Book Review: Here We Are

I received Here We Are: 44 Voices Writes, Draw and Speak About Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen from Algonquin Young Readers to review as an ARC (advanced reader copy), with a post-it note that simply stated, “The! Best!” which I’m entitled to agree with.

The premise of this book is offering 44 people a chance to “discuss” feminism in whatever way speaks to them – whether it’s by writing, drawing, speaking, in an interview, in a blog post, article, etc.
So let me give a little background about myself and then I’ll talk about the book as well. I’ve shied away from the term “feminist” for quite a while – it has a relatively negative connotation in many circles, which is unfortunate. I often felt, that personally, I wasn’t enough of a feminist, in that I believe that women (and all people) should be treated be equally in all aspects of life, but I never really acted on these thoughts and honestly kept them to myself for the better part of my life. As I’ve said before on my blog, I am white, cisgender, educated, middle-class and about as privileged as you can be without being a white man but more and more I look at today’s world and not only see the inequality that I face (as a woman), but more so the inequality that faces so many people who are different. And I believe that people can be different and still treated with respect and equality.

This book, written for a teen audience, does a great job of describing how feminism can differ depending on your background and your own story – what you bring to feminism. There are descriptions about what feminists believe, FAQs about feminism and then breaks down feminism into different areas to focus on – Body & Mind, Gender, Sex & Sexuality, Culture & Pop Culture, Relationships, Confidence & Ambition and Go yOur Own Way.

Each voice in Here We Are, brought their own story to the table and shared what being a feminist means to them – and not only are there women on the list, but the group of people talking about feminism in this book include a diverse group of voices some of which are men, women, different cultures, and people who identify differently than I do. By hearing/reading/seeing their stories, I learn more about the world around me. I learn about these individual people and I think the biggest take-away from this book is that everyone’s story creates their own view of feminism, with the belief that women (and all people) are equal.

As an aside: I’m sure that many will argue that there are too many views from this group and too few views from that group. But, when you only have a book with 44 voices, you’re not going to hear every single person’s story, because that would require a much larger book. I think the editor did a great job of trying to reach out to as many different types of people as possible and hopefully the reader can find themselves in the book and if not, feels strongly enough to share their own story online, with their family and friends or by writing their own book, if they so choose.

Twitter Booktalk (140 characters or less): Here We Are is a young person’s guide to what it means to be a feminist  in the real world from 44 diverse voices in today’s world.

Title: Here We Are: 44 Voices Writes, Draw and Speak About Feminism for the Real World
Editor: Kelly Jensen
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Publication Date: February 28, 2017
Page Number: 218 pgs.