An intriguing, well-told account of an extraordinary life.
A recipient of the Medal of Freedom, Josefina Guerrero (1917-1996) was a war hero and “a symbol for hope and greater courage.”
In opening and closing notes, Kelly explains that despite thorough efforts, she encountered gaps while researching her subject. Still, she writes, “the pieces [Josefina] left behind are enough to leave us in wonder,” and a compelling portrait of a brave and resolute woman emerges. Born in 1917 in Lucban, Philippines, imaginative young Josefina—called Joey—was a devout Catholic who longed to hear the voice of God, like her idol, Joan of Arc. Her adult life with her husband and daughter was upended when she developed Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy. Due to social stigma, she and her family hid her condition until 1941, when Japan bombed first Pearl Harbor and then an American military base on Manila Bay. After Joey’s status was reported to the authorities, she fled, eventually serving as a guerilla fighter and delivering a map that allowed U.S. troops to liberate those imprisoned at the Santo Tomas camp. Later, she relocated to the Tala Leprosarium, where she advocated for better treatment for those with Hansen’s disease and secured increased funding for the leprosarium. Prose written in the present tense lends the narrative immediacy, while informative and deftly interspersed photos, captions, and sidebars provide context to the cultural and historical climate.
An intriguing, well-told account of an extraordinary life. (notes, bibliography) (Biography. 9-12)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063218901
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spirited biography untangles the accretion of myth and story around Pocahontas and makes clear what little is actually known and what fragments of the historical record are available. The text is rich in illustration and in sidebars (on longhouses, colonial diet, weaponry and so on) that illuminate the central narrative. Whether Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life directly or as part of an elaborate ritual might not matter, argues Jones. Pocahontas and her people were certainly responsible for keeping the English settlement of Jamestown from starvation. Relations between English settlers and Native people were uneasy at best, and the author traces these carefully, relating how Pocahontas was later kidnapped by the British and held for ransom. When none was forthcoming, she was converted both to English ways and the Christian religion, marrying the widower John Rolfe and traveling to England, where Pocahontas saw John Smith once again and died at about the age of 21. An excellent stab at myth busting and capturing the nuances of both the figure and her times. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6844-6
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
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