A frank, thoroughly contextualized portrayal of Black teen motherhood.
A memoir and activist call to action from a Black entrepreneur who got pregnant during her senior year of high school.
As Lewis notes early on, she never doubted that she was headed for college. She was an excellent student, and both she and her parents had high expectations for her future. However, her whirlwind romance with Rakheim led to an unplanned pregnancy, which she discovered a few months before graduation. As she recounts, her mother was gravely disappointed, and her father was unresponsive. To avoid her parents' disapproval, Lewis moved in with Rakheim, who, despite his troubled past, made her feel loved as “a young woman who belonged to someone special.” The author graduated from high school, but a lack of economic opportunity, financial safety nets, and family support meant that the couple struggled with homelessness, food insecurity, and overwhelming poverty. Unfortunately, the combination of economic stress and immaturity turned their relationship toxic, and Lewis had to leave. Throughout her pregnancy and new motherhood, the author never gave up on her dream of attending college, and she went on to excel at the College of William & Mary. After graduation, her experiences made it clear to her what she wanted to do with her life: help other teen parents go to college, just like she did. To that end, she founded a policy and advocacy organization called Generation Hope. “What if we said yes instead of no? That was the guiding star in the design of our program,” writes the author, whose voice shines with both vulnerability and wisdom. She does not portray herself simply as a victim or a hero but rather as an ambitious, loving, resourceful, Black single mother constantly fighting systemic racism. Throughout the text, she weaves in context drawn from research and her own personal experiences mentoring teen parents, articulating the racist systems that often keep teen parents uneducated, poor, and desperate.
A frank, thoroughly contextualized portrayal of Black teen motherhood.Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5603-5
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
A sharp, entertaining view of the news media from one of its star players.
The veteran newscaster reflects on her triumphs and hardships, both professional and private.
In this eagerly anticipated memoir, Couric (b. 1957) transforms the events of her long, illustrious career into an immensely readable story—a legacy-preserving exercise, for sure, yet judiciously polished and insightful, several notches above the fray of typical celebrity memoirs. The narrative unfolds through a series of lean chapters as she recounts the many career ascendency steps that led to her massively successful run on the Today Show and comparably disappointing stints as CBS Evening News anchor, talk show host, and Yahoo’s Global News Anchor. On the personal front, the author is candid in her recollections about her midlife adventures in the dating scene and deeply sorrowful and affecting regarding the experience of losing her husband to colon cancer as well as the deaths of other beloved family members, including her sister and parents. Throughout, Couric maintains a sharp yet cool-headed perspective on the broadcast news industry and its many outsized personalities and even how her celebrated role has diminished in recent years. “It’s AN ADJUSTMENT when the white-hot spotlight moves on,” she writes. “The ego gratification of being the It girl is intoxicating (toxic being the root of the word). When that starts to fade, it takes some getting used to—at least it did for me.” Readers who can recall when network news coverage and morning shows were not only relevant, but powerfully influential forces will be particularly drawn to Couric’s insights as she tracks how the media has evolved over recent decades and reflects on the negative effects of the increasing shift away from reliable sources of informed news coverage. The author also discusses recent important cultural and social revolutions, casting light on issues of race and sexual orientation, sexism, and the predatory behavior that led to the #MeToo movement. In that vein, she expresses her disillusionment with former co-host and friend Matt Lauer.
A sharp, entertaining view of the news media from one of its star players.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-53586-1
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Everything about Sabathia is larger than life, yet he tells his story with honesty and humility.
One of the best pitchers of his generation—and often the only Black man on his team—shares an extraordinary life in baseball.
A high school star in several sports, Sabathia was being furiously recruited by both colleges and professional teams when the death of his grandmother, whose Social Security checks supported the family, meant that he couldn't go to college even with a full scholarship. He recounts how he learned he had been drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round over the PA system at his high school. In 2001, after three seasons in the minor leagues, Sabathia became the youngest player in MLB (age 20). His career took off from there, and in 2008, he signed with the New York Yankees for seven years and $161 million, at the time the largest contract ever for a pitcher. With the help of Vanity Fair contributor Smith, Sabathia tells the entertaining story of his 19 seasons on and off the field. The first 14 ran in tandem with a poorly hidden alcohol problem and a propensity for destructive bar brawls. His high school sweetheart, Amber, who became his wife and the mother of his children, did her best to help him manage his repressed fury and grief about the deaths of two beloved cousins and his father, but Sabathia pursued drinking with the same "till the end" mentality as everything else. Finally, a series of disasters led to a month of rehab in 2015. Leading a sober life was necessary, but it did not tame Sabathia's trademark feistiness. He continued to fiercely rile his opponents and foment the fighting spirit in his teammates until debilitating injuries to his knees and pitching arm led to his retirement in 2019. This book represents an excellent launching point for Jay-Z’s new imprint, Roc Lit 101.
Everything about Sabathia is larger than life, yet he tells his story with honesty and humility.Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-13375-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roc Lit 101
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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