I am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler
I am an Emotional Creature is a collection of monologues written by Eve Ensler. Ensler is well-known for writing The Vagina Monologues. The Vagina Monologues is a mature read as it is performed by adult women and discusses strong sexual content. However, I am an Emotional Creature is written for young adult women as well. The monologues in this collection are inspired by the lives of girls all over the world. It includes powerful messages about what it means to be an emotional creature. Eve Ensler urges readers not to quiet themselves or make themselves lesser than they are. She wants every girl and every boy to fully live out their dreams and to be as emotional as they want.
The topics of the monologues range from child factory workers in China to eating disorders and abortion. The sensitive nature of some of these monologues might make this a controversial book for a school library media center to have in its collection. Rape and human trafficking are also discussed. I do not believe in censorship. Instead, I believe in having conversations about the topics that a reader might find disturbing. If I were checking this book out to a young adult, I might just let them know that there are some challenging themes in the book. Teenagers are more aware of these issues than adults think. They are facing some of these challenges themselves. Every day, people tell young woman what they should eat, how they should look, what they should wear, and how they should act. Ensler’s book asks readers to ignore these pressures. The monologues would help young adults suffering from mental illness to feel less alone.
I’ve been having a difficult time choosing my favorite monologue. I love the monologue that shares its name with the title of the book. Ensler has a truly powerful voice that I cannot forget. This book discusses diversity in the sense that it tells stories based on the real-life experiences of young woman globally. Ensler traveled and met with these women. She heard their stories and wrote her monologues. She writes about Muslim girls, Christian girls, African American Girls, Chinese girls, rich girls, impoverished girls, happy girls, and depressed girls. The ultimate message of this book is that every girl has a unique power within herself, a power she must not forget as she grows into an adult woman. I highly recommend this book. I also ask that if you read this book, you share it with a girl who is important to you. Tell her she is an emotional creature and that it makes her beautiful.
Reference
Ensler, E. (2010). I am an Emotional Creature. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
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