SMASH: Tearing Down Gender Rules
- Girls like pink and boys like blue? Says who?
- Why do your sister’s LEGO sets have fewer pieces and minifigures that look like dolls?
- Boys don’t cry? Wait…don’t we all cry?
- What do you mean, “Sit like a lady?”
- Why are most of the characters on TV boys and men?
- Who makes up all these rules? And why???
If you’ve ever had any of these questions, then SMASH is the book for you.
SMASH = my academic expertise in gender studies + my experience raising kids + my desire to make this world a better place = my straightforward talk to YOU about:
girls * boys * gender * sexism * gender roles * pizza rolls (<–not really, just wanted to see if you’re reading!) * stereotypes * gender police * objectification * representation * and much, much more!
If you don’t know what some of those terms mean, guess what? You’ll have to read SMASH and find out.
So, who should read SMASH?
SMASH is for middle-grade kids, but you might enjoy the book if you’re a young adult, a parent, or a teacher.
Middle-grade kids are the perfect audience to start learning about how our culture constructs gender. They are bombarded with media messages. SMASH gives them the tools to decipher these messages and decide who they want to be.
Is it just for girls?
Heck, no! Why do people think something about gender is only for girls? Boys have gender, too. Yes, sexism hurts girls…but it hurts boys, too. We all need to TEAR DOWN THE GENDER RULES to be our best selves. I guarantee any boy who reads SMASH will enjoy it and learn a lot.
But, Sarah, why did you write this book?
I’ve taught gender studies to university students for over 18 years–mostly to first year students who haven’t thought much about these issues. I like to take complicated issues and make them simple to understand. I’ve talked to my own kids about the material in SMASH since they were born. I believe kids are absolutely capable of learning how to analyze the messages they receive about gender–then kids are empowered to decide how to be their most authentic selves.
What do your kids think about SMASH?
They’re kind of excited, but mostly sick of hearing about it. Fortnite, Panic! at the Disco, marching band, Pokémon Go, and probably even school are much more exciting than any book Mom might write.
Wow, I’m interested! Tell me more.
SMASH is currently making the rounds under the expert supervision of my literary agent Irene Goodman. As soon as we’ve found a publishing home for SMASH, you’ll be the first to know.
Interested in the origin story of SMASH? Check out my latest blog post.
Sarah E. Stevens 