This was unexpected, and something that I’m immeasurably proud of:

During this past week’s American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, my book What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan was named a 2020 Top Ten book by the Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 committee.

Formerly known as the Amelia Bloomer Project, Rise is a subgroup of the Feminist Task Force (FTF) of ALA’s Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT). The full Top Ten list of this year’s best feminist books for young readers is:

  • Shout, by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, by Chris Barton, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
  • Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, by Bethany Hegedus, illustrated by Tonya Engel
  • We Set the Dark on Fire, by Tehlor Kay Mejia
  • The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family, by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
  • A Boy Like You, by Frank Murphy, illustrated by Kayla Harren
  • Forward Me Back to You, by Mitali Perkins
  • Thirteen Doorways Wolves Behind Them All, by Laura Ruby
  • At the Mountain’s Base, by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre
  • Surviving the City, Vol. 1, by Tasha Spillett and Natasha Donovan

Don’t miss the complete list of recognized books, including dozens more titles across several categories. I’m so glad to have a book of mine counted among them.