other boys at her school, show the difficulty the male population has in understanding the feminist movement, even when they are open to understanding as much as possible, because of the indoctrination of their gender. Finally, Mathieu also does an excellent job highlighting the concept of intersectionality and showing that within females, we divide ourselves because of issues of race, sexuality, and class, and that feminism is truly a movement that encompasses us all, not just middle-class white women.Some readers may take Moxie to task for the discriminatory nature it seems to take toward football players and Republicans, at times. The behavior of the football players at Vivian's school is extreme, and readers may be left with the idea that Mathieu has a major chip on her shoulder in regard to high school football players because of the intensity with which Vivian and her friends describe their feelings toward them. While I do see this point, I also think that the book makes an important statement about the power of a group mentality like that of the football team at Vivian's school and the overwhelming importance that many schools in our country place on male athletes in comparison to females. In addition, Vivian's comments about her mother's Republican boyfriend might turn some Republican readers away, but those who read the book closely will notice the valuable points made by Vivan's mother about different political views later in the book.Jennifer Mathieu has crafted a magnificent novel that saw my cheeks covered with tears toward the end and sends a priceless message about girl power. Readers of this spunky book will want to grab the nearest bullhorn and tell EVERYONE that Moxie Girls fight back.

BE STILL MY HEART! Holy crap this book was dynamite! I have not ever read a book that fired me up the way this book did. It made me feel empowered and ready to take on the world. AMAZING!Short Recap: Vivian Carter is fed up with the sexist crap that is taking place at her small Texas school. Football rules and girls drool. The football players can do no wrong and they know it. Finally being pushed too far and inspired by her Mom’s 90s feminist zines and creates one of her own – Moxie. Is this enough to get the female population of East Rockport High School to rise up against the injustice that has them pressed between a rock and a hard place?Hot damn this story was just so good! This is the type of book YA needs RIGHT NOW. Not just girls! Boys too should read this. Mathieu wrote a hell of a book that is sure to empower girls to speak their minds and stand up against what they feel is wrong. A copy of this book needs to be in the hands of everyone. I wish I could make that happen because I believe everyone needs to read this book.Vivian’s character was brilliant. Her development throughout the course of the story was lovely to witness. She started out as a meek girl not wanting to cause waves and became this tough as nails female who would not put up with crap from anyone. She quickly became someone that figured out that if all of the females stood together, they would be a much stronger voice. She believed enough in what she was doing to risk her future and to me that spoke volumes. It even made me want to be as tough as her. I had problems with Vivi’s best friend, Claudia. For reasons that were not clearly explained, Claudia started to pull away from her lifetime BFF after Moxie made its first appearance and Vivi voiced how much she agreed with it. It seemed Claudia had serious issues with the other friends Vivi was making. Maybe that was just a fear of being replaced? No matter what, Claudia should have been big enough and confident enough in her friendship to talk to Vivi about it. It just stood out to me how petty she was being.Growing up in small town America (my home town had less than 600 people and I graduated with only 27 people in my class), I can confirm that Mathieu nailed small town life. She has a gift for portraying this perfectly. It hit me harder and made me more uncomfortable to actually see it in print, but it was still true. Small towns thrive on football and those that play are treated as if they can do no wrong. That is no environment for young girls to grow up in because it gives a warped sense of reality. No girl should have to grow up thinking that they are the cause for a boy’s distraction. That made me so mad, moreso because it is so true. The message within the pages of this book are just so damn powerful.I really am at a loss for what else I can say about this outstanding and powerful book without giving too much away. I really, really, want everyone to read this! Always remember that this is not a female-only story – it is for men too! It is for everyone with an open mind and a willing heart to stand up for what is right and just. I wish I could buy everyone a copy so they can share with others. Please, read this now and let me know your thoughts. I want to hear what you think!MOXIE GIRLS FIGHT BACK!!

The book is just awesome worth buying

Sempre que vou avaliar um livro, levo em conta principalmente o que ele se propôs a fazer. Nesse quesito, Moxie é um livro perfeito, que entrega absolutamente tudo que promete e mais um pouco ainda! Se você está procurando um livro adolescente contemporâneo que é praticamente um tapa na cara em forma de lição sobre feminismo, é exatamente isso que você vai encontrar aqui!Não, isso não significa que o enredo é complexo, único, super bem trabalhado, com uma escrita excepcional e personagens cheios de camas e profundidade. Mas não precisa ser. Não é isso que eu buscava ao ler. O que eu queria era ver várias garotas diferentes se unindo contra o machismo na sua escola! Queria ver situações que me dessem raiva, mas garotas tomando atitudes que me dessem orgulho! Queria ver feminismo sendo abordado de vários lados, tanto daquele em que as pessoas o abraçam de vez, daquele em que têm todos os pensamentos certos, mas nunca pensaram naquela palavra e também daquele em que a própria falta de conhecimento leva as pessoas a acharem que não acreditam nas mesmas coisas. E tem tudo isso aqui!Fiquei surpresa de ver que tem romance também, mas foi uma surpresa ótima, principalmente quando a autora fez questão de tratar esse romance direitinho e sem idealizar. Quer dizer, até os bons garotos, os ótimos garotos, nunca terão mesmo a noção exata do que é ser mulher, porque eles nunca foram uma. Seth é bem incrível desde o começo, mas fiquei extremamente feliz de ver que ele não é perfeito! Deu espaço para mais questionamento bacana e necessário!Não faltou nada aqui! Ver as várias garotas diferentes interagindo, se ajudando, se apoiando e lutando contra o patriarcado juntas foi muito maravilhoso! E o melhor é que a autora fez questão também de falar sobre raças, de incluir todas e deixar claro que feminismo tem que ser para absolutamente todas as mulheres! Algumas cenas foram tão lindas, aliás, que confesso que cheguei a ficar emocionada!Eu cresci desde bem nova já me chamando de feminista, em uma época em que só via essa palavra em livros. Esse é bem do tipo de livro que eu queria ter lido quando ainda era adolescente, porque, apesar de eu já entender mais ou menos o que significava ser feminista, ainda tinha muita coisa para aprender - e definitivamente não tem jeito melhor do que com pessoas (ou personagens) que têm realidades parecidas com a sua. E é por isso que eu recomendo esse livro para todo mundo, não importa a idade! Vou fazer questão de divulgar, de dar como presente, de espalhar pelo mundo! Se você me vir com corações e estrelas desenhados na mão, não é coincidência!

Es ist einfühlsam, ehrlich und verantwortungsbewusst geschrieben.Ich befinde mich inmitten der Geschichte und es ist, als wäre es echt, was ein gutes Gefühl gibt, denn die Kämpfe zwischen Ernährer und Doppelversorger-Frauen sind hoch aktuell!

At Vivian's school the football team rules. There's no money for anything else, it all goes to football. The players get plenty of privileges and this reflects in their attitudes. They are sexist and rude, they think they can bully everyone else and are convinced their opinions are the law. Vivian no longer wants to accept this awful behavior and comes up with a plan. Her mother was a rebel, a feminist with quite a reputation, and Vivian still has her old material. She loves listening to the music and going through old zines. It's the zines that inspire her to develop her own project.To protest Vivian makes her own zine, which she distributes anonymously at school. She encourages girls to stand up for themselves by small ways of joint protest. She's surprised when others start following her lead. However, not everyone is enthusiastic about Vivian's mission and this changes her life at school considerably. Old friendships are being revalued and new bonds inevitably come into existence. While the effect at first is small, a snowball starts to form that won't stop for anything and anyone. Has Vivian created a high school revolution with her zine?Moxie is a fabulous story about feminism, which is a subject I applaud. I really loved how Vivian slowly starts to stand up for what she believes in. She comes across as a little bit shy and not very outspoken, but Vivian finds her voice and it's a strong one. I loved that the zines she’s spreading around her school are part of the book. They look fantastic and I admired how they make girls and boys unite. Moxie shows that sexist behavior shouldn’t be tolerated at all, in a fantastic impressive way. I love how Jennifer Mathieu gives girls a voice and makes her story accessible for a large group of readers. This is a book that can really make a difference and I think it’s a perfect example for teenage girls.Jennifer Mathieu's writing has a nice flow. Her story is fast-paced and there's plenty of action. There's also some lovely sweet romance that made my heart melt. I love how she lets girls stand up for themselves and admire that she's chosen such an amazing topic to write about. Moxie is captivating and creative and the ending gave me goose bumps. I really liked the issue that's being brought to attention in this powerful story and think it's a must-read for young girls.

Livre acheté pour l'école et en anglais...