Compassionate, holistic, purposeful.
A handbook for teens engaged in the work of building healthy relationships—with themselves and with others—written by licensed clinical social workers with experience in this field.
Short, digestible chapters build on one another in this accessible handbook for building empowered relationships. The opening chapters, “So, What’s Important to You?” and “Know Your Worth and Others Will Too,” deal with relationship to self, providing definitions and tools for determining values and cultivating self-esteem. From this core emphasis on self-knowledge and self-love, the book branches out to cover topics that range from friendship to sexual relationships in the age of the internet. The authors are never judgmental or dismissive of teen concerns and focus on providing a tool kit for safe passage, no matter the reader’s path. The chapter entitled “Online Love Doesn’t Feel Virtual” honors digitally forged relationships while highlighting the importance of caution, while “Sex, No Sex, or Something Else? Set Your Terms” explains consent and encourages teens to make their own decisions using the principles of self-knowledge established earlier. Also discussed are body image, abuse, breakups, sexuality and gender identity, and safer sex practices. Each chapter includes illustrative anecdotes and exercises that invite positive action. The authors open with an informative and reassuring opening note for adults explaining the value and importance of sexuality education. Although the book references girls, there is much of value here for all readers.
Compassionate, holistic, purposeful. (resources, references) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68403-973-9
Page Count: 168
Publisher: New Harbinger
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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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