Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Anglistisches Institut), language: English, abstract: Introduction The role of women in American society has changed tremendously during the last 50 years. Women started to enter the labour force and to free themselves from the restrictions of home. Starting to work outside their domestic realm, they became more independent and self-reliant. With the empowerment of women the role of mothers started to change as well. No longer did mothers identify themselves only through their husbands and children but increasingly looked for possibilities to fulfill themselves outside the family and to take an active part in society. Expectations on mothers altered and with it the standard assumptions of motherhood were called into question and the vision of a new mother, a person who has her own needs, feelings and interests was emerging. Mothering was no longer regarded as women`s primary and sole mission but as one of many roles women could and did assume. Nevertheless, despite those changes the myth of the all-giving and self-devoting mother did prevail and can even be found in American present-day society. Especially the media and advertisments still celebrate the ideal mother, whose only source of gratification is her family. Although the image of the mother as a mere child-rearer is out-of-date, those conventional forms of representation still exist and construct people`s understanding of motherhood. [...]

A sweet twist on the age-old “yo mama” joke, celebrating fierce moms everywhere with playful lyricism and gorgeous illustrations, Your Mama is an essential Mother’s Day read. Yo’ mama so sweet, she could be a bakery. She dresses so fine, she could have a clothing line. And, even when you mess up, she’s so forgiving, she lets you keep on living. Heartwarming and richly imagined, Your Mama twists an old joke into a point of pride that honors the love, hard work, and dedication of mamas everywhere. A Kirkus Prize Finalist Kirkus Most Joyous Picture Book of 2021 School Library Journal Best Picture Books of 2021 2022 NCTE Notable Books in Poetry 2021 Nerdy Book Club Award Virginia Center for the Book Great Read 2021

This book explores contemporary children’s and young adult novels writing back to history and oppression. Divided into three distinct yet interconnected parts, this thematic study analyses selected novels from across the globe, drawing on current critical debates to investigate how these narratives raise vital questions about identity, power and language. Examinations of children’s and young adult novels from Britain, Ireland, Sweden, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand offer fresh readings of established texts, and provide important critical perspectives on lesser-known works. The book also examines the use of genre in children’s and young adult literature, including crime fiction, dystopia, coming-of-age, and historical fiction. Addressing vital social justice themes in contemporary children’s and young adult novels, such as human trafficking, postcolonialism, disaster, trauma, and gender and race inequality, the book presents a critically informed analysis of these compelling literary works and their engagement with social and cultural debates.

Twenty Days. Twenty Boys. One chance to find love. According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago. Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

Current school systems create a generation of students who experience institutional practices that honor other students’ needs—those students who share the values of those with power—and have pathologized other groups, specifically women of color. (In) Visible Presence intends to contribute to existing pedagogy, which empowers students, teachers, administrators, and policy makers to develop participatory membership in schools and among citizens who can begin to create an anti-oppressive society. (In) Visible Presence contains a holistic, thematic approach to exploring young adult (YA) novels written by women of color, while providing cultural and historical contexts for interpreting and analyzing their work through a feminist lens. Unlike other scholarship, (In) Visible Presence uses a feminist theoretical framework to create a space in which select literary works offer counter-narratives that can be analyzed and critically interpreted according to principles and ideas intended to validate women, thus making their triumph over racism, sexism, classism, and heterosexism and equity challenges a visible cause relegating consequential change for both young girls and women of color. (In) Visible Presence maintains current discourse dialogue through a concentration on the intersectionality of gender, race, and class identities and how these identifiers serve as criteria for privilege and marginalization, even in YA literature. (In) Visible Presence aims to explore YA literature written by women of color represented by African American, Asian American, Indian American, and Latina Americans. Our theoretical perspective focuses on the connection of race, gender, and class that is exclusive to women of color. The construction of “voice” and “space” is important for readers to hear from those once silenced.

A little princess is protected by her friend Curdie from the goblin miners who live beneath the castle. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

“The Joy Luck Club is one of my favorite books. From the moment I first started reading it, I knew it was going to be incredible. For me, it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime reading experiences that you cherish forever. It inspired me as a writer and still remains hugely inspirational.” —Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians Amy Tan’s beloved, New York Times bestselling tale of mothers and daughters, now the focus of a new documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir on Netflix Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue. With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives of complexity and mystery.