A spirited, well-told success story, all the better for being true.
An account of the long road to attaining equality for women’s soccer and the pitfalls met along the way, including the sport’s hardscrabble origins and its prominence as the most popular women’s sport in the world.
The author, a soccer fan and former player, opens by describing her deep love for “the world’s beautiful game.” Although she focuses on English and American teams, textboxes labeled “Global Game” spotlight women’s soccer worldwide, and significant events from other countries are woven into the general history. The text introduces readers to notable players and figures in the history of women’s soccer, emphasizing the sport’s broad geographic reach and including women who represent a range of ethnicities, nationalities, and sexualities. Each chapter relates a particular hurdle along the path to seeing women players’ efforts and achievements recognized and legitimized. Unabashedly feminist in tone, the book is well-researched, and Castro-Malaspina relates her findings with enthusiasm. Readers will be drawn into the energy of the struggle: The broad-strokes history is combined with a vivid narrative that evokes what it might have been like to be present at pivotal moments. Following those generations of women as they lose and gain ground in the fight to play feels almost like watching an actual match, ending on a sweet note of victory. Ample photos and spot art enhance the text.
A spirited, well-told success story, all the better for being true. (references, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781836001898
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Holler/Quarto
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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
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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