Written by: Mikki Kendall
Illustrated by: A. D’Amico
For ages: YA older teens (mature topics-violence, assault, enslavement, death)
Language: English
Topics Covered: Activism, Historic Figures, Historical Fiction, Enslavement, Women’s Rights, Suffrage, Women in Politics, Women in Leadership, Assault, Death, Indigenous Voices, POC-Centric Narratives, Marginalized Populations, Modern Black Freedom Struggle, LGBTQ, Black Feminist Thought.
Summary: Triple A, how much do I love you? Let me count the ways. This book is PHENOMENAL. Like, I opened the envelope and immediately got in bed to read it and stayed up over an hour past my bedtime to finish it. It is That Good.
This book is the definition of fire, it goes hard and I LOVE IT. This book, besides from being beautifully illustrated, does not shy away from the hardship and inequities faced by marginalized populations throughout history. It is difficult for me to explain the joy that I feel to find a book that centers the experiences of women of color and celebrates their contributions to nearly every movement throughout history. We’re history buffs here at The Tiny Activist, and I derived incredible excitement from learning so many new names and accomplishments of badass ladies that came before me. The book is extremely in-depth and well-researched. The majority of these names I would feel confident in saying aren’t well-known by most of us nowadays, and this is exactly the book we need right now to inspire a new generation of activists and change makers.
This book is absolutely for teens and above, it does not shy away from the ruthlessness that many leaders exemplified in order to clinch their power and leadership especially in a male-dominated world. The book begins with a global perspective on ancient societies and the rights of women, focuses in on the USA, and then returns for a global look once again. Nearly every activist movement is given space in this book, and it is nearly 200 pages. There are only a few movements not mentioned, the Zapatista’s and the Fat Activist movement are two I can think of offhand, but due to the global overview of the book it can still be considered incredibly comprehensive. Since it is for an older audience, Triple A doesn’t sugarcoat history, especially the inequities faced by marginalized populations. It emphasizes the unfairness of Enslavement, Jim Crow laws, and various other historical settlements. There are a few fabulous two-page illustrations showing women of color fighting monsters with names like “Racism” and “Online Harassment” while white women are floating on clouds, protected from having to do the dirty work. This. Is. What. We Need. We need critical reflections on public figures, despite the good that they did for humanity, it often came at the expense of more marginalized populations (ex: the racist views that many white women’s suffrage activists held) Indigenous activism is particularly prevalent, a refreshing and glorious part of this book. CAN YOU TELL I LOVED IT YET? Listen, I know we say a lot that books are required for every shelf, but this book is the definition of that phrase. This graphic novel is creating a new standard for books about feminism, history, and badass ladies.
This book was kindly sent to us by Ten Speed Press, but all opinions are our own!
Recipe: Meringue Clouds with Lemon Curd
Ingredients for Meringue:
4 egg whites
2 1/4c powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1/2t cream of tartar OR white vinegar (to stabilize egg whites)
Whip egg whites until foamy, adding in CoT/vinegar and salt. Continue whipping egg whites for another minute and begin adding powdered sugar a bit at a time, whipping until all sugar is added and the meringue is shiny and at stiff peaks. This process takes about 7 minutes with my stand mixer! Scoop the meringue onto a baking sheet in six large clouds, you can sprinkle with coarse sugar if you want, and I swirled the tops a bit to look like clouds. Bake at 250. I like my meringues chewy in the middle so I baked them for 2.5 hours, but if you don’t like them chewy it will take about 4-5 hours to be entirely dry and crunchy. When finished, turn off oven and crack door. Allow the meringues to completely come to room temperature in the oven or they will crack at the sudden temperature change.
Ingredients for microwaveable lemon curd:
4 egg yolks
3/4c lemon juice
3/4c sugar
1 stick butter
1-2T corn starch (optional for thicker curd)
Whisk together yolks and sugar (and starch if using), slowly add in lemon juice while still whisking. Cut butter into pieces and add in. Microwave for a minute at a time, whisking between each round. This will take about 4-5 minutes, stop microwaving when curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain into a jar and let cool uncovered in fridge. Without the corn starch it will be spoonable but loose and pourable. This is seriously the easiest way to impress people, and the curd can be used to eat with the meringues, made as gifts, or to put in tart shells or a pie.
About the Author & the Illustrator:
Mikki Kendall is a writer, diversity consultant, and occasional feminist who talks a lot about intersectionality, policing, gender, sexual assault, and other current events. Her nonfiction can be found at Time.com, the Guardian, Washington Post, Ebony, Essence, Salon, XoJane, Bustle, Islamic Monthly and a host of other sites. Her new book Hood Feminism is coming out in February 25th, 2020 and can be preordered here!
Her media appearances include BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, WVON, WBEZ, TWIB, and Showtime.
Her fiction has been published through Revelator magazine and Torquere Press.
Her comics work can be found in the Swords of Sorrow anthology, the Princeless charity anthology, and in the CCAD anthology of 2016. She has acted as a diversity consultant for writers of fiction, playwrights, fan conventions, and several organizations.
Aster D’Amico is a Queer Illustrator living near Ann Arbor, Michigan, who loves all things tea, historical fashion, and fantasy! She enjoys writing and illustrating comics, which Aster finds to be an incredibly powerful vehicle for storytelling; her main medium of choice is Digital, but also very much loves using watercolor and Ink Wash.
D’Amico graduated with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Creative Writing from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 2016, and have been freelancing since.