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The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls
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Overview
In an anthology of revolution and resistance, a sisterhood of YA writers shines a light on a century and a half of heroines on the margins and in the intersections.
To respect yourself, to love yourself, should not have to be a radical decision. And yet it remains as challenging for an American girl to make today as it was in 1927 on the steps of the Supreme Court. It’s a decision that must be faced when you’re balancing on the tightrope of neurodivergence, finding your way as a second-generation immigrant, or facing down American racism even while loving America. And it’s the only decision when you’ve weighed society’s expectations and found them wanting. In The Radical Element, twelve of the most talented writers working in young adult literature today tell the stories of girls of all colors and creeds standing up for themselves and their beliefs — whether that means secretly learning Hebrew in early Savannah, using the family magic to pass as white in 1920s Hollywood, or singing in a feminist punk band in 1980s Boston. And they’re asking you to join them.
Original stories by:
Dahlia Adler
Erin Bowman
Dhonielle Clayton
Sara Farizan
Mackenzi Lee
Stacey Lee
Anna-Marie McLemore
Meg Medina
Marieke Nijkamp
Megan Shepherd
Jessica Spotswood
Sarvenaz Tash
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780763694258 |
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Publisher: | Candlewick Press |
Publication date: | 03/13/2018 |
Pages: | 320 |
Sales rank: | 965,782 |
Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d) |
Lexile: | 840L (what's this?) |
Age Range: | 14 - 17 Years |
About the Author

Jessica Spotswood is the editor of A Tyranny of Petticoats, the companion volume to The Radical Element. She grew up near the Gettysburg battlefield, in Pennsylvania, but now lives in Washington, D.C., where she works for the District of Columbia Public Library system as a children's library associate.
Table of Contents
Introduction ix
1838: Savannah, Georgia: Daughter of the Book Dahlia Adler 1
1844: Nauvoo, Illinois: You're a Stranger Here Mackenzi Lee 25
1858: Colorado River, New Mexico Territory: The Magician Erin Bowman 46
1863: Charleston, South Carolina: Lady Firebrand Megan Shepherd 74
1905: Tulsa, Indian Territory: Step Right Up Jessica Spotswood 102
1923: Los Angeles and the Central Valley, California: Glamour Anna-Marie McLemore 128
1927: Washington, D.C.: Better for All the World Marieke Nijkamp 156
1943: Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts: When the Moonlight Isn't Enough Dhonielle Clayton 179
1952: Brooklyn, New York: The Belle of the Ball Sarvenaz Tash 207
1955: Oakland, California: Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave Stacey Lee 236
1972: Queens, New York: The Birth of Susi Go-Go Meg Medina 257
1984: Boston, Massachusetts: Take Me with U sara Farizan 282
About the Contributors 305
Acknowledgments 309