Stirring and thought-provoking, this one will set many young people on their own paths to activism.
An adaptation of activist Brown’s New York Times bestselling memoir.
As an elementary schooler, Brown became accustomed to strange looks from White teachers during roll call—surely a Black girl couldn’t be called Austin? Her parents chose to give her the name because the assumption that someone named Austin would be a White man might well land her a job interview. It’s just one of the many examples she mulls of how gender and race have impacted her life. After her parents’ divorce, Brown split her time between predominantly White Toledo and, during the summer, Cleveland, where for the first time she was around many other Black people. Brown also considers the Black church’s powerful influence on her regular “small” acts of “claiming my own space” and voice. In high school, Brown and her classmates recognized that the predominantly White Glee Club received far more funding and support than the mostly Black Gospel Choir—which spurred students from both groups to approach the administration. It’s clear that action combined with education was instructive to the author’s self-determination, and she became increasingly confident in speaking up as she learned about Black American history. The book shines brightest when Brown encourages readers toward actionable steps such as finding community. Her thoughtful, buoyant writing will invite readers to follow her worthy example.
Stirring and thought-provoking, this one will set many young people on their own paths to activism. (Memoir. 11-15)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9780593240182
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Convergent
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Potentially useful insights for youngsters encountering loss.
Advice on coping with loss, from the death of a family member or a close friend to a beloved pet’s demise to life-changing events such as divorce.
Imperi, a chaplain and thanatologist (“someone who knows about death, dying, grief and loss”), uses her own terminology to distinguish between “deathloss” (“when a person or an animal we love dies”) and “shadowloss” (“the death of something, not someone”). These categories make sense, but kids grieving the death of a loved one may find it difficult to wade through sections about other serious problems. Although the recent pandemic caused many actual deaths, this book describes Covid as a shadowloss, a disrupter of normal life. Imperi mentions a few religious traditions, but the book is primarily concerned with practical ideas and individual experiences. Specific thinking, writing, and creative exercises for moving through the grief process are included. She spotlights five diverse teens, along with their coping strategies for different types of loss; they appear to be composite portraits rather than real individuals. The black-and-white line illustrations and charts throughout will appeal to some, but the boxed affirmations on many pages may feel repetitive to others; the work overall feels a bit like an expanded magazine article. Still, patient readers will likely find guidance—and reassurance.
Potentially useful insights for youngsters encountering loss. (grief journal, glossary, note for caregivers, resources, references, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781525309656
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
As in their previous collaborations (Colors of Freedom, Voices of Rape, not reviewed), Bode and Mack portray an issue through the voices of children and adults affected by it. Bode (recently deceased) interviewed preteens, their parents, and adult experts, and organized their responses into parts "For Girls and Boys" and "For Parents." In sections with titles like "Public Recognition" or "What's in Your Heart," her text, addressed directly to the reader, synthesizes many of the responses in a way that should comfort and challenge young and adult readers. At least half of the book is comprised of responses she gathered from her survey, some of which are illustrated in strips by Mack. The result is an engagingly designed book, with questions and topics in bold type so that readers can browse for the recognition they may be looking for. They will need to browse, as there is no index, and young readers will certainly be tempted by the "For Parents" section, and vice versa. A bibliography (with two Spanish titles) and list of Web resources (with mostly live links) will help them seek out more information. They may well have other questions—especially having to do with parents' sexuality—which they don't find answered here, but this is a fine and encouraging place to start. (print and on-line resources) (Non-fiction. 9-13)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-81945-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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