Declarations of Independence : Empowered Girls in Young Adult Literature, 1990-2001

Storytellers have long been agents of socialization. This text traces the evolution of female characters in young adult fiction from their passive role in books published prior to the 20th century to their increasingly assertive role in books published in the latter part of the 20th century.

Female empowerment—especially among girls—is one of the most significant issues to come out of the 90''s, and one that will continue to play a significant role in the new millennium. But how do we define empowerment? And more importantly, how do we identify its characteristics within literature? With problems like teenage eating disorders and pregnancy still very much at the core of American society, it is no surprise that a book as important as Declarations of Independence is the latest addition to Scarecrow Press''s Studies in Young Adult Literature. Authors Brown and St. Clair use their collective expertise to uncover and trace the development of the young female protagonist from the role of submissive fairy-tale maiden to the spunkier more independent girls who now appear with increasing frequency in young adult literature. This next generation of heroines is the model with which today''s readers can readily identify and who the authors believe, become agents of social change for young women. Through careful research that draws on recent scholarship about female adolescent development, situates this shift to stronger female protagonists within a larger cultural context. The empowered girls of this title are defined through close reading of a variety of stories and genres in which they appear-historical and multicultural fiction, social realism, romance and adventure, fantasy, and memoir—with emphasis on books published after 1990. The result is a collection of essays on literature about adolescent girls who have real feelings, passions, and sometimes, rebellious attitudes, and who act upon those feelings, passions, and attitudes to take control of their lives—unlike most of their predecessors, whose fulfillment lay mainly in achieving beauty and suitors. With an annotated list of titles for suggested reading following each chapter Declarations of Independence is the ideal resource for middle and high school teachers, for school and public librarians, a