Useful and accessible: provides background on and powerful descriptions of the experiences of asylum seekers.
Accounts of Western Hemisphere individuals and families seeking asylum exemplify the varied situations that drive people to try to enter the United States via the U.S.–Mexico border.
While facts and figures are also provided, it is the stories of these children, youths, and adults that will resonate with readers. The book particularly focuses on the Trump and Biden administrations and makes some distinctions between changing governmental policies. Opening by explaining the reasons many contemporary asylum seekers are escaping their home countries—for example, gangs, domestic abuse, and difficult economic situations—the book’s second chapter describes the hazardous journeys many undertake. The third chapter goes into what happens once they reach the border, and the volume wraps up by surveying immigration policies and the asylum-seeking process and their impact on migrants. Stock color photos break up the text, and quotes from asylum seekers and those who support them are presented in colorful text boxes, emphasizing the personal nature of the narratives. A good resource for school reports, this slim book does a more-than-adequate job of accurately describing the issues and the problems that many asylum seekers face: the travel dangers, squalid conditions on both sides of the border, confusing legal changes, and overcrowded court calendars that leave people in precarious situations for years.
Useful and accessible: provides background on and powerful descriptions of the experiences of asylum seekers. (source notes, organizations and websites, further research, index, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-67820-324-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
