Chock-full of eye-opening statistics, this book is certainly not sleep-inducing.
The lifesaving and life-changing magic of getting adequate sleep—and the perils of skimping on it, for both old and young.
Nardo covers the bases: what sleep is; why people today often don’t get enough; why this deficit is especially common among teens (short answer: electronic devices); the dangers of inadequate sleep; and how to improve our sleep quality and quotient. About one-third of an average lifespan is spent asleep—twice as much time as is spent working for a living. Sleep is cardiovascular-repair time, and it offers mood, alertness, coordination, and other dividends. REM sleep is brain-maintenance time. But sleep deprivation has perhaps reached epidemic proportions: about one-third of Americans do not get an optimal amount of sleep, leading to many negative outcomes. The perilous consequences of sleep deprivation, the focus of Chapter 4, appear in other contexts throughout the book. These effects are not fun, and avoiding them might involve sacrificing—or at least reducing our consumption of—enjoyable things like screen time, caffeine, alcohol, and socializing. Luckily, the best and easiest fix cited here is simply maintaining consistent sleep patterns. Nardo’s clear and succinct style and reliance on up-to-date research make the book effective and reliable. There is some minor repetition, but that is probably a plus for sleep-deprived readers.
Chock-full of eye-opening statistics, this book is certainly not sleep-inducing. (source notes, further reading, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781678205881
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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