Adds provocative nuances to the usual portrayals of a heroic American.
A portrait of a pugnacious civil rights advocate who also happened to be a great athlete.
Liberally salting their narrative with racist period quotes that include frank and pejorative language, putting on unflinching display the ugliness Robinson faced, Williams and Long chronicle his spectacular athletic achievements from elementary school to the major leagues—but look beyond them to portray him as a “relentless and uncompromising Black freedom fighter” who “used his racial pride to fuel his lifelong passion for justice.” From defending himself from a rock-throwing White neighbor at age 8 to later sharp criticisms of Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali for their anti-war stances and harsh debates with Malcolm X, he comes across here as anything but the patient, controlled figure typically found in biographies for young readers. To judge from the copious endnotes and their own professional and publishing histories, the authors have plainly done their research and make a convincing case that while their subject had his bullheaded moments, he operated from consistent and worthy principles. On-field photos, family snapshots, pictures of marching protesters, and news clippings accompany side-boxed comments on historical context and questions for readers to ponder, the latter supplemented in the backmatter with a page of discussion topics. This thorough, expansive, and readable work is an essential addition to the body of literature about a well-known figure.
Adds provocative nuances to the usual portrayals of a heroic American. (additional facts, timeline, index) (Biography. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-374-38995-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
Dare-devil mountain-climber Peak Marcello (14), decides to scale the Woolworth Building and lands in jail. To save him, his long-lost Everest-trekking dad appears with a plan for the duo to make a life in Katmandu—a smokescreen to make Peak become the youngest person in history to summit Mount Everest. Peak must learn to navigate the extreme and exotic terrain but negotiate a code of ethics among men. This and other elements such as the return of the long-lost father, bite-size chunks of information about climbing and altitude, an all-male cast, competition and suspense (can Peak be the youngest ever to summit Everest, and can he beat out a 14-year-old Nepalese boy who accompanies him?) creates the tough stuff of a “boys read.” The narrative offers enough of a bumpy ride to satisfy thrill seekers, while Peak’s softer reflective quality lends depth and some—but not too much—emotional resonance. Teachers will want to pair this with Mark Pfetzer’s Within Reach: My Everest Story (1998). (Fiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: May 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-15-202417-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2007
Mick Johnson wants to be a star running back. He’s good, but not good enough. The trouble is the red zone, the 20 yards in front of the end zone, and he’s not quite powerful enough to crunch his way in against big defenders. He begins working harder, lifting weights and taking protein powders, but progress is slow. He starts going to Popeye’s gym, where his trainer introduces him to steroids—gym candy—and then to “stacks,” mixes of pills and injections. This cautionary tale, told in first person, is a methodical working out of the psychology of the high-school athlete willing to do anything to gain an edge. It’s a moral tale, too, as Mick realizes what he has lost for his gains. After almost killing a friend and himself and going through rehab, he understands the almost-irresistible lure of the drugs that promise to make him more than he could be on his own. A superb sports novel with no easy resolutions and a good match with Robert Lipsyte’s Raiders Night (2006). (Fiction. 12-15)
Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-618-77713-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2007
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