You Can Be An Activist (juvenile Nonfiction)

     We live in a really scary time where so much is endangered including our one and only planet. Kids and teens are much more likely than older people in positions of power to realize that wishy washy incremental solutions to life or death scale crises just won't cut it. Decisive action is needed. Many younger people are very motivated to become involved but not sure how. 

     That's where Charlene Rocha and Mary Beth Leatherdale's You Can Be An Activist comes in. Beautifully organized, it teaches important skills such as educating people about issues, fund raising, incorporating creativity, and dealing with microaggressions. It even deals with the questions budding activists may be hesitant to ask. How do you come back from a mistake? What can you do to counter hostility?

     The format is excellent. The close inter weaving of text and Drew Shannon's vibrant illustrations makes You Can Be An Activist very visually inviting. Throughout out the text there are vignettes from Rocha's personal experiences and portraits of change makers and the effects they had. The reader is challenged to personally engage with the material. In Think Like An Activist they are urged to:

"*Look at the world around you with an open mind.

*Question what you have been taught to believe: Why do I think this way? Is it true? Is it fair?

*Identify inequities you want to change. 

*Stand up for people who are treated unfairly. 

*Do what you think is right even when others disagree."

     I highly recommend this book for its target demographic and way beyond. In the current world, given the complexity and intersectionality of issues, the abundance of misinformation, and the virulence of a social media with algorithms that prioritize conflict, it can be hard for anyone to become involved with issues of concern. And the under age to vote set are by far not the only ones who struggle with how to come back from a mistake and how to deal with hostility. 

On a purrrsonal note, Wednesday I was involved in a protest. The Orono Democrats are going to have one every week to raise consciousness and build solidarity. I'll go to the ones I can make. We got a lot of honks from passing cars and trucks. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated. 

Jules Hathaway 

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