A must-have for every person you know.
If you saw me opening my Amazon package last week, you’d know just how excited I’ve been to read Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. It’s been critically acclaimed all over the world, and deserves every rave review it’s had. Styled as a children’s alternative to princess stories, this book was initially funded by a $1 million kickstarter campaign and can now be bought in beautiful hardcopy.
Everything from the yellow and red constellation inner cover
to the inspirational quote as the dedication is new and different and exciting.
Here is a book filled to the brim with fascinating stories of women from all
over the world, spanning millennia, and fighting stereotypes. It is perfectly
done, striking just the right tone in the text and accompanied by stunning
illustrations.
Geri Stengel of Forbes
has described it as ‘a must-have for the nightstand of every girl or young
woman you know.’ But I’d disagree. I think this book is a must-have for every
person you know, regardless of gender or age. Everyone can learn something from
it, and to prove my point, I thought I’d compile a list…
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Rebel
Girls come in all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities
With stories of 100 women, this book shows
once and for all that women are amazing. This isn’t necessarily a new idea, but
this is perhaps the most thorough survey I’ve seen, presented so well. Just
flicking through the pages you’ll see women of all different skin colours, all
different looks, and all different ages. Unfortunately, in the West, historical
education is still heavily Euro-centric and based in classical education,
meaning whereas we may know the name Cleopatra we don’t know the name Jingu.
It’s books like these that can begin to target this imbalance.
·
Rebel
Girls don’t have to be sweet and perfect the whole time.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this book
covering political leaders too, such as Margaret Thatcher, even if their legacy
has been controversial. All too often feminist works like these, aimed at young
girls, can be too sweet, and brush over complicated issues. This book shows
that sometimes women are just as aggressive as men. Women can make mistakes or
make harsh judgements. Girls should be given all types of role-models and women
to admire, even if it’s not pretty and simple to do so.
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Sometimes
there’s Rebel Boys too. And that’s ok.
Another thing feminist literature tends to
brush over is how important men can be in the lives of great women. It
doesn’t delegitimise women’s strength by saying men can be great too. From
Orazio Gentileschi first giving his daughter a paintbrush to Pierre Curie
working alongside his wife, it’s important to recognise where men have played a
part, and this book does this perfectly.
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Art is
universal.
One of my many favourite parts of this book
was the choice to use many different artists from all over the world for the
illustrations. The works are almost as important as the text in showing young
girls that differences are amazing. Each artist uses her individual spin to
make the profiles beautiful and current. The choice to use artists from across
the world shows us these women can be relatable to everyone, regardless of
where they were born.
·
‘Rebellious’
can mean anything and everything.
Yes, some of these women were pirates or
activists, literal rebels against a regime or idea. But many of these women
rebel in less obvious ways, such as coming up with an amazing scientific
invention or creating poetry or sailing around the world. Not everyone has to
fight against a regime to be powerful.
·
The
stories are fascinating, not just empowering.
Even if after reading all this,
you’re not convinced. Even if you’re the most empowered person out there. Even
if you don’t need anything to tell you how great women are. You should still
read this book. Because, fundamentally the stories are adventurous, creative and exciting.
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