Description
The Book of Radical Answers is a groundbreaking work of non-fiction by author and activist Sonya Renee Taylor that gives honest, empowering and age appropriate answers to real questions from young readers about health, sex, gender, race and justice.
Steeped in joy and possibility, Taylor's writing assures kids that, as they mature, life will be fun, complicated, strange and wonderful, and most importantly, that they are amazing and have the ability to thrive with the inherent knowledge of their self-worth.
“In a sea of social media overload and misinformation, tweens could use a source of honest, trustworthy information that even adults can refer to. Speaker and activist Taylor has compiled answers on 12 topics from emotions, gender, and sexuality to racism, government, and climate change. . . . Taylor always encourages adolescents to ask questions and speak their truths while being kind to themselves and others. This work supports critical thinking and should be embedded in lessons on Indigenous rights, biology, current events, media literacy, and in social studies about antiracism. A concise place for tweens and teens to find accessible answers to questions that everyone has pondered at some point, updated for the 21st century. Essential for SEL and social studies shelves.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Taylor provides just enough background information tounderstand the causes and intersections of systemic issues, and once again, she accentuatespositive changes, embracing diversity, and setting healthy boundaries. Concluding self-love tips sum up the mission of this inclusive, affirming resource.” —Booklist
About the Author:
Sonya Renee Taylor is a world-renowned activist, award-winning artist, transformational thought leader, author of six books including the New York Times bestselling The Body is Not an Apology, and founder of the international movement and digital media and education company of the same name whose work has reached millions of people by exploring the intersections of identity, healing, and social justice using a radical self-love framework. She continues to speak, teach, write, create, and transform lives globally.
Excerpt from the Introduction:
When I was young, I had ten billion questions. I wanted to know everything about everything.
I had questions about my body: “Will I have big boobs because Grandma AND Aunt Julia have them?” I had questions about rules we seemed to have for boys and girls: “Why do we say boys can’t cry?” I even had questions about how we were treating the planet: “Why don’t we recycle?” The most frustrating thing about having all these questions was that no one ever seemed really excited to answer them. The truth is, sometimes people acted downright annoyed by all my questions.
Luckily, I didn’t let adults’ irritation with my list of curiosities stop my questions from coming. When they didn’t have an answer for me, I went looking for my own. I read books, watched the people around me, and, most importantly, I started taking guesses at answers. I used the information I saw in the world and my intuition (that hard-to-describe feeling inside all of us that helps us know what to do), and I came up with ideas. I always double-checked my answers by looking for more information in books, and from adults I trusted. But what I started to realize back then was that I was a smart human who already knew so much about life.
Guess what? So are you, and I hope that after reading this book, you will feel more certain about that.