A critical work.
What happens when the right to vote is systematically withheld from a portion of the electorate?
Goldstone (Unpunished Murder, 2018, etc.) details the complex history of voting for African Americans, including the lasting impact of major decisions made at pivotal points in American history: the Constitutional Convention, the Civil War, the 13th and 14th amendments during Reconstruction, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its dismantling by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts in 2013. By interweaving stories about African Americans who fought for the right to vote and those who worked against them, Goldstone deftly highlights the adversities African Americans have faced to gain and retain access to the ballot. He unpacks many of the structural, systematic, state-sanctioned, and legal blockades to voting, including state constitutional amendments in North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and South Carolina that insidiously virtually eliminated African American participation. Running parallel to the stories are portrayals of lesser-known heroes like Alex Manly, Judge Alexander Rivers, Cornelius Jones, and Jackson W. Giles who worked to dismantle systemic racism at the ballot box. Goldstone resurrects decades-old court cases, bringing new life to the past by clearly connecting yesterday to today and invoking current questions about which Americans have participatory access to democracy. Short chapters, ample photographs and illustrations, judicious use of illustrative quotations, and straightforward prose make this an engaging read.
A critical work. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, illustration credits, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-338-32348-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019
Bosworth—late of Laguna Beach and The Hills, two MTV series that showcased the lives and loves of Southern California’s young and glamorous—is building a brand for herself: the sensible-yet-sexy older cousin. This book, which shares a title with her recently launched lifestyle website, expands on the romance-advice section of her site and ably offers an appealing mix of generic and specific relationship advice in a breezy, knowing tone. Using a mix of anecdotes from her own life and those of her friends, quizzes, recipes and straight-ahead advice in a post-feminist–meets-retro mashup that may make older readers occasionally gnash their teeth, the author counsels girls never to forget their intrinsic excellence and not to settle for bad relationships. Readers might expect a funny and wise young advisor to address sex more directly than she does here, but this is clearly a title intended to capitalize on a specific moment in its author’s life. Bosworth is focused on broad appeal, not breaking new ground. Overall, the positive aspects of her message outweigh the sigh-worthy bits. (Relationship advice. YA)
Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4424-1200-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2010
A weird, witty, endlessly entertaining compendium for the budding pop-culture aficionado.
For anyone who has ever felt the slightest bit deficient in their pop-culture expertise, here is the ultimate guide, guaranteed to fill any void.
Harmon has put together a quirky, fun, wide-ranging guide to nearly 500 different books, films, podcasts, songs, television episodes, video games and more, sorting them into kooky top 10 lists. “Stop Being Such a Philistine: Easy Access Points to the World of High Art” includes Exit through the Gift Shop, a Banksy documentary directed by the subject; Amadeus (the movie); Barry Lyndon; a 2009 ad campaign for Levi’s; and Beyoncé’s “Countdown” video, among others. “Eat, Pray, Love, Spelunk: Tag Along on a Life-Changing Vacation” recommends the VICE Guide to Travel, a Web-based collection of video guides to such vacation getaways as Doha and Karachi; The Darjeeling Limited; David Foster Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (1997); and The Amazing Race Australia. Each entry receives a paragraph or two of annotation. It is particularly entertaining to see what seemingly completely disparate things wind up on the same list. Evil Dead and The Sound of Music? Field of Dreams and Persepolis? The bizarre choices will prompt many double takes and lots of laughter.
A weird, witty, endlessly entertaining compendium for the budding pop-culture aficionado. (Nonfiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: June 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-936976-36-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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