Raw, relevant, and well-intentioned but unrefined.
A young woman struggling with bipolar disorder engages in metaphorical battles.
Foutz’s debut, a collection of autobiographical poems, presents her raw, firsthand experience with bipolar disorder, organized into the stages of a deeply personal journey. Part one—“time zones”—sets up initial definitions using metaphorical references to the polarity of natural phenomena. The second section, “survival log,” frames her struggles, including suicidal ideation and insomnia, during inpatient treatment. One shape poem, “Physics,” illustrates what it feels like to experience the pendulum sway of feelings. Allusions to gravity, atoms, chromosomes, and other scientific concepts appear throughout. The writing style reads like a confessional journal and utilizes the imprecise language of an inexpert poetic voice. Many of the stand-alone poems reflect metaphysical musings, and the work lacks overall cohesion. Readers become observers of the writer’s vivid—albeit frequently, exhaustingly repetitive—descriptions of inner turmoil, and they may not feel fully engaged with the writing. Later poems on Foutz’s recovery and coping skills take on a more mature poetic voice and play with sound devices and diction. Several poems discuss unresolved suicidal thoughts in ways that readers with similar struggles may find challenging, as in “To Die, To Sleep”: “Another pill— / Did I already take another pill? / If I take two will I die? / If I don’t take any I surely will. / My limbs are drenched in drugs like clothes in water / How many pills have I taken now?”
Raw, relevant, and well-intentioned but unrefined. (content note, resources) (Poetry. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798765671306
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 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
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future.
An adaptation for teens of the adult title A Queer History of the United States (2011).
Divided into thematic sections, the text filters LGBTQIA+ history through key figures in each era from the 1500s to the present. Alongside watershed moments like the 1969 Stonewall uprising and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, the text brings to light less well-known people, places, and events: the 1625 free love colony of Merrymount, transgender Civil War hero Albert D.J. Cashier, and the 1951 founding of the Mattachine Society, to name a few. Throughout, the author and adapter take care to use accurate pronouns and avoid imposing contemporary terminology onto historical figures. In some cases, they quote primary sources to speculate about same-sex relationships while also reminding readers of past cultural differences in expressing strong affection between friends. Black-and-white illustrations or photos augment each chapter. Though it lacks the teen appeal and personable, conversational style of Sarah Prager’s Queer, There, and Everywhere (2017), this textbook-level survey contains a surprising amount of depth. However, the mention of transgender movements and activism—in particular, contemporary issues—runs on the slim side. Whereas chapters are devoted to over 30 ethnically diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer figures, some trans pioneers such as Christine Jorgensen and Holly Woodlawn are reduced to short sidebars.
Though not the most balanced, an enlightening look back for the queer future. (glossary, photo credits, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8070-5612-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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