This timely look at the rise and spread of fake news examines how the internet has changed the way news is reported and consumed and how social media is used to discredit people and policies, most often in the realm of politics.
Currie opens with an especially infamous fake-news example, “Pizzagate,” a widely disseminated and completely discredited rumor linking the Hillary Clinton campaign to a child-prostitution ring allegedly run out of a pizzeria, which incited a man to enter the restaurant and fire a rifle. Currie defines fake news as “deliberately false”; it “must be presented and designed to look like an actual news story…[and] must be distributed on the Internet in order to qualify.” The text distinguishes fake news from other types of misinformation, such as government propaganda, political rhetoric, and satire or parody sites such as the Onion. Importantly, Currie notes that fake news “is a modern development with clear parallels in history.” One historical example cited is Randolph Hearst’s use of his newspapers to sway public opinion in favor of war with Spain. In addition to providing historical context and citing numerous examples, Currie discusses practical steps information consumers can take to distinguish between fake and legitimate news, such as consulting fact-checking websites such as Snopes and PolitiFact. He notes the essential role of librarians in educating information consumers how to discern the legitimacy of what they see.
An informative, insightful, and helpful overview of a prominent and serious societal problem. (photos, source notes, further research, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68282-297-5
Page Count: 80
Publisher: ReferencePoint Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
13
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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. 5, 2019
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As she does in previous volumes—Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (2008) and The Grammar Devotional (2009)—Fogarty affects an earnest and upbeat tone to dissuade those who think a grammar book has to be “annoying, boring, and confusing” and takes on the role of “grammar guide, intent on demystifying grammar.”
Like many grammar books, this starts with parts of speech and goes on to sentence structure, punctuation, usage and style. Fogarty works hard to find amusing, even cheeky examples to illustrate the many faux pas she discusses: "Squiggly presumed that Grammar Girl would flinch when she saw the word misspelled as alot." Young readers may well look beyond the cheery tone and friendly cover, though, and find a 300+-page text that looks suspiciously schoolish and isn't really that different from the grammar texts they have known for years (and from which they have still not learned a lot of grammar). As William Strunk said in his introduction to the first edition of the little The Elements of Style, the most useful grammar guide concentrates attention “on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.” After that, “Students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work.” By being exhaustive, Fogarty may well have created just the kind of volume she hoped to avoid.Pub Date: July 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8943-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION
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