Doing it Right: Making Smart, Safe and Satisfying Choices About Sex by Bronwen Pardes

Every library should have this book. In an era in which the emphasis is on abstinence only education and in which teens are receiving conflicting information about sex, Doing It Right: Making Smart, Safe, and Satisfying Choices About Sex by Bronwen Pardes is a must-have for every collection. Written in a way that is accessible for teens, this book informs the reader about the myriad choices they can make regarding sex. Yes, abstinence is an option, but we are fooling ourselves if we think it’s the only option and Pardes knows this. Chapters cover everything from puberty, how babies are made, to the different options for birth control and protection against STDs. She addresses pregnancy and abortion in a impartial manner. Doing it Right also tackles homosexuality and reminds the reader that being gay is okay and that it is NOT something one chooses, important in a world in which homosexual issues are rarely addressed in sex-ed classes. Transgender issues are also discussed as well. The only problem I had with this part of the book is that it referred to sex-reassignment surgery as a “sex change” at parts, a term that is frowned upon by the transgender community. Also, I wish the issue of asexuality were addressed somewhere in Doing it Right. Despite the couple misgivings I have, I urge every library to purchase this book. In anticipation of complaints, it’s a good idea to buy a book that encourages abstinence so that both viewpoints of the issue of teen sex are available.

Review by Julie Esris, Winslow Public Library

Physical Bullying by Jennifer Rivkin.  Review by Cheryl M. Coffin

Volume 2 in a series of 4 books on bullying.  This volume deals with physical bullying and addresses why people bully, what bullying is and the best way to deal with physical bullying.  This series includes brief vignettes from kids that have suffered at the hands of a bully, been bullies themselves or have seen bullying occur.  It includes a quiz, so the reader can decide if he/she has ever bullied anyone and a section on how to ‘empower’ yourself.  This series is appropriate from middle school on and is an excellent resource for media centers and guidance.

Courage has no color: The true story of the Triple Nickles by Tanya Lee Stone.
Reviewed by Lori Littlefield.

This large-format book tells the story of America’s first all-black paratroopers, unit, created and let by Walter Morris during World War II. As first sergeant at The Parachute School in Georgia, Morris’ men were responsible for guarding the facility once the white paratroopers finished their training each day. Even before the unit was created, Morris inspired his men by having them mimic the real training of the white soldiers to give them purpose. A long history of racial prejudice and discrimination was keeping most black soldiers out of combat, preventing them from fully serving their country. Instead, they built roads, cooked, did laundry, served meals and unloaded cargo. His men needed more. In the right place at the right time, Morris was allowed to create the 555^th Parachute Infantry Company with him as first sergeant with all black officers and black men.

This story tells of the experiences of Morris’ men, details the extensive training, continued discrimination such as having rifles without bullets, and still they overcame the racism to become skilled military personnel fighting fires caused by Japanese balloon bombs. Filled with first-hand former member accounts, this book provides insight and a new perspective on WWII and the soldiers who became America’s first smoke jumpers. Complete with back-story, appendix, timeline and source notes, this book serves to fill a gap in the historical record, and it does it very well.