A persuasive, if provocative, polemic tackling an important subject.
What can young people do to protect the climate and safeguard their futures?
Swedish scholar Malm’s provocative 2021 book, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, is adapted here for a teen audience. Four hefty chapters chart a progressive path for a young would-be environmental activist, with information presented through a global lens. “The Problem With Business-as-Usual” both explains the current sad situation and begins the argument for an activism that goes beyond peaceful protests. “Learning From Past Struggles” looks at previous social movements as possible templates for action. These include Gandhi and anti-colonialism, Iran in the 1970s, and the U.S. civil rights movement. “Breaking the Spell” unpacks the moral implications and effectiveness of tactics like pipeline demolition and other acts of sabotage, such as deflating the tires of SUVs, a strategy espoused by the Tyre Extinguishers, a group founded in the U.K. Finally, “Fighting Despair” makes a strong and cogent case for hope despite the prevalent dire predictions about climate. Sidebars peppered throughout highlight individual components of the movement, like the youth-led group Fridays for Future founded by Greta Thunberg in 2018 and the Standing Rock protests. There are also many compelling black-and-white photographs, and a series of discussion questions concludes each chapter. All these features increase accessibility for a younger readership, though many of the author’s views are controversial.
A persuasive, if provocative, polemic tackling an important subject. (organizations and resources, writing prompts and discussion questions, image credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781804291252
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Verso
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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