Informative, affirming, and necessary.
An inclusive, compassionate guidebook that champions girls and women of all ages and challenges the status quo.
Tovar pens a guide for learning to accept and love oneself, inside and out, despite cultural messages to the contrary. While providing historical and cultural context for hurdles to self-acceptance faced by girls and women of color such as sexism, racism, and fatphobia, Tovar encourages readers to show up as their best selves within their communities and to make suitable and necessary changes to themselves, their communities, and society at large. Tovar, a proud, fat babe and fat activist of Mexican and Iranian descent, uses anecdotes from her own life and merges them with findings from scientific and sociological studies to amplify her points. With journal prompts following each chapter, Tovar includes the often missed element of some self-help or motivational books—actionable suggestions for how to make the shifts in lifestyle or mindset that readers may desire or need. This element supports readers in becoming more empowered and mentally, emotionally, and physically healthier versions of themselves. Her style is educational and accessible without being condescending; her warm, friendly tone treats readers as her equals and as whole people while acknowledging that we are works in progress. A fantastic introduction to/reminder of self-love and self-advocacy.
Informative, affirming, and necessary. (endnotes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68403-411-6
Page Count: 184
Publisher: Instant Help Books
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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
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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