Shares a meaningful message of growth and self-discovery.
In this graphic memoir, an Afro-Dominican American teen from New York City chronicles her high school experience at Phillips Academy Andover, a wealthy, predominately white and Asian institution.
Kiara is away from home for the first time, and she worries that “everyone else is clicking with each other.” She’s used to having lots of friends—maybe she’s not trying hard enough to fit in? She’s also “used to being around only Latino and Black people from growing up in Washington Heights” and feels like her status as someone on full financial aid makes her stand out. Kiara meets other Black and brown classmates and learns about SLAM, the school step team, though she has interests—like anime and learning Japanese—that don’t always align with theirs. Her friend Samara encourages her to audition for SLAM, and joining the group boosts her confidence. While Kiara becomes increasingly aware of troubling racial dynamics at Andover, from unfair disciplinary policies to microaggressions (“Most of these white kids really don’t think for one second about the hurtful crap leaving their mouths”), she attempts to rise above it all. Valdez’s graphic novel debut provides thoughtful glimpses into her attempts to settle into a new environment that wasn’t designed with her in mind. Readers will identify with the outsider perspective explored throughout the narrative. Tsai Santos’ color palette and illustration are reminiscent of cartoons from the early 2000s.
Shares a meaningful message of growth and self-discovery. (author’s note, cover sketches) (Graphic memoir. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780063254534
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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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