A hopeful memoir for teens struggling to fit in and feel safe.
The husband of the first out gay presidential candidate to win a statewide election during the presidential nomination process describes the difficulties he faced growing up as a gay kid in conservative Northern Michigan.
Born in 1989 and raised near Traverse City with no gay role models except the ones he saw on TV, Buttigieg was steeped in a rural, Christian, predominantly White Republican culture in which being gay was considered evil and disgusting. Although his teachers called him “eccentric” and “unique,” it wasn’t until middle school that Buttigieg began to realize he was gay. As a teen, he endured bullying—name-calling and physical assault—despite trying hard to meet the standards of acceptable masculinity in his community. It wasn’t until a life-changing year in Germany as an exchange student that he began to learn self-acceptance. Buttigieg’s voice is clear and honest as he recounts the shame he internalized, his struggle to claim a proud, gay identity, and the challenges he faced while completing his college degree. In this adaptation of his 2020 memoir for adult readers, Buttigieg focuses mostly on his youth and not on his adult life with Mayor Pete. Scenes of both trauma and happiness come to life through his descriptive prose. Throughout, Buttigieg offers advice, such as how to resist comparisons that make us feel inadequate, think about supporting others by being an ally, and choose a post–high school path.
A hopeful memoir for teens struggling to fit in and feel safe. (photographs, reflection questions, Trevor Project information) (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9781665904377
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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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