Moxie: A Novel<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nRoaring Brook Press<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nHardcover, 978-1-6267-2635-2, (also available as an e-book and on Audible), 336 pgs., $17.99<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSeptember 19, 2017<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\u201cDutiful\u201d Vivian is a junior at East Rockport High. She\u2019s a \u201cnice, normal\u201d girl who tries to stay out of the spotlight, enduring another school year \u201clike a long stretch of highway.\u201d Vivian\u2019s mom, Lisa, keeps a shoebox on the top shelf of her closet labeled \u201cMy Misspent Youth,\u201d filled with old zines and photos of her Riot Grrrl days, punked-out in baby-doll dresses with combat boots, half her head shaved, \u201cRiots not diets\u201d inked down one arm. Lisa is a nurse now and wears lavender scrubs covered in butterflies, but when Vivian is upset, Lisa\u2019s mementos of her youth comfort Vivian, even if she doesn\u2019t yet understand why.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
One day a boy interrupts a girl voicing her opinion in class one time too many with \u201cMake me a sandwich\u201d and something in Vivian ignites. She\u2019s had enough of the humiliating dress code checks (while the boys wear T-shirts with \u201cGreat Legs\u2014When Do They Open?\u201d printed on them), the \u201cbump \u2019n\u2019 grab\u201d in the hallways (the girls should take this assault and battery as \u201ca compliment\u201d), East Rockport\u2019s \u201cMost Fuckable\u201d bracket posted online. Faced with inaction from the administration, Vivian creates Moxie, a zine for girls to educate, exhort, and inspire. Eventually threatened with suspension and expulsion, Vivian starts a movement that both scares and excites her.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Moxie: A Novel<\/em> is new young adult fiction from Houston\u2019s Jennifer Mathieu. Vivian\u2019s fast-paced, first-person narration uncannily channels the sometimes insecure-and-anxious, sometimes righteous-and-incandescent, rapid-cycling emotions of teenagers (Vivian: \u201cI am certain that I\u2019m the first person on Earth to ever feel this awake and alive\u201d). In the beginning her timidity is frustrating, but you\u2019ll soon be fist-pumping and cheering her on. We care about the well-developed, relatable, sympathetic characters of East Rockport High, and we hope the entitled creeps get what\u2019s coming to them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Mathieu skillfully skewers Friday Night Lights culture; during the mandatory pep rallies, her characters \u201chide toward the back, like people who only go to church on Christmas.\u201d Moxie <\/em>is often funny. The local funeral home sports a sign that says, \u201cDon\u2019t text and drive. We can wait!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Mathieu\u2019s own interest in feminism was kindled by a high school teacher who once called her a \u201cfeminazi\u201d during class, so \u201cthe joke is on you. Revenge is best served cold, you jerk,\u201d she writes in the novel\u2019s dedication. The Author\u2019s Note at the end of the book includes a list of online resources and reading recommendations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Kudos to Moxie\u2019s<\/em> design and marketing teams. The book jacket and interior style take a cue from Vivian\u2019s creation, bringing the style of the zine alive for readers. The laudatory blurbs included with the advance review copy are all from girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. Amy Poehler\u2019s Paper Kite production company has acquired the film rights to Moxie.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Although a fun, quick read, Moxie challenges assumptions and divisions masquerading as tradition. It is an encouragement, a comfort, an inspiration, an education, and a call to action. Refuse to sublimate objectification; stake your claim.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nmoxiegirlsfightback.tumblr.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n* * * * *<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is fun, fierce, feminist YA fiction that educates, inspires, exhorts, incenses, and comforts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[821,817,820,812,818,819],"class_list":["post-966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-jennifer-mathieu","tag-lone-star-review","tag-moxie","tag-texas-author","tag-ya","tag-young-adult"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}