An author known for highlighting courageous women shows herself to be among them.
A verse memoir in which the author reveals how “a stranger stole my freshman year at college, / my claims to imagination and faith in the future.”
Six weeks after arriving at college in the early 1970s, Atkins was back home in Massachusetts, trying to cope with having been raped. Her emotionally unavailable mother—“Put it behind you”—discouraged any talk of what had happened. In spare, deliberate free verse, Atkins describes starting over at the University of Massachusetts, struggling to focus, and living at the mercy of her memories. Writers featured prominently in Atkins’ life. She was especially drawn to Sylvia Plath even as she grappled with contradictory rules for girls: “Anything can be provocative. / Anything can be called the victim’s fault.” Therapy allowed Atkins to begin to confront the details of the day that split her “life into before and ever-after.” Her realization that as a white woman she should have been more aware of racial history and politics led her to wrestle with complicated feelings about being raped by a Black man after going to “a neighborhood that wasn’t hers” to “observe, maybe take notes.” As she came to realize that she wasn’t responsible for his actions, Atkins ultimately reclaimed control of her narrative. Although occasional time shifts may be jarring for some, Atkins encourages deep connection, and readers who have experienced sexual trauma will feel seen.
An author known for highlighting courageous women shows herself to be among them. (author’s note, booklist) (Verse memoir. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9781665977548
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 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
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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