“The guitar’s all very well, John, but you’ll never make a living out of it.” Despite his aunt’s admonition, learning to make a living out of his guitar was the theme of John Lennon’s life, and Partridge does a masterful job of placing Lennon’s music in the context of his times—the influences of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, as well as the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War and Watergate. Lennon comes across as a brilliant, self-centered, self-destructive figure caught up in a pop culture world that reflected and exaggerated his own worst tendencies. Given the massive amount written about the Beatles, separating the man from the myth is a huge challenge, superbly accomplished here, with great attention to documentation. Source notes let readers into the process of writing nonfiction, and the bibliography is excellent. Photographs and other primary source material help to create an honest, multidimensional portrait of the artist. Strong language, partying, sex and drugs were a big part of John’s life, and their portrayal makes this a work for older readers, who will find it fascinating. (afterword, discography, index) (Nonfiction. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2005
ISBN: 0-670-05954-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
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
An emotionally resonant second-chance romance enriched by authentic relationships and profound emotional journeys.
A former child actor reunites with her old co-star while desperately trying to maintain her anonymity.
Five years ago, Claire Hopper, formerly known as CeCe Lafayette, left behind her life in Los Angeles, where she starred in a sitcom, to start over in idyllic small-town Connecticut. Her move and name change coincided with her parents’ divorce. Claire has kept her true identity hidden, even from her best friend, Korean American Evie, in hopes of having a normal post-Hollywood life. But white-presenting Claire’s carefully guarded secret is threatened when mega-famous Salvadoran American Luke Cordova, who was on the show with her, comes to town to film an adaptation of a bestselling book about a local murder. Further complicating matters is that they had “world-ending crushes on each other” but fell out of touch after a dare gone wrong. Luke offers Claire a job as a consultant for the film, which will help pay for NYU, her dream school. She desperately needs the money because her father stole all her earnings from acting. Claire’s concerns are satisfyingly and believably resolved. Her growth as she moves toward self-acceptance and self-love is gratifying. O’Shaughnessy also draws rewarding and authentic connections between Claire and her older brother, Nicky, a college athlete, and his transgender girlfriend, Mara. Best of all is the sizzling chemistry between Luke and Claire, which supports the depth of their love story.
An emotionally resonant second-chance romance enriched by authentic relationships and profound emotional journeys. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2026
ISBN: 9780063570252
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
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