Another belated review I write with the benefit of seeing how it has impacted my students!

I was excited by this book's cover, its contributors, and its description. Reading it was almost confirmation bias: It affirmed what I already know: Our youth needs not just access to #diversebooks, but access to #ownvoices . Case in point, my Latina students were recommending this through word of mouth. There was such a long waiting list that I decided to buy two more copies. Those who read the book not only loved it, but also searched out other books by the contributors. Not all the essays are outstanding, but they are all definitely memorable!

This book truly empowered me to do good in the world. I hope to help by becoming more intersectional in my feminism and I will try to boost more WOC and otherwise minority voices when I can. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title.

This was one of the absolute best anthologies I have ever read! I had to request it based on Ellen Hopkins, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Nina LaCour, and I.W. Gregorio who are some of my favorite authors. Seeing all these wonderful women coming together to add to this amazing book featuring their voices made it a MUST read!

There was so much representation in this book, it was a breath of fresh air. I noticed a lot of the essays revolved around the presidential election, which I’m sure most people can relate to on some level. I thought all of these authors were extremely raw, and told their experiences in a very real way.

I thought each of these essays was inspiring in it’s own way, and I feel like every woman or feminist should give this one a go. Each essay was well-written and made you think and feel in such ways that I will be re-reading it many times. I know I can’ t relate on a personal level to each and every one of these essays but they all moved me, some to tears.

I adored this book. So powerful and interesting. We had a varried type of stories and background presented here and the narratives were almost all spotless and perfection. Thank you for this, Amy.

OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES edited by Amy Reed is a collection of stories by 21 YA Authors who "Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in America." The cover is very compelling and eye-catching and the topic is timely. Reed explains to her readers, "I wanted to do something to help you know you're not alone in your fear and anger, to help you know that your stories – your lives– are valid and valued." In the subsequent selections, each author feels very strongly about her own situation or characters and this becomes a difficult collection to read in one session due to the emotions involved. In fact, the editor felt it necessary to include trigger warnings about sexual assault and racial violence. Understandably, there is also quite a bit of repetitive commentary on the election of our current president. Some of my favorites in OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES included Nina LaCour's "Changing Constellations," and Hannah Moskowitz's "In Our Genes." Despite the quality of contributing authors, I am choosing a neutral three stars since I have to provide a rating. Overall, I think the idea of OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES is an excellent one, but this collection seemed to need a different balance – or maybe fewer stories? Maybe I have just been reading too much related to our fear of "the other" (Fresh Ink, Real American, Displaced, plus several other books on refugees and immigrants and, of course, the news). OUR STORIES, OUR VOICES lists several activism resources; this title received a starred review from School Library Journal.

This was a fantastic resource to open discussions of #ownvoices and I know will help my students work out what voices they need to encounter more of.

Raw. Real. Revolutionary.

From the first time Mother who found her radical roots with the birth of her daughter, to the immigrant that claimed her independence that challenged her Indian roots, to the accidental activist that after learning what white privilege was, learned how to use it help the marginalized, the collection of featured women featured in this new release share their stories to ignite a fire to change the world.

The diverse voices in this collection are representative of what America is supposed to stand for, as well as a sad reminder of how often our Nation has failed so many marginalized groups. Reed has found that through telling our stories we can resist the white male patriarchy, claim our own power, and change the future for generations to come.