A brief overview of one element of an ongoing public health crisis.
An account of the development of select Covid-19 vaccines and their mixed popular reception.
Opening with a vague reference to a March 2021 Republican focus group that expressed unease about the vaccines until presented with unspecified corrective facts, Allen goes on to frame the jumble of mixed public messages about the pandemic and the coordinated federal responses dubbed Operation Warp Speed as a narrowly political narrative. Despite continually returning to his theme, or at least inserting the word politics into the narrative frequently, the author skips mention of the Trump administration’s initial reluctance to acknowledge the pandemic as a serious problem and its efforts to find a scapegoat while offering a largely positive view of its laggardly support for speeded-up vaccine testing and (justifiable, he claims) promises that a vaccine would be available by late 2020. Overviews of less-than-rosy past experiences with vaccines and public health initiatives such as the search for an AIDS treatment, the 1976 swine flu fiasco, and the infamous Tuskegee experiment hint at some rationale for vaccine skepticism, but along with marshalling assurances that the fast-track testing of Covid-19 vaccines developed by U.S. companies was indeed safe and responsible, Allen closes by dismissing the fears of the doubtful, particularly racial and ethnic minorities. Occasional color photos of protesters and public figures, pull quotes, and side boxes add some context.
A brief overview of one element of an ongoing public health crisis. (source notes, further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-6782-0180-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a...
Will the world end in a bang or a whimper? Unless pre-empted by human-induced disaster or one of many scientifically possible catastrophic scenarios, life on Earth will end a billion years from now in a sizzle.
Predicting the end of the world is an old story, argues the author, presenting evidence in brief surveys of eschatologies from the world's major religions and mythologies of ancient civilizations. Miller also notes how end-of-world scenarios have captured humanity's imagination in their frequent appearances in science-fiction novels and motion pictures. (Disappointingly, the reasons for this ongoing fascination are not explored.) A chapter about imminent predictions for 2012 explains the Mayan prophecy and a theory about a phantom planet called Nibiru crashing into Earth. Another chapter examines pseudoscientific end-of-world theories such as planetary alignment and pole shifts. The primary focus is on scientifically plausible scenarios: self-destruction through nuclear war or continued environmental exploitation; humanity wiped out by a pandemic; an asteroid or comet strike destroying Earth.
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a high-interest topic that should inspire many to further explore the subject. (chronology, glossary, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7396-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in.
A gleefully explicit catalogue of the past century’s headline-grabbing bad behavior.
Aimed at readers who don’t need to be told who Brangelina is but may be hazy on “twisted besties” Leopold and Loeb or even Monica Lewinsky, this edutaining survey presents a wide-angle array of murders, sexual follies, controversial trials, race violence, political corruption and general envelope-pushing from the 1906 killing of Stanford White on. Each of the chronologically arranged entries opens with a capsule “Scoop” followed by a slightly fuller account under a “What Went Down” header. Along with a small black-and-white photo and one or two sidebar quotes, the author tacks on subsequent developments, sometimes-perceptive suggestions about “Why We Still Care” and a short roster of similar incidents in recent history. Though she misspells “Symbionese” and repeatedly awards FDR only three Presidential wins, in general Fryd presents reasonably accurate summaries of events and issues while giving all sides of the more muddled conflicts at least a nod. Additional cred is provided by a teen panel of editorial advisors.
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827322-0-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zest/Orange Avenue
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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