A comprehensive, well-crafted account of a grim historical event.
A detailed account of the devastating 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, including its complex roots and long-term implications.
This young readers’ version of the highly regarded 2001 adult work by the same name covers the events during which the Black district of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was reduced to rubble as mobs of White men attacked, unchecked (and even joined by) by law enforcement, and hundreds of Black lives were lost. The violence was initially fueled by rumors of a White woman’s assault by a Black teenager. However, the perpetrators seized the opportunity to act out their resentment toward Black Wall Street, Greenwood’s thriving business sector, which represented efforts to create lives and opportunities denied by segregation. The incident is carefully placed in the context of historical influences such as Jim Crow laws, post-Reconstruction violence, the forced relocation of Native Americans, and the oil boom. The dramatic narrative then turns to the 19-year-old whose arrest was the catalyst, the sheriff who attempted to keep a lynch mob at bay, the Black leaders who fought for their community, and people of all ages fleeing for their lives. When the violence was over, the White community set out—to a large degree successfully—to erase knowledge of the incident. This valuable work concludes by connecting historical events to present-day systemic racial inequalities and struggles for justice.
A comprehensive, well-crafted account of a grim historical event. (author’s note, chapter notes, source notes, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-78769-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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
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