A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Most valuable here is the explicit, intimate, and informative nature of each writer's words
Seventeen women write about losing their virginity in this work of nonfiction.
Editor Keyser begins with a compelling if didactic preface that acknowledges the mixed messages in mainstream culture about sex and implores young women to be informed and purposeful in making their own sexual decisions. Each candid narrative is then presented in its author's own style. A trans woman describes her lovely and affirming first time with a trans man by saying, "It felt as though our genitals had switched places." In startling contrast, another woman describes her disappointing encounter as a first-year college student by using the slang term "bush" for her pubic hair and remembering that her obnoxious hookup partner commented that "he'd never fucked a girl with a full one before." In between each memoir, Keyser writes a very brief commentary on the preceding and proceeding story—segues that seem unnecessary, as readers will be able to see their own parallels and differences in each of these varied experiences from writers who fall along a wide range of sexual orientations. A conversation between Keyser and a teen librarian concludes the collection, along with a solid list of online and print resources for teens and their parents.
Most valuable here is the explicit, intimate, and informative nature of each writer's words . (Collective memoir. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58270-590-3
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Beyond Words/Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2015
A good starting point for discussions.
This small, colorful book introduces readers to the complexities of an ever evolving movement, drawing partly on world history but mainly concentrating on the United States in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The introduction, “Are you a feminist?” gives an excellent historical overview and then, noting the controversial nature of this “f-word,” offers definitions to ponder. The six chapters that follow cover an enormous breadth of material—including workplace discrimination, Guerilla Girls, rape culture, reproductive and gender justice, and more—presented in short, accessible paragraphs and charts. Disagreements among feminists are discussed without judgment. There is some questionable use of statistics, but that is not too problematic, since anyone who reads the book will feel compelled to do further research. Oddly, the artwork misses the mark more than once. For example, the photograph of Kelly Clarkson is not the controversial one described in the text. Also, it seems silly to show thin, white Ashley Judd in a T-shirt that says, “This is what a feminist looks like” in a book emphasizing intersectionality and inclusion. Why not show an Asian-American man wearing it, for example? Equally disconcerting in this mostly progressive book is its apparent conflation of minimum wage and living wage and, in its thumbnail biographies, the inclusion of Ms. magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem but not co-founder Dorothy Pitman Hughes.
A good starting point for discussions. (timeline, glossary, source notes, bibliography, further information, resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4677-6147-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
