Gritty and inspiring, if light on specific details.
A profile of the maverick undercover officer who exposed widespread corruption in the New York City Police Department.
In this concise work, readers get an overview of the colorful lifestyle of Italian American Frank Serpico, who was played by Al Pacino in the 1973 movie Serpico. The authors add substantial passages from original interviews with their subject, offering clear senses of both his personal voice and his stubborn idealism; they recount how his refusal to participate in widespread payoffs as a cop in the late ’60s and early ’70s had him continually being transferred from precinct to precinct like a hot potato—until he was shot during a drug bust in what may have been a setup and forced to retire on a disability pension. What comes through loud and clear is that what finally prompted him to go to the papers with his story was his inability to get anything for his testimony but platitudes and promises from city officials. The ensuing scandal resulted in reforms and some changes in government attitudes and police culture, but those with even a tangential awareness of current events will come away agreeing with the assessment of this still-proud whistleblower (or, to use his preferred term, lamplighter) that the “blue wall of silence” and official complicity are still shielding too many injustices to preserve public confidence in the probity of our police.
Gritty and inspiring, if light on specific details. (note to readers, glossary, source notes, bibliography, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781250621955
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 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
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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