Estelle Frankel: 48 books

The high school or college English class offers a long list of technical terms: Symbolism, Irony, Metafiction, Allegory, Metaphor… With such a barrage, it can be tough to sort them all out. Yet here’s the list, from Absurdity to Zeugma, all defined through the clever wordplay of Hamilton. In fact,...

Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany plays a host of the show’s main characters, all clones of an illegal experiment. The mighty heroines save one another and destroy the patriarchy while subverting gender expectations. The feminist clones are Sarah, who clashes with her radical feminist foster-mother;...

Star Wars defined popular, big-screen science fiction. Still, what many viewers best recall is assertive, hilarious Leia, the diminutive princess with a giant blaster who had to save them all. As the 1977 film arrived, women were marching for equality and demanding equal pay, with few onscreen role...

The perfect treat for fans of all ages. Everything Hunger Games, packed into one volume. 

Wonder Woman the 2017 film blazed into the theaters and thrilled audiences with its killer action. Boys and girls cheered when their superheroine dropped her cloak and raced across No Man’s Land, eagle blazing on her chest. In fact, a deep symbolism lurks behind Diana’s lasso, shield, and crown,...

The new Star Wars: The Force Awakens offers a world of diversity – its heroes span the races and genders. Yet under this, there’s much to explore – Rey is a butt-kicking heroine, but some might say she’s so overpowered she has no challenges left. Others might observe that from her clothes...