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
A must-read reminder that transformation is made possible through community.
Explores historical threads of race, faith, and family as they weave together in the transformation of youthful, imprisoned Malcolm Little into empowered, purpose-driven Malcolm X.
Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, partners with rising literary star Jackson to explore 20-something Malcolm’s growth through reading, debate, and dialogue. This dedication and rediscovery of purpose, made manifest through newfound faith, would catapult him to the global stage as the chief spokesman for the Nation of Islam under the tutelage of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Refusing to establish his transformation as the marker of an unjust prison system’s rehabilitation strategy, this fictionalized retelling spotlights the relationships, perspectives, lessons, and questions delivered by Black men imprisoned around him and the critical embrace of a family that never abandoned him. “Wake up, Malcolm” is a cue that resounds throughout, linking the familial legacy of Malcolm’s parents, who held ties to ministry and served roles in the racial uplift mission of Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. Readers will make connections to persistent injustices faced by Black communities—and the beautiful ways which, despite that terror, Black families have found to craft visions of freedom and lives of dignity and love. This novel showcases the ways that becoming is a social process requiring care, commitment, and community but is ultimately world-changing work.
A must-read reminder that transformation is made possible through community. (more information, timeline, Malcolm X’s reading list, authors’ note) (Biographical novel. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31329-6
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
With the demand for all things Hamilton still strong, this will resonate with many teen readers.
Over 200 years after his death in a duel with former Vice President Aaron Burr, founding father Alexander Hamilton’s story is a major player in popular culture.
Brockenbrough begins her narrative with a list of the contradictions of Hamilton’s life and then sets out to describe many of them in detail. Hamilton’s wretched childhood and struggles for survival and an education set a tone that depicts him as the consummate self-made man whose flaws damaged both his political career and personal life. Hamilton’s courtship and marriage to Elizabeth Schuyler, a daughter of one of the country’s most influential families, is a key part, along with prominent figures from American history. Sometimes the intricacies of Revolutionary War strategy and Constitutional Convention maneuvering slow things down, making the pace uneven. However, tidbits about Hamilton’s role in the episode with Benedict Arnold and his close relationships with fellow soldier John Laurens and his sister-in-law Angelica Church are intriguing. The story is targeted to an older audience than Teri Kanefield’s Alexander Hamilton: The Making of America (2017), so the sex scandal that derailed Hamilton’s political career is part of the story, as is, of course, the duel that ended his life. After the epilogue, the volume includes information on 18th-century medicine, attire, and warfare among other contextualizing topics ; the volume will be illustrated with archival material (not seen).
With the demand for all things Hamilton still strong, this will resonate with many teen readers. (timeline, source notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-12319-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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