There are still very few nonfiction books for trans teens in need of support, and this title helps fill in that gap.
A chatty and informal guide for transgender teenagers and others who want to understand more about those experiences.
The authors cover topics such as coming out, names, gender roles and expression, dysphoria, hormones and surgery, coping with puberty, wellness, interacting with the media, and activism. Spot illustrations and selected comics from Labelle’s Assigned Male series are interspersed throughout. The authors say that they have written a book with all the information they would have liked to have had access to when they were younger—and, loose and conversational, the tone is pulled straight from the internet. It feels like reading think pieces from whatever pop-journalism site is currently trending mixed with a personal transition blog, sometimes reminiscent of LiveJournal from the trans days of yore, and seasoned with earnest Twitter-like affirmations. A sense of vagueness permeates the information; generalized references to modern society and plenty of assumptions of a shared cultural background hamper the larger usefulness of the information. It’s worth noting that the close focus on the British health care system and support networks will only be useful to readers located there, and the authors often neglect to address the ways that disability, race, and other intersections may influence a trans person’s life.
There are still very few nonfiction books for trans teens in need of support, and this title helps fill in that gap. (resources, appendix, glossary) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-78592-341-8
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
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. 4, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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