The Radical Monarchs Founders' Picks: Coming-of-Age Books by Women of Color

Last updated: September 19, 2023

In 2014, Anayvette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest and their daughters formed the Radical Monarchs, a scouting group for girls of color focused on social justice and self-empowerment. Since then, the group has grown into a national organization dedicated to teaching self-love to young girls of color as they work to make a difference and fight for justice in their communities. This includes earning merit badges like Black Lives Matter, Radical Coding, or Pachamama Justice. The group also inspired an award-winning documentary, We Are the Radical Monarchs, which premiered on PBS on July 20, 2020.

As experts in supporting girls and girl-identifying tweens of color, Anayvette and Marilyn have selected these coming-of-age novels as empowering, inspiring stories for young people. "These are some of our favorite books written by brilliant women of color that center a young person's journey to self-discovery, identity, empowerment, love, and joy," they say of the featured picks. To learn more about the Radical Monarchs, watch the documentary or find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or their website.