A well-intentioned and helpful manual that doesn’t stand out in a crowded field.
Teen psychologist McNally offers a self-help toolkit for developing emotional intelligence.
A perky, first-person narrator guides readers through a series of skill-building chapters focused on specific components of emotional intelligence, including self-awareness of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors and topics like self-regulation, awareness of others, and understanding physical sensations. Each chapter is filled with examples and exercises, such as a self-awareness questionnaire, breathing and visualization scripts for mindfulness practice, and a feelings wheel diagram to assist with identifying and articulating emotions. Reflective journal prompts throughout the book encourage readers to slow down and take time in building skills. Helpful tips for managing device usage and social media habits encourage teens to be screen time savvy and understand the potential impact of technology on their well-being. Readers experiencing common conflicts like sports team struggles or academic challenges may find value in this approach. The sample scenarios throughout the guide, while likely useful to many, do not address the more serious concerns many readers will have at a time when many young adults face identity-related pressures around their rights to be themselves: The absence of discussion around how emotional intelligence factors into conflicts that involve race, sexual orientation, or gender identity is a missed opportunity to bring helpful perspectives to this well-trodden subject. Nevertheless, this is an accessible overview of a perennially important subject.
A well-intentioned and helpful manual that doesn’t stand out in a crowded field. (references) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781648482083
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Instant Help Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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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