The Little Book of Feminist Saints

November 20, 2017
Novelist Pierpont (Among Ten Thousand Things) and illustrator Thapp collaborate to create a patchwork of biographical sketches on groundbreaking women, from well-known figures such as former first lady Michelle Obama and the Brontë sisters to lesser-known women such as WWII lieutenant Grace Hopper. The format plays off the Catholic saint-of-the-day book, meant to be read in intervals as a source of daily inspiration. Each entry aims to delineate one of the fascinating experiences and contributions of a women Pierpont and Thapp deem worthy of secular feminist sainthood. Pierpont plays around with style of the entries with varying degrees of success. The entry on Barbara Jordan, for example, is written entirely in the second-person, which is distracting and provides no real grounding of Jordan’s accomplishments; the same is true for the entry on Ann and Cecile Richards, which is composed of quotes from the women themselves. There are moments when Pierpont strikes the perfect balance between style and content; the profiles of Helen Keller and Bea Arthur, for example, combine the right amount of introductory information with a written flair that renders these women as worthy idols. Thapp’s colorful painted portraits of each subject enhance the book’s appeal.

February 1, 2018
Novelist Pierpont (Among the Ten Thousand Things, 2015) and illustrator Manjit Thapp, who has a devoted Instagram following, collaborate for this secular daily devotional of activists and writers, artists and adventurers who defied the roles their eras and circumstances assigned to them. From Sappho to Pussy Riot, the 99 matron saints (some of whom are part of a pair or group) are organized chronologically by their given feast days. Opposite Pierpont's descriptions, which pull illustrative quotes and often-prescient details from saints' stories, rather than fully portray them, Thapp's full-color portraits stare at readers, saint-style, with clear eyes and a cutting gaze in common. Seventeenth-century Mexican nun Juana Ines de la Cruz, whose thousands of books were confiscated when her writing became too provocative, is the matron saint of intellectuals; assassinated Pakistani Peoples Party leader Benazir Bhutto is the matron saint of democracy; and Maya Angelou, who overcame trauma-triggered mutism as a child and published her first book at age 41, is the matron saint of storytellers. A gloriously diverse, edifying, and curiosity-inspiring collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 15, 2018
From novelist Pierpont (Among the Ten Thousand Things, 2015) and British illustrator Thapp, an enticing collection of biographical portraits of extraordinary women.The author models her richly varied collection of 100 "feminist saints" on the "Catholic saint-of-the-day book," offering one-page inspirational snapshots that aim to capture the spirit of her path-breaking subjects versus history's fuller remembrance of them. Pierpont's pithy write-ups are accompanied by Thapp's funky, wonderfully expressive color illustrations, making for an engaging picture-book experience for adults. From Sappho to Malala to Pussy Riot, Pierpont tracks well over two millennia of women's achievements ranging from the likes of artists, politicians, and scientists to athletes, screen stars, and comics. Though loosely organized around the calendar year, the portraits may be read consecutively or piecemeal; each offers a glimpse of one of Pierpont's "matron saints" in her respective element. Thus, March 26 contains a spirited anecdote from Sandra Day O'Connor, "Matron Saint of Justice," who, in October 1983, wrote to admonish the New York Times, noting that "for over two years now SCOTUS has not consisted of nine men. If you have any contradictory information, I would be grateful if you would forward it as I'm sure the POTUS, the SCOTUS and the undersigned (the FWOTSC) [first woman of the Supreme Court] would be most interested in seeing it." April 1 is for Wangari Maathai, "Matron Saint of Sustainability," who started the Green Belt Movement in her native Kenya, planting 50 million trees and training "thirty thousand women in forestry and food processing, allowing them to make their own incomes." Matthai became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. July 15 features signature quips from powerhouse mother-and-daughter duo Ann and Cecile Richards; says Ann: "I get a lot of cracks about my hair, mostly from men who don't have any." Other trailblazers include Virginia Woolf, Billie Jean King, and Ada Lovelace.Bold and sassy, Pierpont and Thapp's "little" collection of secular "saints" stands tall: required reading for any seeking to broaden their historical knowledge.

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