Honoring Women Authors on International Women’s Day!
International Women’s Day is a time to recognize the accomplishments of women and raise awareness about discrimination that they face. You can do your part to honor women this month by reading women authors or reading books with powerful female characters. One of the best qualities of literature is that it allows us to experience the world through multiple lenses, and it is a powerful tool when attempting to emphasize with others. Encourage yourself to walk in women’s shoes, to see through their eyes. What can you learn from this experience? How can you empower women and #embraceequity?
To celebrate women authors and their allies, we interviewed members of JLG team to learn more about their favorite women authors and characters—expect some wild Q & A from these book worms!
Q: If you could pick one female character from any book to be stranded on an island with you, who would you pick?
A: My first thought when you posed this question was Laia of Serra from the An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir. When tragedy strikes her family, Laia takes on monumental risk to try to right the wrong; during the process, she discovers her profound strength and resilience. While Laia is faced with great danger, heart-rending choices, and the fate of the world, she is always thoughtful and carries the weight of her decisions and their consequences. Circumstances give her more responsibility than she ever expected, but she never loses her humanity.
Fun fact, JLG has so far selected all of Tahir’s books—the four in this series and the recent All My Rage, which won both the Printz Medal and the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
—Amy Carr, Editorial Coordinator
Q: If you had to pick one female character from a book to go to an amusement park with, who would it be and why?
A: It’s always hard to pick “just one” character when there is a huge world of book characters that have accompanied me throughout life! Anne (with an E!) from Anne Shirley of Green Gables was the first character I thought of. I don’t care much for amusement parks (too hot, long lines, and a fickle stomach!), but Anne’s positive attitude and the way she creates her own fun makes her an ideal companion.
I imagine the utter joy on her face when she sees all the delights that the amusement park has to offer her, and how thrilled she would be to experience such marvels. She’d help us find an icy treat or shaded area to cool down in, make up stories while we waited in line, and help me to act bolder and braver.
Using my own “scope for imagination” about Anne encourages me to explore new experiences, places, and ideas— all on the safety of the written page. Anne taught me to focus on what I can do with what I have, rather than what I don’t have, and in my best moments I live up to her words of encouragement: “It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
—Jenn Bennet, Account Representative
Q: You get to take out your favorite female character for pizza—who is it and what are they getting on their pizza?
A: Meg Murray from A Wrinkle in Time—which just happens to be a JLG selection. If I’m getting pizza with Meg from the beginning of the book, she’d order an anchovy calzone—she’s used to being awkward and unpopular and would totally order something ridiculous like that! If I’m getting pizza with Meg from the end of the book, she’d order a pepperoni pizza—which is all she really wanted from the start.
—Jon Cahen, Marketing Director
Q: If you could go back and time and meet one female author, who would it be and why?
A: It would be hard to choose just one—I would go with either L.M. Montgomery or Mary Shelley.
I am a HUGE Anne of Green Gables fan and adored Anne— her wonder, stubbornness, and her independence. She was smart, creative, and took chances. I was lucky enough to go to Prince Edward Island to see Montgomery's inspiration for the book series… but how wonderful would it be to actually speak with the author and go to locations that inspired so many stories?!
In addition to my love for Anne of Green Gables, I’ve always been drawn to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I wrote a few papers in college about the story and my own take on the monster vs. maker vs. the ship’s captain. There is something about the story that I have always found fascinating and having the opportunity to ask my questions to the author herself would be amazing! I am sure she would just laugh at my theories.
—Mariah Sefel, Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Q: Who is your go-to female author? Why?
A: When I was young, my favorite author was Sharon Creech. I thought her books were so creative and filled with whimsy—I wanted to be Sophie from The Wanderer. I now love Zora Neale Hurston and Jodi Picoult—I can’t put their books down! Hurston’s vocabulary and her love for language keeps pulling me back. Picoult’s storytelling ability and the way she looks at things from different perspectives intrigues me. If only they could have written a book together—SIGH!
—Rebecca Cybulski, Marketing Copywriter
Q: If you could be one female character from a book, who would you be?
A: There is an incredible book about the legend of a ninth-century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female to ever sit on the throne of St. Peter. Pope Joan is by Donna Woolfolk Cross and features a female character who rebels against social structure that forbids learning for women and overcomes the brutal life of the Dark Ages in a position of power, all while keeping her identity secret.
—Jennifer Hrusch, Social Media & Marketing Coordinator
Needing to add some female authors to your collection? Look no further—JLG has got your back! Check out some of these award-winning titles to add to your membership box!
