Down-to-earth, personal, and effective career counseling.
A leadership coach offers career guidance for teens in this debut manual.
Raymond’s book is precisely targeted to high school students who want assistance in career development. Defining careering as “taking progressive action in pursuit of a profession or venture,” the author sets forth an eight-step process. The steps themselves are nothing new: They encompass common areas, such as exploring career options, seeking out resources, networking, applying for jobs, and interviewing. The differentiator is Raymond’s gentle but persistent motivational text, coupled with questions and guided exercises that lead a young job seeker to take the appropriate actions. In discussing opportunities to examine different career options, the author covers extracurricular activities, independent study, college immersion programs and summer camps, seasonal and entry-level jobs, internships, and competitions and entrepreneurship. She describes each area briefly and then encourages self-reflection; for example, regarding independent study, Raymond inquires: “From your areas of interest, how can you create an independent study? Record your thoughts below and schedule time to discuss this with your teacher. Put a plan in place to make it happen.” Her counsel concerning interviews is helpful. In addition to basic guidance about advance preparation, the author lists some specific interview questions and provides tips for how to answer them. Particularly valuable are the words of wisdom Raymond imparts about handling a new position. She discusses understanding a manager’s expectations, the performance review process, and other corporate aspects of a job. She shrewdly includes a mention of working on projects that may not go well. “Consider what you could have done differently, rather than pointing fingers,” Raymond writes. “That is the whole concept of leadership, being accountable and responsible.” Later, she suggests: “If you notice a problem at work, try coming up with a possible solution and share it with your supervisor.” These are the kinds of experience-based, character-building statements that point first-time workers in the right direction. The author also encourages readers to revisit the eight-step process “every year—or even every few months.” Throughout the book, Raymond adopts the appropriate tone and uses uncomplicated language, writing authoritatively without talking down to readers.
Down-to-earth, personal, and effective career counseling.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68-350402-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 22, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author.
Deaf, trans artist Man meditates on his journey and identity in this brief memoir.
Growing up in conservative central Pennsylvania was tough for the 21-year-old Deaf, genderqueer, pansexual, and biracial (Chinese/White Jewish) author. He describes his gender and sexual identity, his experiences of racism and ableism, and his desire to use his visibility as a YouTube personality, model, and actor to help other young people like him. He is open and vulnerable throughout, even choosing to reveal his birth name. Man shares his experiences of becoming deaf as a small child and at times feeling ostracized from the Deaf community but not how he arrived at his current Deaf identity. His description of his gender-identity development occasionally slips into a well-worn pink-and-blue binary. The text is accompanied and transcended by the author’s own intriguing, expressionistic line drawings. However, Man ultimately falls short of truly insightful reflection or analysis, offering a mostly surface-level account of his life that will likely not be compelling to readers who are not already fans. While his visibility and success as someone whose life represents multiple marginalized identities are valuable in themselves, this heartfelt personal chronicle would have benefited from deeper introspection.
Best enjoyed by preexisting fans of the author. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-22348-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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