As with most anthologies, some stories I liked better than others... However, there was nary a petticoat to be seen in at least 3/4 of these stories (just saying.) ( )

I got through the first three stories and then I bailed. Life's too shorts to rage read.

A very short breakdown:
1/ A story about an escaped slave who dies for reasons 100% unknown and unclear in the story, other than it created a magical cliffhanger ending instead of an actual happy ending. Written by a white woman.

2/ Inupiat story written by an Asian American woman, in which colonizers brutally murder just about everybody and the "good guys" who rescue her are missionaries, a group of people who in reality helped crush the population of indigenous people in the Americas. So poorly researched the author wrote about using reins on sled dogs (not how that works) and reported her favorite story growing up was the very problematic Julie of the Wolves. (And I'm not just saying that as a veterinarian who hates the "alpha" bull**** and the incredibly inaccurate depictions of wolf pack dynamics.)

3/ A story about a young black woman who wants to be the mistress of a white man she barely knows, but then learns better and decides to marry a black man she isn't attracted to. Written by a white woman.

When I got this collection and saw the write up, I assumed it would be a diverse collection of stories written by a diverse collection of women. I think there is some truth to that but I think you have to recognize the impact of writing problematic stories, even if you're trying to be "woke." Especially if you're trying to be "woke." I think saying only #ownvoices writers can write anyone who is not cisgender, white, heterosexual, blah, blah, blah is wrong and limiting, but this collection is really changing my mind after just 3 stories. ( )

So cute and inspiring! ( )

Quantum Leap for adolescent girls? I kind of want to buy a few dozen copies and give them out every time i encounter a teen girl and tell her, "You might need this to learn to be a kickass heroine". Some stories are incredibly moving and inspirational, some are depressing, but all are historically accurate (with the except of one fantasy story) stories of strong-willed girls who chased their dreams. Most stories feature minorities from African Americans to Native Americans to Chinese Americans and/or socio-economic, sexual and religious diversity. At least one story made me cry and at least one made me extremely happy. One (accidental?) theme of A Tyranny of Petticoats is standing up to evil/bullies/corrupt authority; some stories remind me a lot of The Secret Life of Bees. I've never been particularly into American History (...whatsoever), but in several cases A Tyranny of Petticoats had me reaching for Wikipedia. Very highly recommended. ( )

A Tyranny of Petticoats is a collection of short stories about teenage girls throughout American history. I borrowed it for the Elizabeth Wein short story, “The Color of the Sky”, about a girl who meets Bessie Coleman, the first black woman to get a pilot’s licence, which was sad but excellent.

However, the rest of the collection reminded me that short stories, young adult and historical fiction are all things I enjoy and probably haven’t read enough of in the past year. I also learnt a few things I didn’t know about US history.

My favourites stories were: “Pearls” by Beth Revis (1876; girl gets job as a teacher out west), “The Legendary Garrett Girls” by Y.S. Lee (1898; two sisters run a pub in Alaska), “Bonnie and Clyde” by Saundra Mitchell (1934; girl robs banks disguised as a boy), “Hard Times” by Katherine Longshore (1934; girl travels looking for work) and “The Pulse of the Panthers” by Kekla Magoon (1967; girl who has never left home meets members of the Black Panthers movement).

As a rule, I liked the straight-historical stories much more than the ones with fantasy/supernatural elements. ( )