You Should Read “Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World”

Penelope Bagieu profiles the lives of feisty female role models, some world famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the stories in this comic biography are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.

It is my opinion that this book is absolute perfection. This post will never be able to convey just how much I loved this book. I was first introduced to Penelope Bagieu when I stumbled upon a graphic novel formatted biography called California Dreamin: Cass Elliot Before the Mamas and the Papas. Click her for the post on California Dreamin. After loving that I, of course, sought out other graphic novels by Bagieu. I came across Brazen and learned that it was going to be published in just a few weeks. Oh happy day! Once I got my hands on it I knew I was going to enjoy it. After reading a few of the rebel ladies’ stories I knew that I already loved it. This is the sort of book that I would love to be able to put into the hands of every single teenager because each person has their own unique story of perserverance, tenacity and ambition.

I was so appreciative to learn about women I had never heard of before. Some include Nzinga, Queen of Ndongo and Matamba, Leymah Gbowee, social worker and Annette Kellerman, mermaid. Particularly with this batch their achievements are very much a mixed bag. Nzinga came into power under suspicious circumstances; mainly killing male family members. Leymah found herself in an abusive marriage, later became a social worker and found herself advising abused women. They inspired her to escape her own situation. While Annette Kellerman was first known for her triumphant swimming abilities her lasting influence rests with introducing practical swimwear to women.

I was thrilled to learn more about other women I was familiar with such as “terrifying actress Margaret Hamilton, astronaut Mae Jemison, Frances Glessner Lee and Peggy Guggenheim

I cannot rave enough about this book. I am telling everyone to seek it out. I share how much I love it with others that I see reading it in the Instagram bookish community. It has been wonderful bonding with those who have read it. We all rave about it and adore it. It is just such an inspiring collection of women told in a fantastic method.