Ashtyn Britt
abritt@lc.edu

Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath is the amazing Not-Fairytale book that all young women should read. These 100 stories contain real women from history, as well as one or two mythological ones, who were completely amazing for various reasons. They were heroines that didn’t get recognized as much because they were far from dainty or damsels in distress. This book is full of real heroines, and also drawn in Disney style!

In all seriousness, I really do love this book. This book features different stories from all over the world and gives a great and accurate representation of other cultures and religions. The author was also careful to rank stories by number for how mature the story is, so if you wanted to read a couple of the less violent or complicated stories to younger girls, you can absolutely do that! The book also contains specific trigger warnings indicating if the story includes things such as violence, sexual assault, or self-harm.

I’ve reread the stories of these women multiple times, and am in awe at how I hadn’t heard of them before. Julie La Maupin d’Aubigny, Moremi Ajasoro, Te Puea Herangi, Marie Marvingt, Pope Joan, Hatshepsut, Kurmanjan Datka, Olga of Kiev, and so many more! Also, if you haven’t heard of these women, google them because they’re worth knowing about! Especially Olga of Kiev, she was rumored to have set a city on fire with pigeons! How cool is that!?

Along with this wonderful first installment of fun historical heroines, there’s also a sequel out now called Tough Mothers, about historical Matriarchs who also deserve proper recognition. Both books are available on Amazon.com. There’s also a website where other stories are updated, www.rejectedprincesses.com. You won’t regret checking them out! These were all great women with great stories, all of whom deserve to be remembered.