Engaging, impassioned, but incomplete.
A look at the challenges and triumphs of women who have found success in the U.S. film industry.
This three-part tour of women’s recent contributions to the world of film traces the impact each generation has had on those who came next. “The Pioneer Generation” includes directors like Jane Campion, who began working in the 1970s and 1980s; “Striving for Diversity: Generation X Directors” moves on to talk about Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rimes, and their peers; and “Young Stars in a Global Film Industry” covers Mindy Kaling, Lulu Wang, Greta Gerwig, and other more recent arrivals. The profiles connect the subjects’ personal histories—including experiences with misogyny, homophobia, and racism—with their chosen projects. While this approach is powerful in illustrating both the myriad ways to build a film career and the importance of amplifying a diversity of voices, it also occasionally gives the impression that difficult or traumatic events are valuable primarily for the art they generate. The emphasis on personal context also brings motherhood to the fore, acknowledging when women sometimes prioritized family life, while the industry’s underlying hostility toward working mothers remains unexamined. Nuance is more present in discussions of controversies some of the filmmakers have encountered, and the change-making power of the arts is accentuated. Text boxes throughout introduce other women directors and actors, pivotal moments in film history, and social and historical context that help readers better understand this subject.
Engaging, impassioned, but incomplete. (selected filmography, endnotes) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64160-610-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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