History has been carefully intertwined with the present in this engaging and reflective book.
Two men, separated by oceans and born 60 years apart, changed the courses of their respective countries’ histories.
The threads of the lives of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are intricately woven together and continue to hold relevance today; even though they never met, Gandhi was well aware of racial inequality in the U.S., and King was deeply influenced by Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence. The book begins with Gandhi’s life, followed by King’s, tracing each man’s story from birth to assassination. Details about their early years and very human struggles round out the portraits of their lives. Krishnaswami also gives readers context about their assassins, Nathuram Vinayak Godse and James Earl Ray, humanizing them as well. This in-depth look at the modern histories of India and America with a focus on their most well-known civil rights leaders concludes by drawing explicit comparisons to present-day struggles to bring their visions of justice and equality to fruition in both countries. Ample photographs help readers picture the individuals and their times, and text boxes provide background information, such as about India’s caste system and the Vietnam War. The book’s attractive design, lucid text, and carefully chosen details combine to create an inviting and original treatment of its subjects.
History has been carefully intertwined with the present in this engaging and reflective book. (author’s note, timeline, glossary, bibliography, photo credits, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4814-1678-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
A sincere, genuine, and uplifting book that affirms the importance of being true to yourself.
Middle school drama hits hard in this coming-of-age graphic memoir.
Natural competitor Misty has faced off against the boys for years, always coming out on top, but now they’re moving on without her into the land of full-contact football. Never one to back away from a challenge, Misty resolves to join the team and convinces her best friend, Bree, to join her. While Misty pours herself into practicing, obviously uninterested Bree—who was motivated more by getting to be around boys than doing sports—drifts toward popular queen bee Ava, creating an uneasy dynamic. Feeling estranged from Bree, Misty, who typically doesn’t think much about her appearance, tries to navigate seventh grade—even experimenting with a more traditionally feminine gender expression—while also mastering her newfound talent for tackling and facing hostility from some boys on the team. Readers with uncommon interests will relate to the theme of being the odd one out. Social exclusion and cutting remarks can be traumatic, so it’s therapeutic to see Misty begin to embrace her differences instead of trying to fit in with frenemies who don’t value her. The illustrations are alive with color and rich emotional details, pairing perfectly with the heartfelt storytelling. The husband-and-wife duo’s combined efforts will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale. Main characters present as White; some background characters read as Black.
A sincere, genuine, and uplifting book that affirms the importance of being true to yourself. (Graphic memoir. 9-13)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-306469-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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