Fearless Females: the Fight for Freedom, Equality, and Sisterhood by Marta Breen

Fearless Females: the Fight for Freedom, Equality, and Sisterhood

by Marta Breen; Illustrated by Jenny Jordahl

Yellow Jacket. An imprint of Bonnier Publishing USA. 2019

Grades 5 and up

In the introduction to this collection of stories about courageous women, Norwegian writers, Breen and Jordahl  say, “Feminism is the opposite of misogyny. And what is misogyny? Well, it’s the notion that the opinions of women are less valid, that their work is less worthwhile, that they do no have the right to make decisions about their own lives and their own bodies, that they deserve less freedoms than men, and that they should obey men. This misogyny has long, historical roots and is still very widespread. And it means that millions of women are subjected to violence, sexual harassment, force marriage, and other forms of oppression every single day.” 

Told in graphic format, the book highlights not only the women who led the fight, but frames their work within historic moments. Topics include, “Women’s Struggle Against Slavery,” “Suffering Suffragists” to “the Struggle For Female Bodily Integrity.”

Illustrated in comic form, the combination of text and drawings is very powerful and inspiring. 

Though the book contains no back matter, I do recommend it for library collections. 

I love Breen and Jordahl’s positive outlook for the future of women and feminism. “There will always be those who seek to resist this and return things to the way they were. But these people rarely succeed in the long run. The world is slowly but surely making progress - with the help of feminists and their allies.” 

Let’s hope that’s true. 

As Hillary Clinton states, “In big ways and small, the unfinished business of the twenty-first century is the full equality of women.”