Encourages readers to appreciate the animal world and those who study it.
Pagel-Hogan profiles 15 women making a meaningful impact on wildlife. The message of the book is clear: However difficult the path may be for women in STEM, there are role models leading the way and encouraging teens to pursue the same paths. Organized into broad sections by the type of animal life in question—birds, arthropods, sea creatures, reptiles and amphibians, and mammals—each chapter gives context through the lens of one particular woman. The book notes gender and racial biases they have faced as well as their activism. The subjects come from countries including the United States, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, England, India, and Hungary. One thing they all share is a love for nature and a desire for positive change, and their passion shines through on the pages. The book highlights its subjects in a relatable way by covering both their personal and professional struggles and accomplishments, which will be motivating and empowering to teens; their social media handles are included so that readers can continue to follow their activities. The language of the book is accessible, employing an engaging narrative style while interspersing additional relevant information on topics such as Black Birders Week, a Wikibomb to address gender imbalances in Wikipedia, threats to wildlife species, and more.
Engaging and inspiring profiles of women wildlife heroes. (resources, notes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 17, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64160-622-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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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 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
12
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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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