Becca Anderson - The Book of Awesome Girls: Why the Future Is Female (Celebrate Girl Power) (Birthday Gift for Her)

Other Books by Becca Anderson:

The Book of Awe some Women

Badass Women Give the B est Advice

The Book of Awesome Wom en Writers

You Are an Awe some Woman

Think Happy to Stay Happy

The Womans Book of Prayer

Let Me Coun t the Ways

The
Book of Awesome Girls

Why the Future Is Female

Becca Anderson

Coral Gables

Copyright 2021 by Becca Anderson.
Published by Mango Publishing, a division of Mango Publishing Group, Inc.

Cover Design: Elina Diaz
Cover Photos: (Salty View, spatuletail) / Shutterstock.com
Art Direction: Elina Diaz
Interior Layout: Katia Mena
Interior Photos: (Yaroslav, nerthuz) / stock.adobe.com, (Leonard Zhukovsky, Natata, lev radin, Kathy Hutchins, Jaguar PS, spatuletail, DFree, BAKOUNINE, Joe Seer, Debby Wong, Tinseltown, Salty View, rook76) / Shutterstock.com

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The Book of Awesome Girls: Why the Future Is Female

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2021936321
ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-539-9, (ebook) 978-1-64250-540-5
BISAC category code YAN052060, YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Social Science / Sociology

Printed in the United States of America

We are standing on the shoulders of giants: all of the awesome women who came before us and paved the way. This book is dedicated to all the young women and girls who will make it a better world and probably save the planet in th e process.

Table o f Contents

Awesome Young Athletes: Changin g How the
Game Is Played

Defining History:
Girls Who Leave T heir Mark

Beautifu l Royals:
Girls Who Rule the World

Amazing Writers:
Fighting Battles W ith Words

Young F eminists:
Girl Power Is the B est Power

Girls Who Stood Up:
Using Their Courage to Ma ke Change

Being a woman in todays world can feel like a losing battle. Whether youre watching movies and TV shows or looking at posts on social media, women and girls are bombarded with messages that say they arent enough. Whether touted as not good enough, smart enough, or strong enough, it seems they simply never measure up. Theyre also told that theyre wrong for being too this or too thattoo outspoken, too aggressive, or too masculine. While women as a whole deal with this societal disapproval daily, women of colorspecifically Black womenare at a higher risk of being disadvantaged both personally and professionally as a result. When all you see are signs telling you to change, youre bound to internalize that n egativity.

The Book of Awesome Girls serves as a reminder that there is no one-size-fits-all female ideal. As you flip through the pages of this book, youll come across countless examples of girls and women from all eras of history who made their mark against all odds. Zuriel Oduwole, Greta Thunberg, Dianne Nash, Simone Biles, Payal Jangid, X Gonzlez, Mary Shelley, Jazz Jennings, Rupi Kaur, Nadya Okamoto, and Darnella Frazierthe individuals highlighted in this book and their accomplishments are nothing short of inspirational! Readers will feel validated seeing a spectrum of backgrounds, personalities, and experiences with which they can identify.

When the world keeps sending you mixed messages, it can be difficult to remember that you are exactly as you should be and all that you bring to the table is validyour experiences, your hardships, and your successes. The Book of Awesome Girls is here to show you that you, too, are awesome, despite the stereotypes that persist in media. Whether you read this book from start to finish or open it up to a random page every day, its positive impact remains the same.

M .J. Fievre

Author of Badass Black Girl , Empowered Black Girl , and the forthcoming Resilient Black Girl

Girls have always been powerful. So much so that millennia of oppression have only made women and girls stronger. In recent years, empowered by social justice movements and social media platforms, girls are now more able than ever to make their greatness known. For example, if a tween girl is really into STEM, she can start her own YouTube channel talking about science and doing experiments and making the world a little bit smarter in the process. And speaking of smarts, girls have a bit of an edge in that their maturation is a little bit more developed.

Rupi Kaur is an excellent example of using social media to create an influential platform. She rose to fame by publishing her powerful poetry to her Instagram and Tumblr, which led her to becoming a bestselling author and overall icon. Another example of extraordinary platform creation is Greta Thunberg who became a phenomenon, piloting a climate neutral boat across the Atlantic Ocean, staging a series of school strikes, and holding all adults accountable for their lack of action. Greta, diagnosed at an early age with Aspergers syndrome, did not let her diagnosis get in her way, and in fact she calls it her superpower and says it enables her to tackle any problem with confidence and drive.

Girls can change the world, and that is exactly what the girls in this book, and many others, have been doing. One of the most poignant examples of a brave young womans actions is Darnella Frazier, a witness to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, who had the moxie and courage to videotape the horrific 9 minutes and 29 seconds event with her nine-year-old niece in tow. She was threatened but stood her ground and incited global action to fight racial injustice and police brutality.

In this book of awesome girls, you will find world-class athletes, fierce feminists, change-makers, enterprising entrepreneurs, innovative creatives, heroic humanitarians, visionary voices, and world-changing writers. Hopefully these courageous young women will inspire you to empower yourself and the young women in your life and you will ask yourself what you can do to show your awesomeness to the world.

Check out our contest in the back of the book! Post to social media all about the awesome women in your life and you will be entered to win a copy signed by Becc a herself!

When someone tells you that you throw or kick like a girl, I have two words for them: thank you. To be told that you throw, kick, punch, or play a sport like a girl is the ultimate compliment because it means you are playing as a top athlete. Throughout history, women and girls have dominated the sports world and proved that playing like a girl means being tough, determined, skillful, and talented. Women like Serena and Venus Williams, Mia Hamm, Megan Rapinoe, and Lindsey Vonn have set the stage for excellence and have proven to be incredible influences for young women around the world.