Book Review: Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

Summary: Moxie girls fight back!

Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with her small-town Texas high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes and hallway harassment. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

Viv’s mom was a punk rock Riot Grrrl in the ’90s, so now Viv takes a page from her mother’s past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She’s just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. Pretty soon Viv is forging friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, and she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution. 








Release Date: September 2017
Age Group: YA, Feminism, Contemporary
Source: Surprise mail from fellow blogger!
Reviewed By: Nat

Build-up to Review:
Okay, this might be a little lengthy.

I got an email to receive an ARC of Moxie & by the time I replied they were gone and I was bummed. I didn't really know much about the book other than I liked the cover, the chick is wearing Van-like shoes. #fistbump Fast forward a few months later and I *met a student through Twitter, of all places, who happened to also be a book blogger and guess what she was reading?! MOXIE!

I freaked and demanded it be mailed to me immediately... just kidding, she actually asked me if I wanted to read it and I stayed cool & collected and quickly gave her my mailing address. Well, I didn't read the book when I got it- it turned out to be a tough semester. Fast-forward to Hurricane Harvey and I was desperate to mentally escape the storm. I saw a few tweets from the author, Jennifer Mathieu, about her woes & worries with Harvey. I had no idea she was a Hustonian and a teacher so I thought, "you know what, I'm going to read her book and let this place float away". Coincidentally enough, this all happened as I was watching the news report on Rockport Texas, which was decimated by the storm. I shut off the TV and told my husband "I'm out, I'll be reading until we float away!"

I opened the book and the first few pages I read began with a girl named Vivian who lived in the small Texas town of North Rockport. I immediately closed the book and thought No Freaking Way. Re-opened it and never left my recliner.

I sat and read Moxie cover to cover.

I regret nothing.

Review:
I've never thought of myself as a feminist. I love being a woman. I loved receiving an education. I love my career. I love being a mom (the most). But I've also been extremely fortunate to have been surrounded by strong, independent women that never allowed me to think anything was impossible. So I thought the word "feminist" was more of a radical term.

I was so wrong. It's sad really that I am just connecting the dots because in truth I've always been a feminist, just without the label. Moxie was a game changer for me personally because it was so freaking relateable!

I thought Mathieu was writing my high school memoir! I grew up (and still live in) a small Texas town. I even wrote about one of my memories about meeting the Ku Klux Klan when I was just nine years old.

There are so many things to love about a small town and there are so many things that can drive you crazy. Mathieu does a supurb job of building a story based on real and meaningful problems that young women face in high school and life in general. It doesn't have to be a small town in Texas, discrimination happens everywhere, everyday and no one is fully immune.

I loved how powerful Moxie made me feel. I can't imagine how it would have made me feel at 15, I probably would have ran for Mayor! No matter what your views are politically, religiously or personally, you have the right to feel them. We need more books like Moxie that make our youth think & feel.

Sit back and really think about what you stand for and what you support. I am conservative in some areas of my life and liberal in others and that's okay. Do we laugh and sexualize women because it's simply tradition? Do we equally support one another? Girls can be their own worst enemies. And to put it simply, we need to STOP IT. Support and uplift one another. SHOW SOME MOXIE!

Moxie is a must-read for all teens and parents. It is for the open-minded and the narrow-minded and the close-minded and those that just can't make their minds up.

Fantastic job Jennifer! I hope we meet one day!

Gift Recommendation: If you decide to gift Moxie to someone I would give one suggestion: add a few magazines with the gift, that's what I'll be doing this Christmas.

Side note: Zines are still pretty popular in the skateboarding world. My daughter looks forward to getting her zines from The Skate Witches 💎