I went into Moxie with incredibly high expectations. This is probably for a whole plethora of reasons:
1) Jennifer Mathieu's books have been some of my faves
2) You read the synopsis, right?
3) It's blurbed by Amy Freaking Poehler
4) This topic is so, so relevant and important
So yeah, that's a lot for this book to live up to, right? Maybe, but who cares because it did. It definitely lived up to my own hyped up expectations, and then some.
Here's the thing: It started being awesome before the story even began, and never, ever stopped. Even the damn dedication was bad-assedly on point. So instead of trying to be coherent and write actual human paragraphs, let's just do a list of all the awesome, okay?
- I was pissed off by page six. PAGE. SIX. Now, you're probably asking "why is this weirdo happy to be pissed off?", and I get it. But in the context, this book should be pissing you off. You should be goddamn outraged at the bullshit that young women face every single day. And guess who makes you exceptionally pissed on behalf of Vivian and her classmates? Jennifer Mathieu. You will be filled with all the rage. Whether you're mad because it happened to you, or to someone you know, or even just these characters, you will feel the empathy toward them. Your heart will hurt with these everyday injustices, because you know full well that they lead to so many more injustices.
- Speaking of, you will be mad because this is so freaking accurate. Women friends, raise your hands if you have ever been blatantly demeaned by a male teacher. If you've ever been called names by some douchey bully. If you've been subjected to stricter rules so that boys wouldn't be "distracted". If male activities and sports teams got more funding, more help than the female equivalents. I assume most, if not all of us are raising our hands. And that is why this book works: It is relatable to women as a whole.
- Vivian was such a normal teenage girl- full of fears and insecurities. Had she been totally game to stand up to this from the start, I'd never have believed it. She was mad, sure, but it took a lot of guts and soul searching for her to make a move. Even then, she went back and forth in her mind. I won't say more than that, but know that Vivian was presented as "every girl". She struggled with the same thoughts and fears that most of us have when standing up to an oppressive presence, and I appreciated her more for it.
- Girls coming together instead of tearing each other apart gives me life. Not saying that it was all sunshine and unicorns or whatever, but the overwhelming message of females empowering each other was present in this book. Fully, wholly present, with tons of little lessons along the way.
- It touches on other issues within the feminist movement, such as diversity and sexual orientation. I thought this was awesome! While I do wish it could have been even more, I do understand that to have focused on too many topics would have probably taken away from the focus. But I am super happy that it was acknowledged, and voiced firmly as an issue.
- The zines were incredible! I adored these! They were so cute, so creative, and a perfect little graphic break up! Plus, they worked so well in the story that it was really quite brilliant to add them in.
- There was a romance, and while I didn't care a ton about the romance per se, it did help with the story. First, it made Vivian's daily life probably more relatable, because she was focused on other things- friends, relationships, etc. Second, it helped to open the discussion with males about how the females were being treated, and I think that is incredibly important.
- Viv's relationship with her mom is a huge focus. Her mom's "Riot Grrrl" days serve as an impetus for Vivian's own Moxie Girls, so there is a lovely scene of a shared interest, even if Viv kept Moxie to herself. They were struggling a bit, trying to navigate new issues in their relationship, but ultimately, it was very clear that they cared deeply for each other.
Whew, so, I could keep going, but you get the general gist, yes? Get the book. You need it in your life.
Bottom Line: This is simply a perfect book for a young woman to read and realize that she's not alone. She can stand up for herself, too. She has a voice. She matters.