From body image to date rape, pay inequality to sexual harassment, this guide introduces important topics that can be...
A volume that seeks to clarify the history and complexity of the meaning of “feminist” for a new generation of teens.
Polak’s (Passover Family, 2018, etc.) knowledgeable voice provides a simple yet comprehensive overview of key feminist issues, successfully highlighting the evolution of this social cause from the suffragists through the #MeToo movement of modern times. Beginning with a chapter on the different waves of feminism, Polak emphasizes how activists through the decades have fought for their belief in social, political, and economic equality for the sexes. In easily digested chapters, she explains the damaging effect of misogyny on women, Indigenous people and people of color, LGBTQ+ people, those who are impoverished, and disabled communities around the world. Rather than shy away from tensions in the movement, she highlights the need for intersectionality, encourages active involvement, and devotes a chapter to male feminists. If feminism is too often defined by the individual fight for autonomy, Polak is careful to clarify that all feminists must examine their own privilege and be aware of ways one person can be liberated at the expense of another. This amply illustrated introduction will spark discussion among teens who wish to make a difference in their community.
From body image to date rape, pay inequality to sexual harassment, this guide introduces important topics that can be difficult for teenagers to discuss. (author’s note, glossary, resources, references, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1892-7
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 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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