High-quality, curiosity-sparking brain fuel.
A geneticist and an author for young people provide a genome primer for teens.
In efficient, readable prose, this book walks readers through the history of humanity’s understanding and application of genetics to modern medicine. After contextualizing by using genomics to identify undiagnosed diseases, a foundational history lesson shows how genetic inheritance was theorized, described, and discovered (a process that started in 530 B.C.E.) and provides rundowns of basic genetic laws (with Punnett squares demonstrating dominant and recessive traits). A chapter on PKU (a disease that’s manageable through a special diet but causes lifelong intellectual disabilities if not caught early) walks readers through the early development of newborn screening, which grounds discussions of the nitty-gritty of DNA. Through sidebars and various perspectives, the authors’ multiple explanations and diagrams help to distill complicated information into easy-to-work-with concepts. Other chapters cover the development of medical DNA tests and commercial genetic testing (along with its limitations) before finally looking to the future potential of personalized genetic medicine. Every step of the way, ethical implications are tackled head-on—respect for members of the disability community is prioritized, eugenics is debunked and its application rightfully vilified, and discrimination on racial and transgender lines is confronted. This accessible introduction demystifies the complicated science. The authors strategically use scientific language and terminology paired with plainspoken explanations, and the colorful, varied physical layout enhances the reading experience.
High-quality, curiosity-sparking brain fuel. (glossary, source notes, bibliography, further information, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5415-0056-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
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