When Women Were Dragons

A few things to know about me as a reader: I’m a sucker for a literalized metaphor; I’m very invested in the expression of female rage; and I love dragons. I’m also a huge fan of Kelly Barnhill’s middle grade writing (The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a masterpiece that should be devoured by readers of all ages), so when I found out she was writing an adult fiction novel in which unhappy, furious women spontaneously turned into dragons, my response, naturally, was, “sign me the $%*& up.” Yours should be the same. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com

The first adult novel by the Newbery award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a rollicking feminist tale set in 1950s America where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman's place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are.

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this disturbing event: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and helping to raise a beloved younger girl obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the forced limitations of girlhood. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small — their lives and their prospects — and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.

"Completely fierce, unmistakably feminist, and subversively funny, When Women Were Dragons brings the heat to misogyny with glorious imagination and talon-sharp prose. Check the skies tonight — you might just see your mother." Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

Kelly Barnhill has written several middle grade novels, including The Girl Who Drank the Moon, a New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2017 John Newbery Medal. She is also the recipient of the World Fantasy Award, and has been a finalist for the SFWA Andre Norton Nebula Award and the PEN America Literary Award. She lives in Minneapolis with her family.