A lively, concise, and practical antidote to climate anxiety and a guide to positive action.
A potent primer on motivational speaking for climate action by a Danish social anthropologist and United Nations environmental expert.
In this informative overview of speech writing and delivery, Nielsen focuses his attention on applying oratory skills to address climate change. The nine chapters address key concepts, including rhetoric and persuasion, the role of emotion, framing your worldview, building connections, motivating people, and thematic consistency in messaging. The author informs readers about other important considerations, including maximizing your digital impact, the power of word choice, and understanding what types of messages increase polarization. The book’s central purpose—helping readers inspire others to act in support of climate justice—is supported through topics and methods that build momentum and help overcome barriers, like “scale mismatch,” that are clearly explained. Accounts of and quotes from diverse speakers and influencers in history illustrate skilled communication techniques and provide a balanced integration of theory and practice. The outcome is a sturdy lesson on crafting the bones of a personal story to fuel direct, sustained engagement. Addressing the need to move from climate anxiety and silence to action, Nielsen guides readers to strategies that are sure to appeal to a generation of wordsmiths and movement-makers. This thorough, well-written work will be invaluable for classrooms and debate teams as well as young activists seeking guidance.
A lively, concise, and practical antidote to climate anxiety and a guide to positive action. (source notes, bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798765627587
Page Count: 200
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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