empower: fight like a girl

empower: fight like a girl is a collection of short stories written by female authors who are best known for their work on a variety of television shows. The title promises stories about female characters unafraid to fight their own battles which I found intriguing. Furthermore, the proceeds of the book are donated to the Lupus Foundation of America. And I should add that I own pretty much any book Jane Espenson helped create. So buying this collection was basically a no-brainer .

The authors featured in the book are each named on the cover and have contributed a total of sixteen short stories to the book. What makes this especially interesting to me - except for the obvious feminist ideals - is the fact that the authors are largely known as television writers. This is noticeable through the stories. Some reference it overtly such as Jane Espenson's "INT. WOLF - NIGHT". In other cases like "Three Minutes" by Liz Edwards the build up and suspense created in a very short very specific scene reads like something out of a visual thriller. And it is good. "Three Minutes" is scary and that in a way that speaks specifically to girls.

Not all of the stories work and as with every collections there are hits and misses but for me the book as a whole worked. My favorite story has to be "Bat Girl" by Kira Snyder in which the protagonist is a supernatural lighting technician who gets revenge after her colleagues make fun of her weight. As in many of my favorite fantastical stories the girl and the monster are one and the same. And in this book at least that means they can be empowered.