Book Review: Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu

As I wrote in a previous blog -- I have adopted a sacred morning practice because the most important thing in life is to FEEL GOOD. Feeling good is priority #1 in my life. It should be yours too. If you do not feel good, you will drag those negative feelings with you throughout the day and you will pick up more negativity along the way and will continue to go down the spiral. Why would you want to feel like that? I sure do not want to feel like that. So since I do not want to feel like crud all day -- my sacred morning practice puts me in my vortex first and then I act. You learned that as part of my sacred morning practice I crack open a non-fiction book; whether it is a self-help book, something inspiring, something motivating, a memoir, etc. So this time around -- have you ever read a book that you had trepidations about because you might not know all of the content but then you receive it and are so happy you did? Let me present to you Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu.

Throughout history and across the globe, one characteristic connects the daring women of Brazen: their indomitable spirit. With her characteristic wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of these 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.

Well, this book sure did inspire my inner rebellion and my indomitable spirit. Plus this book was originally published in French and we all know how much of a francophile I am! This book is marketed for young adults but it is surely not just for young adults. This is a wonderful, inspiring and eclectic group of triumphant women's stories. There is a consistent theme of feminism in the stories but there is a whole spectrum of issues that need to be overcome from autism, to poverty, to war, to lack of musical talent. Bagieu created a cornucopia of entries featuring a variety of trailblazing ladies from across a spectrum of time and place. Some were familiar to me, but many are lesser known and have been sadly overlooked by the mainstream. I wish every girl (heck every boy too) gets a chance to read these stories to see that nothing can hold you back if you don't let it.

I am amazed at the different stories that made it into this book from the bearded lady to Hedy Lamarr. For example -- one of my favorite hobbies and interests are solving murder mysteries. With a notebook in hand, I try to get as many details as I can to put things together. This book exposed me to Frances Glessner Lee who was a crime miniaturist. She would recreate crime scenes for police to solve crimes. She put so much detail into her work. Such an inspiration and so relatable. Bagieu seems to have put in a lot of heart, and effort into researching different women to feature in this book, who deserve so much recognition for the incredible work they have done. There's such a great range of stories in this book, some of which literally choked me up several times throughout the book. I felt truly connected to some of the stories. I also personally love that Bagieu chose a graphic novel concept. The illustrations go perfectly with the history of the amazing women Bagieu chose to highlight, and her humor makes the history memorable. A definite feast for the eyes and for the brain.

I would love to see a second book from her with some more Brazen women. This is a perfect way, for anyone to learn about some pretty incredible people, in a very digestible way. If you are interested in current events, history, and science; in dance, movies, and songwriting; by people interested in explorers and political rebels -- GET THIS BOOK. Highly recommended.