An empowering, unapologetic portrait of creative risk and queer joy.
Captures the electric ascent of a pop provocateur whose queerness is central to her artistry.
Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in 1998, the singer-songwriter, who was raised in a conservative Missouri town, unsuccessfully auditioned for America’s Got Talent and did some gigs at local churches and country clubs. Attending the famed summer arts camp Interlochen as a rising senior was a turning point for her. Through a mix of talent, reinvention, and hard-won confidence, she became a fearless pop phenom who writes bold anthems reflecting on personal liberation, particularly around gender and sexuality. Her confessional style and unflinching lyrics have helped her become a voice for queer Gen Z fans. This lively biography charts Roan’s rise from a scrappy transplant disillusioned by what she found in Los Angeles, to a star propelled by viral singles and a magnetic onstage presence. Quotes from interviews with Roan and her collaborators underscore her perseverance in the face of financial and music industry setbacks. The writing is fast-paced and honest, reflecting the performer’s bold personality. Color photos, quotes, and the eye-catching book design bring her world to life. Several double-page spreads introduce readers to her creative influences, including burlesque, drag, and women musicians like Kate Bush, Pink, and Stevie Nicks. Fans will enjoy the narrative’s behind-the-scenes feeling, which shows Roan’s vulnerable side, and the author’s obvious respect for her subject.
An empowering, unapologetic portrait of creative risk and queer joy. (discography, awards and nominations, sources, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9780760399279
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Epic Ink/Quarto
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 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
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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