Hunter Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Are there any books that contain literature lists designed to empower girls?Lists of books with strong female protagonists? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Don't know of a list, but biographies of women rulers, scientists, organizers, etc. are very helpful. "Not One Damsel In Distress" is a good addition to fairy tale collections. "Little Women" and "An Old Fashioned Girl" contain lots of different life paths for women, while still upholding high moral standards and values quite strongly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 http://genderequalbooks.com/Brave_Girls_book_list.html. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) Thank you Carol and Stripe. I found this list http://www.hardygirlshealthywomen.org/content/childrens-literature Does anyone know of a full book, or some type of comprehensive resource on the topic of literature and its affect on girls? Edited August 20, 2011 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I've seen research on the importance of reading in general, I think, but I am not sure about for girls in particular. I did find this, which is a bit old: Private Practices: Girls Reading Fiction And Constructing Identity (Critical Perspectives on Literacy and Education) by Meredith Rogers Cherland (Paperback - Oct 1, 1994) The study of literacy no longer focuses solely on psychological processes. In the past, literacy has been reconceptualized as a social practice, or rather as social practices which make up daily life. "Private Practices" examines the broad fictional reading of middle class pre-teen girls in ethnographic detail, and describes the place of literacy, both at home and at school, in the construction of gender. The book provides evidence to support its central assumption: gender is a cultural and social construction, not a biological given. Gender is something people create whilst interacting with each other in all activities of their daily lives, including their literacy activities. The text also provides critical analysis and commentary concerning the role that reading fiction plays in cultural reproduction. In the hope that deeper knowledge of literacy as social practice will support social transformation and eventually social justice, the book suggests reasons for the fact that girls read more fiction and different fiction than boys. "Private Practices" concludes with a discussion of alternative pedagogies that imply more egalitarian values, highlighting the importance of using a cultural lens to create useful perspectives on the problems surrounding literacy and social equality in the 1990S. Anyway, I think you might find more information about the importance of reading to children and the importance of reading in general, rather than girls -- unless you really want to zero in on something that affects specifically girls (such as, say, teen pregnancy or dating violence or something or sexual promiscuity or math scores). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have had my eye on "great books for girls" for years. I enjoyed flipping through it at the bookstore and it gets great reviews on Amazon. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 I just ordered Once Upon a Heroine and 100 Books for Girls to Grow On. I'll write more later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 They look like two terrific books. Looking forward to reading your thoughts when you get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) My library has Great Books for Girls and I was able to check it out! :-) A quote from Amelia Earhart: "There are no heroines following the shining paths of romantic adventures, as do the heroes of boys' books...Of course girls have been reading so-called 'boys' books' ever since there was such a thing. But consider what it means to do so. Instead of closing the covers with shining eyes and the happy thought, 'That could happen to me someday!' the girl, turning the final page, can only sigh regretfully, 'Oh dear, that can never happen to me--because I'm not a boy!' " More quotes from Great Books for Girls: Children certainly have the idea reinforced that males are important, while females are unimportant and sometimes almost invisible. Picture-story books...most often have main characters...who are male...The only female in Winnie the Pooh is Kanga the overly protective mother. These books feature girls who are the ones slaying the dragons--sometimes literally, more often than figuratively...the adventures might seem mundane...and...comonplace, but the it is the very act of a girl having an adventure, asserting her independance, or puzzling out her own solution that sets her apart from more traditional fictional girls. I am aware that the last sentence is controversial. Some parents think it is unscriptural for girls to be asserting independance, so would purposely limit their children's exposure to the books suggetsed in this book. I believe that every marginalized group needs a reading list of books that shows the protagonists to be of equal value and abilities to the majority group. And girls and women are certainly marginalized in many (maybe most) American subcultures and communities today. Edited August 20, 2011 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 How To Get Your Child To Love Reading (bad title, great book) by Esme Codell has some excellent lists like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I think it's okay though for there to be books with lots of strong boy characters. Nowadays girls do seem pretty empowered, while boys are falling by the wayside. That being said, there's still a need for books to be read and written about strong girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 The injustices done to our boys, are not remedied by ignoring the systematic disempowerment of our girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 The injustices done to our boys, are not remedied by ignoring the systematic disempowerment of our girls. (Beautifully put, Hunter.) Or the exclusion of children of both genders from having power in society or a way to demand it. I'm all for children's literature with strong characters, boys and girls. Btw I read something that suggested Nordic women (and men) have been strongly shaped by Pippi Longstocking, so be sure and add that to your list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 (edited) Bump, because this same question was just asked, on the logic forum. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307684 Edited September 4, 2011 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 One good book about empowering girls in general is "Things Will Be Different For My Daughter". I read this when my dd was young, or maybe even before she was born, and returned to it again and again. Also, although this does not count as research, I will provide you with an anecdote about girls and books. When I was little, I was an avid reader, wild to read, thrilled to learn to do so, and wanting to do it all the time. My mother insisted that I take out and read one non-fiction book for every set of library books (limit: 8) that we took home. I figured out that the non-fiction that was most like fiction was biographies, and read many of them. This gave me some absolute knowledge that I realized in adulthood was pretty uncommon--that there is NOTHING that women have not done, and done well. Nothing. I can honestly tell you that no argument about whether or not women can or are suited to do some particular thing, whether it was a career, or an exploration, or art, or whatever, effected my choices in education or career. I never took any argument that women couldn't do something seriously at all. I am in my early 50's, and have realized over the years that this attitude of mine is pretty unusual for my generation. And I attribute it to my own knowledge of women's history and accomplishments, which unfortunately is atypical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Thank you for this reminder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 This has been a terrific thread for me. We are reading historical fiction set in the middle ages. After my daughter complained that the main character was a boy and there were no female characters at all, I checked the rest of our planned reading and saw that ALL of the books I have planned are about heroic boys. :glare: I now have Great Books for Girls and another book mentioned on this thread coming my way on inter-library loan. I am glad she noticed early on, the beauty is I can modify our planned reading for the rest of the year! Thanks for the reminder and specific suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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