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    Moxie: A Novel
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    Moxie: A Novel
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    Moxie: A Novel
    Ebook343 pages4 hours

    Moxie: A Novel

    By Jennifer Mathieu

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Now a Netflix Original Film directed by Amy Poehler!

    "Moxie is sweet, funny, and fierce. Read this and then join the fight."—Amy Poehler

    An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texas high school in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice.

    MOXIE GIRLS FIGHT BACK!

    Vivian Carter is fed up. Fed up with an administration at her high school that thinks the football team can do no wrong. Fed up with sexist dress codes, hallway harassment, and gross comments from guys during class. But most of all, Viv Carter is fed up with always following the rules.

    Viv's mom was a tough-as-nails, punk rock Riot Grrrl in the '90s, and now Viv takes a page from her mother's past and creates a feminist zine that she distributes anonymously to her classmates. She's just blowing off steam, but other girls respond. As Viv forges friendships with other young women across the divides of cliques and popularity rankings, she realizes that what she has started is nothing short of a girl revolution.

    Moxie is a book about high school life that will make you wanna riot!

    Editor's Note

    Book-to-screen…

    An intersectional feminist revolution is afoot at a Texas high school where the football players are considered untouchable gods and the girls are ranked based on their hotness. Quiet Vivian, the daughter of a ’90s Riot Grrl, creates an anonymous zine called Moxie to push issues of sexual harassment and double-standards in her school’s dress code to the forefront. Amy Poehler directs the Netflix movie adaptation, and also stars as Vivian’s cool mom. (Vivian is played by Hadley Robinson.)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateSep 19, 2017
    ISBN9781626726345
    Unavailable
    Moxie: A Novel
    Author

    Jennifer Mathieu

    Jennifer Mathieu is the author of Devoted, Afterward, The Liars of Mariposa Island, and The Truth About Alice, which won the Teen Choice Debut Author Award. Her 2017 novel, Moxie, was developed into a film by Amy Poehler for Netflix. Jennifer teaches high school English in Texas, where she lives in the Houston area with her husband and son.

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    Reviews for Moxie

    4.5/5

    222 ratings22 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I was given a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

      The story of a high school in Texas that completely caters to the boys' football team and lets the players get away with murder while at the same time harassing the girls about dress codes etc. I wish the book had been a little longer because I felt that there were opportunities missed to develop some of the peripheral characters but all in all it was a great book and should serve as an example of what girls can do if they come together to protest inequality and abuse.
    • 4/5
      YA FICTIONJennifer MathieuMoxie: A NovelRoaring Brook PressHardcover, 978-1-6267-2635-2, (also available as an e-book and on Audible), 336 pgs., $17.99September 19, 2017 “Dutiful” Vivian is a junior at East Rockport High. She’s a “nice, normal” girl who tries to stay out of the spotlight, enduring another school year “like a long stretch of highway.” Vivian’s mom, Lisa, keeps a shoebox on the top shelf of her closet labeled “My Misspent Youth,” filled with old zines and photos of her Riot Grrrl days, punked-out in baby-doll dresses with combat boots, half her head shaved, “Riots not diets” inked down one arm. Lisa is a nurse now and wears lavender scrubs covered in butterflies, but when Vivian is upset, Lisa’s mementos of her youth comfort Vivian, even if she doesn’t yet understand why. One day a boy interrupts a girl voicing her opinion in class one time too many with “Make me a sandwich” and something in Vivian ignites. She’s had enough of the humiliating dress code checks (while the boys wear T-shirts with “Great Legs—When Do They Open?” printed on them), the “bump ’n’ grab” in the hallways (the girls should take this assault and battery as “a compliment”), East Rockport’s “Most Fuckable” bracket posted online. Faced with inaction from the administration, Vivian creates Moxie, a zine for girls to educate, exhort, and inspire. Eventually threatened with suspension and expulsion, Vivian starts a movement that both scares and excites her. Moxie: A Novel is new young adult fiction from Houston’s Jennifer Mathieu. Vivian’s fast-paced, first-person narration uncannily channels the sometimes insecure-and-anxious, sometimes righteous-and-incandescent, rapid-cycling emotions of teenagers (Vivian: “I am certain that I’m the first person on Earth to ever feel this awake and alive”). In the beginning her timidity is frustrating, but you’ll soon be fist-pumping and cheering her on. We care about the well-developed, relatable, sympathetic characters of East Rockport High, and we hope the entitled creeps get what’s coming to them. Mathieu skillfully skewers Friday Night Lights culture; during the mandatory pep rallies, her characters “hide toward the back, like people who only go to church on Christmas.” Moxie is often funny. The local funeral home sports a sign that says, “Don’t text and drive. We can wait!” Mathieu’s own interest in feminism was kindled by a high school teacher who once called her a “feminazi” during class, so “the joke is on you. Revenge is best served cold, you jerk,” she writes in the novel’s dedication. The Author’s Note at the end of the book includes a list of online resources and reading recommendations. Kudos to Moxie’s design and marketing teams. The book jacket and interior style take a cue from Vivian’s creation, bringing the style of the zine alive for readers. The laudatory blurbs included with the advance review copy are all from girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite production company has acquired the film rights to Moxie. Although a fun, quick read, Moxie challenges assumptions and divisions masquerading as tradition. It is an encouragement, a comfort, an inspiration, an education, and a call to action. Refuse to sublimate objectification; stake your claim.moxiegirlsfightback.tumblr.comOriginally published in Lone Star Literary Life.
    • 5/5
      Amazing. Perfect. Such a great read for young feminists. I could talk about this all day. It was everything I wanted and everything a young girl needs.
    • 4/5
      Moxie Girls Fight Back! Viv has always been a good, rule-following girl at her football crazy Texas high school. But she is getting fed up and when a spirited new girl moves to town and encounters some of the harassment that is business as usual at the high school, Viv is fed up. Looking to her mom's Riot Grrrl days for inspiration, Viv launches an underground zine called Moxie. It allows like-minded people to find each other and work together to push back against some of the arbitrary rules and do some patriarch busting. From decorating their hands to wearing bathrobes to school to a school-wide walkout, these Moxie girls (and their allies) are taking action to make big changes. Each character comes to their view and place related to feminism in their own time and own their own terms. A readable, empowering, and fun Girl Power read.
    • 4/5
      Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu is a girl power book. Good Vivian, sixteen years old, is going to East Rockport (Texas) High School. The only thing that matters here is football and football players who can get away with anything, including verbally and physically abusing girls in the school. Through a series of events Vivian realizes how screwed up it is and, taking a page from her mother's rebellious teen year, decides to do something about it.Of course, there's the insecurity of breaking out of character. There's also the 'new boy' who she has a crush on. But there's also the Audre Lorde quote, "Your silence will not protect you." which spurs Vivian forward.Moxie is a totally enjoyable book about girl power. Maybe a little hoaky at times, but I really enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      A novel that all girls should read, Moxie presents a realistic picture of life as a female. Yes, there are some exaggerations, but everything that happens to these girls happens to girls every day--just not as blatantly as it does in this novel. I will say that I have no doubt there are some schools tucked away that have this same attitude.Vivian Carter is disgusted by her school. The boys are allowed to be verbally and physically disrespectful to females, and no one says anything to them because they are athletes. Viv always keeps her head down and just accepts that “this” is just how it is--boys will be boys. She often goes through a box that has her mother’s “wild” past in it when she was a punk rock Riot Grrrl in the 90s. On a whim, inspired by her mom’s box of memories, Viv makes an anonymous feminist zine asking girls to stick together. The first request is to paint stars on your hand for a particular day to show solidarity. A few girls and the new guy, Seth, participate.Even if some girls see and feel the discrimination, painting stars accomplishes nothing except let others know who you are; therefore, what can actually be done to change things? Viv continues to make zines challenging girls and some come up with their own activities to help each other. She has to be careful because her best friend isn’t very interested in these feminist ideas and the female head of the class explains that they should remain feminine females and act better. If not all girls believe they are being treated unfairly and should fight back, the desire to improve the school will have a short life span. On top of that, the worst male is the principal’s son! He is also threatening to suspend the people who are causing disruption to the school.I know people roll their eyes and have bad feelings when they hear the word feminist. It’s a great marketing campaign that has lead women to support men instead of women and roll their eyes at the desire to garner respect and fairness for women. Are there problems with the story? Yes--it’s almost too much. Any good males included or are they all bashed? Viv’s boyfriend makes sure to insist that Viv understand that not all guys are like these jerks. There is not male bashing--just bashing of stereotypical behavior and snickers that are considered okay for guys to say and do. If you are female--read it! If you are male--read it! It’s not the greatest novel written about this subject, but it’s an appropriate introduction to feminism.
    • 4/5
      This is the book I wish I'd read as a teenager. I was unapologetically feminist growing up, but had no idea what a Riot Grrrl was, no idea that there were waves of feminist thought, and no idea that others might be just as tired as I was of the double standards throughout school. Viv feels real and flawed, fumbling around in her anger, taking a stand, and finding friends along the way. (I love the constant references to punk music and have definitely made a playlist as a result.)

      Mathieu makes sure to include other resources and history at the end of the book for context, pointing readers to other resources, and ways to fight back against sexism and injustice. Feeling empowered? Great! Let's talk intersectionality. Let's talk accountability. Let's talk activism.

      Ultimately, MOXIE's message is: It's easy for the powerful squelch dissent when the voices are few and frightened; it's impossible to stop the roars when we stand together in solidarity. (Because Moxie girls fight back!)
    • 4/5
      THIS BOOK. I've been interested in this book for awhile because 1) Houston author 2) it involves Riot Grrrl and feminism 3) AMY POEHLER bought the movie rights 4) the hilariously missing the point review by Kirkus review & the 5) shitstorm that followed the review calling it out. So of course I jumped at the chance to read it in advance through Net Galley and I'm ready to gush about how great this book is.

      In a small town in Texas the girls put up with a lot of sexist behavior from the boys and the administration doesn't do a thing about it. Vivian reaches her limit and wants to let the girls know that this isn't ok, but Viv is a bit of a shy girl that likes to go unnoticed, so inspired by her mom's Riot Grrrl past she creates a zine (NOT A NEWSLETTER!) called Moxie to call out the bullshit going on at her high school. The girls in her school respond to the zine and Moxie becomes more than the zine that Viv created, it becomes anything the girls need or want it to be that unites the girls.

      What I really liked about Moxie is how Vivian is portrayed. She is like a lot of girls in high school and doing something that draws attention to her is really intimidating, but she finds a way to do so in her own way. Viv questions how involved she wants to get in her own creation, because she's scared of the consequences. I liked that the Riot Grrrl movement was included, critiqued, and built upon. Moxie is intersectional feminism, something that Riot Grrrl kind of dropped the ball on. As a fan of Riot Grrrl music, I would of liked more of the history and bands explored than Bikini Kill, but that is not the main focus of the book. Moxie also looks at high school relationships, Viv dates a boy that is new to her high school and is not like the other guys at her school, he isn't perfect and doesn't always understand why Viv is upset with how the school is and he doesn't always say the right thing, but he tries. That is an important theme in the book, the characters and the club are not perfect, but they are trying.
    • 5/5
      this was the exact book I needed, Tonight and when I was a teenager! I really hope it helps EVERYONE understand the importance of working to smash down walls and stop supporting the boy club mentality the world has so long supported!
    • 4/5
      This was nice and it was easy to read. The only reason it took me so long was that I left my physical copy at home when I went back to school and only just now decided to finish it by checking out the audiobook from my library. There were some parts of this book I couldn’t help but role my eyes at. Maybe it’s because I did go to a big city high school but some of the sexism portrayed in this book felt very exaggerated. I don’t want to say cliche because I 100% believe that the sort of things described in this book do happen but in my experience, it’s more subtle sexism that is more common and even harder to fight against because it’s more easily passed off as being a part of life. I do think I was a little bit too old for this book. I think it’s really good girls have a book like this to read that portrays feminism as a really good thing and tells them to aspire to make the world a better place and stand up for themselves. This is a good book I just think I got to it a bit too late.
    • 4/5
      Super fun book about a teen-feminist revolution in an East Texas High School. Think Legend of Billie Jean with zines instead of high speed chases from the cops.

      A great read I finished in two days. Worth it!!!!
    • 5/5
      So empowering and incredibly engaging for me to read about!
    • 4/5
      "Moxie" was a great book about a group of girls fighting against the mysoginistic rules of their high school, inspired by the Riot Grrrls movement in the 90's.

      Although it was similar to another book I read a couple of years ago with the same theme, "Moxie" was a good read. It was empowering, full of girl power and I really liked the idea of making anonymous 'zines and leaving them in the bathroom for the girls to find, kind of like an anonymous feminist group.

      Furthermore, I think the characters were interesting and I was happy with the main character's development. Honestly, she was a lot like me in high school and I think we could have been friends if she was a real person.

      I was just not into the romance, I think it was unnecessary and took away from the main plot of the book. Additionally, I was missing some diversity: although some of the side characters are queer and characters of color, and it's clear that every girl is welcome, I was expecting a little more conversation on what d0es that mean, so the message of the book would seem more inclusive.
    • 3/5
      A sweet book about feminism from the perspective of white teenager girl.
    • 5/5
      Wow! This book really surprised me. It's basically a feminist manifesto for high school girls in the 2010's. This book was well written. I didn't notice any typos or grammatical errors which is a joy in these days of self-published novels. It has a very sweet romance but nothing heavy. The story was absolutely great! There are a lot of great songs and music mentioned in the book which I played while I was reading that made for a great accompaniment. I got caught up and read it in one sitting. I would recommend this book to anyone but particularly to young women.

      Go Moxie grrrls!
    • 5/5
      Inspired by a box of her mother’s teenage memorabilia labeled “MY MISPENT YOUTH,” filled with “Riot Grrl zines,” and cassette tapes of Bikini Kill and The Runaways, Vivian Carter surreptitiously begins to undermine the patriarchal culture of her small town Texas high school. She’s sick of the way boys, especially some members of the football team, feel that they can berate and even grope their female classmates with impunity. Viv anonymously pastes together a zine of her own titled Moxie. The cover of issue #1 has a vintage photo of a female boxer with the tagline, “Moxie Girls Fight Back!” Getting to school early she places a small stack of photocopied issues in each of the school’s girls’ bathrooms. When girls find them, they want to know the source, or if Moxie is some kind of secret club. but Viv keeps mum. When the school administration begins to discipline girls for dress code violations, while ignoring what male students wear, the next issue of Moxie asks the girls to wear bathrobes to school on Tuesday. So many girls do, that the administration is overwhelmed, and gives up on dress code inspections. The next issue of Moxie is a flyer for a bake sale to benefit the school’s girls’ soccer team. Viv didn’t make it, and she realizes that Moxie has taken on a life of its own among the other students. Mathieu’s tale of girl and student power rises to the climax of an almost completely nonviolent—groping boys being the exception to the nonviolence—student rebellion against a misogynist school administration. But this young adult novel is more than just an anti-patriarchy parable. Vivian’s year includes a lot of warm family bonding, adjusting to life as a teenager, a sweet romance between Viv and her new boyfriend, and her adjustment to changing roles with an expanding circle of new friends while maintaining her relationship with her existing best friend from middle school. Mathieu’s plots, subplots, and her characters are all both realistic and satisfying. This is a young adult novel that succeeds in all aspects.
    • 3/5
      3.0

      Predictable, but a great story of empowerment for young girls. One that touched my former Riot Grrl heart.
    • 5/5
      I cannot rave about this book enough. I keep thinking “I wish I had this when I was in high school” but honestly, it seems just as important to me as an adult. It’s inspirational, moving, and will make you feel empowered. Beautiful writing, wonderful story. Highly recommend for EVERYONE to read.
    • 5/5
      In the last 3 years of picking up YA books this is the only one I've enjoyed.

      I work with teens as a librarian. Teens in our area are fantastic, smart, focussed, high-achievers. I love 'em, but sometimes I wonder where their fire is. During these times especially I wonder where the punk rock is? Where's the outrage, or more importantly, where are the artistic expressions of outrage.

      When I saw this book on our shelves, the references to Riot Grrrls got my attention. Was someone actually writing about some badasses? Was someone writing about teens doing more than developing their personal brand? Something more than kids in a boarding school saving the world?

      The answer is yes. This book is highly relevant to our times. I'd recommend it highly. The truth is there are lots of outraged and engaged teens, all over the place, but they express it all a bit differently than we did back in the 1980s, which is fine. This book helped me understand that.
    • 4/5
      I really ended up enjoying this book! This was a review book that completely slipped through the cracks and was left to sit somewhat forgotten. By the time I pulled it out of the pile, I didn't completely remember why I had been drawn to it in the first place. I wasn't too far into the book when I realized just how good this story really was and I had a fantastic time with it.It has been a long time since I was a teenager or went to high school. A very long time. My youngest daughter is currently finishing up her final year of high school and my oldest is a young adult so I have lived with teenagers for quite a few years so I feel like I know what they are like and I thought that this book was filled with realistic teenagers which is one of the things that I really really enjoyed about it.I wish that the things that happen at Vivian's high school during the course of this book didn't happen. I know that they happened when I was in school and I don't think it is too much of a stretch to think that they still happen quite often in certain areas. I was mad. I was disappointed. And I was disappointed. How could the adults let these things happen and not speak up? How was it that none of the parents of daughters from the school were demanding change? The one thing that I would have loved to see happen in this book would be for Vivian, or one of her friends, to tell the adult in their life exactly what was going on. These girls didn't let others fight their battles though. Vivian sparks a movement that eventually works its way across her school. I was so happy to see these girls stand up and fight the things that were wrong together. It was a very uplifting message about how change can happen if you get enough people to stand up with you. I listened to the audiobook version of this book which turned out to be a fantastic choice because Suzy Jackson did a wonderful job with the story. She really was the voice of Vivian and I thought that she did was able to bring this story to life. All of the character voices were really well done and I had no problems listening to this book for hours at a time.I would recommend this book to others. I had a great time watching this wonderful group of characters fight for a cause that was easy to get behind. I look forward to reading more of Jennifer Mathieu's work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
    • 5/5
      I loved, loved, loved this book.Vivian is the daughter of a single mom and lives in a small town in Texas next door to her grandparents. Her mother had left the town and lived in Seattle until her husband was killed in an accident involving his motorcycle. She returned to East Rockport with her young daughter. While she was in Seattle she was a fan of the Riot Grrls music movement and feminism. She kept a box of memorabilia from that time of her life which Vivian found and read the zines her mother produced.East Rockport is a stereotypical small Texas town for which teen life revolves around the high school football team. And true to the stereotype, the team members are arrogant jerks who get away with the most abhorrent sexist behavior. Vivian has had enough and decides to secretly produce her own zine which she leaves in the girls' bathrooms. She creates a quiet storm of feminism which eventually takes hold bringing to light the inequalities of the student culture.I loved that Vivian used her voice and raised issues that everyone was too timid to bring to light. I loved that her mother took her side and supported her since she was Vivian's main inspiration. I was not aware of the musical groups quoted in the book but the author helpfully gave us a list of places to go and titles to listen to.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book made me mad, and it made me sad, and it made me cheer. This book reminded me of how exciting it is to be a feminist. This book celebrates female relationships, and shows how powerful they can be. This book is not perfect, but it's pretty dang good, and it makes me look forward to more great novels by this talented author."This is what it means to be a feminist. Not a humanist or an equalist or whatever. But a feminist. It's not a bad word. After today it might be my favorite word. Because really all it is is girls supporting each other and wanting to be treated like human beings in a world that's always finding ways to tell them they're not."

      1 person found this helpful