Incisive, personal, and usefully reworked.
A pared-down version of the writer, filmmaker, and Olympic athlete’s journeys through childhood, adolescence, and adult depression.
“Run like a bravey / sleep like a baby / dream like a crazy / replace can’t with maybe.” With inspirational poems slipped between and occasionally within chapters, Greek American Pappas’ inwardly focused memoir takes her from her mother’s suicide when she was 4 through recovery from the clinical depression and anxiety that descended in the wake of her record-breaking 10,000-meter race in the 2016 Olympic Games. Most of the graphic language and descriptions in the 2021 adult original have been edited out, and there are some new or thoroughly reworked passages along with the addition of a new foreword by actor Maya Hawke and summary insights at each chapter’s end. These changes have the effect of purposely refocusing the work on themes of particular relevance for adolescent readers, such as navigating childhood with a supportive but laissez-faire single parent, choosing role models, setting goals (specifically, but not exclusively, athletic ones), and working toward them without burning out or incurring permanent injury. The author barely mentions her films, her Olympics experiences, or any other specific biographical events unless they bear directly on some point she’s making. She writes clearly and forcefully about what helped her, and could help young readers, carry on in the face of trauma, sexism, and other challenges.
Incisive, personal, and usefully reworked. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2023
ISBN: 9780593562741
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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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