A chronicle of rebounding against unthinkable odds; Griner’s voice and faith ring clear in this story of survival.
Basketball star Griner’s life changes overnight, taking her from center court to the confines of a Russian prison, in this young readers’ adaptation of her 2024 memoir.
In Russia, Griner is “the female LeBron.” It’s 2022 and she’s playing basketball in Ekaterinburg. In the U.S., WNBA players are paid “about 250 times less” than their male counterparts; they’re able to earn significantly more in Russia. Tired of being away from her wife, Relle, Griner decides this will be her last season. She doesn’t know that one careless packing mistake will change everything. At the Moscow airport, agents detain Griner after discovering two cannabis vape pens—prescribed by her doctor for her sports injuries—in her bag. Her detention lasts 293 days and involves imprisonment in inhumane conditions, a sham trial where she’s used as a political pawn, and a harrowing transfer to a penal colony. Griner is finally released in a widely publicized prisoner exchange for a notorious Russian arms dealer. Griner’s story chronicles the horrors of the Russian prison system in a straightforward, expository tone that’s both measured and compulsively readable. Griner contrasts how her identity as a gay Black woman influenced her treatment on the basketball court and in prison in Russia with how she’s treated in the U.S. She ends with a call to action for the release of other detained Americans around the globe.
A chronicle of rebounding against unthinkable odds; Griner’s voice and faith ring clear in this story of survival. (photo credits) (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9798217027033
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Bright Matter Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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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