When Women Were Dragons

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fantasy / Barnhill, Kelly	4-week checkout	In transit
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Barnhill, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 04-13-2024
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Barnhill, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-02-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Barnhill, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 05-14-2024
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / Fantasy / Barnhill, Kelly	4-week checkout	Due 04-24-2024

"Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of. Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this disturbing event: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and helping to raise a beloved younger girl obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the forced limitations of girlhood. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small-their lives and their prospects-and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

5 stars submitted by Danavh on July 9, 2022, 9:49pm A whimsical way of depicting systemic oppression!! I honestly loved it, i thought it was such a interesting way to make the repercussions of the patriarchy clear

Rage becomes her submitted by gpapp on July 26, 2022, 4:39pm If this book does not show up in Best of 2022 lists, it will be an outrage. Kelly Barnhill turns from her already wonderful books for young readers, and I'm grateful she did. This story of an alternate 1950s America, in which rebellious women turned into dragons, is thrilling, subversive, and original. It is also filled with passages of such poignant beauty that they deserve to be savored, with tissues nearby. Do not miss this one.

Good Read submitted by dwick on June 28, 2023, 8:12am This is the story of the seminal event of the 1950’s. The day when women had had enough of being minimized, excluded and silenced. The day when women turned their heads toward the sky and spontaneously transformed into dragons. It is a story of a collective frustration, in fact of a collective rage, at the tyranny that forced them to live and be a certain way. An allegory for what can (could?) happen when women rise as one and take up the space that they deserve.

The book is dedicated to Christine Blasey Ford. In her acknowledgements the author writes: "I, along with the rest of America, listened with horror and incandescent fury to the brave, stalwart testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, as she begged the Senate to reconsider their Supreme Court Justice nominee and make a different choice, and I decided to write a story about rage.”

This book is not based on Christine Blasey Ford or her testimony, but it would not have existed without that woman’s bravery, her calm adherence to the facts, and her willingness to relive one of the worst moments of her life to help America save itself from itself. Her actions didn’t work, but they still mattered.”

Rooted in Magical Realism, this book was a great read on a serious subject, “In its heart, this is a story about memory, and trauma. It’s about the damage we do to ourselves and our community when we refuse to talk about the past. It’s about the memories that we don’t understand, and can’t put into context, until we learn more about the world.” This is also a story about the importance of accepting people for who they are. The thought of putting the patriarchy in its place had me cheering the women/dragons on throughout the book!

great concept submitted by apknapp on July 7, 2023, 9:45am Like other Kelly Barhnill books, this was a great idea, with incredibly vibrant world-building and characters, but the plot pacing was a (minor) issue. Also like her other works, the heavy stuff was seriously heavy--the emotional weight of events made it sometimes hard for me to power through the story, and seemed outsized to the overall tone of the book. I loved the spliced-in excerpts from historical documents, congressional hearings, etc--it felt like a sociological study, kept reminding the reader that these events have a broader impact--this isn't just one woman's story, though it's told mostly from one woman's POV.

How we got here submitted by Cloverdale on July 11, 2023, 10:20am The book’s dedication says it all. A creative and powerful metaphor for women’s rage rooted in an excellent narrative through the lens of academic publishing. Alex is a wonderful character and I had a hard time putting this book down.

Loved submitted by rizoma on July 15, 2023, 2:58pm I loved how the author mixed fantasy and realism in this story. The way the author uses dragons/ dragon-ing to depict the oppression and rebellion of the 1950’s was creative and interesting. I also enjoyed the excerpts from the ’news’ or ‘ scientists’- so fun!