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
2017 Selection(s)
Nonfiction
Becoming Unbecoming
Beginning with her own childhood experiences with rape, slut-shaming, and the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, Una examines the societal attitudes that create our culture of sexual violence.
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey
Özge learns to hear her own voice and push back against others’ expectations to create a life that will satisfy her own desires and needs.
Fastpitch: The Untold History of Softball and the Women Who Made the Game
The enthralling history of softball’s pioneers has long been untold and now serves to inspire and motivate anyone who has ever wanted to play
Game Changers: The Unsung Heroines of Sports History
Across sports, nations, and decades, these profiles call attention to celebrated and lesser-known women pioneers.
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
During World War II, the need for qualified mathematicians led NASA to hire these talented black women. Systemic racism and sexism has hidden their essential contributions to the space race.
Reproductive Rights: Who Decides?
The complex history of contraception, abortion, and reproduction are explored through medical, historical, and social lenses.
Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman
In this series of personal essays, writer, comedian, and activist West challenges cultural forces that are hostile to women, particularly fat women, and interfere with the ability of women to survive and thrive.
Take It As a Compliment
In episodic comics, Stoian shares twenty individuals’ experiences with sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Women: Body-Positive Art to Inspire and Empower
Rossetti explores the many issues women and girls face related to body image, gender, sexuality, and personal identity via truthful and diverse illustrations of individual women.
