Solid advice for teens in need.
A therapist describes the symptoms and effects of perfectionism and offers a self-help guide to a more balanced approach to life.
Practicing psychologist Zucker, who specializes in anxiety, OCD, and similar concerns, reaches out to perfectionists with helpful information and step-by-step ways to change behavior as a way to change thoughts. Her conversational text conveys sympathy as she explains what perfectionism is, how to recognize it, and why it gets in the way of success. Then she introduces cognitive behavioral therapy and explains how it can be used to challenge perfectionist thinking and behavior. She offers practical examples of ways to step out of one’s comfort zone and practice flexibility. She encourages her readers to make mistakes, pointing out that failures can offer life lessons. Finally she describes techniques for stress management and relaxing the body and mind. Throughout, her examples reflect teen lives today. She reminds her readers that social media images are constructed. She talks about stressors in schoolwork, in sports, and in social life; the problems of hesitation to take chances and overpreparation. From time to time she offers a list of questions or written exercises to help readers evaluate themselves. Each chapter ends with a summary of the major points. Zucker’s real-world experience treating people who struggle with these issues is reflected in her ability to engage with her readers.
Solid advice for teens in need. (resources, references, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3703-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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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