An unconventional remembrance that will encourage readers to try to create change themselves.
Barker’s debut memoir showcases a teenager’s personal growth as he strives to help zoo animals.
In 1995, the author was a lonely 13-year-old boy living in Sacramento who filled his days by struggling through school and watching kids’ TV shows, until he read the book Kids Can Save the Animals: 101 Easy Things To Do, which gave him inspiration. He quickly connected with local and national animal rights organizations and set himself a goal to improve conditions at the Sacramento Zoo. Soon, Barker gained media attention and brought about positive changes for polar bears, hyenas, and other animals in small cages. After someone sent him an anonymous letter, he decided to pursue a new project to save two black bears in Roseville, California, from appalling living conditions at an underserved facility. After making hundreds of phone calls, writing letters, and appearing on the local news, the author finally found a place to house the bears at a rescue zoo. However, he needed to raise $250,000 to build a new structure for the animals. Barker diligently worked every angle, from local fundraising to appearing on the NBC TV show Real Life. His message inspired many, bringing awareness to animal welfare. As he discovers his purpose, he also discovers his identity as a queer teen. Over the course of this book, which features a foreword by Jane Goodall, Barker’s casual writing style establishes an easy flow to a narrative that spans years; along the way, it presents detailed snapshots of specific animals’ plights and moments in the author’s personal life, resulting in an unpredictable and original work. Teen readers will be able to relate to Justin’s challenging relationship with his parents, his personal angst, and his determination to find himself. That said, the 1990s pop-culture references to old Nickelodeon programs or the Spice Girls may not resonate with younger readers.
An unconventional remembrance that will encourage readers to try to create change themselves.Pub Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73608-432-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Brutus & Ursula
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
PERSPECTIVES
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
Historical fiction examines the famous case of Emmett Till, whose murder was one of the triggers of the civil-rights movement. Hiram Hillburn knows R.C. Rydell is evil. He watches R.C. mutilate a catfish, but does nothing to stop him. “I didn’t want to end up like that fish,” he says. He watches R.C. throw stones at a neighbor’s house and humiliate 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African-American visitor from Chicago, and still he does nothing. Hiram says, “When things are scary or dangerous, it’s hard to see clear what to do.” When Till is brutally murdered, Hiram is sure R.C. is involved. Hiram, a white teenager who has come back to the Mississippi town where his father grew up, is the narrator and the perspective of the white outsider and the layers of his moral reflection make this an excellent examination of a difficult topic. When the case comes to trial, Hiram knows he must face his own trial: can he stand up to evil and do the right thing? He knows Mr. Paul, the local storeowner, is right: “Figure out what’s right and what’s wrong, and make yourself do the right thing. Do that and no matter what happens, no matter what people say, you’ll have no regrets.” This is a complicated thing to do, as Hiram must summon inner strength and come to terms with who he is—the son of an English professor who hates everything about the South and the grandson of a farmer who loves everything about it. Teen readers will find themselves caught up in Hiram’s very real struggle to do the right thing. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8037-2745-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2002
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