A stunningly comprehensive, thoughtful, and practical guide to anti-racist parenting.
This anti-biased, anti-racist (ABAR) parenting book centers the lived experiences of Black, brown, and Indigenous families.
Acclaimed ABAR trainer Hawthorne breaks the text into sections: “healthy bodies, radical minds, conscious shopping, and thriving communities.” Before moving on to those four primary elements, the author provides key language that caregivers can use to both structure their own ABAR journeys and to use when working with their children. Regarding healthy bodies, Hawthorne unpacks a wide-ranging set of issues, including featurism, colorism, fat phobia, and disability. The section on radical minds focuses on liberating language as well as mental health. In the discussion of conscious consumption, the author provides clear and practical advice for ethical consumption in a capitalist society and shows “how conscious consumerism connects to collective community care.” Hawthorne’s section on community lays out a vision for living in collectives in which diverse families can both give and receive support. Throughout, the author includes prompts that offer children and caregivers opportunities for reflection as well as hands-on activities for a variety of age groups. To supplement her arguments, Hawthorne explores the ideas of fellow ABAR activists and educators such as Aja Barbe, Tiffany Jewell, Emi Ito, and Kira Banks. The book’s resources range from reading lists to playlists, encompassing the needs of a variety of learners and developmental levels. Among the recommended songs for “self-affirmation and empowerment” are Nina Simone’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” and Bob Marley’s “One Love/People Get Ready.” Hawthorne has a gift for making complex, sensitive topics accessible, and her tone is both inspiring and comforting. Refreshingly, her approach is truly intersectional, seamlessly folding discussions about disability, queerness, and gender identity into a larger conversation about race. Overall, the creativity, criticality, and compassion make this book is a must-read for parents and caregivers.
A stunningly comprehensive, thoughtful, and practical guide to anti-racist parenting.Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-982185-42-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.
The former iCarly star reflects on her difficult childhood.
In her debut memoir, titled after her 2020 one-woman show, singer and actor McCurdy (b. 1992) reveals the raw details of what she describes as years of emotional abuse at the hands of her demanding, emotionally unstable stage mom, Debra. Born in Los Angeles, the author, along with three older brothers, grew up in a home controlled by her mother. When McCurdy was 3, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though she initially survived, the disease’s recurrence would ultimately take her life when the author was 21. McCurdy candidly reconstructs those in-between years, showing how “my mom emotionally, mentally, and physically abused me in ways that will forever impact me.” Insistent on molding her only daughter into “Mommy’s little actress,” Debra shuffled her to auditions beginning at age 6. As she matured and starting booking acting gigs, McCurdy remained “desperate to impress Mom,” while Debra became increasingly obsessive about her daughter’s physical appearance. She tinted her daughter’s eyelashes, whitened her teeth, enforced a tightly monitored regimen of “calorie restriction,” and performed regular genital exams on her as a teenager. Eventually, the author grew understandably resentful and tried to distance herself from her mother. As a young celebrity, however, McCurdy became vulnerable to eating disorders, alcohol addiction, self-loathing, and unstable relationships. Throughout the book, she honestly portrays Debra’s cruel perfectionist personality and abusive behavior patterns, showing a woman who could get enraged by everything from crooked eyeliner to spilled milk. At the same time, McCurdy exhibits compassion for her deeply flawed mother. Late in the book, she shares a crushing secret her father revealed to her as an adult. While McCurdy didn’t emerge from her childhood unscathed, she’s managed to spin her harrowing experience into a sold-out stage act and achieve a form of catharsis that puts her mind, body, and acting career at peace.
The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-982185-82-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
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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