It’s funny how one day a book is relevant, and then the very next day, that same book becomes an anthem call.  

 

Rage.  Forced to fit into a mold and drowning in societal expectations.  Have you ever wondered what could happen when the pressure gets too much?

 

In Barnhill’s reimagining, the perfect blend of magic and anger allows an untold number of women to spontaneously transform into dragons rather than live under increasing patriarchal demands.  Our narrator, Alex, is young when the Mass Dragoning takes place, setting her on a path to discovery, of both society and herself.  

 

Barnhill dedicated this book to Christine Blasey Ford, “whose testimony triggered this narrative.” And as I read about women breaking free (and sometimes devouring their abusers), I understood.  It vividly reminded me of the immense frustration I felt listening to Blasey-Ford, yet another victim, testify only to be ignored.  

 

Yet in the end, the novel moves from rage to joy… rather than dragoning to overcome, women dragon out of beauty and joy.  And while I agree that there is great beauty in the boldness and bravery in my fellow womankind, I do not think we have arrived in a place where rage is not the primary motivator.  Maybe that is to come.  I hope that is our future.  

 

Until it is… much like the early dragons, we continue to fight against a patriarchy that continues to push us down.