Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World

Blogger and editor Jensen compiles a scrapbook-style collection of diverse reflections on feminism’s past and present from more than 40 authors, poets, and artists. Each of the book’s seven sections (“Body and Mind,” “Gender, Sex, and Sexuality,” etc.) features thoughtful and challenging essays that consider the intersection of feminism with body image, disability, mental illness, privilege, appropriation, sexuality, gender identity, and creativity. Brief “FAQs About Feminism,” lists, reading suggestions, and artwork intersperse with longer pieces; most are original to this anthology, though well-chosen excerpts of published work from the likes of Roxane Gay and Mindy Kaling are also included. Laurie Halse Anderson and Courtney Summers discuss rape culture in life and their literature; Sarah McCarry, Kayla Whaley, and Erika T. Wurth offer compassionate appeals to their younger selves; and comics artists and poets are also represented (“We were taught that just because something happens/ doesn’t mean you are to talk about it,” writes Zariya Allen). Sophisticated yet entirely accessible, the collection is valuable both for the breadth of thought and perspective it represents and for the support it directs toward readers. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Feb.)■