A compelling volume that explores different worlds through a nerdy Indigenous lens.
A book of 11 different stories featuring Indigenous geeks as the throughline.
This compact graphic memoir anthology covers a lot of ground, including stories with ensemble casts and ones that focus on a single protagonist. Some entries include positive queer representation, and many show that Indigenous people come in all shapes and colors. Each one is anchored in themes around healing and looking to the future. Another thread connecting them is the characters’ Native heritage and passion for various forms of contemporary pop culture, including tabletop role-playing games, virtual reality, TikTok, and Star Trek. This collection stands out for centering on contemporary representations of First Nations peoples rather than their history. Several of the stories address darker themes such as bullying, peer pressure, and domestic violence, although the characters also engage in activism by setting up pirate radio stations to strengthen communities, supporting language revitalization over Twitch, and exploring Indigenous representation in speculative fiction. The authors and artists come from many different backgrounds, and they highlight their own nations’ cultures. Another of the book’s major strengths is the variety of art styles it features; the contributors all offer readers a different visual perspective and a taste of their craft. This engaging compilation shows that nerd culture can be a powerful way to find your community.
A compelling volume that explores different worlds through a nerdy Indigenous lens. (concepts and development, contributors) (Graphic anthology. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781638991335
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Iron Circus Comics
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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