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
Fans of all things martial will echo his “HOOYAH!”—but the troubled aftermath comes in for some attention too.
Abridged but not toned down, this young-readers version of an ex-SEAL sniper’s account (SEAL Team Six, 2011) of his training and combat experiences in Operation Desert Storm and the first Battle of Mogadishu makes colorful, often compelling reading.
“My experiences weren’t always enjoyable,” Wasdin writes, “but they were always adrenaline-filled!” Not to mention testosterone-fueled. He goes on to ascribe much of his innate toughness to being regularly beaten by his stepfather as a child and punctuates his passage through the notoriously hellacious SEAL training with frequent references to other trainees who fail or drop out. He tears into the Clinton administration (whose “support for our troops had sagged like a sack of turds”), indecisive commanders and corrupt Italian “allies” for making such a hash of the entire Somalian mission. In later chapters he retraces his long, difficult physical and emotional recovery from serious wounds received during the “Black Hawk Down” operation, his increasing focus on faith and family after divorce and remarriage and his second career as a chiropractor.
Fans of all things martial will echo his “HOOYAH!”—but the troubled aftermath comes in for some attention too. (acronym/ordinance glossary, adult level reading list) (Memoir. 12-14)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-250-01643-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will find answers to basic questions about Muslims, yet they might not understand the bigger picture if they don’t...
Ali-Karamali offers plenty of anecdotes about growing up Muslim in America in a conversational tone that is undermined by poor organization.
The work explores a range of questions that non-Muslims might have about followers of Islam. Ranging from a discussion of Muslim holidays or the kinds of clothes worn by Muslims to the development of Islam, the author explains these topics in a friendly, engaging manner. She provides several examples of Muslim practices around the world, going beyond her American experiences to reflect Islam’s diversity. Chapters are organized into three fact-filled sections on beliefs and practices, the development of Islam and current Muslim demographics. Unfortunately, beginning with the practical questions about food, fasting and fashion delays important concepts such as how jihad is not equivalent to terrorism and whether Islam mandates women wear face veils (in a word, no). Compounding this basic conceptual flaw, this organizational choice necessitates clunky references to later chapters. Moreover, it is not until Chapter 4 that cited figures or quotes are provided references, an example of sloppy scholarship.
Readers will find answers to basic questions about Muslims, yet they might not understand the bigger picture if they don’t hang in until the end. (notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-74095-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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