Accurate, important, and blunt but much too brief; an introduction only.
An extremely brief survey of racism in the U.S. from founding to the present day.
From the very beginnings of European colonialism in what would become the United States, there’s been both racism and people fighting it. Blohm is ambitious, beginning with a concise definition of race as a social construct and attempting to trace major developments in American racism beginning with the arrival of enslaved people from Africa in 1619. Because this work is so short, the end result is a speed run through the next 500 years. Luckily there are extensive source notes, because there’s not much room here for detail, as the author attempts to cover slavery, forced religious conversion of Indigenous people, Indian boarding schools, Japanese American internment, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Plessy v. Ferguson, and the Ku Klux Klan. From the Freedom Summer it leaps to the present day, with Stop AAPI Hate, Black Lives Matter, attacks on critical race theory, and the killings of Philando Castile and George Floyd. The recent rise in hate movements is also covered, with the assertion that we must maintain momentum in the fight against racism. The limited page count means an enormous amount is left out or touched on only briefly (redlining is entirely absent, for example). The layout and graphic design occasionally interfere with ready comprehension, but the accessibly written text will serve as a good general overview, particularly for reluctant readers.
Accurate, important, and blunt but much too brief; an introduction only. (picture credits, source notes, websites, bibliography, index, timeline) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-67820-168-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
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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