Moxie

This should be a must read for students. I would normally never say that. It seems a bit preachy to try to dictate what students read, but this book is so chock full of how to start a revolution for the hearts and minds of your fellow students, that I am seriously feeling ticked that I didn't have this book when I was in school.I don't want to talk about what this story is about or how much I liked the main the character. Instead I would like to focus on the very real anger and frustration she feels at being a girl in a school that regularly devalues females while simultaneously elevating boys of lackluster talents. I felt some real comparisons to Steubenville were in Moxie in the way the entire town was crazy in love with the High School Football team (they shut down the restaurants on the day of a game!?) and yet couldn't spend money on the winning girls soccer team. Arrgh, isn't this so American High School!Hello? Title IX calling, we have something to talk about.But it was the fun and catchy way that she started to talk about and get other students at the school to talk about the way girls and boys were treated and how the standards for everything from dress code (there didn't seem to be one for the guys) and speaking up in class were so very different.Something else I really appreciate about this story and what was the absolute realest thing ever is that not all the girls agreed with her. They didn't think her speaking up could do anything and they felt she only made things worse. Or even more astounding, they were helping to keep this crazy system going, basically they were cheerleading the oppression in ways I can't fully comprehend.I so relate to this because I have lost friends, long term ones because of my opinions on the rights of women and I have heard the same damn arguments; 'this doesn't help,' 'don't rock the boat,' 'men don't like opinionated women,' 'you sound angry or aggressive or hysterical or judgmental or lesbian or unwomanly when you speak up about equal rights.'But this book is just the right thing at the right moment and I love it so much.

So, basically...I'm obsessed with this book and think everyone should read it.The book is narrated by Vivian Carter, a "good girl" who attends high school in a small town in Texas that worships the football team and seems designed to keep its female population oppressed and subjected to sexist behaviors and comments on a daily basis. Inspired by her mother's younger days as member of the punk rock feminist movement called Riot Grrrl in the early 90s, Vivian decides to fight back by publishing an anonymous underground feminist zine, which slowly turns into a quiet--and then much louder--movement at her school. Meanwhile, Vivian also ventures into unfamiliar romance territory with a new boy at her school, struggles to understand her mom's new relationship with a man from her work, and worries over her best friend Claudia's difficulty understanding the Moxie movement and Vivian's new friendship with a new student named Lucy.Moxie should be required reading for every teenager, both male and female. This beautiful book somehow manages to do it all, in terms of young adult fiction. It features an incredibly dynamic main character and includes a fantastic teenage romance, complex friendships, parents worthy of several eye rolls, and plenty of high school drama; however, Moxie also includes crucial lessons about gender inequality and racial divide. From the very first page, I felt my inner feminist doing cartwheels in my heart, and she jumped, cheered, shook her fists in anger, and wept with pride all the way through the final page. Reading Vivian Carter's thoughts was like reading about myself, if I had attended a high school in Texas and been introduced to the idea of feminism earlier in life. She did everything she was expected to do and never caused trouble. She made good grades, tried to stay out of the limelight, and never let her mother or grandparents down. That was me, in high school. If Vivian was a real person and been a student at my school the year I graduated, she would have been part of my tightly-knit circle of friends, and I found myself identifying with her so closely that I became more invested in her story than I ever anticipated.Vivian is a highly relatable character, and Jennifer Mathieu made an excellent decision by making her a straight-laced student instead of a born rebel. Had Vivian been the kind of girl who spoke out about issues often or made waves when something bothered her, her decision to begin creating and distributing her zine, Moxie, would not have had the impact on readers that it did. Instead, her decision showed the power in stepping outside our comfort zones to stand up for the things we believe, and the change that Vivian underwent throughout the book was like a rallying cry for all the girls in the world who are tired of being subjected to sexism.Moxie serves as an incredible introductory guide to feminism for all teenagers. First and foremost, the behavior of the boys at Vivian's school and the lack of response from the administration and teachers highlights the need for feminism in the first place, and the response of some members of the female population of the school also demonstrates the reasons that many girls are hesitant to adopt the cause. Furthermore, Vivian's frustrations with Seth, even though he is not like the other boys at her school, show the difficulty the male population has in understanding the feminist movement, even when they are open to understanding as much as possible, because of the indoctrination of their gender. Finally, Mathieu also does an excellent job highlighting the concept of intersectionality and showing that within females, we divide ourselves because of issues of race, sexuality, and class, and that feminism is truly a movement that encompasses us all, not just middle-class white women.Some readers may take Moxie to task for the discriminatory nature it seems to take toward football players and Republicans, at times. The behavior of the football players at Vivian's school is extreme, and readers may be left with the idea that Mathieu has a major chip on her shoulder in regard to high school football players because of the intensity with which Vivian and her friends describe their feelings toward them. While I do see this point, I also think that the book makes an important statement about the power of a group mentality like that of the football team at Vivian's school and the overwhelming importance that many schools in our country place on male athletes in comparison to females. In addition, Vivian's comments about her mother's Republican boyfriend might turn some Republican readers away, but those who read the book closely will notice the valuable points made by Vivan's mother about different political views later in the book.Jennifer Mathieu has crafted a magnificent novel that saw my cheeks covered with tears toward the end and sends a priceless message about girl power. Readers of this spunky book will want to grab the nearest bullhorn and tell EVERYONE that Moxie Girls fight back.

At Vivian's school the football team rules. There's no money for anything else, it all goes to football. The players get plenty of privileges and this reflects in their attitudes. They are sexist and rude, they think they can bully everyone else and are convinced their opinions are the law. Vivian no longer wants to accept this awful behavior and comes up with a plan. Her mother was a rebel, a feminist with quite a reputation, and Vivian still has her old material. She loves listening to the music and going through old zines. It's the zines that inspire her to develop her own project.To protest Vivian makes her own zine, which she distributes anonymously at school. She encourages girls to stand up for themselves by small ways of joint protest. She's surprised when others start following her lead. However, not everyone is enthusiastic about Vivian's mission and this changes her life at school considerably. Old friendships are being revalued and new bonds inevitably come into existence. While the effect at first is small, a snowball starts to form that won't stop for anything and anyone. Has Vivian created a high school revolution with her zine?Moxie is a fabulous story about feminism, which is a subject I applaud. I really loved how Vivian slowly starts to stand up for what she believes in. She comes across as a little bit shy and not very outspoken, but Vivian finds her voice and it's a strong one. I loved that the zines she’s spreading around her school are part of the book. They look fantastic and I admired how they make girls and boys unite. Moxie shows that sexist behavior shouldn’t be tolerated at all, in a fantastic impressive way. I love how Jennifer Mathieu gives girls a voice and makes her story accessible for a large group of readers. This is a book that can really make a difference and I think it’s a perfect example for teenage girls.Jennifer Mathieu's writing has a nice flow. Her story is fast-paced and there's plenty of action. There's also some lovely sweet romance that made my heart melt. I love how she lets girls stand up for themselves and admire that she's chosen such an amazing topic to write about. Moxie is captivating and creative and the ending gave me goose bumps. I really liked the issue that's being brought to attention in this powerful story and think it's a must-read for young girls.

Vivian is sick of her small town Texas school. A school that places the happiness of its star football players above everything else. The teachers perform dress code inspections, telling girls to dress appropriately in case their clothes are a distraction to the male members of school. A game of 'Bump and Grind' is allowed to take place in the school corridors and is dismissed as harmless fun. Stumbling across her mother's box of riotgrrl memorabilia including zines she created to smash the system, Vivian is inspired to create a zine of her own calling out the behaviour at school and encouraging Moxie girls to fight back. And Moxie takes off and becomes a movement for all, forging friendships across cultural, racial and gender divides.If you want something to get you out of a funk, then I would heartily recommend this. It's fun, joyful, and not remotely preachy. Vivian is very likeable, angry at what she sees with girls often told to 'make me a Sandwich' implying they should be in the kitchen. She is amazed at the response that Moxie gets while remaining anonymous and realising that Moxie is more than what she started.Relationships are beautifully handled, especially the acceptance of each other's differences and opinions. Vivian's tentative first relationship with Seth is explored beautifully as she is awkward in this situation. I thought the relationship with her mother, a riotgrrl of her own was lovingly explored. Especially as her mother is embarking on a relationship of her own with someone of a very different political persuasion. But this helps to reinforce the message that it is OK to be on different sides of the fence, but listen and grow.The message is extremely important. I went to High School in the mid 1980s and remember a list circulating of the prettiest girls, beating myself up for slightly caring if I was on the list. It's just wrong. The book questions these attitudes. It is not preachy or virtue signalling. And it is joyful, celebrating women for who they are and what they will become as well as celebrating the men who support them.This book is entertaining, fun, joyful and makes me proud of all the strong women I have in my life. So, in conclusion, put some fun in your life, watch the movie, read book and let yourself feel all the warm fuzzies.

"I'm a girl who studies for test. I'm a girl who turns in homework on time. I'm a girl who tells her grandparents she'll be over in five minutes and shows up in three. I'm a girl who doesn't cause a fuss. I even shrink into my desk when a teacher calls on me in class. I'm a girl who would prefer to evaporate into the ether rather than draw even positive attention to herself."If you read one book this year please let it be this one. The subject covered in this novel is so important and everyone including girls, boys and adults could all learning something from Moxie. I can't wait till my daughters are old enough to read Moxie. Join the flight girls, become a Moxie girl!!!

Rule following Texas good girl Vivian Carter can't take the misogyny all around her at East Rockport High School anymore. So she raises an invisible anonymous fist via a scrappy little zine she calls Moxie, and all hell breaks loose - in a good way.Bought this for my 14-yr old twin daughters and just picked it up to look at the opening, but then couldn't put it down for hours; I loved reading this even more than watching Amy Poehler's excellent NetFlix adaptation! I've ordered all the feminist titles suggested in the Afterward, and can't wait to watch author Mathieu's recommended documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry.

I was intrigued after reading the synopsis and learning that the lead character Vivian gets inspired by her mother's riot grrrl past (a scene I was curious about but not that familiar with). In this novel the characters are well developed and real and although I did feel the story just plodded along in the middle for a bit I'm so glad I continued reading as the end was powerful, thought provoking and inspiring. I have already ordered one of the books recommended by the author on the riot grrrl movement and am looking forward to learning more about it. Music aside, it was refreshing to read a story focussed on believable characters who find the strength to stand up for themselves and unite.