A smart guide to understanding and living anti-racism.
A clear and damning appraisal of the United States’ long-standing relationship with White supremacy—with actionable advice for readers to do better.
Educator, researcher, and sociologist Fleming draws from pop culture, data science, global history, and cultural studies, among an impressively wide range of disciplines and sources. This broad foundation represents well how ambitious this project truly is, accessibly delivering, as it does, a mountain of information to an audience of teen readers while utilizing a vocabulary and understanding of racial injustice that is inclusive of the distinct yet overlapping experiences of Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx, and other people. From the racialization of Jews in Europe to the displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, the text details the genealogy of racism and White supremacy while resisting a tradition of Whitewashing and omission. In this way, connections are easily drawn between past and present by way of close examination of the criminal justice system, media representation, contemporary sports, and racial biases in developing technologies. The author is a bisexual, cisgender, African American woman, and she explicitly calls upon her experiences to inform intersectional, lived interpretations of racism and how to best oppose it. Through anecdotes and thorough research, Fleming leaves readers not just with a detailed account of the problems, but concludes with five things they can do to work toward justice.
A smart guide to understanding and living anti-racism. (note on language, notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-22638-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
PROFILES
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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