Skillfully introduces the complex story of wildfires, Indigenous knowledge, and climate change.
Advocacy for Indigenous fire-management practices, a thorough account of wildfire science, information on firefighting—and a blazing black-and-orange color scheme—make this book a hot ticket.
Anderson, a scientist and enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and prolific nonfiction author McPherson provide a balanced, well-written analysis of conflagrations. Paradoxically, fire causes damage but also has benefits, even as human land use competes with essential ecosystem regeneration. The authors contrast the natural role of wildfire in maintaining healthy ecosystems with horrific blazes that are worsened by mismanagement and climate change. Case studies highlight First Nations communities and individuals from around the world and show how scientists are increasingly considering Indigenous practices, sparking change. Scientists have come to accept what “for millennia, Indigenous peoples across the globe have understood,” that “by burning layers of dead vegetation that could otherwise become fuel, carefully tended fires lessened the chance of a disastrous wildfire.” These practices are also about “livelihood, traditions, beliefs, values, and spirituality.” The authors explain what fire is and describe fire suppression and prescribed burns in the U.S., conveying a lot of science in a palatable form. Climate change is at the heart of the story—and of this book. The text defines terms in context, contains helpful text boxes with additional information, and is supported by color photos.
Skillfully introduces the complex story of wildfires, Indigenous knowledge, and climate change. (timeline, glossary, source notes, selected bibliography, further information, index, photo acknowledgments) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781728424002
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
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