Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives, Inspiration, and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers
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- Create Date：2021-07-07 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lauren Burke
- ISBN：179720209X
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Summary
In Why She Wrote， dive into the fascinating， unexpected， and inspiring stories behind the greatest women writers in the English language。
This compelling graphic collection features 18 women—including Jane Austen， Louisa May Alcott， Alice Dunbar Nelson， Anne Lister， and more—and asks a simple question: in a time when being a woman writer often meant being undervalued， overlooked， or pigeonholed， why did she write？
Why did Jane Austen struggle to write for five years before her first novel was ever published？ How did Edith Maude Eaton's writing change the narrative around Chinese immigrant workers in North America？ Why did the Brontë sisters choose to write under male pennames， and Anne Lister write her personal diaries in code？
Learn about women writers from the 18th， 19th， and early 20th centuries， from familiar favorites to those who have undeservedly fallen into obscurity， and their often untold histories， including:
• The forgotten mother of the gothic genre
• The unexpected success of Little Women
• The diaries of the "first modern lesbian"
• The lawsuit to protect Little Lord Fauntleroy
• The personal account of a mastectomy in 1811
• Austen's struggles with writer's block
• And much， much more！
Why She Wrote highlights a significant moment from each writer's life and retells it through engaging and accessible comics， along with biographical text， bibliographies， and fun facts。 For aspiring writers， literary enthusiasts， and the Janeite who has everything， this new collection highlights these incredible women's hardships， their influence， and the spark that called them to write。
• GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR ALL AGES: Librarians and teachers recommend graphic novels for readers of all ages， especially beloved nonfiction titles like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and Raina Telgemeier's Smile， Sisters， and Guts。 Immerse yourself in the stories of these fascinating women through the fun， approachable， and dynamic medium of the graphic novel！
• CELEBRATION OF WOMEN WRITERS: Want to read more books by historical women writers， but aren't sure where to start？ The stories and bibliographies of the women featured in Why She Wrote is an inspirational deep dive。
• OVERVIEW OF WOMEN'S HISTORY: Add it to the shelf alongside other collections of women's history， including Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky， Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu， and Amazons， Abolitionists， and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall and A。 D'Amico。
This compelling graphic collection features 18 women—including Jane Austen， Louisa May Alcott， Alice Dunbar Nelson， Anne Lister， and more—and asks a simple question: in a time when being a woman writer often meant being undervalued， overlooked， or pigeonholed， why did she write？
Why did Jane Austen struggle to write for five years before her first novel was ever published？ How did Edith Maude Eaton's writing change the narrative around Chinese immigrant workers in North America？ Why did the Brontë sisters choose to write under male pennames， and Anne Lister write her personal diaries in code？
Learn about women writers from the 18th， 19th， and early 20th centuries， from familiar favorites to those who have undeservedly fallen into obscurity， and their often untold histories， including:
• The forgotten mother of the gothic genre
• The unexpected success of Little Women
• The diaries of the "first modern lesbian"
• The lawsuit to protect Little Lord Fauntleroy
• The personal account of a mastectomy in 1811
• Austen's struggles with writer's block
• And much， much more！
Why She Wrote highlights a significant moment from each writer's life and retells it through engaging and accessible comics， along with biographical text， bibliographies， and fun facts。 For aspiring writers， literary enthusiasts， and the Janeite who has everything， this new collection highlights these incredible women's hardships， their influence， and the spark that called them to write。
• GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR ALL AGES: Librarians and teachers recommend graphic novels for readers of all ages， especially beloved nonfiction titles like Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and Raina Telgemeier's Smile， Sisters， and Guts。 Immerse yourself in the stories of these fascinating women through the fun， approachable， and dynamic medium of the graphic novel！
• CELEBRATION OF WOMEN WRITERS: Want to read more books by historical women writers， but aren't sure where to start？ The stories and bibliographies of the women featured in Why She Wrote is an inspirational deep dive。
• OVERVIEW OF WOMEN'S HISTORY: Add it to the shelf alongside other collections of women's history， including Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky， Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu， and Amazons， Abolitionists， and Activists: A Graphic History of Women's Fight for Their Rights by Mikki Kendall and A。 D'Amico。
Reviews
Sally
，
This is SO GOOD！ I loved these lovely little vignettes about the pioneering female authors of the classics。 This is a fascinating （and beautiful） glimpse into their lives， temperaments and how they changed the world。 What these women did for the authors and particularly the female authors that followed them is simply incredible。 And as usual， my 'To be Read' list just became quite a bit lengthier。 Absolutely wonderful。 This is SO GOOD！ I loved these lovely little vignettes about the pioneering female authors of the classics。 This is a fascinating （and beautiful） glimpse into their lives， temperaments and how they changed the world。 What these women did for the authors and particularly the female authors that followed them is simply incredible。 And as usual， my 'To be Read' list just became quite a bit lengthier。 Absolutely wonderful。 。。。more
Vanessa Funk
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It was a beautifully presented book and there were interesting facts about some women but I felt like this one just fell a little flat for me - I think it might have been better if I had taken longer to read but I pushed through and all the stories just kind of blended together。
Liquidwitch
，
Been waiting to get stuck into this for a while end ended up reading the whole thing in one gleeful sitting- it made me so happy！ Excellent choice of moments from all the different writer's lives， art you can fall in love with （Especially with George Elliot and her husband 😍） and the descriptive biography bits were a great ballance of breezy and informative too。 Been waiting to get stuck into this for a while end ended up reading the whole thing in one gleeful sitting- it made me so happy！ Excellent choice of moments from all the different writer's lives， art you can fall in love with （Especially with George Elliot and her husband 😍） and the descriptive biography bits were a great ballance of breezy and informative too。 。。。more
Bookworm Extraordinaire
，
⭐⭐⭐⭐I found this one incredibly interesting。 I loved the brief biographies。 The graphic storytelling angle added even more enjoyment and was beautiful。 Again， not the best book to read on a tablet。 🤷🏻♀️ I think these types of books are better in physical form。 In fact， I think this one would make a most excellent coffee-table book。 **ARC Via NetGalley**
Avery
，
Hated the graphic novel portion but I did learn a lot interesting facts
Michelé
，
I enjoyed this a lot。 I AM a woman writer and there was so much I didn't know about these woman writers。 After reading this， I want to add at least one work from each of their backlists to my TBR。 I enjoyed how the authors chose writers they could weave together to create a moving picture of history。 One woman influenced the next who influenced the next。 I went to an all-girls school and could totally see this being taught in a lit class。 The diversity was good， in race， sexual orientation， and I enjoyed this a lot。 I AM a woman writer and there was so much I didn't know about these woman writers。 After reading this， I want to add at least one work from each of their backlists to my TBR。 I enjoyed how the authors chose writers they could weave together to create a moving picture of history。 One woman influenced the next who influenced the next。 I went to an all-girls school and could totally see this being taught in a lit class。 The diversity was good， in race， sexual orientation， and type of writer。 I liked how the introductions to each woman gave us their history， why writing was important to them， and then led us into the events of the comic strip。 The book blends media well and I love when works combine things artistic elements。 I think it makes the overall product richer。 "These stories will tell you who she was， what she wanted， and why she wrote。" It was academic but in an accessible way。 Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy！ 。。。more
Jill
，
A graphic history of 18 women writers， the book focuses on a key moment in each writer's life that influenced their writing， primarily their motivations to write and publish。 It's an original， intimate， and creative way of telling each woman's story that left me wanting more about each one （in a good way- on to more reading！） A graphic history of 18 women writers， the book focuses on a key moment in each writer's life that influenced their writing， primarily their motivations to write and publish。 It's an original， intimate， and creative way of telling each woman's story that left me wanting more about each one （in a good way- on to more reading！） 。。。more
Chrissie
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A nice selection for a coffee table or living room book。 Part graphic novel and part mini-biography， Why She Wrote tries hard to balance each featured woman's life while making the text conversational and informative。 I don't think this quite managed it， but if， as a reader， you stay properly paced and don't try to push through this in one sitting （or even two or three）， it's easier to consume without feeling the formula hit so hard and repetitively for each subject。In addition， each author has A nice selection for a coffee table or living room book。 Part graphic novel and part mini-biography， Why She Wrote tries hard to balance each featured woman's life while making the text conversational and informative。 I don't think this quite managed it， but if， as a reader， you stay properly paced and don't try to push through this in one sitting （or even two or three）， it's easier to consume without feeling the formula hit so hard and repetitively for each subject。In addition， each author has a scene taken from their lives that's illustrated for the embedded graphic novel portions。 The graphics here were a nice mix of cutesy and accessible， but some of the scenes were strange choices and seemed odd to have been selected for the graphic display， while others felt as pivotal as they were presumably supposed to feel。What I did appreciate was how each author's works were listed at the end of their segments and how each seemed to have gotten a balanced portion of the book。 I do wish the book explored more of each woman's drive to write and answered the titular question for each woman of why she wrote instead of more or less giving the times when their writing lives began。 But the bios for each are so short， there just wouldn't necessarily be room。 This felt very close to Decorating a Room of One's Own: Conversations on Interior Design with Miss Havisham， Jane Eyre， Victor Frankenstein， Elizabeth Bennet， Ishmael， and Other Literary Notables in some ways， and also to the children's bio series Who Was？ [Is？]。I received this book for free from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review。 This affected neither my opinion of the book， nor the content of my review。Note: I first had this galley on my Kindle， but once I realized the number of graphic elements that were included， I switched it over to the Kindle app on my iPad and was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous color that makes up these mini graphic novel segments。 Given that it's from Chronicle Books， I should've known how colorful it would be。 。。。more
Anjana
，
My reading has always been haphazard， ever since I was little。 Before Goodreads， I struggled to keep track of authors， both renowned and not， since I have trouble remembering names。 I hardly even sound them out。 This basically means that most of the content of this book was new to me， as it would be to anyone who has not followed older classical authors。 The chapters are divided into the predominant reason that the female authors were different from the others， the reasons they wrote and their l My reading has always been haphazard， ever since I was little。 Before Goodreads， I struggled to keep track of authors， both renowned and not， since I have trouble remembering names。 I hardly even sound them out。 This basically means that most of the content of this book was new to me， as it would be to anyone who has not followed older classical authors。 The chapters are divided into the predominant reason that the female authors were different from the others， the reasons they wrote and their lifestyles。 Each chapter focussed on three authors， starting with a summary of their life。 This is followed by a few pages with illustrated panels providing us with a brief narrative into an event of their life。 It was interesting and well done; the love that the authors of this book had for these earlier authors comes through。 I enjoyed the graphic novel sections as well。 I am not sure how much this book would appeal to those who know the backgrounds of those mentioned here， but for others like me， this is a good place to start！I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers， but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience。 。。。more
Izabella （Pages Full of Stars）
，
Three main elements of this book:1。 focus on the female author's biographies2。 lots of inspiration！3。 accessible format - told in the comic formatI will post a longer review later but just for now， this was fantastic！ Three main elements of this book:1。 focus on the female author's biographies2。 lots of inspiration！3。 accessible format - told in the comic formatI will post a longer review later but just for now， this was fantastic！ 。。。more
K。 Rose
，
A great introduction to classic women authors - a disappointing number of whom were new to me - their work， and the context for their writing careers。 Why did she use a pen name？ Which forces in her life made her career as a writer easier or more difficult？ How did her voice play into history？ Did she even want to be published？ How did she protect her work？ What inspired her？ You'd think my degree in english would allow me to answer these questions but nope！ It was this book。 A great introduction to classic women authors - a disappointing number of whom were new to me - their work， and the context for their writing careers。 Why did she use a pen name？ Which forces in her life made her career as a writer easier or more difficult？ How did her voice play into history？ Did she even want to be published？ How did she protect her work？ What inspired her？ You'd think my degree in english would allow me to answer these questions but nope！ It was this book。 。。。more
Abby
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Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。I really loved the sweet art in this graphic novel and I enjoyed the simple but poignant snapshots of each author's life。 I was happy to read more about authors that I know and love as well as some that I have never heard of before。 I would highly suggest this book to anyone who likes historical feminist stories。 Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。I really loved the sweet art in this graphic novel and I enjoyed the simple but poignant snapshots of each author's life。 I was happy to read more about authors that I know and love as well as some that I have never heard of before。 I would highly suggest this book to anyone who likes historical feminist stories。 。。。more
Mayah
，
Unfortunately I did not finish this， which is odd because I really loved what it was about。 I thought it was well written and I was enjoying learning about these famous women writers。 However， I had a hard time staying invested because the fact that the book kept changing between written and graphic novel sections really interrupted my reading flow。 I'm not sure if others would experience this， but for some reason I found this format very distracting。 Thanks for the chance to review！ Unfortunately I did not finish this， which is odd because I really loved what it was about。 I thought it was well written and I was enjoying learning about these famous women writers。 However， I had a hard time staying invested because the fact that the book kept changing between written and graphic novel sections really interrupted my reading flow。 I'm not sure if others would experience this， but for some reason I found this format very distracting。 Thanks for the chance to review！ 。。。more
Morgan
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This is a great book。 I have so many of these biography anthology comic books about women now。 Each one is great in their own way。 I think I liked this one better because it's more about writers and books and my subject matter。 This one seemed more organized too。 It focuses only on women writers during the 19th century （she mentions why in the introduction）。 I feel like they could do more of these comics， but at the same time I'm happy。 I really enjoyed the fact this was well researched， with a This is a great book。 I have so many of these biography anthology comic books about women now。 Each one is great in their own way。 I think I liked this one better because it's more about writers and books and my subject matter。 This one seemed more organized too。 It focuses only on women writers during the 19th century （she mentions why in the introduction）。 I feel like they could do more of these comics， but at the same time I'm happy。 I really enjoyed the fact this was well researched， with a bibliography， and the art is really good too。 。。。more
Abby Frye
，
Fun style of art。 Good snippets of the lives of the women authors contained within。 Could be a helpful starting point for anyone wanting to know about them。
Susan
，
See my review at Reading World See my review at Reading World 。。。more
Kaitlin
，
There was much to love about Why She Wrote。 Each vignette was perfect for days when I had only a few minutes to read。 I enjoyed the glimpses into each writer’s life—entire stories which might only have been a line or two in a longer biography。 And I appreciated that， as a longtime listener of the authors’ podcast， I was able to learn new things about the subjects of the book that had not been covered in podcast episodes。 I hope there might be a second volume some day！
Tanushree Nair
，
As a quick disclaimer， I've been an avid fan of the podcast "Bonnets at Dawn" （hosted by the authors who penned this work - also *highly recommended* for anyone interested in this topic） for a while now。 After having listened to several of their episodes dissecting the lives of historical women writers and comparing the value of various screen adaptations， I was beyond excited to finally get a copy of their published work in my hands。 Suffice to say， I was not disappointed。Why She Wrote is part As a quick disclaimer， I've been an avid fan of the podcast "Bonnets at Dawn" （hosted by the authors who penned this work - also *highly recommended* for anyone interested in this topic） for a while now。 After having listened to several of their episodes dissecting the lives of historical women writers and comparing the value of various screen adaptations， I was beyond excited to finally get a copy of their published work in my hands。 Suffice to say， I was not disappointed。Why She Wrote is part graphic novel， part biography and explores the lives of 18 female writers and their respective inspirations。 Divided into themed chapters that group the women by common threads of their lives （such as their impact on Gothic fiction or their legal battles over intellectual property rights）， the formatting of the book provides a unique perspective that allows readers to better understand the writers they have come to admire。 As Chapman and Burke themselves mention in the conclusion， understanding what connects these writers not only give insight into the women but into their works。 Novels like Jane Eyre and Frankenstein can be seen in an entirely new light when one has a better idea of what led their respective authors to their subject matter。 Preceding each individual author's comic is a one-page description of the struggles and aspirations that informed their writings。 Readers beware - each chapter is truly only meant to whet the appetite and will leave you hungry to learn more about these women or check out their novels if you haven't already done so。Why She Wrote was a fantastic， but brief peek into the greatest female minds of our time。 My only real complaint with the book was its short length。 It's an introduction to what should ideally be a complete exploration of these writers lives。 I concluded the book with a trip to my local library to check out a book on Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley - two writers whose fascinating lives were discussed in the book， and whom I just had to learn more about。 Happy reading！ 。。。more
Alexis
，
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free via Goodreads giveaway。4。5 out of 5 starsI really enjoyed reading this book。 I learned something new about each of the 18 featured female authors， even those that I previously studied in college English courses。 The graphic element of this novel brings these women to life in a way that typical biographies cannot。 It's much easier to imagine these women having similar feelings and conversations as women today due to the graphic portions of the n Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free via Goodreads giveaway。4。5 out of 5 starsI really enjoyed reading this book。 I learned something new about each of the 18 featured female authors， even those that I previously studied in college English courses。 The graphic element of this novel brings these women to life in a way that typical biographies cannot。 It's much easier to imagine these women having similar feelings and conversations as women today due to the graphic portions of the novel。 These amazing women are truly brought to life while reading because of the graphic element。I really like how the authors decided to format this book as well。 There's a short introduction and conclusion， which is pleasant。 I think they made the right call to not ramble on， especially in the introduction， so the reader can jump right in。 Then， each chapter has a short introduction on the three women that are discussed in that chapter。 This is where the authors connect the three women to each other。 Each woman is then introduced and given her own "section。" This includes a drawn headshot， living and death dates， and a quote。 An introduction that is only a page long is written and leads up to where the graphic starts。 The a graphic scene unfolds over the span of multiple pages。 At the end of this， there is a bit of final commentary on the author and a "selected works" section of works by that author。I finished this novel pretty quickly， and I think that it would be suitable for younger audiences。 The graphic aspect would probably intrigue younger teens and inspire them to read the works of the authors。 However， I could also see adults liking this style as well。 I think this book will be a great reference to keep near the front of my bookshelf。 If I am reading a work by one of the 18 authors， this will be useful to pull out and read the quick chapter to refresh my memory on the context of why she wrote。 I also think this book will be useful in order to find other works to read by these authors。The only complaint that I have is that I noticed several typos throughout the book。 My copy is not an ARC。 I had to knock 。5 off the rating because the typos are very noticeable， in my opinion （"they" where it should be "the"）。 There's just some really obvious mistakes in the published edition， and I really don't see how an editor overlooked them。I am very satisfied with this book and would highly recommend anyone， even if you're not used to reading graphic novels。 I normally don't read them， but I found this a pleasant read。 。。。more
Jill Jemmett
，
This nonfiction book tells the stories of 18 famous women writers， including Jane Austen， Charlotte Brontë， Beatrix Potter， and Louisa May Alcott。 Every section had written biographies which were followed by a graphic novel depiction of part of the author’s life。 Each little biography described their writing careers。 These included why they started writing and any controversy that their books caused。Feminism was a popular theme in these biographies。 Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the featured au This nonfiction book tells the stories of 18 famous women writers， including Jane Austen， Charlotte Brontë， Beatrix Potter， and Louisa May Alcott。 Every section had written biographies which were followed by a graphic novel depiction of part of the author’s life。 Each little biography described their writing careers。 These included why they started writing and any controversy that their books caused。Feminism was a popular theme in these biographies。 Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the featured authors， and she was one of the first women who was called a feminist。 Their status as women was often what drove their passion for writing。 Some authors， such as Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote to bring her family out of poverty。 Others， such as Anne Lister， weren’t popular in their time but became famous years after their death。As a writer， I found the publishing history of these authors fascinating。 Jane Austen sold her first novel for £10， which was a fortune to her。 Louisa May Alcott received a percentage of royalties from Little Women， which made her and her family famous。 After Beatrix Potter published her books， she spent her time searching for the bootleg merchandise that was sold with her characters names on them to protect her brand。 These women all had such different publishing experiences， but they all had to work very hard to have their voices heard。This was such a fun set of author biographies！Thank you Chronicle Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda Lavelle
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review。Well I think I’ll let the fact that I’ve ordered a hard copy of this book as a birthday treat for myself， to speak for itself。I really enjoyed this book， and particularly the layout of the book where we get a page of information about the author， then a few pages of graphic novel to depict moments in the author’s lives。There are some very famous names covered here such as Mary Shelley a Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review。Well I think I’ll let the fact that I’ve ordered a hard copy of this book as a birthday treat for myself， to speak for itself。I really enjoyed this book， and particularly the layout of the book where we get a page of information about the author， then a few pages of graphic novel to depict moments in the author’s lives。There are some very famous names covered here such as Mary Shelley and Charlotte Brontë， but I was pleased to discover some new names we well。 It was a little difficult to read on a small screen， but instead of putting me off- I really wanted to get my hands on a hard copy to fully appreciate the artwork and behold the thing of beauty。Really， really enjoyed this and highly recommend for anyone with an interest in learning the biography of some female authors。 。。。more
Tina Marson
，
Great book！
Susan
，
The authors in this graphic and written nonfiction book gives us a special look into the lives of them。 It is the moment of inspiration that gives the authors the idea to write。 The authors are all English writers starting with the 18th century to early 20th century。 It is amazing to see how women became authors in spite of the way the women and their writings were treated。 There is a page and/or more written of history， details and more about each author。 At thee end of each author there is a b The authors in this graphic and written nonfiction book gives us a special look into the lives of them。 It is the moment of inspiration that gives the authors the idea to write。 The authors are all English writers starting with the 18th century to early 20th century。 It is amazing to see how women became authors in spite of the way the women and their writings were treated。 There is a page and/or more written of history， details and more about each author。 At thee end of each author there is a brief bibliography of that woman’s writings。 The “comics” add to the know of the author’s life。 There is a bibliography， of the articles and books that the authors who wrote this book beside a brief biography。I enjoy reading about each of the women authors as I learned about a special moment of their life。 There were actually some authors I didn’t know。 It’s a fantastic book about well known women authors。 It’s given me the idea to go back and read those books written by these authors that I’ve read。。 it’s a must read for anyone who loves to read！Disclaimer: I received a book from the author/publisher from Netgalley。 I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all。 The opinions expressed are strictly my own。 。。。more
Jack Henley
，
Loved every page。 Really great essays and stories and the art work is excellent。
Reading with Cats
，
4。5 stars
Brooke Glazener
，
Unlike similar biography collections， this book did not overwhelm readers with information， nor did it provide so little as to be equivalent to “about the author” paragraphs。 Inclusion of graphic novelization portions will allow a wider range of readers to enjoy this fascinating discussion of female authors and the impact of their work。
Ben Truong
，
Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives， Inspiration， and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers is an anthology of eighteen biographies of writers that just happens to be women written by Lauren Burke and Hannah K。 Chapman and illustrated by Kaley Bales。 It is an anthology of eighteen biographies of women writers。For the most part， this collection of comics was written and constructed rather well。 This compelling graphic collection features eighteen women and postulates the re Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives， Inspiration， and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers is an anthology of eighteen biographies of writers that just happens to be women written by Lauren Burke and Hannah K。 Chapman and illustrated by Kaley Bales。 It is an anthology of eighteen biographies of women writers。For the most part， this collection of comics was written and constructed rather well。 This compelling graphic collection features eighteen women and postulates the reason they wrote during a time when being a woman writer often meant being undervalued， overlooked， or pigeonholed。 The women writers ranges from the eighteenth to early twenty centuries – some from familiar favorite and others undeservedly fallen into obscurity。 Each entry highlights a significant moment from each writer's life and retells it through engaging and accessible comics， along with biographical text， bibliographies， and fun facts。Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives， Inspiration， and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers is not an exception。 It is not so much as weaker entries， but the transition or juxtaposition of written biography， graphic novel， and factoids seemed rather disjointed and could have been done or organized more smoothly。All in all， Why She Wrote: A Graphic History of the Lives， Inspiration， and Influence Behind the Pens of Classic Women Writers is an insightful， encouraging， and empowering look into the lives of eight incredible female writers。 。。。more
Piers
，
Absolutely loved this。 I learned more about authors I'd read， I was exposed to remarkable writers I'd never heard of before， and was generally delighted all the way through。 Written with an easy， open and self-aware level of authority， lovingly curated， and with a beautiful art style。 The comic about Mary Shelley alone is breath-taking。 Perhaps the personal highlight for me though was that these brilliant women will also inspire me， a 36 year old man， to write more。 Because if these women could， Absolutely loved this。 I learned more about authors I'd read， I was exposed to remarkable writers I'd never heard of before， and was generally delighted all the way through。 Written with an easy， open and self-aware level of authority， lovingly curated， and with a beautiful art style。 The comic about Mary Shelley alone is breath-taking。 Perhaps the personal highlight for me though was that these brilliant women will also inspire me， a 36 year old man， to write more。 Because if these women could， with all the obstacles society threw into their path， then I certainly can。 Brilliant。 。。。more
Jamie
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3。5 stars
Kaylee Gwyn （literarypengwyns）
，