The creators of Bridges Are to Cross (1998) tour places where adherents of five religions (Judaism is split into pre- and post-Mosaic, with the former also linked to Islam) worship: churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, shrines, even a river. Laroche depicts the 28 sites in elaborate, finely detailed low-relief paper collages; some, such as India’s Shri Meenakshi Amman Temple, dizzying whirls of towers and ornaments, others—the Wailing Wall, New Hampshire’s Henniker Friends Meeting House—plain and functional. People are visible in nearly all, showing scale and also reminding viewers that sacred places, grand or not, are integral parts of every community. Sturges’s poetic text, which runs in large type above descriptive paragraphs for each picture, carries the same message. It’s a quick trip, providing only glimpses of our array of belief systems and religious practices, but it’s as much a reverent spiritual journey as a world-spanning physical one, and the art both invites and rewards long, careful looking as it is truly awe-inspiring. (map, notes on religions) (Nonfiction. 8+)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-399-23317-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world.
This wide-ranging collection of short biographies highlights 36 Jewish figures from around the globe and across centuries.
Explicitly pushing back against homogenous depictions of Jewish people, the authors demonstrate the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of Jews. Each spread includes a brief biography paired with a stylized portrait reminiscent of those in Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo’s Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (2016). A pull quote or sidebar accompanies each subject; sidebars include “Highlighting Jewish Paralympic Athletes,” “Jewish Stringed Music,” and “Ethiopian Jews in Israel.” Kleinrock and Pritchard’s roster of subjects makes a compelling case for the vastness and variety of Jewish experience—from a contemporary Ethiopian American teen to a 16th-century Portuguese philanthropist—while still allowing them to acknowledge better-known figures. The entry on Raquel Montoya-Lewis, an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court and an enrolled member of the Pueblo Isleta Indian tribe, discusses her mission to reimagine criminal justice for Indigenous people; the sidebar name-checks Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. The bios are organized around themes of Jewish principles such as Pikuach Nefesh (translated from the Hebrew as “to save a life”) and Adam Yachid (translated as the “unique value of every person”); each section includes an introduction to an organization that centers diverse Jewish experiences.
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world. (resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780063285712
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Informative and engaging.
An exploration of the lives of Black people throughout American history who were inspired, guided, and fortified by their Christian faith as they challenged injustice.
This comprehensive book spans centuries, beginning in 1625 with William, who may have been “the first child born to an African couple in British-settled North America,” and ending with modern-day figures such as Brenda Salter McNeil, a university professor, pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, and author of Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage To Pursue Racial Justice Now. The eight chronological sections include an attractive full-page portrait of each subject, followed by short biographies that highlight their achievements and the role of Christianity in their lives. The activists include both well-known names, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and Toni Morrison, and those who will be new (and equally fascinating) to many readers. Tisby provides helpful context for the biographical sketches, describing how racial segregation and the institution of slavery took hold in the U.S. He uses accessible language that presents his subjects in a humanizing way and effectively illustrates the challenging conditions they endured, but he doesn’t make their situations seem completely hopeless. Readers are encouraged to reflect on how they believe they would have acted in various situations. A strong sense of justice and defiance shines through, showing that there is always hope, even when it seems like things will never get better.
Informative and engaging. (author’s note, bibliography, source notes) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780310145592
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
