Sunday, March 04, 2018

Five top historical YAs featuring intrepid female protagonists

At the BN Teen blog, Nita Tyndall tagged "five historical novels showcasing girls surviving against all odds in a society that doesn’t make it easy," including:
Blood Water Paint, by Joy McCullough

McCullough’s debut tells the true story of painter Artemisia Gentileschi in verse. When her mother dies suddenly, Artemisia is left with two choices: join a convent, or help her artist father by grinding pigment for paint. Artemisia chooses paint, which sets her on a path to become one of Rome’s greatest painters by the age of 17, studying under the likes of Caravaggio. But her talent comes at a terrible price, particularly in a patriarchal society where men take whatever they want from women. After she is raped, Artemisia chooses again: this time to speak out in a world where women are often forced to choose silence. Through her paintings, she confronts her own memory of the rape. This is a raw, powerful verse novel about a historical figure many haven’t heard of.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue