When Women Were Dragons

In April 25th, 1955, 642,987 women shed their skins and became dragons. Alex was only a child, and her aunt was one of these women. That event had a big impact on Alex and her little family. It raised a lot of questions her young brain could not answer. And she now has a little sister, who up until recently was just her cousin. But Alex did not have an aunt! Because there were no dragons. And no one was able to talk about them. Until they came back, and they could no longer be ignored!
I listened to the audiobook last year, and I read it again this year. It is one of the books that raise a lot of feelings in me. I love to see a world where women don't put up with being put down and limited due to their gender. Becoming dragons is the perfect metaphor for letting the fire inside them flare up.  And seeing how their transformation did not have the same results everywhere. Some dragons were so angry that they burned everything and everyone that hurt them. Others stayed back and continued to live with their families. And others just decided to leave and go away to find their own destiny. 
With the dragons' return, we can see a society that is trying to slowly adapt to make room for these giant creatures. Just like society had to adapt to allow for women to take part in education and the workforce. However, it didn't seem that the change was enough. One of the things that don't sit too well with me is that a big chunk of society did not change. They continued to be the close-minded little people they had always been. Alex's dad is the biggest example of that. As hurt as he was by his wife's death, he turned around, abandoned his daughters, got married, and started a new family as if nothing happened.
But I guess that is a reflection of the real world we live in. Misogyny did not subside just because women were given equal rights to men.  Up until this day, even among the most educated, well-intentioned, and self-proclaimed “progressive” men, you will find hints of them thinking that women are less than.  When women were told that they belonged in the workplace, no one told the men that they belonged at home. This ended up with women being expected to work inside and outside of the home, while the expectations of men did not change. And I think this story reflects that but in a more positive way.