Why She Wrote

It was so lovely to read about all of these women that I adore, and to learn more about the ones I didn’t really knew much about. Definitely an important book that gives voice to female writers! It allows readers to learn about their lives beyond their works (that many times are related), and how difficult it was for some of them to write and make a living out of it.

The fact that most of it is graphic novel made it so fast to read, and the illustrations were beautifully done.

I admittedly didn't expect there would be women in this book I hadn't heard of previously, but here we are. With a perfect balance of text and illustration, Why She Wrote provided an excellent history not only of historical female authors but the reasonings for why they ended up becoming who they are known as. This would be an excellent addition to school curriculums, both high school and college level.

An ideal book for our list. This is an incredibly interesting provocative book about a female writers. I highly recommend

Why She Wrote by Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke and illustrated by Kaley Bales was not at all what I thought it would be - in the best way! It is a unique storytelling format, one that kind of reminded me of Once Again to Zelda but in graphic novel format. Each chapter begins with a one page bio of the author followed by a short graphic novelization of a scene from their life.

Why She Wrote is not comprehensive, but that’s also not the intent - it provides snapshots of some of literature’s most influential authors, and would be great for getting young adults interested in them (I could see using excerpts to introduce a text to students). However, the content is definitely not for children.

I’m so excited to explore their podcast, Bonnets at Dawn, which inspired the book!

Why She Wrote is a wonderful book to learn more about women writers from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. The book highlights a significant moment from each writer's life and retells it through comics. Biographical text, bibliographies, and fun facts are also included.

This is such a beautiful and fun compilation. I read the book in just one day and enjoyed every page. The Art work is amazing and the stories are easy to read. I would recommend Why She Wrote to people who like to learn more about (the history and lifes of) female writers and who enjoy graphic novels.

It is the perfect book to have on hand, to give as gift to any woman or girl. Like other books, it brings together the most important femenin writers in English literature, but the uniqueness of this book is in the way its authors give it.
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Eighteen women, eighteen lives each unique and unrepeatable. This book addresses the similarities, their ambitions, and their struggles. Emphasize work and unites them through her greatest passion and struggles and analyzes the way in which their work inspires or guides other writers.
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It is both a biography and an essay on the importance of women in the world of letters, a book that motivates and fascinates anyone who reads it. Simply beautiful and with illustrations that complete and mold each piece of life narrated
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I read it in one day, and I love every word, it is one of those books that you want to have at home and go back to his pages full of inspiration I really enjoyed it
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Thanks to #NetGalley and #Chroniclesbooks for letting my read #WhySheWrote before goes on sale the 20 April of 2021

A-M-A-ZING!

This is the kind of book I didn't know I was waiting for my entire reading life!

I have read too many graphic novels all these years but something like this is a first!

Women authors. Most familiar but some of them still not yet talked much about. Thanks to this fun, beautiful illustrated compilation of all these authors describing them and featuring some of their most important works.

Non-fiction, book about books and authors will never be this fun again I tell you!

I find the artwork quite invested and well done. It's so cool to actually know which parts of these authors' lives to be presented in such few pages like stories well portrayed through ink and colors!

I personally like the later half of the book much better as I see much improvements in the representation, description and the art sequence there, and not because of the authors in the second half.

Yes, it reminds me. The best part of the book is that it shows equality in the representation of all these 18 women authors regardless of their work, their popularity or their background.

Kudos to the team.

Thank you so much for the advanced reader ecopy.

I assure you this book will be so much beautiful in its physical version!

Damn 💞

I really appreciate books about canonized authors, this graphic novel version is full of exciting details the common person might not know about the female authors they have read or will read in school. Jane Austen and Mary Shelley have big fav's of mine for most of my life and here is a book I can enjoy while I need a break from the text formatting of a "real" book.

If you enjoy female writers or just really love supporting females this book is for you! I always find the idea of why people write and why they choose the subjects they write about and this book provides insight into that in a way that does not feel analytical in the slightest! I really enjoyed this book and think it is a great airport read (that’s where I read it).

Pub Date: April 20, 2021
I adored this one! It was so beautifully illustrated and the concept of focusing on women authors of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries - who pioneered the lit scene for women - was fantastic. I enjoyed learning more about authors such as Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters. The format is that of which each woman is celebrated with a summary of what inspired her to write, followed by graphics that depict a pivotal moment in her life. This book explores women and their untold histories, including: "The success of Little Women, the diary of the 'first modern lesbian,' Austen's struggle with writer's block, and the forgotten mother of the gothic genre" (@netgalley). Highly recommend this book! Overall, I gave it 4.5/5 Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

'Why She Wrote' is a graphic novel illustrating the most remarkable moments of the famous classic women writers during the 18th and 19th centuries. The authors tried to capture the different aspects of these writers and portrayed it beautifully. It's no doubt that the eminence can't be captured in a 300-page book. But the most one can do is celebrate their becoming. And that's what I love about the book the most.

It celebrates not just authors and their works, but their becoming. Their stories, their similarities. How each of them inspired the other and why they disguised under a different name. As a fan of women writers and classics. I loved each snippet. The illustrations are neat and beautiful. This book can be read by any age group. There would be something new to learn and know for everyone. I would love to reread it sometime later in a paperback or hardcover format.

I'll love to see if they decide to make a sequel of this for more female writers of the 19th and 20th century too. I would love to see an illustrated version extending to Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath.

Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for an advanced copy for review. It was a delight reading this book. And I would buy a hard copy when it's released. It's just that good.

You can also find this review on my blog: https://thebooktoldmethat.wordpress.com/

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. It made me curious. It made me laugh, cry and it made me desperate to read more, even as I was actually reading it.

It also made me hopeful in a time of difficulties in the world, reminded me how people are able to change things.

I must say I am from Brazil. Though I had heard of most of the authors and read some of the work I had never studied them. Therefore it was all mostly new to me and quite amazing.


Overall, I can say the authors have done a great job capturing the stories and telling them. I am now excited to read more of these womens work and life.

WHY SHE WROTE: A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE LIVES, INSPIRATION, AND INFLUENCE BEHIND THE PENS OF CLASSIC WOMEN WRITERS by Hannah K. Chapman and Laura Burke, illustrated by Kaley Bales is about eighteen women writers: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Bronte, Frances Burney, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Wollstonecraft, Frances E. W. Harper, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Anne Lister, Emily Bronte, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Maude Eaton (Sui Sin Far), Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot), Anne Bronte (Acton Bell), Beatrix Potter, Frances Hodgson Burnett and Louisa May Alcott.

I really liked the format. The book is divided into six chapters. Each chapter features three authors connected by the same theme. For example, one of the chapters is called "Activism as Art". Every chapter starts with a short introduction. Two pages of text. Then the author is introduced. A page with a name, portrait, the year when she was born-the year when she died, and a citation from her work. Here is my favorite example of a quote: "Nothing is impossible to a determined woman." Louisa May Alcott, THE ABBOT'S GHOST OR MAURICE TREHERNE'S TEMPTATION, 1867. After that, there is one page about that author (text only), followed by approximately ten pags of comics about a pivotal moment in her life. After that, there are some interesting facts about her and a list of selected works.

Beautiful illustrations. I'll definitely look up the work of Kaley Bales. Her art is spot on.

Diversity!!! What I love the most about this book is that features the authors of color, too.

Inspiring stories. It's a book about perseverance. These writers lived in different times (the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th centuries), but all of them felt trapped and confined. They couldn't inherit property, couldn't vote, could't get divorced. And yet, despite all the obstacles, they persisted and kept writing. They faced rejection, stigmas, and criticism. They struggled. But they kept fighting. Fighting for their rights. The dared to defy.

The focus of this book is on similarities of their stories and connections that emerged upon the analysis of their works and lives. And it's fascinating!

By the way, I really loved the note about Johanna Ortner, the doctoral student who managed to find a copy of the Frances E. W. Harper's first book called FOREST LEAVES. So many people thought that this book was lost, and a student found a perfect copy in the archive in 2015. How cool is that?

At university, I was forced to read some of the books written by these authors. To be absolutely candid with you, it was really hard. MIDDLEMARCH by George Eliot, WIVES AND DAUGHTERS and NORTH AND SOUTH by Elizabeth Gaskell, etc... Back then, I preferred to read the novels about Percy Jackson. But this book... it changed my perspective. It gave me a reason to care.

E-galley was provided by NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you so much!

Very interesting topic and take on it.

Good overview and introduction to famous female authors and depictions of a pivotal moment in each of their lives. We read these authors but don't think much about them really and this book gives us a glimpse into their lives and motivations and whets the appetite to learn more about them.
The half-comic format works great depicting the important moment of inspiration, backlash, despair, and emotion that gave us timeless works.

This is not the most in-depth book but the short bios balance well with the comics.

I would like to thank netgalley and Chronicle Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is everything I wanted it to be!

I loved the illustrations, and the focus on women of colour alongside white women.

If you love the book, check out the podcast Bonnets At Dawn, and if you love the podcast you'll love the book.

4.5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

This book has a combination well known female authors, some not as well known, and something which I was pleased to see was some diversity other than white heterosexual women. The book is split into sections with a group of women pertaining to a certain theme. Each section has a general introduction and then goes into a short biography of each writer, then some graphic panels and end notes with a couple illustrations. We do get some diverse woman African American, Chinese Canadian, bisexual and lesbian representation. As well as some women who weren’t afraid to stand up for themselves or document painful/traumatic experiences. This would be a great resource book to have in schools, in particular junior and high school aged kids.

If you're a fan of women writers, you're in for a treat. "Why She Wrote", written by Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke and illustrated by Kaley Bales, is a fascinating compilation of 18 portraits of English-speaking classical women writers. A lot of them, like Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë, are very famous. Others, like Anne Lister or Edith Maude Eaton, are less famous in non-English-speaking areas, but no less important.

The book is perfectly balanced between biographical elements, comic strips, anecdotes and bibliographies and its originality lies in its approach. Instead of individualizing or opposing the writers, a lot of connections are established between them and their reasons for writing: some were activists or used their sufferings as a literary inspiration, others seeked financial stability or wrote under a pseudonym. I now want to read them all.

I really appreciated the authors' attempt to be inclusive, even though the English literature canon tends to be the opposite.

This book is a special treat! Many of my favourite writers of all time are detailed in one gorgeous book, both in text and graphic illustrations, absolutely delightful. The "portraits" of the authors were easily recognizable, though they lived during the 18th and 19th centuries, The illustrator captured them and the time period breathtakingly! During their time, many of these writers were mocked and ridiculed as readers were often shocked and horrified by the content but they were determined and changed the world. They really did, at least in my view. These writers feel like dear friends.

Each chapter (i.e. Gothic genre, pseudonyms, financial profit) highlights three brilliant female authors, what they wrote, their motivation(s), lives, relationships, plagiarism, writing earnings and in some cases, deaths. Some of these women were equal rights advocates, some kindled controversy. All were ingenius writers. At the end of each chapter you will find selected works by the writer in chronological order. From quirky Ann Radcliffe to the creative Bronte sisters to beautiful storyteller Frances Burney to the indomitable Elizabeth Gaskell to masculine entrepreneur Anne Lister (and loads more!), you will read a whopping variety, all with a few common threads, yet all very individual. The writer I knew the least about is Alice Dunbar Nelson so I was thrilled to learn more! Several of these women suffered terribly, emotionally and physically. Their lives were not easy. But I am so, so grateful they wrote what they did...there is a reason their works remain as classics and hopefully always will.

Anyone even remotely interested in female writers in this era, or in general, will adore this stunner. My entire bibliophile family will adore it, especially my teenage nieces. Such a brilliant introduction as well as a wonderful refresher to those more knowledgeable. I cannot praise this book highly enough. It is pure joy.

My sincere thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

A enlightening and wonderful look into female authors throughout history. I loved that it told the stories of these women and even added the element of graphic novel to make it even more visually fun. The book tells these womens' stories, their lives, how they came about writing and why, and a list of their works. A delightful read perfect for anyone interested in famous female authors!

Why She Wrote lifts up the stories of women writers of the 19th c., highlighting the contributions they made and the challenges they faced. In these pages, the women become super-heroes of their time, breaking down barriers.

Presented in groups of three writers under a specific theme, the authors share a brief biography followed by an illustrated episode from their life. A full reading list is offered that includes each author's works and books about them for further reading.

It is a combination of a traditional biographical sketch with the graphic novel form, which I expect would appeal to younger readers.

I wholeheartedly approve of any venture that brings classic writers--especially women writers--to the attention of readers.

I was given a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Just adored it. AND I DON'T LIKE NON-FICTION BOOKS.

I think that the authors that were selected were perfect and I really liked how with such little informations I saw the human part of the authors of some books I adore.

I also liked the representation, from this book I descovered new classics to read. New authors of color and LGBTQ+ authors.

It was such a good combination of real life facts about women authors and storyline that the graphic novel part seemed like a story. I, in such little time, grew attached to the characters of the stories I was reading.

A fantastic book.

Why She Wrote is not a book I would have stumbled upon without NetGalley, and I would have been missing out. This collection of graphic biographies takes 18 women who wrote and, in sets of three, seeks to illuminate their lives and motivations just the tiniest bit. I really like the way this is presented. Each author gets a page-long bio, followed by a short comic answering the titular question of why she wrote, and finished off with a list of published works and important facts. It reminded me of Rejected Princesses, though I can see where it would have even more in common with Monster, She Wrote, which I have yet to read.

By presenting each writer as part of a loosely linked trio, we see how motivations can bind together even those who never met one another. Whether the wrote to explore the human condition, provide for their families, express themselves through a persona in ways they never could in their real lives, or make their voices heard as they fought for rights and freedoms, all of these women had compelling motivations for setting pen to page that still resonate today.

I don’t believe I have ever read a graphic biography, and I very much enjoyed the ways in which the illustrations brought these women to life. The art was very well done and expressive. I found it incredibly tasteful. Also, the writing itself is lovely, without distracting from the lives and works being discussed. The information included was just enough to make me very interested in all of these women. By the time I read the final pages, I read more about all eighteen, and I wanted to read more of the things they wrote themselves.

Some of the subjects are women I had never heard of, others about whom I thought I knew a good deal. It was interesting to see new facets to the latter and to be introduced to the former. There were motivations I wouldn’t have naturally considered without having read this collection. Some of these women were protecting their sexual identities for various reasons, or fighting the system to protect their rights to their own work. Reading about the drive all of these women had to put pen to page motivated me to write more myself.

Why She Wrote is an insightful, encouraging, and empowering look into the lives of eight incredible female writers. While I truly believe this could be read and enjoyed by both sexes and almost any age bracket, I think this would make an exceptional gift for girl or woman over the age of ten or so. This would be an especially impactful gift for any young girl who dreams of becoming a writer.

Why She Wrote acquaints the readers with iconic women authors who have been read and researched extensively. The graphic novel is a good mix of text and illustrations keeping the interest of the readers alive throughout the book. Key experiences in the women's lives that had an influence over their writing have been highlighted giving us a glimpse of the strength in these women. and the struggles they had to go through before they could achieve what they set out to do. I would recommend this book to other readers and to be used in schools and colleges.

Wow! I am obsessed with this book! I was initially interested in reading this as I love the Brontes + Jane Austen and wanted to learn more about some of my other favourite female authors that paved the way for the future of literature.

I learned SO much that I didn’t already know which made me want to explore more of the works of the authors mentioned in this book.

If you’re looking for an expansive history of each of these writers, this is not what you’re going to get out of this. It’s more of a condensed biography of each writer’s background and how/ why they turned to writing. Accompanying each mini bio is a comic depicting an important aspect in that woman’s life.

My only little critique is in the production of this book. Some of the comics have cursive and the font size is so small that it’s pretty illegible, especially if you were reading this on a small screen like I was.

I ended up giving this a solid 4.5/5 stars + is perfect for any literary lover!

Why She Wrote is a graphic novel account of the lives of several influential writers such as Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Frances Burney, and Louisa May Alcott. This book was delightful as it broke away from traditional rigid academic structure with comics that enriched me with details of the authors’ lives and made for a fast paced and engaging read. I highly recommend this book to any fans of classics, and I recommend checking out the associated podcast, Bonnets at Dawn.

“Why She Wrote” by Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke, Illustrated by Kaley Bales is a remarkable nonfiction graphic novel retracing the drive for writing in the classic english speaking female writers.
This is an incredible amount of work, a truly thick volume of many informative facts and little known facets of the women writers so many of us love. I have a particular fondness for Elizabeth Gaskell so I was very excited to read her section, but she is just one tiny speck in a very vast collection of names, a lot I didn’t know and that I now want to discover.
There is a short biography of every of the women featured in this volume, as well as a bibliography, which make our work as reader so easy, we just have to look for the title given on our e-reader and off we can start reading a wonderful classic.
Every writer also has a little comic illustrating one of the moments when writing was a struggle in her life, where she questioned what her motivation was and if it was worth it to publish. Some of those comics are incredibly insightful - I must admit I now understand better why I always found reading Mary Shelly viscerally disturbing. Some talked to me a lot less. But in all cases I really loved discovering about all those strong women that braved the social codes of their time and wrote wrote and wrote despite all the barriers put in their way.
The illustrations are simple and clear. The features and expressions of the people populating the pages are all well defined making every single one of them recognisable and their feelings more real. They serve the book very well.
This is a book that should be in every public library. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves books and the writers behind them.

I'm reviewing the ARC provided by NetGalley.

I really liked the book, it shows really well how those important women in the literary scene inspired each other. I also liked the fun facts or the additional elements of context put at the end of each part.
Sometimes though, I thought the extracts of the lives of these writers chosen by the book to be drawn in comic form was not pertinent.. With that said, the comics were brilliantly composed and their storytelling was really entertaining. Also the division of the chapters was very well done and approached very interesting themes (.The Horror of the Everyday, Finding Their Voice, Activism as Art, Private Lives, Public Identities, Protection and Profit) and the distribution of each authors between the chapters was also brilliant.
I loved learning of these women too.

This was good, well-researched and informative! The illustrations were a plus!
Would definitely recommend it to anyone who would be interested in the backgrounds of some iconic women writers. Definitely inspiring!

Why She Wrote by Hannah K Chapman and Lauren Burke with beautiful illustrations by Kaley Bates is a glimse into the motivations of some of history's most notable female novelists, poets and columnists. From Louisa May Alcott to the Bronte Sisters, Anne Lister to Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and many more , the book looks at a single pivotal moment in each of the women's lives and explores its impact on their writing careers through the medium of Bales' illustrations. The authors also provide background biographical information about the authors as well as a bibliography of their publications, in an easy to access format that makes the book suitable for readers of all ages and a great stepping off point to inspire further research and reading. I appreciated the inclusion of suggested reading included at the back of the book and could certainly see myself seeking out some of the titles at a later date. While I was familiar with many of the women included in the book I was also introduced to some new writers, most notably Edith Maude Eaton who wrote about the experiences of Chinese immigrants in North America. This is an inspiring and informative book that should grace the shelves of libraries everywhere.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What an adorable book. This book serves as an appetizer to whet your thirst for some women writers. It is more inclusive than the English lit cannon I studied at university, so there were a few names I was not familiar with like the Chinese American Sui Sin Far the pen name of Edith Maude Eaton.
There were also tidbits I didn't know about some of the more familiar authors. For example that Frances Burney has a mastectomy in 1811 and that she wrote about her operation and subsequent recovery.

The book also covers some more familiar ground, authors such as Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Louisa May Alcott, George Eliot, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Beatrix Potter. It is apparently based on a podcast which I have yet to check: Bonnets At Dawn. The authors are gathered by threes with some theme that unites them. The last chapter gathered three authors who fought for the protection of their work and their monetary rights. The is usually one or two pages of written biography followed by graphic storytelling that brings the historical setting to life. I found the format interesting but it did bother me a little that it disturbs the chronological order.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#WhySheWrote #NetGalley

I seen this on Netgalley and figured i would love to learn about the amazing women who wrote back in the 18, 19, & 20th centuries. Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Anne Lister, and more like who would not want to learn about how they became who they are/were!

I found this to be a beautiful introduction to so many female authors. Many I've read from, but there were still so much I learned about them and all the others that were new to me. This book lets it be known that this is just suppose to be a jumping off point to get to know some of the most famous female authors, and I loved how after each author's segment there was a list of their publications. The art in this was also so cute, and I really enjoyed when there was cameos of the other women or side "characters" in different stories. I really want to read more from all the authors mentioned!

Why She Wrote
Author: Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke
Genre: Graphic Novel, Memoir, History

When NetGalley showed this ARC as a graphic complication of the lives of 18 fascinating women novelists from the past, I couldn't let the chance pass me by. As it is, I love graphic novels, I love memoirs, I love the classics, and I love Jane Austen! When a book promises me all four, what more would I want?

The above shows the expectations the ARC created in me. Are the expectations met on reading this book? Read on!

If I have to describe the book in one word: I would say that it is FASCINATING! Shucks, I want one more word. It is INSPIRING as well.

So this is how the novel is structured: The 18 novelists are divided into six groups of three each, based on some common parameters. So we have the group information about what is common to the upcoming trio, then an introductory page featuring the author/poet in that section with one of her thought-provoking quotes, then a little writeup revealing the background and fascinating insights about her, then a graphic presentation of a key event in her life, and finally a couple of trivia to round up the section before moving on to the next author/poet. Every graphic presentation has been
researched and recreated using memoirs and/or letters written by the authors. Can you see the hard work that has gone into the making of this book? Unbelievable!

More than the graphic panels, I enjoyed the little snippets of information about each of the authors. There are such a lot of facts that I wasn't even aware of, not even for my favourite Jane Austen. The lineup of esteemed ladies covered in the book is equally astounding; it reads like a veritable who's who of the literary world of the 18th-19th centuries. And should I even write about the gorgeous cover? Oh my! It's been so long since I've gushed this much about a book!

I am so excited after reading this beautiful little gem, I feel like hugging it to my chest like Gollum, growling "My Precious!" Too bad I only have the digital copy for now!

This book at it's core is "Empowered Women, Empower Women*.

This book takes an interesting look at what inspired different women to take up their own mantle and put their own thoughts and ideas out there.

And through the course of this book we see often it's the women who came before them, inspiring them to follow in their footsteps.

It's a poignant reminder that we to may someday be the person someone looks up too.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie. At first, I judged Why She Wrote by its cover. I'm intrigued by the catchy title, the color scheme, and the cover illustration. I knew I had to get my hands on this book as soon as possible. My wish came true when I received the e-ARC from the publisher and NetGalley (once again, thank you!).

Why She Wrote did not disappoint. I love everything about it, from the narrative structure to its illustrations. I love the format and how it's divided into several parts according to the themes. The biographies of various inspiring female authors are very fascinating and insightful.

However, I wish more authors of color are included in this book. It's sad to see that there are only three authors of color among the eighteen authors featured in this book. The rest are white and mostly Europeans. If there's ever a second volume of this wonderful book, I really hope it will be more diverse.

As I've said before, I love the illustration, but the comic strip could be pretty confusing because sometimes it has little to no correlation with the biography. Last but not least, the script font in the comic strip is also hard to read and I hope the publisher would consider changing it to a more readable font.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely check out the authors' podcast (Bonnets at Dawn) after this!

From page one, you can not put this book down. The character descriptions of the women writers in this book are so different from what one remembers from school. The book is lively written and broken into cartoon sections that make it so interesting. More books should be written in the coveted method of writing that the authors use. It is my opinion that very Writter would be Writter and just reader is doing themselves a disservice by not reading WHY SHE WROTE. In this ME TOO movement we should all be aware of what women writers did for our modern cause. 5 STARS ......

If you’re looking for a book about women writers in history, whose books are considered classics, then that’s the one for you! ‘Why She Wrote’ summarises the story of many female writers, mostly from the 1800-1900s, and their stories are also illustrated by Kaley Bales in a way that makes it a fun and lighthearted read.

It’s a good way to know more authors, since some aren’t as known mainstream as others, and to know more about the lives of those you already know. This book is just perfect for people who want to start reading classics and classical authors, but find them particularly difficult to understand or keep up with, or those who don’t have much time in their hands to do so. Basically, it’s the perfect way to become familiar with classics.

It is also a very interesting reading in a historical point of view, to analyze the context those texts were written and which struggles those writers had to go through socially to be able to speak their mind and live their life as they wished.

Basically, it’s a book that deals with heavy topics, as expected from any form of media about women who lived a century ago, especially some who were sapphics, women of color or in poverty, but the narrative of this book is as lighthearted as possible, considering the topics it portrays. It’s a great book you should certainly read if you’re interested in history and/or literature.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why some of the most famous authors out there were inspired to write? Well, the creative team behind Why She Wrote asked themselves that question, and here is their answer.

Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers is an accurate description, and title, for this graphic novel. As this graphic novel tackles the stories of eighteen famous and beloved female authors.

This is a story that any interested reader should make a point of picking up. It allows for a quick glimpse into the lives and motivation of many authors we've known and loved for years. More importantly, it portrayed what some of them went through during the time they were making the decision to publish. It is something that adds almost a painful amount of context to their writing, in some instances.

It's also inspiring, in a way that I'm sure was intentional. And when not inspiring, it certainly is informative. I know that I learned a few things that my education or personal research never turned up. Gotta love it when that happens!

Why She Wrote is split into chapters, giving time to focus on each of the eighteen authors included. Each chapter includes a page (or more) of written history, details, and more about each author. Following that are the images that define this novel. They bring these true stories to life, in a way that is approachable for almost any age range.

Why She Wrote by Lauren Burke and Hannah K. Chapman asks why some of the great English-language women writers chose to write. These women lived during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries – times when women were often discouraged from being authors.

Some of the women profiled in this book are very well-known. I read about Jane Austin, Mary Shelley, Louisa May Alcott, the Bronte sisters (each one has a separate chapter), and even Beatrix Potter. But others are forgotten today – many people today probably have never heard of Ann Radcliffe, Mary Wollstonecraft, or Elizabeth Gaskell, or read any of their works.

This is a cross between a biography and a graphic novel. Each section includes some text that gives a brief biographical overview of the individual. This is followed by a comic that focuses on a key point in the writer’s life. The artwork is simple but engaging and the material is very readable. One thing I particularly like is that a list of selected works is included for each writer. So if I would like to take a foray into works by early women authors, this book basically provides a reading list.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a free e-copy of this book.

Wonderful! Original, inspiring and very informative.
The reasons why those eighteen women started writing are indeed the same. Some of them had more reasons to add, such as earning money to help their families, but the essence is always the same.
There are several details about many of these writers I didn't know, so it's been quite an enjoyable reading.
The comics about each one show determined moments of their lifes in relation to their experiences with writing: declined manuscripts, mysogenist comments and critics about their works and/or personal life, lack of time, among others.
Another experience they all have in common is how hard they had to work to prove they could write important and outstanding stories; they had to struggle daily with a sexist society, where writing, as well as many other things, was for men. If women were to write, they could only do it about religious topics or flowery romance. They weren't believed to be able to write serious and/or clever stories.

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is an inventive and beautiful collection of biographies on some of the most well-known but sometimes misunderstood female writers. I love the structure of a one page biography leading into a graphic novel glimpse of the writer’s personality, lifestyle, and potential conflicts faced. Providing a book list for further discovery of the author is a wonderful edition as well. I can see using this as a teaching tool, inspiring students to try out classic literature, and returning to this text to find out more information about the authors. Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC!

⭐️3 Stars ⭐️

A beautifully constructed graphic novel that explores the lives of women writers throughout time while educating the reader about their past, what influenced their work, and how they affected literature and culture even after their deaths. In reading this novel, we understand why these women wrote.

Since this book features biographical pages and comic panels that detail significant events about the women's lives, I feel that it gives a unique, intimate look into the lives of those it covers. Although, at times, I felt that the level of detail included in the biographical sections impacted the pacing of the comic panels negatively, this did not hinder my enjoyment of this book. I believe that this novel contains some beautiful scenes able to deepen the feeling of intimacy between the reader and the historical figure. I learned about the lives of queer women, whom I knew little about before reading this novel. And I enjoyed these chapters immensely. I would love for the editors of this novel to collaborate again on a second volume of this wonderful book. If they were to do this, I would like to see a more diverse selection of women than those they chose to cover in this novel, perhaps covering more POC writers and queer writers of history.

This book is suitable for readers of any age who want to learn about some of the most influential women writers the world has ever seen. And since each section ends with an invitation to read the featured authors' works, I feel that this novel will encourage many young readers to enter the realm of classic literature with an open mind so they can be ready to read critically and question the canon popularised by old white male academics.

You Should Read This Book if you Like:
+ Easily Digestible History 📚
+ Beautiful Art ✍

I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

**I received an ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! It was such a good read and talks about some amazing women writers. The illustrations were good too.

super cute illustrations and history of badass females!
i loved the frankensteins mom through the years and the profiles of each of the women!

easy quick educational read!

This book is unlike anything I've read before. It's a non-fiction historical novel about some of the greatest female writers that lived in the 18th, 19th, and 20th century. There are stories about Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, the Bronte sisters and so many now. I didn't even know some of the authors that are written about so that was really interesting.

The coolest aspect of this book is that it isn't just your classic non-fiction collection of short bits of information about different people. With every person, there's a short summary and then a quick comic that shows a story of why each of them wrote. It shows us a glimpse into their lives in a really fun and interesting way. I definitely love this concept because it makes learning about history more fun and accessible.

I really want to get a physical copy since my main issue was that reading the eARC was quite difficult because the text is small in the comics. (If you have a tablet, that would also be much better.) Overall, this was just really interesting and fun and I really recommend it if you want to learn a bit more about some female writers.

A very beautifully illustrated compilation of anecdotes from the lives of 18 of the wonderful women authors, most influential pioneers who successfully brought down barriers, idols of every girl that bleed their opinions, promising them hope. The story behind the compilation is an interesting one as well.

The layout combines both graphics and text, and the style is intriguing in it's own way. A must read for readers of all age and gender, this book is a celebration in itself.

This was such a fun read! The minute that I finished this book I immediately picked it up and started to read it again to make sure that I had taken everything in. I loved the artwork in the comic sections. They were so detailed, yet simple and easy to follow along. The text bubbles didn’t seem overbearing. I also loved the brief bios and the list of collections by each writer was a nice touch! Finally, I loved the representation in this novel; it included women of color and women who identify as LGBTQ+. I cannot wait to purchasing this book for myself and other amazing women in my life.

* I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review *

This was a fast, enjoyable read, much in the same vein as The Secret Lives of Famous Authors. The book is an interesting, engaging hybrid of a traditional book and a graphic novel. The other interesting thing is that as far as I can remember, there wasn't much in the way of profanity or adult situations, so this book could easily be given to middle-grade readers in a classroom setting.

The book is organized into six sections, with three profiles per section for a total of 18 authors. While it bears mentioning that the profiles are overwhelmingly straight white women, there is some representation of non-white and queer writers, which is always a welcome sight. Each section introduces a specific literary concept or social norm these female authors navigated (or broke a glass ceiling with), and after the introduction, each section has three author profiles. Each profile has an illustration of the author (in a frame, like a portrait or a cameo), their dates of birth/death, and a famous quote. This is followed by about a page of introduction and historical context about each other, leading into the best part of the book, the graphic novel section illustrating a pivotal event in each author's life. The section then ends with a brief epilogue (a page or less), with a rundown of the author's selected works.

You'll find just about all the names you'd expect to see: Jane Austen, all three Bronte sisters, Mary Wollenstonecraft and Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelley, Louisa May Alcott, etc. There are some curious authors left out, like Emily Dickinson, Sojurner Truth, Phyllis Wheatley, or Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the book doesn't really cover m/any twentieth century authors. Whenever there's a book like this, someone's bound to be overlooked, so it's better to focus on who IS included and overall, it's a great place to start.

It was very easy to read, enjoyable, and I think best intended for a middle-grade or high school reader (or a light casual read). It definitely whets the appetite to discover these authors or revisit their work.

This is a lovely introduction to a variety of brilliant bygone female writers. The introductions offer a bit of biography and context, while the graphic novellas offer a bit of life and color. The art style wasn't totally my favorite, but I really appreciated how individual each one was.
A great introduction for younger readers to important women in the formative years of Western lit.

This is a nice overview of the lives and motivations of a selection of women writers from the 18th to early 20th centuries... and not just the ones you'd expect, either. Most readers will probably encounter at least a couple of names they haven't heard before. The reader grasps how incredibly easy it has been throughout history for women's creative works to be ignored, dismissed, or minimized. It's thought-provoking to consider that the catalog presented here is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to women who write.

The book is part text and part graphic story, with each graphic depicting an author at a potential turning point in her life. I felt that the graphic stories would have benefited by some annotations (like those Sydney Padua made use of in The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage). There were multiple places where I could tell something interesting was being referenced in the artwork, but felt blind to its significance because I couldn't stitch together what it meant.

Although I wanted that little bit of extra explanation, I did enjoy the book for the lively way it presented these women, and the emphasis on their reasons for writing. It made them feel very human and real, as opposed to distant, legendary, buttoned up figures.

A good book to inspire young female writers with the history of female writing at large. It was truly informative for young audiences and a great gateway to the literature represented in the book. That being said, the typography of the graphics were difficult to follow, and I oftentimes found myself wandering off while reading. For some of the sections, more text is needed before transitioning to the graphics, as I was left confused at times as to what I was reading.

An interesting look at the complicated lives of some of literatures most iconic authors and their legendary works. 'Why She Wrote' weaves together a series of portraits that tell the tales of the lives of female authors who sought freedom, independence and liberation challenging the strict paradigms of their time.

This graphic novel is a celebration of female authors who changed the world and redefined the art of writing. This book opened my eyes to the way female writers have inspired each other and worked together to empower and encourage in each other in pursuing their craft. A must read for any bibliomaniac!

This book is a wonderful introduction to female writers of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. With short but sweet details about each author such as Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Mary Shelley, and many more, readers will enter the world of the female writer in a time when it wasn't considered proper for women to write. So the question must be asked: why did they? Get ready to learn the answers.

The organization of this novel is very unique--it is pitched to the reader as a graphic novel, when it has elements of both normal biographies and graphic novels. The authors begin each chapter by introducing three women whose writing or experiences were much alike. After the initial introduction, each woman is discussed individually with normal text and then the challenge they overcame or the reason they became a writer is given to the reader in graphic novel format. It was very entertaining to read about 18 women generally kicking butt in this particular fashion and I really appreciated the work that went into portraying so many different stories. Something else of note is how the women all came from different ethnic groups and backgrounds as it kept the story diverse and provided characters for everyone to relate to. The artwork lends itself to this piece by presenting an almost classical cartoon style to assist our authors in telling the stories.

I give this book a 4/5 and recommend it to YA readers as well as anyone who is looking for an introduction to some of the classics in a brief and engaging format.

I really really wanted to like this.

As I was going through I really kept hoping I'd like the random little blurbs about the different writers and the comics in between them but the constant changing took me out of it. I wasn't a fan of the art all that much either and it just got to be so much of a chore.

Maybe if the whole thing was a graphic novel I would've enjoyed it more?

I don't know.

The two stars are for the obvious effort and time the authors put into this but it just wasn't for me.

I was given this in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

A wonderful book that gives an overview of the greatest female authors of the 19th century (+ending of the 18th and beginning of the 20th). A lot of facts were presented, accompanied by a few pages of comics that highlighted one special occasion or struggle in their lives.

I especially liked how the authors tried to find the connections between these authoresses and the ties that bind them together. You could get a real feeling for what these women were struggling with and how writing was often a respite, a relief from burdens in their lives or their means to support their familys. It also gave me new authors to read and reserarch and I'm excited to learn more about them.

What I didn't like was especially the portrayal of Charlotte Bronte as a controlling, bad-tempered woman and the very modern perspective that was presented, that often reduces these complex women to feminists and bread-earners, because that is how contemporaries like to see women, but they were so much more than that and would have disapproved of many of our modern and feministic notions.

I thank Netgalley and Chronicle books for an ARC to read and review.

The only problem with this graphic novel is that it made me add to many books to my Wishlist. I realised that those women are pioneers in the field of women’s literature and it is important to know what they have written. This graphic novel is very well, structured; it makes connection between the different presented authors (six section presenting three authors that wrote for similar reasons).
I enjoyed it a lot. I took my time to read it section by section, without rushing through. It is nice that every presentation starts with a general explanation about the author’s life and then a few drawn pages on a specific moment in the author’s life. Of course, the book is not enough to learn everything about each author but it is a great introduction which makes you want to learn more. Moreover, there were some authors I hadn’t even learnt about so that was really interesting. Finally, the artwork was very nice. It was a nice addition to the story, making it easier to read.
I absolutely this insightful graphic novel.
4/5

Chapman and Burke explore the lives of eighteen classic women writers in this graphic novel. Each chapter highlights key incidents in the lives of three of these women, describing their struggles and triumphs. This book is a tribute to the contributions of these women and how each of them helped change the world in which they lived. Each of these women challenged how women were treated, both as authors and as people.

This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. Each section begins with a narrative portion that is followed by graphic elements representing each author’s life. Each chapter highlights a central theme and introduces three women writers. The themes describe the ways these women influenced their world and paved the way for greater equality. I enjoyed learning about the lives and impact of these women. I found some of the graphic sections to be lacking in detail that could make them clearer. However, I thought the graphics added interest to each section and helped bring each writer to life.

This book could serve as a great introduction to classic women authors for anyone looking to learn more about the influence of women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are some more mature thematic elements that make this book most appropriate for teens and adults, those some mature older children could also enjoy it.

Thank you to Chronicle Books, Hannah K. Chapman, Lauren Burke, and Kaley Bales for the eARC copy of “Why She Wrote” (via NetGalley)

“Why She Wrote” is a graphic novel that showcases female writers from the 18th - 20th centuries and the struggles that they endured to become the famous authors we know today.

I love the concept of a non-fiction graphic novel, and I enjoyed the formatting of this book (which showed one author at a time, first writing a small biography of their lives, then showing graphic pages from a moment of their lives, followed by a fun fact and selected works). It was so interesting to look at the lives of these women whose works are so well known, while their lives tend to remain a mystery.

That being said, I would have loved more details about each woman within the graphic comic pages. Sometimes they felt a little clunky, jumping from one frame to the next and some ending abruptly. The comics sometimes left me with more questions than answers.

Also, I would have loved to have seen a showcase of writers from places other than Europe and the United States. Of the 18 writers, only 3 were women of color. I think this could have been an excellent way to introduce women of color from Latin America, Asia, Africa, etc. If there will be a sequel to this book, I hope that it can focus on that.

Overall, this would be a great read for teens and adults who loved reading classics from the authors listed in this book. For non-fiction, it was a quick read that was enjoyable! I would rate it 3.5 stars.

A lovely, fresh take on the women who have shaped our literary world and understanding as we know it!

Why She Wrote tells the story of eighteen female writers, linking them together through motivation and character rather than genre or time period. I absolutely loved this way of structuring the book, as many authors whom are usually grouped together (most notably, the Brontë sisters) are focused on more deeply than in typical discourse, and it causes you as the reader to be thinking about the women behind the words from the get-go.

Perfectly balanced between informative text, engaging illustration, and the odd fun fact, Why She Wrote delivered an enticing, palatable, and fresh way of thinking about and remembering some of the most well known—as well as quite a few less recognized—female authors. I truly enjoyed this book, and the illustrations are simply wonderful! I couldn't help but think about how great the hard copy will look.

An intriguing, thought provoking, fun and beautiful compilation that I highly recommend for literature history geeks but also for those who want to learn more, or just like a good graphic novel!

All these strong women writers from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
Didn't back down for obstacles and saw life as a barrel full of possibilities

They followed their heart and dreams, and clearly had a mind of their own
You'll often be amazed by the pieces of their life that in this book are shown


*****************************************************************

BONNETS AT DAWN

It all started with the podcast 'Austen vs. Brontë: Bonnets at Dawn'.
Initially only 12 episodes were planned in which the lives and works of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë would be compared to each other. But along the way it became clear that both women showed lots of similarities and that - even though their writing was different - their struggles and independent visions were very much alike.
Furthermore, by talking about these two women in the podcast, it became clear that other female authors always came back in the conversations: authors who influenced Austen and Brontë and/or authors who were influenced by them.
'Austen vs. Brontë' was dropped from the name and the podcast became a space where the lives and work of women writers from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries were discussed.
If you're interested to discover this podcast (which already counts 136 episodes now), you can head over to: https://www.stitcher.com/show/bonnets-at-dawn


*****************************************************************

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO A DETERMINED WOMAN

The hosts of the podcast, Lauren Burke and Hannah K. Chapman, worked together with illustrator Kaley Bales to create a book about 18 of these inspiring women authors.

Six chapters shine a light on a different aspect that each time connects three women:
- The horror of the everyday
- Finding their voice
- Activism as art
- Private lives
- Public identities
- Protection and profit

Thus 18 fascinating portraits are presented, both from women who are very well-known (like the three sisters Brontë, Louisa May Alcott, …) as women who may be lesser known but therefore certainly not less interesting (like Frances E.W. Harper, Anne Lister, Edith Maude Eaton, …). Of course, this also depends on your own foreknowledge.

Each chapter follows the same structure:
An introduction of two pages lets you discover what the three women have in common with each other and thus how they relate to the main theme of the chapter.
Then every woman writer is put in the spotlight. After an interesting one page-biography follows a graphic novel that often delves deeper into a certain aspect of their life. Finally some fun facts are presented as well as a bibliography which is classified according to the type of works (travelogues, short stories, novels, nonfiction, plays, poetry).

The visual appeal is the greatest asset of this book.
Not often do you encounter books with a combination of interesting text, graphic novel and fun facts.
Although the graphic novel-parts may be a bit confusing as they go back and forth in time or the characters sometimes look alike, they add a nice touch to the whole.
As 'old' literature is presented in such an attractive way, it's easy to imagine that this book could be successfully used in high schools to encourage younger generations to read 'classics'.

Does this mean that this book is suited for everyone? No.
If you already know much about these women, the content will probably be too concise.
But if you don't know them already (or at least not so well), this book is a very nice first acquaintance that incites you to further explore their interesting lives and many works.


*****************************************************************

WARNING

Reading about these pioneers in different fields (equal rights for women, coloured people, …) and about their modern views (about gender, business, society, …), can have severe side effects.
Not only will you want to learn more about these women themselves, but your 'want to read'-list will grow as well because lots of their books will make you curious.
Bearing in mind that these women authors lived in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, most of the mentioned works are part of the public domain and thus can be read through websites like Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/).


*Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not very good at reading classics, so I try to compensate through other means, like reading this graphic novel about some of the classic women writers. Enjoyed learning more about their life struggles and triumphs... and well, 'discovering' new names as well. I just wish the eARC was clearer/sharper so I could have appreciated the art and the reading experience more, but overall, I still liked this because we love seeing women win

As I continue my endeavour to read more classics and heading into the new year with fresh reading resolutions, Why She Wrote couldn't have come at a more opportune time. I wasn't aware of this book until my co-blogger, Celeste, read and reviewed it most favourably. Furthermore, the first book we picked up in 2021 was Anne Bronte's debut, Agnes Grey. Knowing that all the Bronte sisters were featured, I thought it would be interesting to read this title in tandem.

What a great decision that turned out to be. Why She Wrote is a whimsical and beautifully produced graphic novel that provided the most fascinating and unexpected insights and stories behind some of history's greatest women writers. Firstly, these writers were grouped into sets of threes representing the 'banner' that underscored the reason they wrote. Each set starts with an overarching introduction of the three writers, followed by each writer's biography told via a combination of a one-page narrative, comics, fun facts and bibliography. I've never read anything in this format before, but I'm definitely a fan because it was so delightful and highly engaging.

From the most renowned classic writers like the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott to the relatively lesser known ones (to me anyway) like Edith Maude Eaton, Alice Dunbar Nelson and Anne Lister, their stories made me appreciate the works that I've read and eager to get to the ones that I haven't. Most notably, I think my experience of concurrently reading Agnes Grey was enhanced as I got to know the Bronte sisters more. The dynamics between Charlotte, Emily and Anne, as well as their individual differences were most intriguing; having read both Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey now, I can see how their personalities were represented in the stories they wrote. As for Louisa May Alcott, her story definitely made me look at Little Women in a different light, and also quite eager to reread it. Same goes for The Secret Garden and The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Books like this make me want to buy a few copies and gift them to friends, in the hope that it will spur them to read more from these writers. As a celebration of women writers, Why She Wrote also provided great historical perspective on the challenges of being a woman in the past, which made their stories even more remarkable and inspiring. Recommended!

I love reading classic literature and I was so excited to read something that explored the inspirations of some of my favourite authors. The focus on women, however, just increased my interest in this. I think it's an easy read that also offers up a bunch of interesting anecdotes and lingering questions that historians and fans have of these authors. By having all of the authors in the sections linked to one another was a clever way to keep the reader following along. I found it to be informative, but also empowering to read about the struggles that these women faced. As mentioned in the book itself, these struggles are not unlike the ones that women still face today. The graphics were charming and I'm not usually a fan of graphic novels!

Overall, it was such a fun read!!! I also got a podcast recommendation out of it, so I'm very pleased.

Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Why She Wrote is an informative look into the lives of 18 prominent female writers. The biographical text passages paired with the comic-style illustrations sets this collection apart from other titles. The stories told help bring each of these women writers to life in a fresh way, and I found the inclusion of the illustrations helped break up the passages of text.

I was surprised by some of the details I learned about the writers and I appreciate that there were writers that I had never heard of included as well. This is definitely a collection for those interested in an introduction to women writers.

The question to be asked now, though, is will these authors publish more books of similar style about all the other women writers? Because they should!

Extremely educational book! It's a really cool medium too, a crossover between the writers' biographies accompanied by graphic panels explaining their lives. Aside from Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, and Mary Shelley, I didn't know much other "classic" female writers. It was really cool to learn more about activist figures, especially abolitionists, and writers who channel their anger into a revolution.

"Society cannot afford to neglect the enlightenment of any class of its members." - Frances E. W. Harper.

This was a fantastic read.

I love when you can learn something from a book, and in this case, that something was more on women authors.
Most of them pretty famous, but all of which defied their time in a way and refused to be stay at home wives and moms, but picked up their pens (or quills) and created something new.

I wish, however, that more of their stories were told through pictures, but still, I loved the short parts of their biographies and notes on most notable works.

Great job!

I loved this book. I learned so much about so many women author's I have come to admire over the years. This was a great format and so well structured. I have already recommended this to several other librarians and readers.

This was a quick, enjoyable read based around the concept of exploring the lives of famous female authors throughout history through the form of short comic strips.

I liked the illustrations a lot and felt they suited the subject matter. I do, however, wish the short biographies featured had been a little bit longer (say, 3-4 pages rather than 1). I would have liked to come away knowing a bit more about the featured authors' lives.

This graphic novel provides lovely albeit brief insights into the lives of many beloved female authors.

This book was really fun to read! The illustrations were fantastic and it was really cool to see these snapshots of these amazing women's lives and legacies. I especially liked Mary Wollstonecraft's story and found her section very moving. I do wish that they had gone a bit more in-depth into each of the women's lives, such as Beatrix Potter who did some really cool stuff in mycology before becoming an author. Overall I learned so much from this book and am definitely going to try to read more classic literature by these women!

I love me and educational graphic novel! I loved reading about women who rose above their time and did what they liked to do, no matter the pressure from society that they should have kids and be housewives. I would have loved, however, that the bigger part of the stories was shown through pictures than through text. Still, it was nice having these small parts of their biographies laid down to the readers.

I had so much hope for this book. I was so excited, as the topic seemed so interesting to me. Sadly, I do believe that because I was expecting a full on graphic novel, the large chunks of text were off-putting as a reader. Maybe it was just not fully written out how to expect the novel to be written. I did enjoy the graphic novel sections, as they were easy to read and digest quickly. I would recommend this to be located in an English teacher's classroom, or as a coffee book table.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Since I read the title I knew I was going to love it. And I did it.

This is a graphic biography of 18 female authors of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It's so interesting to read about the story of the author we love and know what inspired the to write the most famous classics.

The art work of the book is so beautiful. They represent every scene very well.

I recommend this book to all those girls who dream in a writing career. If this women did it in ancient times, I know this century has many talented girls.
Also recommend it for those boys whom think that girls can't be famous or talented.

This book can be inspiration for many people. And that's why I recommend it.

I absolutely adored this look into female writers through the centuries. We catch glimpses of authors and their lives that features their ideas, their private life, and how they came to write what they did. I love how there are timelines for each author as well showing when their works were published.

Working with middle school girls, I would absolutely love to see this in their hands or in the library even. It is very relatable to students and the illustrations make the work so much more engaging because students love graphic novels. I really enjoyed how the authors are separated into different “categories” as well with common threads among them.

I read the title of this book and it inmediatly caught my attention. Learning the reasons, hardships that very famous female writers went through while writing their novels is something that interested the English teacher in me. This book is sectioned in different parts and groups female authors into three, sharing some common hardships that they went through.

I found especially interesting the little comic attached to each of the authors detailing an episode that they went through when writing in general. I believe it's a great way to learn a bit more about some very famous authors but also some authors that I hadn't heard of before.

Why She Wrote provides a short overview of women writers throughout history. I was really drawn to this book to learn more about women writers and it was very informative while being concise. This book is part written biography and part graphic novel, which at points I enjoyed and other parts I found it to not flow. At times it was was hard to follow the story in the graphic novel sections as there wasn't much background to what was happening. I learned a lot from this book and found the overviews of the writers to be so interesting. The illustrations were not my favorite and sometimes the script used was difficult to read. Overall, I think this was a really cool way to discuss classic women writers and think those who love classics would really enjoy this book.

I absolutely loved this book. I learned so much about many of my favorite authors and learned about so many I hadn’t heard of.

The inclusion of half narrative and half graphic novel format was really unique but I think they successfully accomplished the combination. I really liked how they divided the chapters; it allowed the book to flow. Additionally, I think the authors did a really great job in deciding which authors to focus on and how they all connected versus choosing a huge selection of authors and creating a messy narrative.

I appreciated that they included WOC as well and I really enjoyed learning about their lives.

The only negative remark I have is that the cursive font is incredibly difficult to read especially on an e-reader. I think this could make the book inaccessible to many folks who suffer from vision disorders. I wear glasses and found it difficult to enjoy which was a bummer because I loved the graphic novel bits.

Chapman and Burke present a wonderful introduction to women authors of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries in Why She Wrote. Focusing on 18 writers, the collection offers a summary of the life the woman led, a list of her works, and an accompanying comic illustrated by Bales. As podcast hosts of Bonnets at Dawn, the authors are experienced in investigating and speaking about women writers.

I loved this book for its attention to authors that were overlooked in their lifetimes and still being rediscovered and given the recognition they deserve today. As a fan of classics, I appreciated the summaries and introductions to favourite authors and new authors I have yet to read!

The illustrations of important moments in the writers' lives that could have impacted and influenced their writing was also really cool! I felt like I was getting a behind-the-scenes peek.

I loved the book's expertise in summarizing and presenting the interesting lives of these writers, and will definitely be seeking a physical copy at the bookstore to add to my shelves.

This book was so interesting, I learned a lot about different authors like Anne Brontë and more. Plus, the art style was beautiful. I gave this book 4.75 stars for sure!!

Most of this book is a graphic novel, which was unexpected. It also makes it very appealing to teenagers and young adults. There is a lot of information here and it’s well presented. A great introduction to some little known female authors.

Why She Wrote is a graphic biography of 18 well known women writers. Burke and Chapman let us explore the lives behind many of the writers we love from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Why She Wrote discusses the backstories of many authors while highlighting some very important topics and difficulties that they had to overcome.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I love books that look at different women from history and the mix between informative paragraphs for introduction to the subtopic and for each author alongside the graphic novel narrative that follows made the reading experience great. I found myself learning a lot through both storytelling forms and enjoying it. As I read, I kept wanting to pick up all of the books that were mentioned for each author so don't be surprised to see me reading some Bronte and Austen books soon lol.

I really liked the artwork in this graphic novel. I found it fit well with what was being discussed and was really well done. Having the same illustrator for all of the "chapters" allows for consistency while also seeing some slight changes depending on the topics.

The reason this is not getting 5 stars is because I did lose interest part way and did have to remind myself to keep reading. I did find some sections to be repetitive and I think this was the reason why I struggled a little bit and it was mainly in sections about the authors I didn't really know. However, I still think this was a great book, once I was able to get back on track and back to authors I know, I thoroughly loved and enjoyed it. Would recommend 100% to readers of all ages.

This is such an innovative way to tell the stories of pioneering women writers. While the biographies are fairly standard, especially of the usual suspects when talking about women's writing (Austen, the Brontes, etc.), the illustrations really delve more deeply into pivotal moments in the authors' lives and really create more emotional depth and connection. And it's an excellent introduction to lesser-known figures like Alice Dunbar Nelson and Edith Maude Eaton, among others, who deserve to have their voices recuperated and in front of new, modern audiences. I also really like how the chapters have been divided and how Burke and Chapman make parallels between the writers in each chapter. The graphic novel element makes this book an excellent intro to women writers for older kids/teenagers, but I'd also recommend it to anyone interested in Austen, the Brontes, or women writers throughout history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC. I am a long-time fan of Bonnets at Dawn, the podcast that inspired the book, but this does not affect my review.

A fantastic read!
For fans of all the classic women authors and the newest hit Bridgerton and all things regency bedazzled!
This graphic novel is a great history lesson for those who admire the women themselves or want to learn more about writers of the past. I read this as a digital ARC from Netgalley but will be obtaining a print version as soon as it is release! A definite must have!

This book is so fun & really beautifully put together. As an avid reader, I enjoyed reading about some of my favorite authors and learning about others! I would recommend this to anyone looking to get into writing because the authors spotlighted here come from all walks of life and started at different stages in their lives - making writing an endeavor you can lean into any time. I'd also recommend it for readers as it provides interesting insights into the writing processes of well-known authors and it was such a fun glimpse behind the scenes. On top of all of this, the illustrations are so fun in and of themselves. I think anyone would appreciate this book.

First of all, I want to thank Chronicle Books for the ARC.

I found the premise for Why She Wrote to be super interesting, the introduction made me super excited to read the rest of the book and I thought this book was a neat take on a biography.

It's such a unique idea, and honestly one of the most informative books I've ever come across. However, I found the transition from written biography to graphic novel mode was often disorienting.
Within the illustrated sections, I found that the script font used was difficult to read and the font used in the rest of the book quite unattractive. The images themselves I liked, they were cute but nothing out of this world.

I found the stories of the women interesting, but the writing of the stories not so much, which is sad. More often than not, I was reading just in hopes to see if the chapter on the next writer/author was any better.

With that being said, I think this book has a place on a shelf of a child with interest in literature and whose parents/teachers are enlighted enough to want their kid/student to read about the power of female authors.

To sum up, I ended up liking the concept more than the actual book itself and maybe it was just not that well executed. I think the book has potential but needs significant editing and changes before being published. I think it is also very important to mention that the book is very euro-centric and I think it's time to stop associating classics exclusively to white authors.

(review on my blog available on the 1st of January: https://icthusbookcorner.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/why-she-wrote-a-graphic-history-of-the-lives-inspiration-and-influence-behind-the-pens-of-classic-women-writers-book-review/)

The overall premise of Why She Wrote really caught my attention, but the execution just didn't work well for me. I expected a full graphic novel detailing the lives of women authors, but instead, it was a mix between written biography and graphic novel in a way that just didn't work well together. I can definitely see how people would love this, but it just wasn't what I expected and isn't my taste. Ultimately, the flow, pacing, and organization of the collection threw me off. Not to mention, the lack of BIPOC in this is... frightening. "Classic" women's literature needs to stop being confined down to European/American white women. The oppression they felt and their stories are extremely important to discuss and never forget, but there are women with different experiences that still count as classic literature. If you're going to discuss classic women's work, let's at least make it inclusive of ALL women. Most of the authors that were included in this graphic story had similar experiences and that allows for easy comparison between them, but that's looking at the world from only a Eurocentric viewpoint which just cannot be tolerated in these times. Overall, I enjoyed learning more about authors I had some knowledge about and learning of authors I wasn't familiar with at all. I also really liked the list of works at the end of each author's story. I will definitely use those to add to my more detailed list of classic works to get through. But, alas, I just felt this wasn't particularly inclusive and the organization threw the flow off for me personally.

I love the idea of this book, how it combines several different elements from different text types and genres into one book. I love that each author is a powerful female and it will help to inspire future writers.

In a combination of comics and prose, Why She Wrote glimpses into the lives of famous women writers from the 18th and 19th century. Each author is shown at a pivotal point in her life when she took control of her career. The style and format works really well, making it a really fun way to learn about literature history. However, I really wish the subjects of the comics were more diverse and carefully selected. The writers covered are largely white and almost entirely from the U.K. and U.S. I think it would have gained a lot from focusing on women writers from across the globe, even if that means they are lesser known by Western audiences.

This book was a delight! It features 18 short biographies of some of the most famous women writers in the 18th and 19th centuries (Louisa May Alcott, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, etc.). The unique twist is that each woman gets a little comic dedicated to them and the reason they became writers. As a graphic novel, it works well with a one-page written introduction of each writer followed by a few pages of illustrations and text.

My favorite part of this book was insight into female writers who I had never even heard of. What a great way to educate people about less famous writers who deserve more admiration (such as Anne Lister and Alice Dunbar Nelson.) The book also includes some diversity with women of color and LGBTQ+ folks. The text felt super readable and easy to digest, which is sometimes lacking when talking about historical writers from the past. There were tons of tidbits I didn't know - this made the book so fun to read!

My only complaint is that some of the text in the graphic novel portion was hard to read (especially the cursive-like font). I was reading an e-book so maybe this is best read as a print copy. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about these famous, inspiring women.

Delightful book/graphic novel about the lives of some of literature's greatest female writers. I learned a lot and had fun doing so. Recommended for anyone interested in classic authors.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic! This is the book that as a girl you want to own and hold in your hands because inside there are the greatest women writers that inspired you all your life with their writings and their amazing characters that made you love literature and books in general.

I can't describe how much I loved reading this book and enjoyed each page of it in addition to the comic part that I liked it so much. This book made me discover some new authors and to find out about some parts of my favorite authors' lives that I didn't know about until this book.

"Why She Wrote" is a book about some famous female authors and the reasons why they decided to take the pen and start writing either for love, money, to be heard or to be remembered. The authors were joined in groups of three writers that shared the same motivations or inspirations and so on in their careers. It was a great idea for this book and the comic part was even greater. I just loved it.

I have read biographies of some of these authors like Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters and you discover that these female writers were the heroines of their lives some ended well and some others suffered a lot and had a dramatic ending. They have lived in less free societies than ours, they had faced sexual discrimination, male chauvenism, poverty, racism and so on. But they never gave up their dreams to be a writer or to express their thoughts on what they regarded as wrong.

I loved how the book was arranged with the chapters and the illustrations, it made it so much interesting to read.
I hope that there will be more books by this authors that I thank so much for their great job. Thank you.

Okay, love this! This would be a perfect coffee table book or a gift for a friend who likes to read. A great inspiration to learn about all of these women and their lives. Would definitely purchase myself a copy.

— thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher Chronicle Books for providing me with an e-ARC of #WhySheWrote in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I! LOVED! THIS!

whose idea was it to mix graphic novels with biographies and iconic classic female writers? because it was an idea of gold! i loved every bit of this!

honestly i went into it not expecting a lot more than just a biography but a pretty one... and this was just that expect better and more unique! i’m a fan of classic literature and especially women’s fiction. so to say i absolutely devoured this would be an understatement.

i liked how the book was divided into parts, all very unique in title and pretty in color and design. i loved the little one-page summary of each author’s background, because some authors i had no idea about but still could connect with their stories and really enjoyed reading about all of them. the panels of the comics were very well done. right from the start i could see a lot of thought and feeling when into each one and i appreciated how smoothly it was all laid out. i just adored it, all of it!

i can’t think of any faults this book has. it is purely perfection. i have it on my to-buy list for when it’s published. i’d definitely love to see more of this style of biographies!

This work was a disappointment because it features ‘Classic’ women writers AKA mostly white women from the 1800s. I think the idea of what ‘classic’ is was extremely white-washed and centered on Britain. This work needs diversity because it practically reiterated information about women authors that are frequently discussed. I had higher expectations for this read. The description does mention that it features women authors in the English language, but I thought there would be an inclusion of people of various races and ethnicities. I did not expect to read about many of the white women authors that are frequently discussed and studied.
The portrayal of information was sectioned off into different chapters that had a focus and overview. Then they went into specific authors where there was a text block of who the author was and random information, then there was art done in a comic-like style of a scene involving the author. The art was pretty, but I have complaints about some of the text that was used. There was this cursive text that was used to represent words being written and although that was a decent idea to showcase the difference from spoken word, the fluffiness of the cursive was too difficult to make out some words, so people with difficulty reading (for whatever reason) will have difficulty making out the words.

This book is so good. It's such a unique idea, and honestly one of the most informative books I've ever come across.

This book talks about the contribution of all these amazing women, in the literary world. It shows how each of them played a role in impacting the world.

It's always hard to look at authors as real people, when we read their work all the time. We read their characters, romanticize those characters. But sometimes, we as readers just forgot how human these writers were. They dealt with problems, they had their lives.

I love reading classics, and I admire all these authors. When I read the premise of this book, I was really thrilled to read it. Stories of all these Iconic women are just simply inspiring.

Being someone who's a crazy fiction reader, this book was so easy to get through. It felt like a story, even when it wasn't. I got through it within a few days, and honestly it was worth the read. If you're someone who finds non-fiction work hard to read, check this out. It's amazing, and will make you actually ponder over stuff.

The only complain I have is about the illustrations. Even though I do admire how beautiful and colourful they were, in some parts of the book it got a little too chaotic.

Other than that, I enjoyed this alot. I think writing a non-fiction in the form of a graphic novel is a really smart idea, because it becomes more accessible and easy to read, for people who aren't that into non fiction, people like me.

This was a really interesting exploration of the lives of female authors in the 18th-20th centuries. I’m giving this four stars instead of five because some of the graphic stories seemed a little bit disjointed from the biographies that came alongside them. Overall, I do recommend!

Why She Wrote is a graphic collection about classical female writers including: Ann Radcliffe, Charlotte Brontë, and Frances Burney. Throughout the book it explains why these eighteen writers wrote or how they wrote. Each chapter briefly summarises a certain theme along with 3 female authors. It talks about their life, their family, and most importantly their writing.

It is an interesting book to say the least. It was great to get to know these classic writers and learn more about their history and books. The illustrations were creative and bright too.

What I wasn't a big fan of was mostly the graphic parts. I found the writing for these parts to be a bit boring for my taste, apart from Beatrix Potter's. Adding to this, I had a bit of a hard time to read certain sentences because of the chosen font.

One last thing I didn't like was the transition between the written biography to the graphics.

I recommend this to anyone who likes to read classics, or is a literature geek.

this was soooo adorable!!! loved this and it's such a unique idea.

this part is a personal critique but netgalley made it extremely hard to read this. idk why but it was nearly impossible to scroll.

This book was a good concept but was a little disjointed. It was hard to read through the parts that weren’t graphic novel and seemed like you needed to have prior knowledge about some of the women

I had the opportunity to read the advanced ‘uncorrected’ readers copy thanks to NetGalley, Chronically Books, the authors, Hannah K. Chapman and Lauren Burke, and the illustrator, Kathy Bales.

Why she Wore is lovely reminder that women’s literacy is where it is today because of the writers presented in this graphic history novel. This graphic novel depicts the history of the lives, inspiration, and influences behind the pens or classic women writers. Some of the writers featured include the Brontë Sisters, Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter, Mary Anne Evans, and many more.

The graphics are beautifully designed, but also captures the darkness and rawness of some of these woman’s lives to remain true to their story. The content seems very factual and Well read. In a graphic format, I believe that the content is easy to digest for people who struggle with non-fiction, but also for younger audiences.

I did enjoy this, and there wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the novels itself, but it wasn’t my favourite read. I think this would be an invaluable gift for someone who celebrates women rights, women’s art, women’s classical writing and authors,

This is a very interesting book. I love learning more about classic authors and, of course, about the women who managed to get their work published back then. Despite all the difficulties, their novels are still praised and the story behind the women is often very interesting.
And that is the part of the book I really enjoyed, the one where we learn about these women and why they decide to write their books. In some cases, it was even more interesting, since I was not as aware of those writer's background. However, the graphic novel part of the book was not my cup of tea. I appreciate it, and it definitely adds something different and interesting to the book. But I found myself wanting more of the text and less of the drawings.

As a result of this book, I have been introduced to the writings of women that I had never heard of. In addition to this, the curtain has been pulled back on their life stories and motivations. I was amazed by Frances Burney who wrote about her horrendous experience of undergoing a mastectomy in 1812 for presumed breast cancer. I was impressed by the creativity and courage of Beatrix Potter who sought to protect the rights to her children's stories. Sui Sin Far wrote about her experience of being Eurasian in 19th century Canada and chose to use her writings to advocate for the Chinese communities of North America. I enjoyed the stories about these women and was a little surprised by their secrets that they managed to keep hidden from public view. The illustrations were less enjoyable than I expected them to be. At times they failed to capture how I imagined the women might act. "Feisty and strong" does not mean "angry and bolshy"; perhaps that it is how I felt these depictions came across. The illustrations for Frances Hodgson Burnett is a case in point.

This was a very nice book about well know women authors. Each author was talked about and then a cartoon was shown for each. They involved a pivotal moment in the authors life. At the end of each subject, they would have a list of the works that each woman wrote. The lesser known authors were really interesting to me. It showed how far women authors have come. In the past, women weren't even allowed to have their name on their book, they would go under a mail name. Many publishers didn't want a woman to have written stories, even if they were good. If you like history or reading about some famous authors, this book is for you!!

Well, this successfully manages to spin off from any podcast that may have launched these creators' careers. It's not a brilliant book, but will be exceedingly welcome for the educator seeking to have something concentrating on females in the English language canon. Starting almost from a position of 'nobody really cares that women wrote anything', the authors have managed to put together a book that hardly features the voice or opinion of a male. We get an introduction, fair enough, after which the book is split into six parts, each with their own opening notes and each with three authoresses to cover. That coverage is again a primer to their biography, and then we get the core of the book – graphic novel representations of their lot and their life. So Mary Shelley, who we open with, is of course shown mulling over "Frankenstein", but we see how public opprobrium of her life choices and the loss of a baby woke some of the horrors of her novel. Ann Radcliffe is shown failing to bat away stupid thoughts and comment at a dinner party she would rather never have been at. Charlotte Bronte gets inspiration from a haunted house and some of her own pent-up emotion.

What I had to feel a flaw with these pages was that the graphic novels were written very young – they're visually and textually primary school stuff – apart that is, from a wilful love of warping the timeline until it snaps here and there. But the writing here (beyond the closing trivia that each author gets as an appendix) seemed fit for an audience a few years older. Overall the chapters do convey the women involved, but it did feel to me as if not one but two target audiences were being aimed at – the young scholar interested in the background to the literature, and the even younger reader who may delight in seeing some of that fashioned as a cartoon, years before the words 'set text' get to worry their mind.

Errant chronology helps serve the way the women have been lumped into trios, but not the history of them all – this book wants to show connections from one to another where at all possible, but also to hide that behind a wall of time-changes. It did do the dutiful thing as a kids' book of teaching this adult something, for I was certainly not aware there was a real story behind the "Gentleman Jack" TV series, although as it was a quite yawnsome 'here's how I selled me coal up in t'Yorkshire' story I was losing no sleep either way. But in acclaiming the graft, the individuality, the bravery sometimes, of being a standout female writer, is where this volumes virtues would lie. It's just that, considering how easy it is to imagine a less unwieldy and more straightforward book than the one I saw, the star rating has to remain as it is.

3 out of 5 ✨s - Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC of Why She Wrote! I thought this book was such a cool take on on a biography, and the illustrations were beautiful throughout the entire book.

One thing I really enjoyed about Why She Wrote is how the authors organized the chapters—from Activism as Art to Finding Their Voice, there were some really interesting connections made between authors that I was previously not aware of. As I was reading, I kept wanting to add more and more authors and works to my TBR shelf.

With that said, I didn’t *love* this book for myself. I found the stories of the women interesting, but not necessarily the writing of the stories. More often than not, I was paging to get through to the next chapter or the next writer.

However, I think this book has a place on a shelf of a family who has a child looking to read about some power female authors. The book can also be an important addition in a classroom. Although I think this book could be interesting for a younger audience, I’m not sure that the works of the women in the book would fit that same audience.

I found the premise for Why She Wrote to be super interesting. The introduction made me super excited to read the rest of the book.

The book is divided into chapters that feature three to four female writers. Each author has a portrait and a one-page biography. This is then followed by several pages of graphic storytelling and finally two pages that contained factoids, like connections to other authors, and selected works.

I found this approach to be really disjointed. The transition from written biography to graphic storytelling was often confusing. At first, I was unsure if the graphic portion was supposed to be a clip from their lives or a scene from one of their books. There was never an introduction to what exactly it was, and it didn't always connect to the biography. The chapters also were not tied together. I would have also liked there to be additional modern writers, especially BIPOC, such as Maya Angelou so that the book is not primarily white Europeans.

As far as images and format go, it was okay. Within the graphic sections, I found that the script font used was difficult to read and the rest of the font to be unattractive. The images themselves I liked although it was often difficult to tell one person apart from another.

Overall, I ended up liking the concept much better than the actual book. It was a great idea that was not executed well. I think the book has a lot of potential but needs significant editing and changes prior to being published.

Why She Wrote offers a look into the lives and motivations of many well loved female authors. Although I loved the diversity and inclusivity(it was not solely white straight women), this book wasn’t really for me. While it was very informative, it was mainly just a straight biography. There was some inclusion of graphics, but those were quite short and many of the fonts were unreadable.
I will say though that many will love this book! Those who really like informative texts especially will find this book to their liking. And I did love the way the book was formatted!
Another notable fact is that I finished this book in one sitting! The book is very engaging, but not really my thing. I will check out the authors other works and maybe the podcast that is mentioned though!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the spirit of this book. Women have been ignored by the literary world for a long time, and I'm glad the women that broke grounds received the recognition they may not have received in their time. By the authors' own admission, there were far too many to put in one book; so I hope this turns into a kind of series, because readers will see it's very euro-centric. I'd love to read something like this with an even broader scope.

I do wish, that there were more graphics to this graphic novel. It was such an informative book; and it's hard to fault them for that, but I would say it was 50% text and 50% graphic panes. I wish more of the text could have been converted.

I think my harshest criticism is for the font used when the women were writing. It was almost too difficult to read.