A necessary and empowering anthology.
Familiar voices address issues of harassment, exploitation, and gender equality.
This collection of 25 stories is diverse, compelling, and deeply haunting as YA authors share wise insights and relate real-life horrors. The situations range from verbal harassment to rape, misogyny, and pedophilia. The anthology begins with the harrowing child molestation experienced by Patty Blount at the age of 5. There are personal stories about harassment in the workplace, assault on the playground, and predatory victim grooming in high school. Others muse about sexual orientation and the impact of toxic masculinity on both straight and gay encounters. Many writers, such as Saundra Mitchell and Ellen Hopkins, offer dark, introspective cautionary tales and lessons in empowerment. Mackenzi Lee’s modern take on the biblical tale of Bathsheba is an entertaining, defiant standout. Given the staggering breadth of material, the book is guaranteed to hit a nerve. Readers will applaud the brave honesty and the senses of community, support, and inclusivity that have been the aspirations of the #MeToo movement. These stories hit pretty hard and editor Gurtler acknowledges in her introduction that the experience may be triggering but argues that the dialogue is essential and ultimately healing. Contributors include people who are queer and writers of color.
A necessary and empowering anthology. (resources, about the authors) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-335-92908-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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