Be the change!
This self-help workbook offers practical interventions to help teens navigate their life journeys.
Some readers may initially be drawn in by the example of environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who struggled with depression but brought about change in herself, and, eventually, many other people, by tapping into her deepest values and acting on them. Straightforward truisms encourage teens to read on, and the text promises that it will help them understand how some adults end up unhappy and unfulfilled. Readers learn to identify three aspects of their inner selves—the discoverer, noticer, and adviser. Specific exercises encourage them to figure out how to use these skills for their own empowerment. Whatever the chapter’s specific concern—anxiety, bullying, internet addiction, and more—the text reassures readers of their self-worth. Teens are encouraged to create unique personal choices when their first choice in problem-solving has failed, with the caveat that aggression is rarely a successful strategy. At appropriate moments, adult intervention is advised, and overall, the language used is accessible and nonpatronizing. One chapter mentions post-traumatic growth in the context of overcoming abuse and identity-based prejudice, but teens struggling with serious bias and oppression may find the examples in this book do not resonate. Whimsical ink drawings, pithy quotations, and frequent use of humor enhance this handbook for healthy living.
Be the change! (resources, references) (Self-help. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68403-465-9
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Instant Help Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 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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