The Amelia Bloomer Book List
A few years ago, a book by Shana Carey introduced nineteenth-century feminist activist Amelia Bloomer to the picture-book crowd. Published in 2000, YOU FORGOT YOUR SKIRT, AMELIA BLOOMER! uses humor and history to bring the life and work of this pioneering newspaper editor, feminist thinker, public speaker, and suffragist to a new generation. In the spirit of Amelia Bloomer, the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association proudly announced in 2002 the first annual Amelia Bloomer List, a bibliography of appealing feminist books for young readers from birth to 18. Books eligible for this award must have been published in the United States during the 18 months prior to the selection in January of each year. Set from prehistoric times to the present, these books, both fiction and nonfiction, provide role models of stong, capable, creative women. They introduce children growing up in the South during the Civil Rights Movement, photographers on the cutting edge of their times, young women surviving in today’s Afghanistan, and pioneers in the fields of flyinig and space exploration. Others feature girls who outwit dragons, create petroglyphs to save a tribe, and train to win battles. From a picture book using bear hair and other earthen materials in its illustrations to a biography written in graphic-novel format, these books show girls and women exploring exciting ways to solve practical dilemmas through the courage of their convictions. All of them spur the imagination and expand the limits of dreams while confronting traditional female stereotypes. And best of all, these books are fun reading!
Administered by:
Young Adult
2019 Selection(s)
Non-Fiction
In a Day’s Work: The Fight to End Sexual Violence Against America’s Most Vulnerable Workers
Immigrant agricultural and domestic workers, as well as advocates and journalists, work to push back against a culture of sexual violence in their workplaces.
Invocation to Daughters
Poems condemn physical, emotional, and structural violence against women and girls with a focus on Filipina experience and resistance.
I’m Afraid of Men
Shraya details how, since childhood, she has navigated aggression that harnessed the intersecting forces of sexism, toxic masculinity, transphobia, and homophobia.
Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead
This memoir of Cecile Richards, a lifelong activist and feminist icon, offers practical advice and inspiration for aspiring leaders.
Period: Twelve Voices Tell the Bloody Truth
Writers relate their personal experiences with menstruation and puberty.
Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide
Graciela Iturbide uses photography to explore the beautiful realities of Mexican and Mexican American communities, especially celebrating women and nonbinary people who challenged patriarchal norms.
Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream
Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad relates her story of becoming the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in hijab.
You Have the Right to Remain Fat
Tovar explains how fatphobia and diet culture are connected to misogyny, racism, heteronormativity, classism, and other systems of oppression.
Early Readers
2019 Selection(s)
Non-Fiction
Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton
The First Lady of Firsts, Betty Skelton blazed the trail for women in aviation, auto racing, and aeronautics. She soloed when she was just 12 years old and set records throughout her life.
