High-quality, curiosity-sparking brain fuel.
A geneticist and an author for young people provide a genome primer for teens.
In efficient, readable prose, this book walks readers through the history of humanity’s understanding and application of genetics to modern medicine. After contextualizing by using genomics to identify undiagnosed diseases, a foundational history lesson shows how genetic inheritance was theorized, described, and discovered (a process that started in 530 B.C.E.) and provides rundowns of basic genetic laws (with Punnett squares demonstrating dominant and recessive traits). A chapter on PKU (a disease that’s manageable through a special diet but causes lifelong intellectual disabilities if not caught early) walks readers through the early development of newborn screening, which grounds discussions of the nitty-gritty of DNA. Through sidebars and various perspectives, the authors’ multiple explanations and diagrams help to distill complicated information into easy-to-work-with concepts. Other chapters cover the development of medical DNA tests and commercial genetic testing (along with its limitations) before finally looking to the future potential of personalized genetic medicine. Every step of the way, ethical implications are tackled head-on—respect for members of the disability community is prioritized, eugenics is debunked and its application rightfully vilified, and discrimination on racial and transgender lines is confronted. This accessible introduction demystifies the complicated science. The authors strategically use scientific language and terminology paired with plainspoken explanations, and the colorful, varied physical layout enhances the reading experience.
High-quality, curiosity-sparking brain fuel. (glossary, source notes, bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-0056-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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