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#NOTYOURPRINCESS

VOICES OF NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN

Both testament to the complexity of Indigenous women’s identities and ferocious statement that these women fully inhabit the...

A unique cultural anthology of stories gathered from Indigenous women representing nations in the U.S. and Canada.

The voices in these stories defy and deconstruct the common stereotype of the Native American woman as docile tribal “princess.” The hashtag in the title is an intentional signal to readers that Native American women are a significant presence in the digital age. This book acts as a platform that allows Indigenous women to express their stories through poetry, vibrant and colorful art, personal photos, short stories, and traditional song. This tapestry of voices addresses reclaiming Indigenous rights, overcoming abandonment and abuse, navigating mixed identity, and cultural appropriation; there is also an homage to 13-year-old Anna Lee Rain Yellowhammer, a young Water Protector who gathered more than a quarter-million signatures to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Each page offers eye-catching images that represent the wide diversity among Indigenous women. A poignant interview with Dr. Janet Smylie (Cree/Métis) reveals both her personal struggle with depression as a teenager and the challenges she faced while attempting to finish medical school. Co-edited by author Charleyboy (Tsilhqot’in) and Leatherdale, this collection was created as a love letter to young Indigenous women. The vital message that it offers is that Indigenous women continue to shatter stereotypes through their personal successes and creative expression.

Both testament to the complexity of Indigenous women’s identities and ferocious statement that these women fully inhabit the modern world. (Anthology. 12-adult)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-55451-958-3

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Annick Press

Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017

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CONTINUUM

From the Pocket Change Collective series

Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author.

Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir.

Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author’s own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection.

Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18)

Pub Date: June 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-22348-2

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021

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GRAMMAR GIRL PRESENTS THE ULTIMATE WRITING GUIDE FOR STUDENTS

Like many grammar books, this starts with parts of speech and goes on to sentence structure, punctuation, usage and style....

As she does in previous volumes—Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (2008) and The Grammar Devotional (2009)—Fogarty affects an earnest and upbeat tone to dissuade those who think a grammar book has to be “annoying, boring, and confusing” and takes on the role of “grammar guide, intent on demystifying grammar.”

Like many grammar books, this starts with parts of speech and goes on to sentence structure, punctuation, usage and style. Fogarty works hard to find amusing, even cheeky examples to illustrate the many faux pas she discusses: "Squiggly presumed that Grammar Girl would flinch when she saw the word misspelled as alot." Young readers may well look beyond the cheery tone and friendly cover, though, and find a 300+-page text that looks suspiciously schoolish and isn't really that different from the grammar texts they have known for years (and from which they have still not learned a lot of grammar). As William Strunk said in his introduction to the first edition of the little The Elements of Style, the most useful grammar guide concentrates attention “on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.” After that, “Students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work.” By being exhaustive, Fogarty may well have created just the kind of volume she hoped to avoid.

Pub Date: July 5, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-8050-8943-1

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 20, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011

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