A gripping, much-needed memoir about a Black woman, a movement, and people fighting for freedom denied.
In this young readers’ adaptation of the 2018 original, a Black Lives Matter co-founder recounts growing up in a society that sought to punish her mere existence.
Using journal entries, Khan-Cullors recalls with sometimes excruciating detail finding and developing aspects of herself that would cumulatively create her identity. From stories of her biological and chosen family to her wider community, the writing overflows with honesty, compassion, courage, and love. The many unjust interactions she and her community have had with law enforcement make for a heart-wrenching read. Still, the author and activist maintains a message of action-based hope, life-sustaining love, and community support. With assistance from co-author bandele, a noted writer and journalist, Khan-Cullors shares private and public challenges and victories. Readers will understand and connect the traumas experienced by Black people in America for centuries, from Jim Crow to the war on drugs to modern-day slavery in the form of the prison system. Most importantly, the authors share principles and beliefs that speak to what is needed to facilitate and achieve necessary changes to a blood-stained, toxic, fatal disease of American society. Part memoir, part call to action, the message is clear: Black Lives Matter despite systems and inhumane practices that say otherwise. Questions for readers at the end of each chapter will prompt discussion and awakening and even inspire action.
A gripping, much-needed memoir about a Black woman, a movement, and people fighting for freedom denied. (recommended reading and viewing) (Memoir. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-19498-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
The advice and history in this volume complement and enhance the prom magazines available each year.
Prom is more than just a night out, as revealed in this work of nonfiction.
Although prom began as a middle-class version of the upper class's debutante balls and cotillions, it has become a classic rite of passage for all teens, whether they grew up in the Great Depression, in the 1950s or ’60s, or in the latter half of the 20th century. There have been struggles: for teens who wish to wear formalwear that does not conform to their gender, teens who are part of same-sex couples, or teens who wish to hold an integrated prom after decades of whites-only and blacks-only events (in rural Georgia in 2013!). Yet times are changing to allow all teens to have an enjoyable, safe time together, when their biggest worry is what to wear. In peppy yet sympathetic prose, the author details the history of prom and how it has reflected society. Stories about making your own prom attire or finding inexpensive options are welcome, as is a chapter of young 20-somethings reflecting on their own prom experiences. The design is eye-catching, and text, graphics, and white space are attractively balanced.
The advice and history in this volume complement and enhance the prom magazines available each year. (bibliography, further resources, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5124-0267-4
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016
A moving account of hardships and triumphs that is bound to inspire future activists, this is a devastating but crucial read.
Although unfortunate circumstances in developing countries prevent girls from getting educations, nevertheless they remain resilient.
Sibert Medalist Stone begins by explaining how the documentary Girl Rising inspired a book that further amplifies and explores the heartbreaking and inspiring stories of girls around the globe who are advocating for access to and freedom of education. Collected from over 45 hours of raw video interview footage, direct quotes from women and girls unveil a distressing web of hardships for girls as young as 5 and the unjust factors that prevent them from bettering their lives: poverty, human trafficking, modern-day slavery, child marriage, and, perhaps the most prevalent, gender discrimination. Around the world, the book zooms in on the struggles of girls from Afghanistan, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Nepal, Peru, Sierra Leone, among other countries. Both portraits and documentary-style photographs are numerous, and infographic designs will appeal to younger readers. Stone’s passionate, deliberate, and compelling narrative explores the culture of gender discrimination and induces a sense of urgency for a solution. The recounted interviews offer insight, candor, and emotion, sparing readers little.
A moving account of hardships and triumphs that is bound to inspire future activists, this is a devastating but crucial read. (author’s note, appendix, bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-553-51146-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
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