by Catherine Linka

St. Martin's Griffin/Macmillan (May 6, 2014)

Avie Reveare has the normal life of a privileged teen growing up in L.A., at least as normal as any girl’s life is these days. After a synthetic hormone in beef killed fifty million American women ten years ago, only young girls, old women, men, and boys are left to pick up the pieces. The death threat is past, but fathers still fear for their daughters’ safety, and the Paternalist Movement, begun to "protect" young women, is taking over the choices they make.Like all her friends, Avie still mourns the loss of her mother, but she’s also dreaming about college and love and what she’ll make of her life. When her dad "contracts" her to marry a rich, older man to raise money to save his struggling company, her life suddenly narrows to two choices: Be trapped in a marriage with a controlling politician, or run. Her lifelong friend, student revolutionary Yates, urges her to run to freedom across the border to Canada. As their friendship turns to passion, the decision to leave becomes harder and harder. Running away is incredibly dangerous, and it’s possible Avie will never see Yates again. But staying could mean death. From Catherine Linka comes this romantic, thought-provoking, and frighteningly real story, A Girl Called Fearless, about fighting for the most important things in life—freedom and love.

Carolyn's thoughts on this book:

As a supporter of women's rights, I was intrigued by the alternative reality Catherine Linka created in her debut book, A Girl Called Fearless. The book begins after massive numbers of adult women had died forcing fathers to arrange marriage contracts for their daughters in exchange for large sums of money, thus replenishing the population and fulfilling the role of the devoted wife, which is valued by society. This situation faced by women and girls in the book was very unique (especially compared to other dystopian novels), partially because of its more modern setting but also because it was a certain section of the public (women), rather than the general public, that was being oppressed. Ms. Linka herself said that she wanted put American girls in the same situation as girls in developing countries - lacking political power, various rights, and the freedom to choose their own future - to build greater understanding of the experiences of women around the world. Once I began reading, I could tell that the plot was every bit as well executed as the broader thematic ideas.

When the main character, Avie, is pulled out of school and prepared for her engagement and marriage, it provides the catalyst to start her on the path of deciding to stay or to run. From there, Avie is forced to make countless choices and learns about an underground resistance movement that she could potentially take part in. The book is paced well, allowing enough time for the reader (and Avie herself) to process everything that Avie faces without dragging or skipping along too quickly (which can cause a lack of comprehension). The characters, though placed in an environment vastly different than the one we know today, were still relatable and realistic (never too dramatic, as some YA books tend to portray teenagers).

Overall, A Girl Called Fearless was a satisfying read that raised questions about the treatment girls face around the world. While I was aware of the terrible state of women's rights in developing countries before reading the book, I am now able to understand their plight on a deeper level and empathize with them. A Girl Called Fearless is a perfect book not only for high schoolers but also for high school English classes (or Political Science classes) for the broader thematic ideas and captivating plot.

Video: Catherine Linka's Great Marketing Idea:

About the author: CATHERINE LINKA was almost thrown out of boarding school for being "too verbal." Fortunately, she learned to channel her outspokenness and creative energy into writing. A passionate traveler who has visited Iceland, the Amazon, and the Arctic circle, Catherine has seen five types of whales in the wild, but no orcas. Yet. She doesn’t believe in fate, but she did fall in love with her husband on their first date when he laced up her boots, because she had a broken hand. A Girl Called Fearless is her debut novel.

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On June 12th, 2014, I had the privilege of attending an author/editor event for Catherine Linka, author of A Girl Called Fearless, and her former editor, Mollie Traver.

The event was held at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore down in Redondo Beach. Catherine and Mollie set out to explain the long and somewhat arduous process of publishing a book.

Before the two dove into publishing, though, Catherine read an excerpt from A Girl Called Fearless, her debut novel.

Publishers Weekly described the novel: "Set in an alternative present day US, this debut features a teen who must decide whether to submit to forced marriage or run for freedom".

As a work of speculative fiction, the book focuses on the life of a young women living ten years after a hormone in beef triggered ovarian cancer in women across the country, killing millions of women. In the wake of this catastrophe, women's rights have been severely limited and society has become exceedingly patriarchal.

Frequently passing the mic back and forth, Catherine and Mollie sought to explain the different steps between the author writing his/her work and the book being released. The two explained getting a book agent, shopping the book around (sending the book to different publishing companies), and the process of working on "spec" (if no publishing company is willing to take the book, an editor can ask an author to work with them to edit the book in the hopes that an edited version will have more luck with publishers).

One of the more interesting aspects of the process of publishing A Girl Called Fearless was all of the changes that had to be made after the book was put out on the publishing market. Unfortunately, the original manuscript wasn't considered due to its similarity to the multitude of YA dystopians in the market at the time, thus necessitating some modifications. While the original manuscript was set in the far future, the setting was altered to the present in order to distinguish the book from futuristic dystopian books. Additionally, the original manuscript employed a virus to kill off millions of women, but the viral outbreak was substituted by a large number of cancer cases because viruses are frequently used to kill of populations in many dystopian books.

As a reader, I am very appreciative of the immense effort that went into A Girl Called Fearless, as it would not exist in its captivating and brilliant final form without all that work poured into it. The event was wonderful, and it was fascinating to hear about the complexities of publishing.

A full review of A Girl Called Fearless may be expected in the upcoming weeks.

Note: Photo credit goes to Nutschell Windsor, who graciously allowed us to use her photos of the event.

Thank you, Carolyn for sharing about your visit to Mysterious Galaxy. I would like to welcome Carolyn to Kid Lit Frenzy. She will be doing some regular posting. Carolyn, in her words, is an AP student, voracious reader, competitive archer, nerd, and foodie. In the event that she is unable to become a companion of the Doctor or Sherlock’s blogger, she hopes to pursue a career as an editor in the future. You can find her on twitter at @YAlitfrenzy.

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