A timely reminder for teens.
Social media is a powerful force in today’s world: What are its risks and benefits?
The introduction describes the power of social media to organize and mobilize protestors in Cairo, Egypt, during the Arab Spring of 2011 and in Washington, D.C., during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. It goes on to explain how social media platforms generate profits by collecting personal data on users and accentuating negative content to heighten engagement. Kallen then goes on to explore this phenomenon in more depth: Using the Black Lives Matter and climate action movements as examples, he shows social media raising public awareness. He talks about influencers, describes click farms that generate followers, and explains how social media can harm physical and mental health. The book spotlights QAnon conspiracy theories and the algorithms Facebook and YouTube use to push controversial, anger-provoking posts that attract and maintain attention. Examples of political manipulation and social control through social media in China and India expand the focus beyond U.S. borders. The final chapter covers efforts to counteract the negative effects of social media. The exposition is straightforward and clearly organized. Kallen uses numerous quotations to bolster his arguments. His concern for readers’ well-being is evident throughout as he offers them advice and encouragement for making social media a positive force in their lives.
A timely reminder for teens. (photo credits, source notes, organizations and websites, further research, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-67820-348-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 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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