A broad-brush overview in need of refinement.
A collection of queer lives throughout history.
Short biographical profiles of historical and contemporary trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, and intersex people, each accompanied by a color portrait, are interspersed with definitions of various terms and information about their usage. A variety of nationalities and ethnicities are represented, from Callon of Epidaurus in ancient Greece to contemporary figures like Arab Christian Israeli model and actor Talleen Abu Hanna and Jin Xing, a dancer and TV celebrity in China. Household names like Laverne Cox, Jazz Jennings, and Elliot Page are mixed with more obscure figures. While the collection sheds much-needed light on many people and subjects, some elements feel less well considered, such as the casual inclusion of deadnames, or in need of greater depth, as with the framing of gender dysphoria. Additionally, key facts are omitted from some profiles, such as the tabloid harassment of the Wachowski sisters, filmmakers Lana and Lilly. In their single-page profile, the women’s coming-out stories are framed as empowering events, and the missing context about the events that influenced their timing will affect readers’ understanding. Due to the brevity of the profiles, which run to one or two pages, some loss of nuance is inevitable. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t contain source notes or further reading suggestions that would have helped guide readers in further exploration.
A broad-brush overview in need of refinement. (glossary, resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9780762481613
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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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