Encouraging tales of learning to thrive.
An international group of disabled adult authors write about their childhoods.
The contributors live with diverse physical disabilities, including but not limited to limb and facial differences, dwarfism, and Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, as well as conditions like deafness and autism. The stories have a valuable focus on people who have been disabled since childhood, an often-overlooked demographic. The reminiscences cover ground such as participating in extracurricular activities like music and sports, which can lead to increased self-confidence, and the impact of being a recipient of charity. The authors reassuringly emphasize, sometimes through letters to their younger selves, that self-love will come in time, but until then, having good people in your corner and cultivating resilience are key. In “Lip-Reading in Odesa,” Ilya Kaminsky writes about being a deaf child during the collapse of the USSR, learning from his father about poetry and life during World War II. “Why Do You Feel Sorry for Me?” is a transcribed interview with Ali Abbas, who was injured as a 12-year-old during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and became an amputee. In “Snakes, Bats, Rats and Rotifers,” American author M. Leona Godin describes the progressive eye disease that began as a child, and how her love of animals and volunteering at a zoo helped her understand her new reality. The authors’ messages are honest and admirable, and common, unifying threads emerge across their diverse backgrounds. Kamlish’s bold and quirky black-and-white illustrations appear before each story, encapsulating their themes.
Encouraging tales of learning to thrive. (contributor bios) (Anthology. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9780571380022
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing.
In this graphic memoir by sports journalist Shah, a ninth grader pursues his passion in the face of familial expectations pushing him toward a medical career, while also navigating the perils of high school social life.
It’s 1995, and Indian American Amar is desperate to meet the Chicago Bulls—Michael Jordan, in particular—when they stop by his Orlando, Florida, school. A lucky break leads him to his first sports interview, with Phil Jackson, and his tenacity takes him further, leading to multiple conversations with Shaquille O’Neal. But Amar’s luck in journalism doesn’t spill over to his relationship with his crush, blond Kasey Page (“like a mixture of Cameron Diaz, Tinkerbell, and heaven”), or his efforts to remain close with best friends Rohit and Cherian, who start spending more time with other classmates. The work relies on captions as much as plot developments to propel the story. It also follows a broad cast of characters—close and former friends, antagonists, supportive adults, and famous athletes—who appear in multiple storylines. The story accurately depicts the complexities of life as a young teen, though overlapping life challenges pull it in multiple directions, leaving some threads underexplored and hastily wrapped up. Doucet illustrates the characters using loose, disjointed outlines that give the artwork a sense of movement, and the colorful backgrounds use patterns and action lines to indicate a wide array of emotions.
A tighter focus would make this fascinating life story even more intriguing. (author’s note, photographs) (Graphic memoir. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781546110514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A spirited biography untangles the accretion of myth and story around Pocahontas and makes clear what little is actually known and what fragments of the historical record are available. The text is rich in illustration and in sidebars (on longhouses, colonial diet, weaponry and so on) that illuminate the central narrative. Whether Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life directly or as part of an elaborate ritual might not matter, argues Jones. Pocahontas and her people were certainly responsible for keeping the English settlement of Jamestown from starvation. Relations between English settlers and Native people were uneasy at best, and the author traces these carefully, relating how Pocahontas was later kidnapped by the British and held for ransom. When none was forthcoming, she was converted both to English ways and the Christian religion, marrying the widower John Rolfe and traveling to England, where Pocahontas saw John Smith once again and died at about the age of 21. An excellent stab at myth busting and capturing the nuances of both the figure and her times. (glossary, bibliography, source notes, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-6844-6
Page Count: 124
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
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