Take Control and Feel Good Doing It with the New YA Nonfiction Book How to Be a Difficult Bitch
MINNEAPOLIS, MN—Coming this April from Zest Books™, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group™, presents How to Be a Difficult Bitch: Claim Your Power, Ditch the Haters, and Feel Good Doing It empowers teens to love and stand up for themselves and those around them. Authors Halley Bondy, Mary C. Fernandez, Sharon Lynn Pruitt-Young, and Zara Hanawalt embrace the insult with bold humor and outline situations in which a reader can—and should—be a “difficult bitch.”
One of the most empowering things you can do as a human being is to figure out who you are and be that person unapologetically, but sometimes, that’s easier said than done. How to Be a Difficult Bitch is here to help readers join a long line of people who have been called “a difficult bitch” in some form or another, from suffragists to Rosa Parks to Greta Thunberg. Difficult Bitches are agents of change. They’re heroes who don’t wear capes (or maybe they do, and that cape is fierce). They annoy people. They threaten the status quo. All of this is, of course, in the name of self-love, confidence, and the greater good. With each chapter, teens explore the realities of reclaiming the term for people of different ethnic backgrounds, abilities, and gender identities. Gorgeous, full-color artwork rounds out the irreverence and intersectionality of the content.
These funny but poignant messages address every-day choices young teens make with empathy and conviction. From school to friends to body to life, this daring book encourages readers to be themselves no matter what, and investigates the ways this phrase can be interpreted differently among people of different backgrounds. Give every reader the tools they need to become a powerhouse and live by the Difficult Bitch code.
Praise for How to Be a Difficult Bitch:
“A thoughtful, engaging, bad-ass crash course in moxie, self-confidence, and self-love.” —starred, Kirkus Reviews
“[U]nleash that inner bitch! . . . The title and bright cover art will attract browsers; the real-world applications and affirmative messages will keep them reading.”—Booklist
About the Authors
Halley Bondy is a professional freelance writer, journalist, editor, producer, and mom based in Brooklyn. Her articles have appeared in NBC News, The Balance, Contently, Digital Trends, Bustle, Romper, The Outline, MTV, and more. She has written six books for Zest, including #MeToo and You: Everything You Need to Know about Consent, Boundaries, and More and Speak Up: A Guide to Having a Say and Speaking Your Mind.
Mary C. Fernandez is a business consultant and writer based in Durham, North Carolina.
Sharon Lynn Pruitt-Young is a freelance writer and author. Her work has been published in various publications including USA TODAY College, Persephone Magazine, Afro Punk, and Black Girl Nerds. She is based in Maryland.
Zara Hanawalt is a writer and editor based in Chicago, Illinois. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan.com, Parents.com, Seventeen.com, and US Weekly.
About the Publisher
Zest Books™, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, is a leader in young adult nonfiction, publishing books on entertainment, history, science, health, fashion, and lifestyle advice. Our award-winning books are attractively designed, well researched, smart, and easy to read. Whether you’re looking for better ways to cope with stress, new options for life after high school, or a bit more pop culture blended into your information, we’ve got a book for you! Founded in San Francisco in 2006, Zest joined the Lerner Publishing Group family in 2018.
How to Be a Difficult Bitch: Claim Your Power, Ditch the Haters, and Feel Good Doing It
April 2022
$37.32 Hardcover
$14.99 Paperback
eBook Also Available
Ages 14-18
HC: 978-1-5415-8674-1
PB: 978-1-5415-8675-8
152 Pages ● 5 1/2 × 8 1/4
Media contact:
Lindsay Matvick
Publicity Manager
800-328-4929, x385
lmatvick@lernerbooks.com