Everything you wanted to know about sex, 2019 version—easy to absorb, comprehensive, and fully embracing nonbinary language.
Sexuality information presented in a Q-and-A format based on tens of thousands of inquiries to a textline run by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
The authors are sex educators who pride themselves on “providing open and honest information in a safe and nonjudgmental way.” They do this in nine chapters covering sex; anatomy; puberty; sexual orientation, attraction, gender identity, and gender expression; sexually transmitted infections; pregnancy; birth control; relationships; and consent. The questions are phrased plainly and simply, for example, “is masturbation okay?” and “what if the condom broke?” Answers are short and to the point, and the sentences are easy to read, making this work broadly accessible. There is just one question per page, and each has a clever black-and-white illustration; readers will enjoy figuring out the connection between the drawing and the question (for example, a narwhal for “how do you make a girl horny?”). The answers are straightforward and sometimes humorous (“Don’t worry, fireworks don’t actually go off”). The text features excellent use of inclusive language: e.g. “person with a penis” and “person with a vagina” instead of gendered descriptors. With no index and a nongranular table of contents, readers will have to flip through an entire chapter to find a specific answer.
Everything you wanted to know about sex, 2019 version—easy to absorb, comprehensive, and fully embracing nonbinary language. (resources, glossary, endnotes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63228-067-1
Page Count: 296
Publisher: Viva Editions
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2019
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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