Girlhood: Teens Around the World in their Own Voices

Girlhood: Teens Around the World in their Own Voices by Masuma Ahuja

Reviewed by K. Dixon, B. McAuley, V. McManis, A. Meija, and A. Pitts

Review:

Masuma Ahuja’s “Girlhood: Teens Around the World in their Own Voices” offers an innovative look into the lives of thirty different young girls, aged thirteen to nineteen from all around the world. Spanning six continents and twenty-seven countries, Ahuja sets out to show the reader that there is no one way to be a girl or to experience girlhood. From school to crushes to family worries, Ahuja explores every aspect of these girls varying experiences, and how at the end of the day, in spite of all their differences, girlhood still connects them even with they exist thousands of miles apart. As the title implies, the thirty girls truly do show and tell their stories in their own voices and from their varying perspectives. The journey entries of each girl provides an intricately personal look into their everyday lives and the different happenings in their varying existences. The look into the girls’ lives range from whimsical and carefree to deeply heartfelt firsthand experiences of the struggles that they go through. With each girl, the reader can see  both the similarities and differences, the way that each girl is shaped by her unique circumstances, as well as the commonalities that connect all the girls together. Ahuja puts a face, or rather, faces to the indefinable concept that is girlhood. In a variety of images, journal entries, explored talking points, and questions, Ahuja showcases all the different facets to the girls’ lives as the move through their adolescents into adulthood. She does a small deep dive into the specifics of each girl and the way that they figure into the general population of women in their country, or alternatively, the way that they are different from the other women in their country. Ahuja links the girl’s stories to the statistics and problems with their country, further creating a sense of connectedness between girls as a whole. Ahuja’s personal touch and passion for this project really makes this collection shine. The book’s unapologetically authentic view point that does not judge nor limit the discussions that the girls create in their journals and responses. The collection manages to maintain a consistency throughout without becoming heavy handedly formulaic, allowing for each girl to shine in her own right. Ahuja caters to the individual qualities of each girl’s story, slightly shifting focus from girl to girl so that the reader can fully appreciate the way the girls differ. This collection does not tone down the troubles that the girls face, but it also does not overtly focus on them. In this way, the novel keeps the feeling of being genuine, while still maintaining accessibility for a younger viewership. This book is a wonderful read for anyone wanting to get a look into girl’s lives around the world. Masuma Ahuja’s “Girlhood: Teens Around the World in their Own Voices” is an eye opening collection that can be appreciated by everyone. 

Biography:

    Masuma Ahuja is a reporter, journalist, author and the founder of the media venture GIRLHOOD which is a multi-media format which allows readers to submit entries and share about their experiences. She is the author of the book “GIRLHOOD”, a collection of narratives about daily life written by teens from around the world to share different perspectives about life as a young woman. 
    Her work as a journalist and reporter includes publications for notable sources such as CNN and the Washington Post. She is a seasoned journalist and has covered many topics including that of “US politics”, “elections, the refugee crisis”, “the Olympics” and material about “women’s lives” (Ajuha, masuma.net/about). More of her work as a journalist includes being an associate with the Imperial War Museum’s Institute for public understanding of war and conflict. She has also worked on projects like BASELINE, a documentary about climate change. 
    Not only does she share her work through writing but is known to tell stories through multi-media formats including digital work, journals, and projects online to connect with readers. Ahuja has earned notable accolades for her work including the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service regarding work she had done about the NSA. She also received a Murrow Award and a  Webby for her coverage of the 2016 election on CNN. Among these awards includes an EPPY award for her multi-media works as well (Ahuja, masuma.net). She also received a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation so that she could cover stories about “women’s migration from Sri Lanka” (Ahuja, masuma.net). 
    Her most recent and new project is founding the “media venture” (Ajuha, masuma.net), “GIRLHOOD” which allows readers to submit their own narratives, share, and read other’s stories. 

Instructional Resources:

  1. https://www.thelily.com/tag/girlhood-around-the-world/                                                                 Masuma Ahuja’s inspiration for Girlhood: Teens around the World in Their Own Voices began with a mini series she had crafted for the Washington Post’s The Lily back in 2018. The Lily is a product of the Washington Post and is a “newspaper” focused on providing a platform for the various voices and experiences of millennial women.
  2. https://www.masuma.net/                                                                                                                    If you enjoyed Masuma Ahuja’s Girlhood: Teens around the World in Their Own Voices and want to know more about the process of creating the book, or simply want to know more about Masuma Ahuja’s personal accomplishments, feel free to check out her website that has links to all her literary work, interviews, press conferences, and contact information.
  3. https://www.journalism.co.uk/podcast/the-old-new-and-unexpected-mediums-for-telling-human-stories/s399/a741844/                                                                                                                       In this twenty-minute podcast with Daniel Green from 2019, Masuma Ahuja discusses her exploration of non-traditional story-telling methods. Not only does she discuss the compilation of diary entries that were published in Girlhood: Teens around the World in Their Own Voices, but she also touches on some of her other methods of collecting women’s stories such as using disposable cameras and answering machines.
  4. https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/12/make-foreign-coverage-less-foreign/                                    In 2019, Masuma Ahuja published an article with Niemanlab detailing her hopes for the future of journalism. In her article, Ahuja calls for the deforeignization of foreign coverage that brings attention to social issues such as migration, gender, and human rights. The Niemanlab’s predictions for journalism are updated yearly.
  5. https://www.unicef.org/gender-equality/international-day-girl-2021                                          This website provides statistics regarding gender inequality statistics and the struggle of girls to achieve both digital and job related equality.  This source also provides video diaries of girls who are coping/have coped with COVID-19, information on girl mentorship, an inspiring photo essay on building a world of opportunity for women, as well as information on implementing programs in schools for girls to become more educated in tech-related jobs and possibilities.  In order to change the status quo, we must teach these girls to create their voices and use them in order to change the world around us.
  6. https://penzu.com                                                                                                                              Is a journaling website created for students to keep track of their lives, hopes, and dreams. The app provides prompts for traveling, health, academics, prayers, etc.  The prompts consist of a number of journal prompts, along with diary templates, aiding students in the creative process of journaling.  Of course, it can also be used as a diary, with a security function that can be locked by a password or security question to protect the students’ privacy.  In the ever changing world of technology, having an app like this allows students to have a safe space for their private thoughts and dreams.  
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04WPFeK-sLg                                                                      Here we have an interview with Masuma Ahuja herself, where she discusses her writing process of the book, why she decided to write this book, how she structured it to keep the book in their voices, as well as her process in finding these girls.  She talks about her purpose for the book, being a safe place for the children to be heard, and she even states that “their stories matter and belong on the pages of a book”.  
  8. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-find-your-voice-in-writing#5-steps-to-find-your-writers-voice                                                                                                                                 This website is a how-to create your voice in writing.  It gives 5 basic guidelines for creating a voice, and I found it informative to aid students who want to develop deeper in their writing, for more than just diary-entries.

Instructional Activity:

Preview:

The purpose of this assignment is to get students to evaluate different points of view and experiences from around the world in relation to their own The first activity is designed to get students thinking about their own day to day experiences before they begin reading the text. As they read through the book and discover new perspectives, they will then begin to reflect upon their own experiences from assignment one and connect them to the experiences of another teen around the world in the second activity.

Resources and Preparation:

Girlhood Activity One Resource:
     
Activity 1 
  1. To start this activity the students will fill out this small sheet before they read the book.
  2. They must answer four questions asked throughout Girlhood: Teens Around the World In Their Own Voices. Some of the most frequent questions are: 
    1. What do you want to do when you grow up?
    2. How do you spend your free time out of school?
    3. What is your favorite subject and why?
    4.  Describe your family 
    5. Describe your friends
  3. They will then provide a brief description of themselves.
  4. They will then complete a small journal entry for their day.


Activity Two Resource:
Activity 2

1. Once the students complete the text they will then begin the second worksheet. 
2. They must first choose a teen from the book that they feel any sort of connection with. 
3. They will then paraphrase= what the teen gave as their answers for four of their questions.. 
4. The students will then evaluate how their experiences are similar or different from their chosen teen.
5. The student will then write a brief message or personal letter to the teen.  

California Common Core Standards:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6 - Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.11-12.3 - Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Bibliography

About. Masuma Ahuja. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.masuma.net/about 

Ahuja, Masuma. Girlhood: Teens around the World in Their Own Voices. Algonquin, 2021. 

Ahuja, Masuma. “Make Foreign Coverage Less Foreign.” Nieman Lab, https://www.niemanlab.org/2018/12/make-foreign-coverage-less-foreign/.

Ahuja, Masuma. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.masuma.net/ 

Ahuja, Masuma. ONA21. (2021, June 25). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://ona21.journalists.org/speaker/masuma-ahuja/ 

Ahuja, Masuma. Masuma Ahuja, https://www.masuma.net/.

Bummer City Historical Society, director. Interview with Masuma Ahuja - Bummin' Out with James . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04WPFeK-sLg.

Green, Daniel. “The Old, the New and the Unexpected Mediums for Telling Human Stories.” Journalism.co.uk, Journalism.co.uk, 19 July 2019, https://www.journalism.co.uk/podcast/the-old-new-and-unexpected-mediums-for-telling-human-stories/s399/a741844/.

MasterClass. “How to Find Your Voice in Writing: 5 Steps to Developing a Strong Voice - 2021.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-find-your-voice-in-writing#5-steps-to-find-your-writers-voice.

Penzu, https://classic.penzu.com/.

Thelilynews. “The Lily - Girlhood-around-the-World.” Https://Www.thelily.com, The Lily,                               https://www.thelily.com/tag/girlhood-around-the-world/.

UNICEF. “International Day of the Girl 2021.” UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/gender-equality/international-day-girl-2021.




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