A comprehensive overview of the environmental movement from its inception to the present day.
Despite the book’s retro, somewhat stodgy look, this is stimulating—and critical—reading. Peterson (Cutting-Edge Hubble Telescope Data, 2019, etc.) clearly and thoroughly guides readers through the idea for and inception of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. While the sheer amount of information relayed could be mind-numbing in less adept hands—the narrative presents the legal battles and stutter-steps through the last six presidential administrations and earlier—it is told in manageable bites interspersed with plenty of fascinating sidebars. Readers will understand the legal processes by which laws are enacted, an empowering move that counteracts the inevitable feeling of frustration at the infinitesimally slow forward progress. If readers forget the dates and timelines, they will for sure come away with this one thing: that a group of dedicated people can make, and have made, a difference despite political, industrial, and social obstructions. The narrative commendably discusses the historical roots of racial bias among environmentalists and environmental groups (the Sierra Club and Audubon Society “had strong ties to…racist and classist viewpoints” of those who “believed that poor and minority communities were directly responsible for declining wildlife numbers”) and doesn’t take a partisan political stance, presenting facts evenhandedly.
Essential reading. (glossary, source notes, bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-5281-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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BOOK REVIEW
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 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir.
Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author’s own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection.
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-22348-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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