Cleverly humorous and extremely timely reading for those who seek renown.
An online comedian, author, and former Paralympian muses on fame and happiness.
Sundquist was tagged in an Instagram story by someone who described him as “this semi famous Internet comedian,” prompting a mix of pleasure at the recognition and discontent with its not entirely complimentary nature. He nonscientifically polled his followers, discovering that a third of them would prefer fame to happiness. His ensuing exploration of celebrity, illustrated with whimsical hand-drawn graphs, journeys from the days of Alexander the Great to present-day social media. After he fulfilled his childhood dream of appearing on MTV—a dream he was willing to repeatedly embarrass himself to achieve—the achievement thrust him into a multiyear depression. Sundquist, a White man who lost a leg to childhood cancer, briefly discusses how fame’s gatekeepers might have excluded or included him solely because he is an amputee. He also describes how contemporary virality exposed him to a TikTok disability truther who claimed he was faking his missing leg. Research studies and interviews with major and minor celebrities pepper this diverting narrative of fame’s traumas and rewards, and the whole is held together by Sundquist’s own journey to semi-fame. The exploration of fame’s darker side includes addiction and suicide but curiously never addresses exploitation or abuse despite Chapter 1’s opening epigraph from Britney Spears, one of the most famously abused celebrities.
Cleverly humorous and extremely timely reading for those who seek renown. (endnotes) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-62979-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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