FIERCE HEROINES

A collection of lovingly crafted entries to inspire and empower.

This compilation of artwork and character profiles serves as a celebration of fictional women. The profiles are split into sections dedicated to characters from anime and manga, cartoons, comics, movies, TV shows, and video games. Each two-page spread contains a gorgeous full-color illustration and a page of text that details the character’s interaction with gender roles, their admirable traits, and a brief, relatively spoiler-free summary of their plotline and character arc along with the names of their creators and first appearance. Racial and ethnic diversity is represented, with characters included who are Latinx, Black, Asian, Muslim, and Pacific Islander. A plus-size woman is shown, as are disabled characters. Queer characters represent a range of identities including transgender women; however, some queer characters, such as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman—who is bisexual—do not have their identities fully addressed. With 75 entries (and brief tributes to additional characters at the end), readers are sure to find someone they haven’t heard of before. Each entry is designed to invest readers in the character and entice them to seek out the works in which they appear. The format lends itself well to casual browsing while the short length of each profile makes the book ideal for those averse to longer reads.

A fun work with strong reader appeal.