Nichols is sure to inspire an entire generation of new “artivists.”
“This book will encourage and equip [readers] to use art as a language and instrument that can help…champion [their] chosen cause.”
Beginning on a personal note, Nichols breaks down her involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement in Missouri, starting in 2014, and uses this jumping-off point to widen the scope to thoughtfully balance personal accounts of protest with a wider global perspective. In straightforward, accessible language she takes readers through the history of visual media for social change through the past and into the modern day, ending with speculation on where current trends will take protest art in the future. Appropriately packing the text with graphics from several artists displaying unique visual styles, author and artist Nichols prepares the next generation of young art activists with a comprehensive guide to the inextricable relationship between protest and art. Inspiring, pop-color illustrations highlight five youth climate activists around the world. Featuring examples of work and quotes from the likes of Ai Weiwei, Nina Simone, Diego Rivera, and Keith Haring, Nichols arms young readers with basic introductions in reading visual information—including color associations, common symbology, typography, and popular formats such as zine making, screen printing, and—escaping the two-dimensional—various protest demonstrations. Abundant contextual information pairs beautifully with encouragement to engage—safely—with protest in a variety of ways suited to civic-minded young artists.
Nichols is sure to inspire an entire generation of new “artivists.” (Nonfiction. 10-18)Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2325-5
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Big Picture/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author.
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 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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