WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF is long listed for the National Book Award
Today something amazing happened. The longlist for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature was announced, and WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF was included. You can see the whole list here. I am absolutely floored to see WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF in such luminous, brilliant company.
This book, this weird, uncomfortable little book, cost me so much to write. It was painful. It made me feel ashamed, and ugly, and afraid.
And this book exists because Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner Press and editor Alix Reed were willing to give a home to it. I want to acknowledge how grateful I am. There’s a lot of stuff in this book’s 200 pages that raises hackles. That disturbs. That may offend. Alix Reed didn’t flinch. She didn’t ask me to skirt the hard stuff, or ease up, or edit out the ickiest bits.
Thank you, Lerner Press. Thank you, Alix.
Congratulations, Sister Sister! You and WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF deserve this.
So great! I was so happy to see your name and this book on the list.