A concise overview of an influential generation.
An overview of the concerns and priorities of Generation Z, who have grown up with social media, are more racially diverse than previous generations, and face a plethora of local and global challenges that affect their immediate and long-term futures.
The roughly 69 million Americans born between 1997 and 2012 make up about 20% of the U.S. population. In addition to demographic characteristics, Sheen draws on public survey results to describe them, sometimes presenting superficial generalizations: “As a group, Gen Z is pragmatic.” She also asserts that they’re future-focused and more concerned with addressing critical issues than party politics. The book features profiles of some young people who have won recent elections, including Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, Illinois State Representative Nabeela Syed, and Earle, Arkansas, mayor Jaylen Smith. Sheen sounds an alarm—“many Gen Zers are disillusioned with how lawmakers are addressing issues that concern them and the world they will inherit.” As a result, while over 60% of them support democratic principles, 66% think this country is “headed in the wrong direction”; democracy, as they’re experiencing it, isn’t always working. Contextualizing their feelings, she explains, for example, that many Gen Zers attend college, become burdened with onerous student loan debt, and then face a rapidly changing job market shaped by AI and a weak social safety net. Ample photos and text boxes punctuate the accessible text.
A concise overview of an influential generation. (source notes, for further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781678213602
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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