I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A friend of mine recommended me the first anthology, so when this one has been added to Netgalley I knew I had to ask for it. If you don't know what it's about, The Radical Element is basically an anthology about all those women who didn't fit in the society they were born in and who had to fight to get a chance to be heard.

It's always so hard to review anthologies, and it's still the case here, but the subject is so important that I can't think of another rating than 4 stars. This book is beautiful and delivers such a strong message: everyone should read it. It really empowered me and made me believe that you should be proud of who you are and fight for your right to be free to be whoever you want to be and already are.

I believe that the representation was good, but you should all look to #ownvoices reviews to be sure of it. It felt so good to read something so diverse because the world is and everyone should be represented in literature.

In the end, I really enjoyed the whole book: I loved some short stories more than others but overall the whole anthology was really good and well edited. I'm really glad that I read it!

To keep things clear in my mind, I'm going to post a little as I finish each story.

Daughter of the Book by Dahlia Adler
I have never read anything else by Ms. Adler before. Daughter of the Book is about Rebekah whose Jewish family lives in Savannah, Georgia. This book deals with Rebekah wanting to learn all the things the males get to learn in regards to their religion, but because she's female she is restricted. So she enlists the help of a boy named Caleb to secretly teach her all the things he is able to learn. This story was really short and quick, but I think the main objective of showing how much Rebekah wanted to learn, but was denied because of her sex, came across flawlessly.

You're a Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee
So, I loved Mckenzi Lee's The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, so I was really looking forward to reading something else by her and I forgot that she had a story in this anthology. You're a Stranger Here focuses on Vilatte who came, with her mother, from Liverpool to Illinois to join the Mormon religion. The story starts after the murder of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon Religion. The story has a lot of upheaval about it as the settlement suffers from questioning who should take Smith's place as head of the religion and violence by people who want to push them out. In the center you have Vilatte who was brought there as a child so without much in the way of being able to voice a decision on the matter, and she starts to question everything that's going on around her. I liked that things are kind of left up in the air. You see a lot of fractures within the community after the death of Joseph Smith, kind of like a new beginning. You wonder what Vilatte will decide for her own life as she gets older.

The Magician by Erin Bowman
I haven't read anything by Erin Bowman, but I'm familiar with her Vengeance Road series. I'd say that The Magician could probably be considered a companion prequel. It deals with a girl hiding herself as a boy named Ray working at a stevedore in the New Mexico Territory on the Colorado River. She's trying to save enough money to head to San Francisco with the hope of finding the family she can't remember. Ray earns extra money by playing cards and being a Magician with the deck. So far, at three stories in, this has been my favorite of the anthology. The ideas of the changing landscape and the struggle with identity that Ray faces was nicely written by Bowman. I look forward to reading her other stories set in the Wild West.

Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepherd
Taking place during the civil war. Deals with two girls who are working as spies for the Union. I really enjoyed this one. I think the secrets and espionage while not outright action-packed still kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see if they'd be caught. The main heroine, Rose, is wheelchair bound after being thrown from her horse. I loved that Megan Shepherd tackled a story (and she's not the only one in this anthology) about someone with a physical impediment and shows that just because, in Rose's case, they can't walk doesn't mean they can't think or contribute.

Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood
All Ruby has ever wanted was to join the circus that has come to her town every year since she was five as the apprentice to the tightrope walker. Ruby has never felt like she fits into the same box as other girls her age nor does she want to, but she can no longer deal with the ever increasing abusive household in which she lives now. I like the idea that comes across that there is a place for everyone. Even if you feel like you don't belong in your current place, there is somewhere where people will love and accept you for who you are, and the circus is definitely a good metaphor for this consisting of a group of people with special talents or what many people might consider oddities especially at the time this story is set to take place which is 1905.

Glamour by Anna-Marie Mclemore
Glamour tells the story of Graciela who wants to be a movie star. But in 1923 there aren't really any movie stars that look like Graciela with brown hair, brown eyes, tan skin. So Graciela uses a special glamour taught to her by her great-grandmother that makes her skin creamy, her hair light, and her eyes blue. She becomes Grace. But can she truly be happy as Grace when it's not who she truly is? I loved the use of magical realism in this story. I wasn't expecting it, but I should have known because Anna-Marie Mclemore uses it a lot in her writings. I loved the ideas this represented of being proud of who you are, and the fact that who we are isn't always skin deep, it's often soul deep. It's a really lovely story.

Better for All the World by Marieke Nijkamp
This story so far has been my favorite and unless one of the remaining five knocks it out of the park, this will remain in my favorite spot. This story deals with Carrie who dreams of being a lawyer. Part of how she's learning is that she goes and listens in the gallery at current trials. One of the trials is that of Carrie Buck whom the courts are trying to determine if she should be forcibly sterilized "for the good of the world" due to the fact that she's deemed a "genetic threat to society". Our narrator Carrie shares more with Ms. Buck than just a first name. She also shares what many people might deem "abnormal". Carrie wants to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. For their rights. It's a beautiful story about how the government shouldn't be able to dictate what happens with our bodies. It's steeped in actual history as Carrie Buck's trial / case is very much real.

When the Moonlight Isn't Enough by Dhonielle Clayton
Moonlight takes place in the midst of World War II in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts where a family that lives in a mostly African American community feels more safe and protected than they have in their 191 years of existence. Yep, you read that right. Now, with the war going on overseas they want to keep their heads down a just live their lives. This has never been a problem for perpetual sixteen year old Emma until now. Maybe it's the fact that she's been living the same existence for almost 200 years, and she's tired of moving around to keep people from seeing how they don't age, never getting to have friends. But Emma wants to join the war effort much to her mother and father's astonishment. They don't understand why Emma wants to fight for a country that doesn't want to fight for them. It's a beautiful story, enhanced with magical realism.

The Belle of the Ball by Sarvenaz Tash
The Belle of the Ball is about Rosemary who doesn't want to attend the cotillion her mother has planned for her, and doesn't want to marry someone wealthy to live on Fifth Ave. She wants to be a writer. Specifically, she wants to write for comedy television for show like I Love Lucy. Rosemary has always gone along with what her mother wants, but it's time for her to stand up for what she wants. As a fan of I Love Lucy, I really found this one quite endearing. You can't hear Lucille Ball's name and not think trailblazer. I loved that, through Rosemary's story, attention was brought to the writers behind the scenes one of which was a female writer on Lucy that Rosemary wants to emulate. I found it quite telling that the lack of female comediennes is not something that has improved upon much since the 1950's. It's still a predominantly male field.

Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave by Stacey Lee
Is about Lana Lau who is one her way to audition to be the face of the 1955 Miss Sugar Maiden. Lana is Chinese Japanese American, and in 1955 World War II is not too distant of a memory where the Japanese living on the mainland were persecuted after Pearl Harbor. I liked Lana's attitude. I liked that she's able to stand up for her family and the hard work they've done throughout their lifetimes, yet still be funny and approachable.

The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina
Susana barely remembers Cuba as she was just a little girl when she and her mother and father left. While her parents still hold true to what they were taught. Susana struggles with taking on American traditions and fitting in with friends who don't understand what she's gone through. Meg Medina did a great job of really making Susana's struggles feel real.

Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology which covers the time periods from 1838 to 1984. I really liked the idea that we're seeing these young women on the verge of doing something, they're still in the stage where they're hesitant to make a splash or to go against their families's beliefs or what have you, and many of the stories end with them just taking that leap. We don't know what happens after they land, readers kind of get to fill in the rest on their own, but I personally felt like all the stories ended on this almost exciting anticipation of great things to come for these characters. That was something that stuck out for me as I read these wonderful stories. I loved how steeping history all the of the stories were. At the end of each, the author would give background info on the time period and / or historical events that may be happening within the confines of the stories themselves. I found that immensely interesting and thought it helped enhance the story I'd just finished.

I pretty much enjoyed all the stories. The authors who stood out for me were: Marieke Nijkamp, Stacey Lee, Sarvenaz Tash, Megan Shepherd, Erin Bowman, and Anna-Marie Mclemore.

The Radical Element is a collection of short fictional stories that gives unique glances into lives that aren’t usually thought about when one reflects on history. Reading these tales, I found that they both inspired me and made me laugh, which in my opinion are some of the best things that books can do. I’m typically not one to pick up short story collections, so I was surprised to find myself enjoying this book far more than I expected to.
This books consists of 12 short stories from the YA authors Dahlia Adler, Mackenzi Lee, Erin Bowman, Megan Shepherd, Jessica Spotswood, Anna-Marie McLemore, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Sarvenaz Tash, Stacey Lee, Meg Medina, and Sara Farizan,. The earliest story takes place in 1838 with the latest one being in 1984. All of these tales zoomed in on a particular defining moment of their protagonist’s lives.

Here are all of my mini summaries/reviews for each of the stories:

1. “Daughter of the Book” by Dahlia Adler— follows Rebekah, a girl who thrives on learning and wants more than her expected future as housewife in her religious community. Sadly, this first story was my least favorite. It was very telling and the writing wasn’t very engaging.

2. “You’re a Stranger Here” by Mackenzi Lee— is about Vilatte, a young teenager struggling with her identity and beliefs in one of the first Mormon communities. The writing was very compelling and I loved how Mackenzi Lee expressed Vilatte’s struggle and confusion with her beliefs.

3. “The Magician” by Erin Bowman— follows Ray, a skilled cards player, who spends her days pretending to be a boy so she can earn enough money to follow the Gold Rush to California. I thought the character development was written perfectly. This was one of my favorite stories of the collection.

4. “Lady Firebrand” by Megan Shepherd— this story gave me Scarlett Pimpernel vibes and I loved it. I also found it really interesting to get the perspective of a wheel-bound character from the late 1800’s.

5. “Step Right Up” by Jessica Spotswood— this story focus on Ruby and her love of the Archer Brothers, a traveling circus in 1905. It was a compelling read but I felt that it was rushed and the problem was too easily resolved. I wish it had been better fleshed out.

6. “Glamour” by Anna-Marie McLemore— magic and Hollywood, need I say more? No, but seriously, this story was fabulously diverse and held such an important message. This story made me want to pick up more of McLemore’s works.

7. “Better For All World” by Marieke Nijkamp— follows Carrie, an autistic young woman who wants to study law. This story was amazing and the perfect speed. I often feel that short stories rush their plot or don’t cover enough, but this story was superb. I also loved how it was interwoven with a real court case (Buck v. Bell).

8. “When the Moonlight Isn’t Enough” by Dhonielle Clayton— this story was definitely unique. It hones in on Massachusetts during WWII but follows characters that are centuries old. Though it was a really interesting concept and I love fantastical elements, I felt that this immortality attribute hindered the “punch” of the story and weakened the story.

9. “The Belle of the Ball” by Sarvenaz Tash— aaaah, this story was so funny! It follows Rosemary, a high school student who wants to be a comedic writer in the time when women aren’t considered “funny”. Though I enjoyed Rosemary as a protagonist, I wish the story had been developed more. The arc of the story seemed a bit weak.

10. “Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave” by Stacey Lee— this story follows Lana, an Asian/Hawaiian girl trying out to become the next “Sugar Maiden” (think posterchild for a sugar company). This girl was fierce and a total sass master. I breezed through this story and I was devastated when the story ended and I could no longer read from Lana’s perspective.

11. “The Birth of Susi Go-Go” by Meg Medina— Susana, a young Cuban immigrant, struggles to balance her culture and her family while also finding her identity in New York. This story was mediocre and I felt like much didn’t happened, but I will say that I completely loved the ending.

12. “Take Me With U” by Sara Farizen— the final story of this anthology follows Soheila, a young teenager who comes to live with her aunt and uncle during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980’s. I loved the prominence of friendship in this tale. I also appreciated seeing Soheila’s development as she learned to stand up for herself. Definitely a solid ending to the anthology!

Honestly, I enjoyed the majority of these stories and considered a lot of them to be worthy of 4/4.5 stars. Truly, there were only a couple of stories that I didn’t enjoy. Overall, my favorites included “The Magician” by Erin Bowman, “Lady Firebrand” by Megan Shepherd, “Glamour” by Anna-Marie McLemore, and “Better For All the World” by Marieke Nijkamp.
Originally when I went into this anthology, I thought that all the stories were going to be purely historical fiction, but I was quite pleased to fine that a good chunk of them contained magical realism or fantastical elements. Other than my individual critiques of the short stories, my only criticism for The Radical Element is that I wish that more of the stories were based on real people. Yes, all of them revolved around real, historical events, but only one story, “Daughter of the Book”, featured a person that actually existed. I felt that this anthology would have had a bigger punch and been more influential if I known that there were badass women that actually did these things throughout history.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, short story collections, or simply wants more feminist reads in their lives. I’m definitely intrigued enough to put the first anthology, A Tyranny of Petticoats, on my TBR. The world can never be too full of tales of badass women and I can’t wait to read more!

I give this book a 4.5/5. I gave 6 of the short stories a 5, 5 a 4, and 1 a 3.

My favorite story was Better for All the World by Marieke Nijkamp.

These stories are historical elements, beginning in the 1800's and ending in the 1980's. They follow twelve different fictional girls who stood up for themselves or for something greater in a way that was not the norm for women during their time.

This book was empowering, emotional, and so important to all the girls and women out there. I hope everyone picks this book up, and I can't wait to get my hands on the first anthology since I haven't read it yet.

I liked this book! It’s full of empowering stories for young women! There’s so much hidden strength in each of the main characters that is released in very believable ways! I would definitely recommend this book to a young woman who needs to realize how strong she is!

There was once a time when while reviewing an anthology, I would review every single story within it. I don’t do that anymore because 1. I am lazy but 2. I don’t think anyone really wants to read a review of EVERY SINGLE short story in an anthology because thats a lot to read and most people will pick an anthology up even if it has a couple mediocre short stories. Also, like, I do want to say I am definitely appreciative of the people who do review every single story and you guys are great. ANYWAY. The Radical Element is chockfull of some of the best YA writers right now and it ups the ante from A Tyranny of Petticoats. Tyranny certainly won my heart in 2016 but we still needed a lot more intersectional stories and that’s what we got in 2018.

The first couple stories didn’t really blow me away though. They had strong character arcs but almost no plot whatsoever and if you know anything about me, you know I am a plot gal. I love my characters and //want// a good character arc but if there is no plot, I am not gonna be a v. happy gal.

Fortunately, a lot of the other stories did have plot arcs and gave me exactly what I wanted. Good characters, a good story and some good times.

Top 3 Stories

Glamour by Anna-Marie McLemore

I’ve only attempted to read one book by McLemore (which didn’t work out because of issues with pacing) but I NEED MORE OKAY? This short totally blew me away

When The Moonlight Wasn’t Enough by Dhonielle Clayton

This story explores the very real question of how to be patriotic in a country that hates you. It’s incredibly well written and has a dash of magic. Honestly, Glamour may be my favorite story but I think When the Moonlight Wasn’t Enough may be the most powerful one within this anthology and really important in this decade.

Take Me With You by Sara Farizan

Truly just a story of friendship and finding yourself in a true place. Honestly, I actually really want a full length novel with these characters. There is a larger story to be told here.

Anthologies are so hard for me to rate. Like A Tyranny of Petticoats I liked the overall theme of girls who challenged the status quo. These girls were ahead of their times, marginalized by the societies for which they lived, and were viewed unconventional or dangerous, whether by virtue of their race, religion, sexuality, disability, gender, or the profession they were pursuing. I appreciated the diverse cast of characters and did enjoy quite a few of these stories. I just think short stories are just not my forte. They are just to "short" for me. The ones I enjoyed always leave me wanting more. Overall, I appreciate that many of these stories had great messages for girls.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This collection has stories written by some of the best YA authors out there with a great focus on diversity. These girls are fearless and unforgettable!

The Radical Element is the sequel to A Tyranny Of Petticoats and both are anthologies of feminist stories by an impressive collection of popular YA authors! While anthologies are always difficult to rate and review, because you will always like some of the stories more than others, I thoroughly enjoyed every story in this collection. The Radical Element is an intersectional examination on female struggle and empowerment, spanning over time and distance. It is a book about women, by women, for women. It encourages respect, love, and equality across economic, age, racial, and cultural gaps. While this, as well as the first collection in the series, are definite Must Reads for all young female readers, I would also most certainly suggest it to any male reader looking to support women and broaden his understanding of feminism.

The Radical Element was the second anthology in the series of Tyranny of Petticoats and follows the stories of girls "who were outsiders and/or radical in their communities, whether by virtue of their race, religion, sexuality, disability, gender, or the profession they were pursuing" and did everything in their power to change their life for the better, following their dreams and hopes.

It was a good collection of short stories. Some I loved more than others, but in general they were all worth reading.

Daughter of the book - Dahlia Adler 4/5
You're a stranger here - Mackenzi Lee 2/5
The Magician - Erin Bowman 4/5
Lady Firebrand - Megan Shepherd 5/5
Step Right Up - Jessica Spotswood 4/5
Glamour - Anna Marie McLemore 2/5
Better for all the world - Marieke Nijkamp. 2.5/5
When the moonlight isn't enough - Dhonielle Clayton 4/5
The Belle of the ball - Sarvenaz Tash 3/5
Land of the sweet, home of the brave - Stacey Lee 2.75/5
The birth of Susi go-go - Meg Medina 3/5
Take Me with U - Sara Farizan 3/5

Anthologies are hard to review and rate.
The stories are short and straight to the point so you are not going to find too much depth in them. The main subject of the stories it is 'girls who find their way in an atmosphere where everything has against them'. I think is the best way I can describe the book in one sentence.
The stories take place in the US, the authors did their best including as much representation as they could, as their own background provide them.
There are a couple stories I didn't enjoy but in general I enjoyed the book.
I haven't read any book of the authors so now I have a much clear idea of their writing style and I hope I can keep reading some more of them.
My reading experience is 3.5/5 but I would highly recommend this book especially to the YA readers...!

Thanks again to Net Galley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it was so nice to read various short stories that have a basis in history but to put a different perspective on them. For instance, I knew about the Mormon's Great Migration where many of them went West to Utah but I didn't realize it was because they were being ran off by others who hated them for their beliefs and would feather and tar them along with murdering many members of their congregation. Even though I am a straight white female, I recognized that there is a vast difference in how few books have shown true diversity and I love that more and more each year are being published and recognized as outstanding books. This is an amazing accomplishment and I can't pretend to comprehend the struggles of living as being one or more minorities of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual preference. I'm just very happy for others that their voices are finally being heard and others are finally starting to listen but there is still of course progress to be made. This book allows these wonderful authors to make more important women in history well known. This book was truly a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Based on the first few stories I wasn't sure I was going to like this anthology but it appears the best ones were just later on. I really enjoyed this anthology and how all the authors took the whole premise of "The Radical Element" and used it to expose stories many of us might not know. I appreciated how all the girls featured were "radical" in small ways, most of them didn't do anything super crazy, but they were independent thinkers and able to rebel in their own small ways. A lot of these stories covered topics I didn't know too much about as well, which has spurred further research on my part and I can imagine it would do the same for many other readers. Individual reviews for each story are below:

Daughter of the book by Dahlia Adler - 3 stars
I really never thought about how Jewish education might've been for girls

You're A Stranger Here by Mackenzi Lee - 3 stars,
This was just kind of boring for the most part and by the time I started getting into the story it was over.

The Magician by Erin Bowman - 3.5 stars, I didn't really like the main character at all, but the story kept me pretty engaged and the writing was well done until the last line which felt very out of place

Lady Firebrand by Megan Shepard - 3.5 stars, An interesting idea but the story was just too much crammed into to few pages.

Step Right Up by Jessica Spotswood - 4 stars, The best story yet, I really liked the descriptions of the circus and this did bring tears to my eyes.

Glamour by Anna Marie McleMore - 5 stars, The best story by far! I really loved this one, and it features everything I love: magical realism, beautiful writing, and diversity

Better For All The World by Marieke Nijkamp - 4 stars, A good story and taught me something about eugenics which I know very little about. I also appreciate that this story was told from the perspective of someone on the autism spectrum.

When Moonlight Isn't Enough by Dhonielle Clayton - 4 stars, an interesting story and I appreciated the authors note for this one.

The Belle of The Ball by Sarvenaz Tash - 4 stars, I appreciated the I Love Lucy reference

Land of The Sweet, Home of The Brave by Stacey Lee - 4 stars, short and sweet (heh)

The Birth of Susi Go-Go by Meg Medina - 4 stars, This was definitely one of the "quieter" stories, but I thought it was interesting to have a glimpse of a a girl in the Cuban exile community in the 70s

Take Me With U by Sara Farizan - 4 stars, A great end to the anthology.

WOMEN ARE STRONG AND INDEPENDENT and that was the most important thing I wanted to say.

I really needed an anthology about this, about girls, all sorts of girls doing what they want to do, in different times. The stories were really diverse and I learned a lot about the history of other cultures and that's a thing I want to see more in books. It's very important to read about how women's lives change from periods and what they do about it even when the world looks down upon them.

I enjoyed basically all of the stories, some more than others, and I discovered new authors who made me want to read their other books. I'm very glad I get to read this anthology.

Overall it was quite an interesting collection of short stories. I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the stories had such a variety of diverse characters in them, and that the authors spoke through all of the things they had to lived in the past but empowering them at the same time.

My favourites definitely were Glamour, The Magician and Better for All the World. Not only all of them had a beautiful writing style, but also they were the most unique out of all of them. I loved the main characters and their journey throughout the novella.

I had a few issues with a couple of short stories. It could be that the story didn’t really grab me, or simply that I had a few issues with the characters and/or writing, but overall I think it was a solid collection about women.

I thought this was a great addition to the Tyranny of Petticoats series! All of these stories are centered around young women, and these women are very diverse in their backgrounds and identities (though all stories take place in the USA). As with all anthologies, there are stories that I liked more than others but overall I think the range and quality of this collection made it a worthwhile read.

As an American girl in the past and the present the decision to respect yourself can sometimes be challenging and radical. You have to face it whether you're neurodivergent, a second-generation immigrant, or facing racism. Self-respect is the only decision when you've weighed societal expectations and found them wanting. In this anthology, twelve talented YA authors present stories of all sorts of girls from all colors and creeds standing up for themselves and their beliefs from the 1830s to the 1980s. Are you ready to join them?

The Radical Element is a compelling collection of twelve short stories taking place between 1838-1984. My favorites include "The Magician" by Erin Bowman (1858, Colorado River, New Mexico Territory), "Lady Firebrand" by Megan Shepherd (1863, Charleston, South Carolina), "When the Moonlight Isn't Enough" by Dhonielle Clayton (1943, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts), "The Bell of the Ball" by Sarvenaz Tash (1952, Brooklyn, New York), and "Land of the Sweet, Home of the Brave" by Stacey Lee (1955, Oakland, California). All of the stories in this collection give the reader a good taste of the characters, the setting, and their lives. Of those stories that I mentioned by name, I would absolutely love to see a full length novel about Lady Firebrand's daring adventures and I'm dying for more from the world of "When the Moonlight Isn't Enough". Clayton's story is the only one that features a dash of fantasy and I couldn't get enough. There's so much more that could be explored whether we follow the main character, her parents, or what happens just after the short story in this collection ends.

Overall, The Radical Element edited by Jessica Spotswood is a perfect read for Women's History Month. I love how the authors of the short stories so expertly blend historical fact with fiction (and in one case a dash of fantasy). This anthology is incredibly inspirational and is put together by some of the best names in the business. I absolutely need to pick up a copy of the companion collection called A Tyranny of Petticoats in the future.

Short story collections can really be hit or miss, but I loved A Tyranny of Petticoats so much that I've been really looking forward to the second installment. It didn't disappoint. You won't love every story, but everyone will find at least one that draws your attention. I love that the book touches on time periods and communities that you don't hear much about in history itself, let alone fiction books. In this current climate, I think it's important for teens (especially girls) to see stories of all these young women living out their "radical ideas" and breaking barriers for themselves. Definitely will recommend.