Powerful Books For Powerful Girls

You can give the gift of a powerful book to a girl.

The girls in our programs want books that reflect, respect and inspire them.

How can you help?  Select one of the books recommended by the instructors of Powerful Voices. The complete list is below. Then, fill out and mail the form to Elliot Bay Books. By purchasing books with the form, Elliot Bay Books will give you a 20% discount.

The books will then be displayed at our 2004 luncheon on Thursday, October 14 at the Westin. In appreciation for your donation, we will recognize you at the luncheon. If you join us at the luncheon, you'll have a chance to look through all of the books that have been donated, perhaps get ideas for the girls in your life.

Elliot Bay Books will also have a table at the luncheon where you can purchase a book for a girl. We thank Elliot Bay for helping the girls in our programs to access powerful books!

After the luncheon, we will place some of the books in a new lending library in juvenile detention so that incarcerated girls have access to great books. Some of the books will go to middle school girls who are working with our adult mentors. Some will go to girls who complete our peer education program. Each book will offer knowledge and inspiration to a girl at a crucial point in her life.

Here are the books recommended by our staff. We need 3 copies of each book and 20 copies of Deal With It!:

Poetry

Body Outlaws: Young Women Write About Body Image and Identity
Edut and Walker, eds. Seal Press (2000).
Body Outlaws collects a wide range of essays that give collective voice to a feminist generation consciously rejecting the dominant beauty standard in order to feel at home in their bodies.

Lines in the sand: New Writing on War and Peace
Hoffman, Mary and Rhiannon Lassiter. Disinformation Company. (2003) .
A challenging and thought-provoking collection of new poetry and prose from some of the world's most prestigious and talented children's authors and illustrators who were inspired by their feelings about the conflict in Iraq. Proceeds donated to UNICEF.

More Spice Than Sugar: Poems about Feisty Females
Morrison, Lillian and Ann Boyajian. Houghton Mifflin Company (2001) .
In this collection of poems celebrating high-spirited girls and women, you will meet independent spirits who dared difficult tasks and who show the strength of the human spirit in the face of hardship. With considerably more spice than sugar, these poems present the many faces of active, bold, brave, and sometimes funny girls.

Teen Voices

Dear Diary, I'm Pregnant: Teenagers Talk about their Pregnancy.
Englander. Annick Press (1997).
Imagine 10 teenage girls talking about their pregnancies--how they became pregnant, how they made the all-important decision about what to do once the pregnancy was discovered, and how their lives have changed since that fateful day. These girls' monologues are recorded here verbatim, seemingly unedited, and without editorial judgment.

Sugar in the Raw
Carrol, Rebecca. Three Rivers Press (CA). (1997).
Conducting interviews for Sugar in the Raw , Rebecca Carroll traveled to 12 cities across the country, and talked to more than 50 girls. From that number, she selected 15 who tell their stories in their own words in this stereotype-breaking book. Throughout, the girls show their strength and their determination to make a way for themselves in a world that does not always appreciate them.

Teens Write Through It: Essays from Teens Who Have Triumphed Over Trouble.
Fairview Press (1998). 
A collection of winning essays written by teens that relates their struggles in overcoming problems such as anorexia, racism, death, and sexual assaults. These honest and straightforward accounts present a heartbreaking picture of the realities that today's youth face, and provide hope and inspiration for teens and adults alike .

What Are You?: A Voice of Mixed-Race Young People
Gaskins, Pearl Fuyo. Henry Holt & Company. (1999).
In this sensitive, thoughtful collection of interviews, essays, and poetry, over 40 young adults ranging in age from 14 to 26 relate their experiences growing up in the United States . Their racial identities represent a wide blend of cultures: European, African, Asian, Native American, Jewish, Arabic, Caribbean , Hispanic, and Pacific Islander. Arranged thematically with occasional author notes offering clarification and transition, the primarily upbeat testimonies address issues of discrimination, dating, family dynamics, and self-esteem.

Yell-Oh Girls! Emerging Voices Explore Culture, Identity, and Growing Up Asian American
Nam, Vickie. Quill (2001). In this groundbreaking collection of personal writings, young Asian American girls come together for the first time and engage in dynamic conversation about the unique challenges they face in their lives. These revelatory essays, poems, and stories tackle such complex issues as dual identities, culture clashes, family matters, body image, and the need to find one's voice.

Nonfiction for Teens

Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life As a Gurl
Drill, Esther and McDonald, Heather, and Odes, Rebecca. Pocket Books. (1999).
Deal With It! offers a whole new approach for dealing with your life as a girl. It's a resource to help you learn about, laugh about, and figure out the stuff you go through on your way through life. It won't tell you what to do, because you'll need to decide that for yourself. But whether you're wondering about your body, your feelings or your changing relationships with the people around you, this book provides accurate information and outlines your options.

In Love and In Danger: A Teen's Guide To Breaking Free to Abusive Relationships
Levy, Barrie . Seal Press. (1998).
Speaks directly to teens about what constitutes abusive relationships-emotional, physical, and sexual-and how to break free of them. Interwoven with stories from actual teens are helpful advice, checklists and charts that provide at-a-glance information. This book can give teens the tools to build healthy relationships and take control of their lives.

Teen Pregnancy: Tough Choices (Perspectives on Healthy Sexuality)
Endersbe, Julie. Capstone Press. (2000).

The Latina 's Bible: the Nueva Latina's Guide to Love, Spirituality, Family and LA Vida
Guzman, Sandra. Three Rivers Press (CA). (2002). 
A Puerto Rican-born journalist and former editor-in-chief of Latina magazine, Guzman tackles media image versus self-image up front; she celebrates the infinite variety of skin color, body shape, hair texture, regional dialect and national origin of today's Latinas as she shares personal anecdotes and advice on a wide range of modern conundrums, from dating a non-Latino man to combating workplace discrimination. Much of the book focuses on familial and especially romantic relationships, with Spanglish-inflected guidance on dating, marriage and Latino sexual mystique. There are also chapters on health, careers and spirituality, and a strong emphasis throughout on professional networking and mentoring of girls.

Fiction for Teens

Imani: In Never Say Goodbye
Hardrick, Jackie. Enlighten Publications. (2004).
As Imani, star of her high-school b-ball team, struggles with the SATs and worries over how she'll pay for college, other girls in her crowd deal with grimmer problems, including single motherhood and drug addiction. $15.00

Imani: In Young Love and Deception
Hardrick, Jackie. Enlighten Publications. (2002).
Imani in Young Love & Deception covers hot issues teenagers face today. Sex, teen pregnancy, STDs, alcoholism, low self esteem, dating, and love intertwine in this fascinating novel.

The Coldest Winter Ever
Souljah, Sister. Pocket (2000).
Hip-hop star, political activist and now writer, Sister Souljah exhibits a raw and true voice in this cautionary tale protesting drugs and violence among young African-Americans in the inner city. Winter Santiaga, the 17-year-old daughter of big-time drug dealer Ricky Santiaga, is spoiled and pampered, intoxicated by the power of her name and her sexuality. Riding high on the trade, Santiaga moves the family out of the Brooklyn projects to a mansion on Long Island where things start to disintegrate.