Our Historical Women: Appreciating Their Narrative in YA Literature

This week's guest contributor is, Askia Talib-deen, a Ph.D student at UNLV in the Cultural Studies, International Education, and Multicultural Education (CSIEME) . Askia and I have been working on a couple of projects and having a ton of great conversations. Like last week's guest contributor, Askia also has a teen age daughter hanging around the house. He also worries about her future and her educational opportunities. I asked him to think about a few women that he would like his daughter to know more about as she makes her way through adolescences. Below, he offers some names, resources, and some references to YA titles as we continue to recognize Women's History Month.  

While familiar with the Western canon, I regret to say that I'm a neophyte when it comes to YA Literature.  So I was extremely surprised when my professor, Dr. Steven Bickmore, asked did I want to introduce a few of the books we were discussing to celebrate Women's History Month.  Obviously I jumped at the chance.  With that, here are a few autobiographies, biographies, and memoirs about women, I believe, have impacted readers over the years; and equally important, I think young adults will find even more fascinating.

Angela Davis: An Autobiography​ by Angela Davis, traces her narrative and revisits the historical legacy of her fight for social justice and freedom from oppression for people of color.  While leading a tumultuous and contentious life as a major figure in the Black Panther Party, I think Ms. Davis still sits as a leading intellectual in the African American and academic community.  Although Davis's history may be advanced for younger children, I think for the older young adults, Davis touches on themes of womanhood and race that they would welcome. 

I was frequently introduced to Frida Kahlo.  Known for her self-portraits, Ms. Kahlo was a Mexican painter that interrogated questions of gender, identity, and race.  Her paintings fit into spaces of magical realism and Surrealism.  Young adults must be inspired to look at themselves and locate beauty against the notion of normalcy today.  A few books, I think, young adults will find appealing are Frida by Frida, Viva Frida, and Frida Kahlo: The Painter and Her Work. 

Kate Clifford Larson's Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, celebrates this seminal figure in both African American and American History.  Challenging the stereotypes of African American women, Harriet Tubman's historical legacy exemplifies courage, a spiritual narrative, and a life that wrestled to find freedom from slavery.  Other books that will introduced young readers to Harriet Tubman are Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky / Edition 1 and Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad. 

Folklore, memoirs, and other writings by Zora Neale Huston allows readers to explore her journey from being the daughter of former slaves to one of the dominant folklorist, novelist, and short story writers in the twentieth century.  Impacting the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was a graduate of Howard University, Barnard College, and Columbia University.  At certain times, she would be the only black student on campus; and later, her home would be present with the likes of Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen.   Women's History Month would be a great time for young female--and male--readers to get acquainted with the landscape of this female writer.  

Another influential figure in the movement of women and women writers has to be Maya Angelou. Known for her advocacy and poetry, her range of writings crosses movies, plays, essays, poetry, and autobiographies.  Her life covers a rich tapestry.  Outside of her writing, she was known to produce and direct plays, televisions programs, and movies, and her honors and awards include a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award, three Grammys, to name only a few.  Books by and about Maya Angelou young adult readers would love are I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Mom & Me & Mom, and Letter to My Daughter.

Another female figure that readers should be exposed to is Gertrude Stein.  A playwright, poet, and novelist, Gertrude Stein led an interesting life.  Known to travel in the circles of Pablo Picasso, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, and other modernist of art and literature, Stein's life and activities have been the subject of much commentary and analysis.  Interestingly, living in Nazi-occupied France, Stein was a Jew.  Stein's writings have traces of Cubism, collage, feminist interrogating patriarchal language, and a lack of social judgement.    

So, again, we acknowledge these remarkable women and writers as we celebrate Women's History Month.  This is a great time for parents and relatives to sit with children and young adults and discuss women that have been admired throughout history, and whose art and literary works have impacted us in some way.  So, Good YA Reading, and we hope to 'read' everyone soon.

Askia Talib-deen
Cultural Studies, International Education,
and Multicultural Education Doctoral Program
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
[email protected]