Juliet Takes a Breath

Preface

March 3, 2003

Dear Harlowe,

Hi, my name is Juliet Palante. I ve been reading your book Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind. No lie, I started reading it so that I could make people uncomfortable on the subway. I especially enjoyed whipping it out during impromptu sermons given by old sour-faced men on the 2 train. It amused me to watch men confront the word pussy in a context outside their control; you know, like in bright pink letters on the cover of some girl s paperback book.

My grandma calls me la sin vergüenza, the one without shame. She s right. I m always in it for the laughs. But I m writing to you now because this book of yours, this magical labia manifesto, has become my bible. It s definitely a reading from the book of white lady feminism and yet, there are moments where I see my round brown ass in your words. I wanted more of that, Harlowe, more representation, more acknowledgment, more room to breathe the same air as you. We are all women. We are all of the womb. It is in that essence of the moon that we share sisterhood that s you. You wrote that and I highlighted it, wondering if that was true. If you don t know my life and my struggle, can we be sisters?

Can a badass white lady like you make room for me? Should I stand next to you and take that space? Or do I need to just push you out of the way? Claim it myself now so that one day we ll be able to share this earth, this block, these deep breaths?

I hope it s okay that I say this to you. I don t mean any disrespect, but if you can question the patriarchy, then I can question you. I think. I don t really know how this feminism stuff works anyway. I ve only taken one women s studies class and that was legit because a cute girl on my floor signed up for it. This girl made me lose my train of thought. I wanted to watch her eat strawberries and make her a mixtape. So I signed up for the class and then she became my

Gabby Rivera is a Bronx-born queer Puerto Rican babe on a mission to create the wildest, most fun stories ever. She's the first Latina to write for Marvel comics, penning the solo series AMERICA about America Chavez, a portal-punching queer Latina powerhouse. In 2017, Gabby was named one of the top comic creators by the SyFy network, and one of NBC's #Pride30 Innovators. Gabby now makes magic on both coasts, currently residing in California. She writes for all the sweet baby queers and her mom, and hosts Joy Revolution, the podcast that brings together her favorite revolutionary humans to honor joy in a chaotic world.

People magazine Best Book of Fall 2019
Amazon Best Young Adult Book 
New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award nominee

Dazzling, funny as hell, poignant, all the things. Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body

"Juliet Takes a Breath is absolutely breathtaking. This is the homegirl I've always wanted to see in literature, made flesh by Rivera's pen." Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X

"Raw. Powerful. Honest. Juliet Takes a Breath is a luminous journey of self-discovery. Through Juliet's awakening, Rivera gently challenges us to step out of the shadows and into the light, and reminds us that successful rebellion begins with loving yourself in all your infinite variety." Samira Ahmed, New York Times best­selling author of Love, Hate & Other Filters and Internment

Rivera captures both the disappointments and the possibilities that come with realizing that your life s solution cannot be figured out by someone else. The New York Times Book Review
 
* Reflects early adult life . . . in all its messy, confusing splendor. Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
A whirlwind coming-of-age story that leaves one breathless. Kirkus Reviews

"This humorous and heartbreaking summer coming-of-age tale is reminiscent of Isabel Quintero's 2015 Morris Award winner Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. . . . A powerful novel." School Library Journal
 
"The kind of book that gets the bitter­sweet pain and longing of growing up exactly right." Lambda Literary

"Gabby Rivera's genius lies in her ability to make you weep and laugh in the same paragraph. Juliet Takes a Breath is powerful AF." Zoraida Cordova, author of Labyrinth Lost and Bruja Born

"Vivid, loving, sexy, true, and exuberantly alive. Gabby Rivera is the voice that YA has long needed and Juliet Takes a Breath is a breathtaking novel that speaks to every young woman