A cursory introduction to potential male role models.
Thumbnail biographies highlighting formative boyhood experiences of 30 exceptional men past and present who have had a lasting impact.
The highlighted figures include 18th-century mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker, World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, and gay activist Harvey Milk. Each chapter follows the same template: a few bullet points, which include dates of birth and death (if applicable), an impactful quote from the subject, a short biography, and interesting sidebar facts. This last element often provides the most interesting information in the book, like the fact that Louis Braille found a way to translate sheet music into braille, and Jacques Cousteau developed his love of the sea when he took up swimming as therapy after breaking both of his arms in a car crash. As for youthful accomplishments, Nelson Mandela was expelled from university for protesting, and David Hogg famously became an activist after surviving the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Other notable inclusions are quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, and Japanese video game developer and Pokémon inventor Satoshi Tajiri. Calvert’s crisp introduction pinpoints her hope that these brief, fact-filled portraits may spur readers to explore further. The book’s value in this regard is unfortunately weakened by a lack of recommended further reading, and its authority is undermined by an absence of sources. The text follows a White default. Color illustrations brighten the volume.
A cursory introduction to potential male role models. (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-28161-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Castle Point Books/St. Martin's Press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a...
Will the world end in a bang or a whimper? Unless pre-empted by human-induced disaster or one of many scientifically possible catastrophic scenarios, life on Earth will end a billion years from now in a sizzle.
Predicting the end of the world is an old story, argues the author, presenting evidence in brief surveys of eschatologies from the world's major religions and mythologies of ancient civilizations. Miller also notes how end-of-world scenarios have captured humanity's imagination in their frequent appearances in science-fiction novels and motion pictures. (Disappointingly, the reasons for this ongoing fascination are not explored.) A chapter about imminent predictions for 2012 explains the Mayan prophecy and a theory about a phantom planet called Nibiru crashing into Earth. Another chapter examines pseudoscientific end-of-world theories such as planetary alignment and pole shifts. The primary focus is on scientifically plausible scenarios: self-destruction through nuclear war or continued environmental exploitation; humanity wiped out by a pandemic; an asteroid or comet strike destroying Earth.
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a high-interest topic that should inspire many to further explore the subject. (chronology, glossary, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7396-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in.
A gleefully explicit catalogue of the past century’s headline-grabbing bad behavior.
Aimed at readers who don’t need to be told who Brangelina is but may be hazy on “twisted besties” Leopold and Loeb or even Monica Lewinsky, this edutaining survey presents a wide-angle array of murders, sexual follies, controversial trials, race violence, political corruption and general envelope-pushing from the 1906 killing of Stanford White on. Each of the chronologically arranged entries opens with a capsule “Scoop” followed by a slightly fuller account under a “What Went Down” header. Along with a small black-and-white photo and one or two sidebar quotes, the author tacks on subsequent developments, sometimes-perceptive suggestions about “Why We Still Care” and a short roster of similar incidents in recent history. Though she misspells “Symbionese” and repeatedly awards FDR only three Presidential wins, in general Fryd presents reasonably accurate summaries of events and issues while giving all sides of the more muddled conflicts at least a nod. Additional cred is provided by a teen panel of editorial advisors.
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827322-0-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zest/Orange Avenue
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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