Despite the subtitle, this book’s affirming messages can serve diverse genders.
In the opening of this self-esteem builder, Kidada Jones tells readers that the education system failed her; she matriculated through 11 schools and was kicked out of eight.
This is the book she didn’t have growing up. It starts with the premise that a girl is a mini-universe, referencing astrophysics that teaches how atoms and molecules in our bodies contain the same materials that exist in the visible universe. Each chapter ends with a “So you’re telling me this because…?” section, offering an alternative teaching model that explains the benefit of each lesson. Throughout the book, readers are advised to create a “soul-soothing tool kit,” a shoe box to be filled with affordable, creative supplies that are used for ongoing activities related to the theme of each chapter. Lessons include mindfulness exercises, reflective writing activities, yoga poses, and affirmations, along with several activities that help inspire mental and emotional well-being. Jones offers healthy-eating tips that include simple and nutritious recipes. This book has a strong New Age feel, with its allusions to the power of energy, vibes, and dreamcatchers, but it also gets practical, addressing bullying, crushes, and learning how to be a good friend. The coolest thing about this book is that none of the activities involve using social media, leaving readers to truly tap into the creative, undistracted self.
Despite the subtitle, this book’s affirming messages can serve diverse genders. (Nonfiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-60868-458-8
Page Count: 168
Publisher: New World Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
A vanity project that's for fans only.
A popular YouTuber releases her memoir.
Jenn McAllister, better known as Jennxpenn, details her ascent to Internet stardom and her personal struggles with bullying and anxiety. The book flips between prose chapters and lists, such as "Top 10 Things Middle Schoolers Worry About That They Shouldn't" and "Top 10 Best Pieces of Advice I've Ever Received." Unfortunately neither really pops. The lists are serviceable distractions filled with boilerplate platitudes (“Know It’s Not About You”; “Nobody’s in Charge of Your Happiness Except You”). McAllister's recounting of her own life starts interestingly enough (although her "bullying" is pretty tame, mostly name-calling that most children endure) but quickly loses narrative urgency or comedic charm. The book is filled with pictures as well, but there aren't any captions, so those who aren't familiar with YouTube culture won't know whom these people are or what the point of the picture's placement is. This lack of context feeds into the book's largest problem: anyone not familiar with Jennxpenn and her cohorts is left completely behind. The author describes her burgeoning channel competently enough early on, but once she makes it big, the narrative devolves into a listing of accomplishments and experiences that don't lead into one another in any way or provide much meaning to those curious about YouTubers but not particularly familiar with them.
A vanity project that's for fans only. (Memoir. 13-17)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-86112-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2015
An up-to-date if not in-depth introduction to a topic that has certainly affected many people’s lives throughout the ages.
Royal weddings, a campaign for toilets in India linked to marriage, and trash-the-dress photo shoots (a new U.S. custom) are introduced in this whirlwind tour of courtship, marriage, and divorce.
Using catchy chapter headings (“Control Freaks” focuses on the historical, political, and economic reasons for marriage), this slim volume offers a cursory glance at marriage in many religions, the ancient world, and some contemporary cultures, primarily the U.S. and Great Britain. China, Japan, and India are mentioned, while most European cultures are lumped together. The chapter on polygamy, “More Ways Than One,” starts off highlighting Zulu traditions with Jacob Zuma, the South African president with four current wives. Scant information about Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific region appears. Same-sex marriage and interfaith and interracial marriage are covered in “Forbidden Love,” which starts with celebrity couples such as David Bowie and Iman (white and black, Christian and Muslim) and Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka (two men). The legal struggles for interracial marriage (1967 Loving v. Virginia) and same-sex marriage (2015 Obergefell v. Hodges) are summarized, but the last sentence of the chapter again refers back to famous couples. This celebrity approach and such sections as “Over-the-Top Weddings,” along with references to YouTube and Vimeo, seem meant to ensure teen interest. Photographs (mostly in color) are clear and relevant. Readers can tease out interesting takes on feminism and women’s history. Some self-help sidebars on dating and relationships are generalized and superfluous.
An up-to-date if not in-depth introduction to a topic that has certainly affected many people’s lives throughout the ages. (source notes, glossary, selected bibliography, further information, index) (Nonfiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4677-9242-4
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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