Choice insights into the larger notion of politics as expressed through government, but the road is long between discerning...
An optimistically presented introduction to politics, mostly American, for those who don’t even vote.
This thorough look (some might ungenerously call it wordy) at citizen participation in the political process has an emphasis on the United States but also draws examples from a few other countries. (It tends to shy away from getting explicit about tin-pot dictatorships and other authoritarian governments, rarely naming them.) Keenan writes that “this book will explain how politics works, the role you play, and how you can play that role really well,” and to some degree he is successful, as long as he confines himself to representative democracy. He covers such topics as levels of government; policy versus process; rhetoric’s expression of emotion, logic, and authority; the importance of navigating conflicts; polarization and selective perception; ideology and the tyranny of the majority; checks, balances, and activism. These are valuable and/or subtle concepts, critical to becoming involved in the next step of informed participation. If Keenan has a tendency to drone on, he also has the smarts to provide illustrative case studies and paints a pretty rosy picture of activism. He admits that politics can be messy, but critically, he fails to mention corruption, pork-barrel riders, and backroom bargaining that has little to do with representation.
Choice insights into the larger notion of politics as expressed through government, but the road is long between discerning nuggets. (glossary, sources, acknowledgments, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77147-068-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
Ultimately adds little to conversations about race.
A popular YouTube series on race, “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” turns how-to manual and history lesson for young readers.
Acho is a former NFL player and second-generation Nigerian American who cites his upbringing in predominantly White spaces as well as his tenure on largely Black football teams as qualifications for facilitating the titular conversations about anti-Black racism. The broad range of subjects covered here includes implicit bias, cultural appropriation, and systemic racism. Each chapter features brief overviews of American history, personal anecdotes of Acho’s struggles with his own anti-Black biases, and sections titled “Let’s Get Uncomfortable.” The book’s centering of Whiteness and White readers seems to show up, to the detriment of its subject matter, both in Acho’s accounts of his upbringing and his thought processes regarding race. The overall tone unfortunately conveys a sense of expecting little from a younger generation who may have a greater awareness than he did at the same age and who, therefore, may already be uncomfortable with racial injustice itself. The attempt at an avuncular tone disappointingly reads as condescending, revealing that, despite his online success with adults, the author is ill-equipped to be writing for middle-grade readers. Chapters dedicated to explaining to White readers why they shouldn’t use the N-word and how valuable White allyship is may make readers of color (and many White readers) bristle with indignation and discomfort despite Acho’s positive intentions.
Ultimately adds little to conversations about race. (glossary, FAQ, recommended reading, references) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-80106-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2021
It’s an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine.
With assistance from Aronson, a veteran author/editor and nabob of nonfiction, Nelson recasts his adult title Steel Drivin’ Man: The Untold Story of an American Legend (2006) into a briefer account that not only suspensefully retraces his search for the man behind the ballad, but also serves as a useful introduction to historical-research methods.
Supported by a generous array of late-19th- and early-20th-century photos—mostly of chain-gang “trackliners” and other rail workers—the narrative pieces together clues from song lyrics, an old postcard, scattered business records and other sources, arriving finally at both a photo that just might be the man himself, and strong evidence of the drilling contest’s actual location. The author then goes on to make speculative but intriguing links between the trackliners’ work and the origins of the blues and rock-’n’-roll, and Aronson himself closes with an analytical appendix.
It’s an eye-opening case study in how history and folklore can intertwine. (maps, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4263-0000-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2007
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