When Women Were Dragons: an enduring, feminist novel from New York Times bestselling author, Kelly Barnhill

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Nobody knew whether or not the spontaneous transformation was their choice. Nobody knew why some women “dragoned”, and became wyverns, and others did not. Nobody knew what was to become of those left behind. Alex knew no more than anyone else: When I was a little girl, they told us to keep our eyes on the ground. They told us not to ask about the houses that burned. They told us to forget. And we were good children. We followed the rules. Kelly Barnhill goes on to specify what prompted her to write this tale. It was an allegation of historical sexual assault by the professor of psychology, Christine Blasey Ford, against the judge Brett Kavanaugh, who would later become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. I am English, and had not been aware of this, and can’t make a proper assessment, but whatever the truth, wiki makes it clear that it was an extremely nasty and protracted case, with accusations of “victim blaming”. Kelly Barnhill is adamant, saying that: My mittens, sitting on the ground next to Beatrice and me, began to change. I watched as the yarn unwound itself and rewound differently, writhing gently like a basket of snakes … And it wasn’t just the mittens.”

I felt a kinship with the characters who dragoned and a fire inside that I fully expected to result in my own dragoning. I love this book so much! “Today’s the day!” Content warnings include mention of alcoholism, death of animals, domestic abuse, racism and sexual assault. In the first adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Ogress and The Orphans, Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of. I had a friend once. But my father dragged her away. There was more to that story, but it hovered just out of my reach, insubstantial as smoke.”More than anything, this book is angry, in a deeply relatable, quietly suppressed way. The allegory of dragons as ‘women’s problems’ is sharply and skilfully woven, from the taboo against even the most euphemistic discussion, to the ingrained expectation that girls “keep their eyes on the ground” so they don’t get any lofty ideas about flying, to the plea that daughters be protected from dragon influences at school (“They asked for America to please think of the children.”) The way Alex herself plays into this dragon-related sexism is an apt example of how women replicate their own experiences to enforce patriarchal expectations: she doesn’t let her younger sister Beatrice play make-believe about dragons or talk about flying with wings, using her mother’s script. “Inappropriate.” This is a brilliant story that is about women empowering themselves and making the choice as to how they live their own lives. This is a time when women stay home, cook meals, look after the house, raise the children and have a meal ready on the table for when their husband walks in the door. It is very much a patriarchal society and while this story is set in a small area in the US, it was something that was a worldwide thing. I am here to point you to the fact that once upon a time, humanity worshipped the Divine Feminine, and that in that time all of humanity was in thrall of her power and strength, both procreative and destructive, both fecund and barren, both joy and terror, all at once.” – Kelly Barnhill. I thought I was writing about a bunch of fire-breathing, powerful women. And while those women certainly are in this book, it isn’t about them. It’s about a world upended by trauma and shamed into silence. And that silence grows, and becomes toxic, and infects every aspect of life. Perhaps this sounds familiar to you now—times being what they are.”

Completely fierce, unmistakably feminist, and subversively funny. - Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

I was promised women raging, fighting oppression by turning into dragons. And instead I get a scientific yawn fest? WHY. There are people who have problems with women, and alas, many of them are also women. That is because of something called the patriarchy, which I'm sure they have not discussed in that school you go to, but that doesn't stop it from being an unnecessary and oppressive obstacle, and best disposed of as soon as possible.” We learn about the work of the “Wyvern Research Collective”, an underground collective of researchers, scientists, doctors, and librarians, spearheaded by Mrs. Gyzinska’s friend Dr. Gantz—who turns out to be Professor H.M. Gantz M.D. Ph. D, author of the 1948 book “Some Basic Facts about Dragons: A Physician’s Explanation”, of which all copies are supposed to have been destroyed. On March 12th 1960, Dr. Gantz had been tried before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and found guilty.

Then Aunt Marla disappears during a “mass dragoning” of nearly 650,000 women, leaving a baby behind. Beatrice is adopted as Alex’s “sister,” and any mention of her aunt or dragons is forbidden. Her mother begins obsessively weaving knots, and her parents cut off Alex’s friendship with a neighbor girl, who also disappears. The novel ends with Alex having achieved her academic promise, and Bea having now dragoned, becoming an ambassador for peace worldwide. How other countries responded to the dragons is not mentioned, nor what happened when they travelled or emigrated. There is a huge discrepancy here, since the existence of dragoning has only ever been mentioned as happening in America. Unfortunately this is another flaw in the book, which I feel may not have been so evident if it had been a short story or novella. Tribune, Trisha Collopy Star. "Review: 'When Women Were Dragons,' by Kelly Barnhill". Star Tribune . Retrieved 2022-12-16. This was a brilliant book to read, at times I admit it did get a bit far-fetched, but it still kept up the flow and feel of the story. I think at times I actually forgot some of the characters were dragons! While it is true that there is a freedom in forgetting - and this country has made great use of that freedom - there is a tremendous power in remembrance. Indeed, it is memory that teaches us, and reminds us, again and again, who we truly are and who we have always been.”

Inequality in a women’s world , in an effective tongue-in cheek manner, rather than a dogmatic, lecture style. This magical fantasy nicely explores self actualization, importance of sisterhood, When Women Were Dragons is an attention-grabbing title. It sounds like alternative history, is it? Yes. But is it also a metaphor? Yes. Or is it an allegory? Again, yes. It’s also in part a coming-of-age story. You see, it all depends how you look at it. philandering husbands extracted from the embraces of their mistresses and devoured on the spot, in view of astonished onlookers”. Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.