The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes, and other Dauntless Girls by Author/Anthology Editor: Jessica Spotswood 

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

My Review - 5 Stars

Short story collections are often more miss than hit for me, generally because they're...too short. Or they're rushed or packing too much story into too few pages. But when I saw someone mention The Radical Element on Twitter, I was intrigued. What might a YA short story collection be like?

It turns out YA short stories are perfect for me.

There's not a bad one in the bunch. They're self-contained and give us a glimpse into the life of a young woman who's grappling with familial, religious, or societal expectations. A few stories stood out especially.

Dahlia Adler's Daughter Of The Book explores the accessibility of Jewish education to boys and girls. The main character wants to learn, she wants more than what her father and community will allow her and other girls to do. She isn't ready to get married or to start her own family. She simply wants to learn and discuss and debate the Torah the way boys and men do so she asks her friend to help. And even though he has reservations, he agrees and can see how her questions and insights help his own learning. I really felt for her and also felt glad that my education was never called into question by virtue of my gender.

Mackenzi Lee's You're A Stranger Here also explored religion and gender, this time with the Mormon faith. This story had more to do with doubt and what to do when you feel like your faith is propped up on everyone else's. It also dealt with the very real persecution Mormons faced because of their beliefs that caused them to continue moving westward in search of a safe place to land. It has very real applications to what Muslims currently face in the US and we would be wise to remember this.

Anne-Marie McLemore’s Glamour was simply stunning. I loved the way McLemore explored identity and the masks we wear, both literal and figurative, through Grace, a Mexican woman who passed as white in order to work toward her dream of a film career. It also examines societal ideas of beauty and peels back the veil on Hollywood to reveal the racism at work in the 1920s, which is unfortunately still at work today. I loved how the character of Sawyer factored in and where he and Grace are by the end of the story.

My very favorite of the collection was Marieke Nijkamp's Better For All The World. It's an incredible story taking on eugenics with a neurodiverse character and there were just so many great moments and details.  It centers around the Carrie Buck case in the Supreme Court and I don't want to say much more than that because I am so deeply amazed by how Nijkamp built the story and I want you to experience it for yourself. I wasn't familiar with the author before this but I promptly put Before I Let Go on hold at the library and I'm so excited to read more of her writing.

There are author's notes at the end of each story and these added another layer of insight.I really appreciated the diversity of the characters, whether religion, race, or sexuality. While there are probably still more white characters than POC characters, this is by no means a WASPy collection. I'm so grateful to have had the chance to read it.

Synopsis

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 whether 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 the 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.

Buy The Book Here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Disclosure: I received an advance copy from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. Affiliate links included in this post.