A must-have for libraries serving teens.
What is fake news and how can we recognize it?
In a well-timed survey for teen readers, Miller (My iPad for Seniors, 2017, etc.) sets his introduction firmly in the present, opening with an example of President Donald Trump’s quoting of a false National Enquirer story. The author describes how legitimate news is collected and disseminated. He discusses the history of the fake news phenomenon and explains the importance of a free press. He explains bias in news sources and defines what various political labels mean in terms of ideology. Citing authoritative sources, he states that fake news is more often believed and spread by people who are politically conservative. His examples of fake or biased reports include conspiracy theories and controversies about former President Barack Obama’s birthplace, vaccinations, the 9/11 attack, the Kennedy assassination, airplane contrails, Russian interference in the 2016 election, and climate change, among others. He concludes with advice for identifying bias in news sources and offers two short lists of sources indicating the nature of their political bias and their degree of authority. He gives suggestions for combating fake news, including how best to persuade others. Informative chapter titles and subheadings make the organization clear, and excellent backmatter will encourage further exploration. Readers may find the exposition dry, but the paragraphs are broken up with color photographs and text boxes, and this subject is timely and important.
A must-have for libraries serving teens. (source notes, glossary, bibliography, further information, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2814-7
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
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
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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