Inspired to Action

How Young Changemakers Can Shape Their Communities and the World

By Jean Rawitt

While many teens, college students, and young professionals are passionate about social issues and want to help, enthusiasm alone is not enough to make a meaningful impact. But effective advocacy and activism can be learned, and with the right tools, achieving positive social change is possible.

Inspired to Action provides readers with the knowledge and tools they need to turn passion into effective action. From the basics of how civic engagement and political participation form the framework for lasting social change, to learning how non-profit organizations function and whether to consider starting one, this book gives young people the background they need to find their place in the world of social activism. With practical guidance regarding the importance of communication skills, community building, fundraising, and organizing, this book offers an accessible and lively grounding in what is needed to become an effective changemaker.

Featuring personal stories and advice from twelve successful young activists, thoughtful recommendations from seasoned professionals, and an extensive list of resources for further information, Inspired to Action is essential reading for any young person interested in the world of advocacy and activism.

Jean Rawitt is a freelance writer and consultant for the Department of Volunteer Services at Mount Sinai Hospital (New York). For ten years, she oversaw the hospital’s Varsity Volunteer Services, where she developed and coordinated a program for high-school students to volunteer on hospital inpatient units. Rawitt is the author of Volunteering: Insights and Tips for Teenagers and other non-fiction books for young people.

For young readers eager to make a positive impact on the world.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

July 2023

152 pages

21 illustrations

Hardback

978 1 5381 6935 3 eBook

978 1 5381 6936 0

Young Adult NonFiction • Social Activism & Volunteering

Betty Boop

The Most Popular Female Comic Strip and Cartoon Character of All Time

By Peter Benjaminson

Although Amazon.com is now selling more than 3,000 commercial products bearing Betty Boop’s image, including calendars, tote bags, coffee mugs, and books about how young women can be more like Betty, no one has ever published a book about Betty herself.

The first biography of a major American cultural symbol ever written, Betty Boop: The Most Popular Female Comic Strip and Cartoon Character of All Time describes Betty Boop’s incredibly active romantic and family life as revealed in her numerous comic strips, comic books, cartoons, and movies since 1930. Award-winning author Peter Benjaminson details the creation of Betty Boop, based on two African American female entertainers who were the human models for Betty’s character. He explores the many alterations of Betty’s appearance, attitudes, and behavior over the years. Benjaminson also reveals the stories of the women who provided her with a speaking and singing voice, along with the backgrounds, intentions, and careers of Betty’s numerous creators and animators. Betty Boop indulges in the controversies surrounding the character, including her adventures with Felix the Cat (a four-year daily comic strip production).

Benjaminson illuminates social trends that have kept Betty popular for nearly a century, including her recent transition from a helpless sex object to a feminist icon and her massive popularity with young American women.

Before beginning his book-writing career, Peter Benjaminson worked as a reporter for twelve years for The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and many more. As a freelance author, he has written one university press book and eight commercially published books. His books cover investigative reporting, newspapers, book publishing, government investigations, and pop music stars.

Applause

January 2024

256 pages

35 illustrations

Trade paperback 978 1 4930 6428 1 eBook 978 1 4930 6429 8

Comics & Graphic Novels • Nonfiction / Biography & Memoir