Estamos vivendo novos tempos: a discussão sobre os direitos das mulheres não se concentra mais em grupos específicos e a luta feminista amplia seu debate na sociedade. Da violência contra a mulher à cultura do estupro, uma série de questões é tema de conversas frequentes na mídia e nas redes sociais. Mas como chegamos até aqui? Quem nos ajudou nessa trajetória? Lute como uma Garota reúne o perfil de figuras importantes da militância feminista, abrangendo das pioneiras do século XVIII às estrelas pop dos dias de hoje, como Frida Kahlo, Simone de Beauvoir, Oprah Winfrey e Madonna, além de nomes essenciais da luta no Brasil, apresentando um pouco de nossa história. Com prefácio de Mary Del Priore, apresentação de Nana Queiroz e todo ilustrado, Lute como uma Garota mostra a força das mulheres.
Laura Barcella is an author and freelance journalist currently based in NYC.
She wrote "Know Your Rights!" (Sterling, 2018), Fight Like a Girl" (Zest Books, 2016), "POPULAR" (with Lauren Urasek; Sterling, 2015), "The End: 50 Apocalyptic Visions From Pop Culture That You Should Know About… Before It’s Too Late" (Zest, 2012), and "Madonna & Me" (Soft Skull Press, 2012). She has also ghostwritten a number of nonfiction adult titles.
As a journalist, she has covered pop culture, crime, and women's issues for the New York Times, PEOPLE, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, and more.
She's also a professional cat lady -- she works part-time in a neonatal kitten nursery in Manhattan.
An excellent, inclusive collection of short profiles of amazing women marred by some weak editing and poor authorial intrusions. Here's an example (in a bio about Ani DiFranco): "This was good for her bottom line, and she began selling more units than many of the cheesey pop groups of the time."
Not only is cheesy spelled incorrectly in the final text, but also, who is Barcella to make that judgment in a biographical sketch about someone else? Likewise, that's one of a myriad of these instances that place judgments on the likes and tastes of readers of this book.
Likewise, the intro to this book made me uncomfortable with how essentialist in gender it is in terms of who and what feminism is for.
It's a fine start and good curation, but it's weak in writing and needed an editor to reel in unnecessary author commentary.
I like the concept of highlighting accomplishments from 50 important women from history and today. The layout was easy to follow and each person got a couple of pages of life story, achievements and quotes. Aimed at a younger audience, this a good introduction to women worth looking into and I appreciated the diversity of those included in the collection.
The only criticism I have is the several times semi-personal comments or opinions were inserted into the history of various women's histories. I usually found them jarring, and they did not seem appropriate to the kind of book this was trying to be.
I almost DNFed this one. I've read other books that are similar to this (profiles of various important women), and I expected to love this one, too. The writing style and random interjections by the author got irritating after a while, and just didn't hold my attention very well... hence why it took me nearly a month to slog through a relatively short book.
I didn't realize that this book was written for teenagers when I picked it up at the library, and but the writing style revealed it. This was the abbreviated life history, list of accomplishments, and quotes by 50 feminists, so it was pretty interesting. I was surprised that Gloria Steinem was not included. And I wish they would have included more scientists. Madonna was in the book and I had never thought of her as a feminist since she wore the "Boy Toy" shirt, but after reading her bio, I might concede that she did push the boundaries of women's freedom forward. My favorite quote was by Bell Hooks: "Any society based on domination supports and condones violence."
A really good introduction to the lives of 50 women and girls that throughout the last century have stood up for equality. This book portrays brilliant women that have changed, or still do influence our society. A wide range of careers are included, from poets and musical superstars to astronauts, biologists and human rights activists. All having jaw dropping credentials and legacies. Some names are Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Yoko Ono, Madonna and Malala. I feel so inspired after reading their stories and will highly recommend this book as an important and easy-to-read guide to female role models. The chapters are only 3-4 pages long, and the illustrations are a real treat. Love the design! Also like the way the chapters are presented chronologically, starting with the eldest stories and ending with the new generation currently changing the future.
Eu gosto muito da estrutura desse livro. O perfil de cada mulher é muito bem organizado, contendo a importância, seguido por um parágrafo do legado, e uma biografia concisa e organizada, incluindo blocos com curiosidades e frases marcantes! Uma seleção de personalidades riquíssima, incluindo muitas negras feministas, embora o foco da obra da Laura seja majoritariamente estadunidenses. Mas a Fernanda na segunda parte nos presenteia com a vida de grandes brasileiras, das quais me encheram de emoção e orgulho enquanto as conhecia! Ótimas referências bibliográficas no final para expandir o conhecimento de quem nos chamou mais a atenção, e ilustrações muito bem produzidas tornam esse livro essencial para todas (e todos!).
First, I want to say how grateful I am for a book like this. I feel like I needed it right now and I have opened a document to list all great books, memoirs, art, music etc. from these feminists to learn more.
Of course, it is a subjective list, since there are far more than 50 influential feminists, but guess what, list will always be subjective (if not chosen by some statistics that apply to everyone) and she did a good job covering a lot of aspects and focusing on intersectionality! I was afraid the majority would be white feminists and maybe like four feminists of colour but it was like 50/50 if not more! It was also a diverse range of feminist approaches, related to racial discrimination, art, politics, LGBTQIA+, publishing, fame etc. etc.
My main issues were: • Although the authors voice was very present in the text, I do wish that could have been done without the ableist language (it feels like the main way to make sure that your voice is present, or it’s a teen speaking in books nowadays is to use words like “crazy” or “schitzo” or “lame” where it does not apply!). Also, describing women as “ballsy”… There are ways to show your presence without being ableist. • All these resources from the women, books, art, music, I would have LOVED an actual list of their material so it would be easier to find. The bibliography in the end lists the resources the author used, I’m talking about a separate list with the feminists’ own work, now I have to google for myself (yeah I know, minor issue…)
Let’s not stop here, more books like this. And maybe include more diversity, that is non-American or European feminists, more Muslim feminists, more LGBTQIA+ who fall under the T, I and A (and +), more disabled feminists, chronically ill feminists, or neurodiverse feminists. Also, would love a list featuring more of today’s social media feminists, the Youtube/podcast/twitter/etc. feminists who have at least inspired me so much. I can understand a lot of the feminists from this book being more between 1920-1970 since they have affected the author growing up, but this is why we need a lot of different books like this.
Fight Like A Girl is possibly one of the best collections of profiles I have read in awhile. From the beginning of modern feminism to present day, Barcella covers a wide variety of women who have made a serious impact on the western world and on feminism.
The writing style here is a really straightforward and easy to understand style, incredibly reminiscent of a blog post. It was a bit like reading a two hundred page Bustle post, and I mean that as a compliment. Barcella interjects a few too personal opinions throughout, and I thought the book might have been better had she gone without this, but it's more casual style makes it an ideal introduction for teenage readers who might otherwise be reluctant. I appreciated the effort to include biographical details, quotes, fun facts, alongside the basic information of why these particular profiles were deemed fit to make the list. While I was familiar with the majority of women profiled here, Fight Like A Girl provided new information on old favourites, and the largely diverse group of women meant that there were still a fair few I was less familiar with. Barcella was inclusive of women of different races, classes, professions, countries, and sexualities, which is a pleasant change from the often narrow view that feminist introductions or profiles can sometimes take. I appreciated that she chose to skip over some of the better known feminists (like Gloria Steinem) in favour of presenting less obvious but equally important women.
I would definitely recommend Fight Like A Girl to anyone, adult or teenager, looking to read more about women who have had a lasting impact on the world and feminism today and throughout modern history.
This was okay - I just hadn't realized that it was aimed at teenagers/young adults as a main audience when buying it. That aspect was largely reflected in the writing style and phrasing, and to be honest, it gets annoying to read words like "totes" or "super-awesome" in a non-fiction book. Not to speak of that this makes the author sound like she's trying way too hard to relate to young people and "be cool".
The upside of this book was that it featured a decent number of feminists of colour and also not just the "usual suspects" which was refreshing and definitely a step up from most works about feminism. I guess I am just a little "too old" because I do think it's a good book to introduce teenagers to the topic, especially to intersectional and inclusive feminism. (I have to add that I am white, so if PoC feel differently about the inclusiveness of this book, of course I stand corrected.)
I love the idea of this book and I enjoyed learning about awesome women, but I didn't enjoy this book's execution, and a few things made me raise my eyebrows. The author could have been more judicious in her use of quotes by the people featured in the book; for example, several quotes contained derogatory or outdated language (e.g. the use of "schizo" and "crazy"), and imo these selections really weren't necessary and didn't add anything to the bios. I also felt like the author was trying too hard to be cool or hip or something and that didn't translate well. While this book contained some interesting information, I think there are much better similar books out there. Check out the Rebel Girls series and the Little Leaders series.
This just wasn't for me. It felt too little about each person and then the amount of American vs. the world, was just too high, for a book that has the title feminist who changed the world, there wasn't a single feminist to be found on the European continent? I saw a couple of English and that was it. There was a scattering of people from around the world, but so much was American and then they didn't all seem that world-changing, but maybe American changing.
I think this would be a good book for an American person who wants to start out learning about feminismm through time, but it was a no from me.
This is a compilation of 50 biographies of well-known feminists. It seems to be intended as an intro to feminist history for a young adult audience. The stories are interesting and there are a lot of great quotations. If this is aimed at younger readers, then it might be better to include more biographies of young people. There weren't any people included that I hadn't already heard of, but it's worth a read to get a refresher course on what feminism is and how it's changed the lives of many people.
The title doesn’t quite fit the text for me. This is a reference book of short biographies to get junior and senior high students started on research. The illustrations are lack lustre and I don’t see teens picking this up and reading every page.
Fitting each person into their historical context a bit more would add to their achievements.
Interesting facts are included as well as references to other materials. The women are diverse and range in fame.
I’d put it on a library shelf as research starter.
I suspect this is intended for a YA audience. I think this is a great introduction to famous feminists suitable for schools and libraries. The very short biographies are good introductions but are shorter in some cases than their Wikipedia entries. A nice selection of feminists mostly from North America with a fair number of POC. In the print edition there is an extensive bibliography but it's in incredibly small type. A good introduction for younger people, but a bit thin for adults. Still it's a fast read so you're not out much if you read it.
This book is a wonderful introduction to a lot of historically significant women. It’s factual yet not dry, and very well documented. There is a bibliography for each entry at the end of the book.
Presentation wise, each entry features a quote, a legacy paragraph, a brief biography, a bullet point cool factor and highlights of accomplishments and honors, followed by several more quotes. The information is accessible for most ages - 12 and up for sure.
Neste livro, as autoras apresentam 60 mulheres e seus feitos em prol das mulheres do mundo, da melhoria das condições sociais e a luta contra o preconceito. Entre as citadas estão Madonna. Rosa Parks e Malala. A tradução faz uma localização e inclui 15 brasileiras, como Bertha Lutz, Chiquinha Gonzaga e Leila Diniz. Interessante para conhecer pessoas que tentaram fazer alguma coisa em vez de ficarem apenas se lamentando.
I took entirely way too long to read this book (6 months whoops) and I truly believe it is because I thought the author was trying a bit too hard. A majority of their audience is already interested in feminism/the people listed in this book, but the author felt a need to interject cutesy lines on most of the profiles. I did not believe they were completely necessary.
Regardless, this book is a great introduction to the world of feminism if one might be so interested in learning more.
As a starter for any age reader (but mostly targeted at younger ones; trying a bit too hard to make history and biography cool), the ambit of individual people across multiple time periods and locations makes for a well-rounded selection. The format works easily: names (at birth or pre-marriage) and dates, a quote, their legacy then history, more quotes and accomplishments. But I noticed that the author did not acknowledge an editor at the end of the book (a few errors and unclear parts).
O livro é um compilado de histórias resumidas, contando da vida de 60 mulheres que foram importantes para o mundo. Um livro forte e feminista, que apresenta essas histórias de maneira clara e sucinta, me ensinou muito. Com ele, fiquei sabendo mais sobre mulheres que eu já conhecia e conheci mulheres de quem nunca havia ouvido falar. É um bom livro para se ler rapidinho e aprender bastante.
50 amazing women all of whom get a 5 page entry, along with a bibliography. Why only 3 stars? I could have done with a wider range of women to read about, as at least 70% of those featured are American.
I loved that they included trans women! Most books like this seem to skim over trans women's affirmative action they've done for women's rights, but this book did not back down and they spoke only words of praise for them!