Vivian Carter is done with the sexist nonsense she sees and hears daily in her small-town Texas high school. After witnessing the school's star football player (and principal's son) disrupt a class discussion to tell a new female classmate to "make him a sandwich," Vivian feels compelled to do something in author Jennifer Matthieu's "Moxie."
Inspired by her mother's box of 1990s Riot Grrl ephemera, Vivian decides to create a zine (a handmade, underground magazine) to give voice to her frustration. Vivian calls her zine "Moxie" and distributes copies anonymously in the girls' bathrooms at school. At first, they don't make much of a splash, but like-minded girls start paying attention. Vivian's second issue, which is a direct response to the school's dress code that disproportionately targets and shames the female population of the school, causes more of a stir. Other girls begin organizing under the Moxie name, taking it from an underground zine to a bona fide school-wide movement.
As more and more girls find solidarity through the ubiquitous yet anonymous "Moxie," the school begins to take note and moves to silence anyone showing an affinity to the feminist zine by threatening suspension and even expulsion. Fearing for her academic career, Vivian is unsure of what to do; "Moxie" has brought the girls of the school together (and even gotten support from some of their more enlightened male classmates), but she doesn't want to see anyone expelled because of something she started. One thing's for certain though: "Moxie" is bigger than any one person. It's a movement, and as the zine's catchphrase declares, "Moxie girls fight back!"
"Moxie" offers a lot to love. It's a fun, feminist young adult novel that never feels dark or misandrist. Vivian is a smart and funny narrator to whom readers everywhere can relate. The "Moxie" movement in the book is simultaneously playful, incisive and, most importantly, inclusive. Readers, particularly those exploring their identities in relation to feminism, will find this novel both exhilarating and empowering.
In a time when powerful men everywhere are being taken to task for sexist or harassing behavior, this book feels more than just timely; it feels necessary. For every girl who's had to endure sexist remarks from classmates, who's felt ashamed by administrators telling them their clothes are distracting to their male peers, who's had a bra strap snapped, or been sent unsolicited graphic cellphone photos; for every girl who's fed up with the old adage "boys will be boys" as an excuse for terrible behavior: this book is for you.
Courtney Waters is the teen services coordinator at the Missouri River Regional Library.