Sincere engagement and effort that will encourage emerging writers.
The latest anthology from a nonprofit that works to uplift the voices of young people from historically marginalized communities through the power of stories.
The editors worked with writers at the “chrysalis stage,” helping the butterflies within them emerge. The pieces included here vary in length and form and include poems (some that incorporate Spanish), short stories, scripts, personal essays, visual art, and some unusual forms, like unsent voicemails. The mentors’ and mentees’ names appear before each piece, and each person provides a laudatory anecdote about their shared endeavor. Brief headnotes help readers place the entries, positioning them as social commentary (“This is a social commentary poem written for those that feel their voice isn’t heard”), personal reflection (“A poem about the difficulty of letting go”), political statement (“As consumers, where we invest our money and energy has the power to change our future”), or something else. Occasionally there is a content warning. Because the young people are writing what they know, relationships and emotions dominate: The pieces celebrate friendship, describe family struggles, and delve into sensitive topics like disordered eating, mental illness, and grief. A few entries are especially accomplished, but the collection is markedly uneven in quality; occasionally a piece seems unfinished or still in process, but overall, these are worthwhile evocations of growth and struggle, oriented toward girls’ expression and agency.
Sincere engagement and effort that will encourage emerging writers. (Anthology. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798990046214
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Girls Write Now
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
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