Teens looking to make a difference will find inspiration as well as real-world strategies for realizing their dreams of being the change they want to see in the world.
Each chapter features a case study of a charity or organization started by preteens and teens. Initiatives include programs for social, environmental, personal and political change. Some programs, such as Free the Children, are huge, distributing millions of dollars and effecting change worldwide. Others focus on more local issues, such as neighborhood rejuvenation projects. However, this is far from just a collection of successful ventures. Chapters include information on raising money, organizing rallies, making pitches and gaining media attention. Others offer advice on creating business plans, dealing with failure and building organizations that last. The sheer breadth of topics included in this resource is astounding, but the book’s strength is in its specifics. Examples of media releases, meeting agendas and shopping lists focus on the practical application of visionary plans. A list of resources directs readers to websites, movies and other books for further research. One potential stumbling block is that teens living in a digital world might want a more media-rich resource than this guide offers.
Inspirational as well as practical. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58270-465-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Beyond Words/Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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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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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 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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