A brief, somber, and potentially life-saving resource.
Disheartening rates of teen suicide make this book’s clearly presented information valuable.
Currie-McGhee identifies mental health challenges as a serious issue, particularly among young women, Native populations, veterans, Black teens, and LGBTQ+ youth. She argues that “one of the biggest barriers to addressing youth suicide among all groups is the stigma surrounding mental health”: Sharing stories and resources can save lives. The book explains that mental health troubles are often hidden, treatment doesn’t always prevent suicide, feelings of guilt can complicate grief, and suicide loss survivors can experience physical distress. Numerous moving anecdotes lie at the heart of the book, describing youths who struggled and many who offer models of recovery and change. The eight brief chapters also cover surviving an attempt, warning signs, research on risk factors, and healing processes. The chapter discussing suicide’s devastating effects on family and friends is especially powerful. The emphasis on helping others closes the book on a much-needed positive note. The author advocates persuasively for seeking help, from both professionals and close personal connections, and offers readers abundant practical advice on doing so; she also includes ideas on how to respond to those in crisis. Text boxes highlight key quotes, and stock photos depict racially diverse people.
A brief, somber, and potentially life-saving resource. (source notes, getting help and information, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781678212148
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
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
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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