Don't Wait

April 15, 2024
A journalist profiles three young women of color whose activism has reshaped their communities. Kohli has spent her career reporting on youth activism. She writes, "The reality is that as teenagers you are powerful; you're also not saviors and shouldn't be tasked with the burden of saving the world." In the pages that follow, Kohli traces the trajectories of three young women whose accomplishments would be impressive at any age. Mexican and Colombian American teen Nalleli Cobo, for example, worked with her mother to successfully shut down a toxic oil field in her neighborhood that devastated community members' health, as well as her own--at the age of 19, she was diagnosed with cancer. Sonia Patel Banker, an Indian American choir singer, fought to bring arts education to California's public schools. Kahlila Williams, the founder of her school's Black Student Union, helped facilitate the reduction of the Los Angeles School Police Department budget. In addition to documenting the ups and downs of these teens' organizing, the author includes a series of discussion questions intended to help readers apply what they're reading to their own lives and, by extension, their own potential activism. Kohli's curiosity, compassion, and strong journalistic instincts combine to create a narrative voice that's both engaging and insightful. Her writing not only honors her subjects' strength but also demystifies the process of creating community change. Empowering portraits of a diverse set of young women who have changed their worlds. (author's note, endnotes, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 15, 2024
Grades 7-12 Kohli, an award-winning L.A. journalist covering all things social justice, focuses her first book on the journeys of three young women of color as they become activists. Each teenager jumps into the life of a social justice leader after being affected by major issues: Nalleli lived across the street from an active oil well and suffers from serious health issues. Kahlila fights for the right to feel safe at school and joins the Black Lives Matter movement to defund the school police in L.A. Sonia starts interning with the ACLU to demand arts education in schools. The book is a well of inspiration, pulling interviews and quotes from well-known leaders like Angela Davis and young activists like Kari Malkki, who brings restorative justice to the movement for prison abolition in Oakland. Each chapter also ends with discussion questions to help readers discover what issues are most important to them, serving as a guidebook and maintenance manual. An essential purchase for California libraries and for budding activists looking for inspiration and guidance.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.