Solid content let down by poorly executed, reader-unfriendly design.
The bestselling primer on racism and complicity, reworked for teen readers.
With this adaptation, Williamson (who is Black) and Michael (who is White) do far more than edit DiAngelo’s text; they take its fundamental concepts and thoughtfully contextualize them for their audience, referencing both media and events that postdate the original work’s 2018 publication. The basic structure of the original is observed, covering White people’s discomfort with talking about race, White supremacy, the myth of colorblindness, and so forth, concluding with steps readers can take to move “from fragility to agility.” A wholly new chapter on understanding racism and allyship in media is tailored to readers who are digital natives. “Afterthoughts” such as journal prompts follow each chapter. Throughout, the co-adapters offer illustrative personal anecdotes, and they set up hypotheticals grounded in the world of teen readers, as when they explore affirmative action through the lens of scholarships and college admissions. When DiAngelo’s own words appear, they are set off as pull quotes in a discordantly fussy faux handwritten display type. Design choices such as this consistently undermine the text. Illustrations range from uninspiring portraits of thinkers referenced to opaque graphics that baffle more than illuminate. Callout boxes occasionally offer definitions, but it’s not clear how definition-worthy vocabulary was determined; in one section, socialization is defined but not meritocracy or ideology. Such elements undermine the work’s ability to serve its intended readership.
Solid content let down by poorly executed, reader-unfriendly design. (resources, endnotes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8070-0736-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 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
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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