A valuable source for readers seeking insights into key components of the nation’s past and present.
Black people have a long and complex history in New York City and have influenced nearly every aspect of the city’s life and culture.
This comprehensive history by the late acclaimed historian Katz, originally published in 1997, has been reissued with an introduction by journalist Herb Boyd. The volume opens with “The Africans of New Amsterdam” and closes with “The Age of Obama and Black Lives Matter,” a new chapter by Singer and Hinson. Records document the presence of Africans in what would become New York beginning in the early 1600s. Katz details the struggle to end slavery and the efforts of free Black people to build lives in the face of racism and discrimination. After the American Revolution, communities prioritized the growth of Black churches, educational institutions, and mutual aid organizations along with advocating for voting rights. Later chapters present the impact of major historical events, such as the Civil War Draft Riots and the World Wars, on the city’s Black community. Katz skillfully weaves in the rise of Harlem and its cultural influence. Readers encounter familiar figures such as Frederick Douglass, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Shirley Chisholm. This extensive study is highly readable and effectively connects many stories in ways that shed light on Black New Yorkers’ important place in the city’s history and U.S. history as a whole.
A valuable source for readers seeking insights into key components of the nation’s past and present. (photo credits, notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781644214398
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
