{"id":3764,"date":"2021-07-25T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=3764"},"modified":"2023-09-30T12:20:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T16:20:00","slug":"moxie-classroom-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/moxie-classroom-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need to Add Some MOXIE to Your Classroom Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let’s talk about the “F-word.” Feminism, that is!<\/strong> Moxie <\/em>by Jennifer Mathieu is a fantastic YA novel about girl power and women’s rights. In this post, I hope to help you determine if Moxie<\/em> deserves a place on your classroom library shelves or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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What Is Moxie About?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moxie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>follows the protagonist Vivan, a girl who has lived in a small town in Texas her whole life. The football team (and their admin fathers) run the school. No one does anything when they make sexist jokes or act inappropriately around the girls. Boys will be boys, after all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a particularly bad day of enduring sexism, Vivian looks to her mother’s Riot Grrrl past for comfort. <\/strong>The feminist’s zines of her mother’s past inspire Vivan. Before she realizes what she’s doing, Vivis is creating and copying a ‘zine of her own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After anonymously distributing her zines throughout the girls’ bathrooms at schools, Vivian is surprised to realize that she didn’t just blow off some steam. She started a movement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(I actually saw a lot of parallels between the protagonists of Moxie<\/a><\/em> and The Hate U Give<\/a><\/em> even though their causes are very different.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Moxie Classroom-Friendly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I found Moxie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>a lot more “classroom-friendly” than many other young adult novels my students have enjoyed.<\/strong> That doesn’t mean it’s perfect for conservative schools or parents, however. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moxie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>does contain some swearing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also a few scenes that include sexual harassment.<\/strong> While not overly graphic or violent, these could be uncomfortable for some parents (and triggering for some students). Mathieu takes the story just far enough<\/em> to get across the importance of the issue, without making anything gratuitous.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Why Does Moxie Deserve to Be in My Classroom Library?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We teachers have a lot to cover. In addition to the basics of reading and writing skills, we’ve become the go-to experts lately on equality, inequities, and making sure our students have both open minds and<\/em> hearts. It’s a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moxie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>approaches women’s issues in an approachable way. Those who fear “bra-burning feminists” will see a softer–but firm–side of feminism in the pages of Moxie<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really appreciated Mathieu’s discussion of the word “feminism” in her novel<\/strong>. While some characters adopt the “feminist” identify readily, others are more hesitant. Mathieu gracefully explains the true meaning of feminism while separating it from its stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason I think Moxie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>is valuable is because it shows the role of the ally. A lot of men instantly become defensive when women’s rights are brought up. Mathieu, throughout the novel, is able to convey that “yes, not all men,” while proving that “enough men” and that male allies have a role to play in a feminist movement.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is also able to show that allies are not perfect. They might not say the right thing all the time, or completely understand what it’s like to be the victim of inequality, but the good ones keep trying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, Moxie<\/em><\/a> <\/em>acknowledges that large groups of women have historically been left behind in previous feminist movements. Mathieu touches on the intersectionality of race and gender issues beautifully through her characters’ interactions and Vivian’s reflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n