Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu
Published by Hachette Children’s Group
FOLLOWING the Netflix film adaptation I would direct anyone who enjoyed watching Moxie to read the book it was based upon, especially young girls from the age of around 12.
It can be difficult to find both strong and believable female protagonists for young readers to look up to and see as role models. It’s the type character I’m always looking for and a character that Jennifer Mathieu captures with Viv in this novel.
Viv develops her strength and resilience over time and shows that truly caring and doing what you can for a cause with the materials and knowledge you have can truly make an impact.
This is a story that puts activism into perspective in a way that’s readable, engaging and even inspiring and immediately comes to mind as a recommended for YA feminist novels.
Growing up in Texas, Viv has always been good, quiet and normal, never getting too involved in conflict, and while this feels easier, it quickly becomes clear to her that what is easy is not always what is right.
The constant and casual sexism of the young men in her high school pushes Vivian to a breaking point where she realises that following the rules isn’t going to work anymore. It’s from this revelation that she discovers her mother’s history in the 1990s as a dedicated Riot Grrrl and takes inspiration from this to challenge the outdated views at her school including unfair dress codes and the cruel football team’s immunity to criticism.
Her quiet rebellion begins by anonymously making a fanzine which she leaves in the girls’ bathrooms before school to keep her identity hidden and which discusses the problems with her school’s culture of misogyny.
The popularity of her fanzine – Moxie – builds along with speculation as to its creator and what was once one girl’s attempt to point out the unacceptable behaviour of men becomes far bigger than she ever could have imagined.
The code of support for Moxie is to draw stars on your hand, and seeing this symbol all over school inspires Vivian to work harder, beginning a school-wide revolution to demand the way girls have been treated there stop.
Through this she makes allies she couldn’t have expected in girls who never thought themselves to be feminists before.
After a major protest that changes everything, Moxie becomes a national phenomenon, helping girls with problems in their own schools find the courage to speak up.
It is however, not only in fiction that Vivian’s journey inspires. This book has a genuine impact in real life.
This is exactly the kind of story young girls should be reading today,. While this is a young adult novel, I would recommend it even to older readers looking for an uplifting story with an inspiring young woman at its heart.
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