Book Review: Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

I’m going to start off by saying – I’m not really a poem kind of person. I have uttered the words (probably) that I hate them. So picking up a book of poems wasn’t a normal life choice but with a title like Fierce Fairytales – I really couldn’t help it, plus the cover was just so lovely. The premise of these poems and stories is that traditional fairytales are cliched and gender stereotyped so Gill took old tales and new ones to “dismantle old-fashioned tropes that have become ingrained in our minds.”

Nikita Gill is a British-Indian from the South of England so our interpretations of some aspects of life will always differ because we grew up in different contexts and cultures. Despite any challenges to my worldview, I really enjoyed this collection. As a self-proclaimed independent woman, I’ve always had issue with fairytales and the idea of needing a man to save me, so this was a fun, thought-provoking journey looking at tales I know with a new spin. It also addressed some very real issues with the world we live in – especially for women. So while this isn’t a book I would recommend to children – maybe read it before you read fairytales to your children and consider how perhaps we’re teaching our daughters subconscious things they don’t need to take on – it is a book I would recommend to anyone who’s interested in challenging their ideas about women.

Critical thinking is one of my personal challenges this next season – to really think about the media I’m ingesting, the words I’m saying and the impact both have on my life and others. I think Fierce Fairytales, while it doesn’t necessarily line-up perfectly with my belief system – it challenges my thinking to be more nuanced before making judgement calls about people and how they got to where they are and why the behave the way they behave. It’s also full of incredible lines of empowerment and encouragement that make my soul sing and fill me so much gratitude to a God who empowers me to be the woman He’s created and He created a passionate, brave, independent lady.

The reality of the situation is, we live in a pervasively patriarchal world and while you may not give one ounce of care about feminism or woman’s rights – we do matter. On the feminism scale, I’m like 95% Egalitarian and 5% Complimentarian and if you have problems with that – cool, keep that to yourself. I just believe that God created me the way He did and I reflect a part of His character and because He is good and perfect and makes no mistakes – the fact that I am a woman does not make me less than anyone else. It also does not mean I am required to submit to anyone else purely because they are male. I also believe it means that if I reflect a part of God that a male cannot reflect – my opinions, leadership skills, and voice have a place in this world, in churches, and definitely in my home.

So when I find a book like Fierce Fairytales that is in this same vein, I’m encouraged and excited. I’m thankful I live in a world where women are finally getting a voice. I am forever in awe of the women who are trailblazers and pioneers and I’m thankful for Nikita Gill and her gift of words.

Below are my favorite lines.

“That no matter how much this pain feels everlasting,
this is just the temporary fabric we are in.”

“If all girls were taught
How to love each other fiercely
Instead of how to compete
With each other
And hate their own bodies,
What a different and beautiful world
We would live in.”

“You do not have to be good to be brave.
You just need to know how to love.
You just need to unfold your heart
And recognize where you stand
And who you are.”

“I exist. Outside of being a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter. I exist. I exist as a human first, as a being that experiences joy and suffering, beauty and learning, life and tragedy. I exist because the universe chose to put me here for a purpose higher than my relation to men.”

“Sometimes healing
Is the way you become yourself,
A path made of thorns
Which could lead you to your own incredible destiny.

 …..

But on most days healing
 Wears your own name
 Painted in your own blood,
 Messy, hard to tame,
But the only way to learn self-love.”