About the book That Takes Ovaries and the book’s back cover

About the book

That Takes Ovaries: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts (Random House/Three Rivers Press) presents sixty-four brave, unabashed, fun-loving women and their short stories of strength and audacity. That Takes Ovaries embraces women’s empowerment by rejecting the notion of how females should behave and instead boldly declares, “Look what I just did!” From courageous and smart to outrageous and foolhardy, from the seemingly frivolous to the obviously political, this culturally diverse group of women and girls models the range of what real femininity looks like today – sassy, self-assured, and estrogen-fueled.

• Alison launches a pee protest in order to secure a wheelchair accessible bathroom on campus. [Link to story]
• With her two moms, eight-year-old Amanda leads the first gay pride march in her town.
• Maria, a Catholic schoolteacher, sneaks in to see the Pope.
• Cecilia decides to be a sex writer.

Whether you always knew you had ovaries or you’re just figuring it out now, this book will spur you on to be even more feisty and fearless.  And because courage is contagious, your boldness will spread like ripples in a pond, creating a wave of empowered females.

Book back cover

Having ovaries: unabashed, gutsy, feisty, playful, challenging, full of chutzpah, mettlesome, naughty, victorious, straight from the hip, full-flavored, outrageous, righteous, loving, inspiring, bold as brass, self-assured, self-confident, self-possessed, daring, heroic, wild, wanton, crazy, optimistic, unflappable, pushy, unstoppable, impressive, rebellious, unstoppable, kick-ass, carefree, having moxie, having heart, having no fear.

“That takes balls” are the three words of praise usually reserved for a man who has done something tough, fearless, and maybe a little crazy – someone who pushes the boundaries or breaks a few rules. But when it comes to hotheaded courage, impassioned activism, quirky wisdom or bold confrontation, women have got what it takes – and then some! That Takes Ovaries is a lively, fun, and often touching celebration of women and girls doing their thing their way:

• Kathleen reduces a would-be burglar to tears by lecturing him about Black pride. [Link to story]
• Elaine plunges from airplanes on a 30-inch surfboard. [Link to story]
• Rachel, a high school junior, organizes 100 girls to take on the boys who harass them.
• Denise, a teenage cashier, faces down a gun-wielding gang-banger in a fast-food joint.
• Joani, a public health educator, opens the country’s first women-oriented sex toy store.
• Eva makes a dangerous, illegal journey from Central America to the US to give her children a better life.

Now that takes ovaries! Women’s empowerment at its best.

Buy the That Takes Ovaries book.