Alice Vol. 4 No. 1

VOX
BY CHRISTINA DALCHER
If you like The Handmaid’s Tale, you’ll love
this novel. Set in a society in the not-so-distant
future, Vox describes a world where women’s
rights are slowly taken away. Now, women
must wear bracelets that limit them to 100
words a day or they will experience immense
pain. Some people say that Vox feels less like
a dystopian novel and more like a warning
for what’s to come given our current political
climate. Regardless, it certainly offers insight
into the oppression of women and how far that
can go.
THE BELL JAR
BY SYLVIA PLATH
This novel is a must-read for every woman.
Esther Greenwood is a college student working
for a women’s fashion magazine in New
York City. While she is living this incredibly
luxurious life, she’s in reality just a smalltown
girl with a man, Buddy Willard, waiting
to marry her. In the summer, Esther is forced
to go home and live with her mother. She tries
to write a novel, but she soon becomes deeply
depressed knowing her extravagant life in
New York City is over. The Bell Jar shines a
light on the postgraduate turmoil many people
experience and portrays mental illness in a way
that is simultaneously raw and relatable.
SHE WOULD BE KING
BY WAYÉTU MOORE
This novel is a mix of historical fiction and
fantastical realism. It takes us back to the
inception of Liberia, one of the West-African
colonies that former slaves from the United
States were sent to after the abolition of
slavery. Gbessa, June and Norman come from
different walks of life, but they all have magical
gifts that allow them to settle differences
between settlers and natives. The settlement of
Liberia and America’s involvement in African
governments are often overlooked in American
history. This book covers so much of that
history in such an interesting and enlightening
way. It’s an excellent read, not only for its
historical relevance but for its mystical story
that will leave readers empowered.
Alice Winter 2019 93