Cramm This Book

December 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-An informative and succinct overview of recent history written as background for present-day social justice causes. Teenager Seltzer founded "The Cramm" newsletter in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Her aim was to inform fellow Generation Zs about current events to inspire them to make an impact on the world. This primer provides the historical context to a lot of today's woes-climate change, the taking of Black lives, international conflicts. The book is divided into four chapters, starting with the aptly named "The Isms and Phobias," shorthand for society's ills, such as racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, and more. Despite the chatty tone and quip-filled narration, the text is thorough, accessible, and accomplishes what it sets out to do-"cramm" in as much information into 300 pages about the roots of the problems facing us today. The design is eye-catching and sleek; dynamic fonts, wide margins, and splashes of coral add interest. Side bars, speech bubbles, archival photos, time lines, and diagrams break up large swaths of text, and chapter openers feature inviting illustrations. This narrative is chock-full of facts, sometimes overwhelmingly so, but learners (teens and adults) can dip in and out as they like. The work concludes with a call to young people to learn from the past's mistakes and choose to do good. VERDICT A super helpful resource for social studies classes and catching up on social, economic, and political events.-Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2021
A teen girl turns her helplessness into hopefulness. The 2016 presidential election was the catalyst for White Jewish Seltzer, then 12, to begin to take action to help improve dire issues she perceived in society. She began writing online newsletters, in which she shared the news from traditional media in a way that her peers would better understand and appreciate. These newsletters were posted on The Cramm, the website she established. The necessity and impact of the newsletters were obvious, with millions of views from visitors spanning over 100 countries worldwide. This book offers an overview of many widespread prejudices, some major wars and conflicts, and structural inequalities and the movements spawned to change them. Seltzer tackles her chosen subjects succinctly, incorporating historical events, present-day phenomena, and concrete examples in varied and visually engaging ways to support better understanding. Seltzer's authorial tone is easygoing, self-aware, honest, and inviting while delivering crucial and sensitive information. It is fitting for a project of this scope and is sure to hit home with the intended audience; readers are likely to find this book both appealing and relatable as a starting point for becoming informed and motivated to effect positive change. This is an ideal work for readers seeking a starting point for world knowledge and societal activism. A refreshing young voice. A worthy project. (sources, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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Starred review from January 1, 2022
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* In 2016, author Seltzer was 12 years old, attending junior high school with several Latine classmates. The day after Trump was elected, she witnessed the fear that gripped her friends as they worried about their futures. This was the first time Seltzer realized current events profoundly affect people's lives. She also quickly realized that she and her friends, Generation Zers, lacked a fundamental understanding of the historical, political, and social context shaping world events. This led to her creation of The Cramm, a news outlet for teens featuring reinterpreted podcasts and social-media news reports that rack up millions of views per month. This, her first book, features straightforward, non-condescending language supported by comparison charts, time lines, imagined text conversations, and other engaging formats. It explains the basics of "Isms and Phobias" (e.g., xenophobia, ableism), "Wars" (Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan), "Movements" (hippies, civil rights, Arab Spring), and "Disasters" (oil spills, hurricanes, diseases) to her peers. Her essays are insightful, balanced, and nuanced and cite over 50 information sources. Her final message is a direct challenge to readers: now that you understand these problems, are you going to do something about them? Seltzer is already recognized as a credible source by her legions of followers, so expect considerable media attention and lots of demand.

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