My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out [Paperback]

Iris Jacob (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2002

In the tradition of the bestselling Ophelia Speaks, a collection of provocative essays by teenage girls of color

My Sisters' Voices is a passionate and poignant collection of writings from teenage girls of African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, and biracial backgrounds. With candor and grace, they speak out on topics that are relevant not only to themselves and their peers but to anyone who is raising, teaching, or nurturing young women of color.

As adolescents, women, and minorities, these young authors represent a demographic that has had no voice of its own, a group often spoken for but rarely given the opportunity to be heard. Now these young women have a chance to stand up and be counted, to present their own unique perspectives in fresh and astonishing ways. Here you'll find a Native American girl writing about the bumps in her relationship with her best friend, who's white; a Korean American girl who wishes she could help her mother understand that it's okay to socialize with boys as well as girls; and a biracial girl who feels she must be the designated spokesperson for blacks when she's around whites, for whites when she's around blacks, and for biracial people around everyone. These personal and inspiring stories about family, friendship, sex, love, poverty, loss, and oppression make My Sisters' Voices essential reading for young women of all backgrounds.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After reading Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia and Sara Shandler's Ophelia Speaks, 18-year-old biracial Jacob felt her "struggle had not been truly identified... in addition to bearing the weight of being teenagers and female, we also carry the enormous issues of race and ethnicity." While she admits that her literary answer to this struggle won't solve all of the world's problems, it might empower adolescent girls of color. Jacob solicited works from teens across the country, writing thousands of letters to friends, English teachers and social organizations. The result is a stirring collection of essays and poems detailing the coming-of-age experiences of a diverse group of young women identified by name, age and ethnicity. Jacob and company tackle such issues as interracial friendships, poverty, oppression and family. With her personal reflections inserted before each piece, Jacob exhibits empathy with the writers, revealing rage when presenting African-American Brooke Wilson's harangue against female objectification, and later joining Chinese/Italian Alicia Mazzara in displaying defiance when forced to choose one race over another in the biographical information section of standardized forms. Some of the writings are more race-oriented than others (e.g., Shivani Agarwal's heartbreaking story of first love does not mention ethnicity, and some contributors are listed as "African American," while others are simply "Black"), but all are important and will resonate with teens and their parents, teachers and mentors.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-For this book, Jacob, a biracial teen, wrote letters to English teachers, organizations, and others to solicit submissions from young women across the country about their experiences as teenagers of color. The result is a moving collection of essays and poems about family, friendships, sex, love, loss, identity, racism, and oppression. It is clear from the frank and deeply personal nature of the entries that the authors write from their hearts. The pieces are each prefaced by comments from Jacob in which she relates her own experience about the topic at hand or offers a reaction to it. Readers will see themselves reflected in some writings and will be enlightened by others.
Ajoke' T. I. Kokodoko, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1 edition (April 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080506821X
• ISBN-13: 978-0805068214
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > Social Science

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for Teen Book Clubs or Women's Studies courses!, May 1, 2002

By 

"ostrownl" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out (Paperback)

As a former professor of psychology and women's studies and current director of a center for girls in NYC, I would like to say this book is a must-read. For all those who have lamented the "white" slant on the information that is available about teen girls' issues, this book fills a void. Iris Jacobs weaves together essays, poems, and stories with an engaging style that is both sophisticated and accessible. I think this book is a wonderful choice for teen book clubs and a must for women's studies courses.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best, July 28, 2005

By 

Annette B. Bolds "professor and mom" (pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Sisters' Voices: Teenage Girls of Color Speak Out (Paperback)

Ms. Jacob provides a much needed forum for the voices of young women of color to be heard. The book is well-suited for use by both high school and college courses, but is written in a style that would also appeal to any young woman of color as well as those who are involved with them as parents, teachers and friends. The stories are both personal and inspiring. Highly recommended.