Written by the founder of the news outlet The Cramm, this book is a deep dive into the state of the world today, how we got here, and what is happening. Olivia Seltzer is a gen-Zer writing directly to her generation, and as a zillenial (born in 1999), I really appreciated this book. ⁠
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A lot of the things that Seltzer addresses are things that happened in my lifetime but when I was too young to really understand what was going on, such as 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Arab Spring. Part of being a zillenial is realizing that you are impacted by things that you don't remember or didn't fully comprehend as they were happening, and this book helped me feel better on that front by presenting the information in an accessible way. True to its name, Cramm This Book is concise, and Seltzer uses many engaging techniques to get points across, such as "picture this" exercises and even a bit of humor. ⁠
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Seltzer also tackles some of the biggest historical events of the 20th century in this book, such as World War II, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights movement. I believe that we need to understand the past in order to understand the present, so I like that these events were discussed as well. Something that I noticed while taking my history methods class in college (the class where us education majors learn how to teach history) is our tendency to isolate historical figures and events when in reality many of them are connected in some way, so I appreciate that Seltzer acknowledges this. ⁠
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Zillenials and older gen Zs are going to appreciate this deep dive into current and historical events.

Purchased the book. I really like the content but went out of date quickly. It does not get a lot of check outs which is too bad because I think the writing and context works to help students understand the news.

Sure interesting. Full of information I would have never known good book to learn about the world and why some things are they way that they are

A book that should be part of everyone’s home library.
Do you ever just watch bits and pieces of the daily news and wish you knew more? Or could understand why things are happening?
Well, like me, you need this book. Such an in depth explanation of pretty much every important, and super relevant topic happening in today’s headlines.
Sometimes it’s hard to speak of something you might not understand, and I love that this book touches on topics and explains much of the history, and how we came to be where we are today.
I read it aloud to my husband, and even he thought it brought such good insight, and it started several conversations between us, Which i think is so great, and so helpful when you can talk things out at home.
I read the advanced digital copy (thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley!) and I’m happy and looking forward to getting my preordered finished copy!
Essential reading! I definitely recommend it!

Fun Fact: In high school/college my dream was to be a journalist. I’ve always been fascinated by the media and the stories we are/aren’t being told when we consume any media, but especially the news. When I learned about Cramm this Book I was excited to read it!

If you aren’t familiar with The Cramm, it was created by then 13 year old Olivia Seltzer as a news outlet for Gen Z to share what is happening in the world and inspire them to make a difference. This book tackles important topics from history and today - topics such as racism, the
Me Too Movement, conflict in the Middle East and so much more. This book breaks down topics so they are easy to understand for teenagers and young adults. The writing is interesting and engaging, unlike most history books and it is so well done!

I loved this book and think it would be such a valuable asset to have in every classroom. This gives young people all of the information they need to be able to learn about what is happening, form an opinion and take a stand to change it. I also appreciated how this book had illustrations, mas, timelines and other images to help with understanding and engagement. We need more books like this!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the advanced copy.

Let's just take a minute to applaud any teenager that is aware enough to start both a news website and then write a book. Cramm this book! is a non-fiction book designed for teenagers to understand wTF is going on in the world today. This book directly challenges readers to change the world as we know it. Filled with information that breaks down all the isms and phobias, provides maps and pictures, and delivers easy to understand history lessons and the impact they've had on today's society. This is truly a wonderful resource for people of all ages.

I'm in that awkward generational line between GenZ and Millennial. That being said, I think this book was too young for me personally but I can see the appeal that this book would have for a GenZ student somewhere in the age range of a high school student. The information was very informative and presented in a way that a student wouldn't feel like they were reading a history textbook. There were certainly topics covered in this book that likely wouldn't make it into any school curriculum. I think this book definitely succeeded in its purpose of providing historical context to todays pressing social and current event issues for an audience who are too young to have lived through contextual historic events that a lot of news organizations assume is shared prior knowledge. I'd definitely recommend putting this book in most high school libraries.

Very informative and well-researched book! I appreciated the Gen Z focused view of these historical events and movements ie text messages…very clever. This is definitely a good book if you need a quick refresher on various forms of -isms like racism, ableism; important historical events like WWII, the Cuba Crisis; and more recent events like the #MeToo Movement, and BLM Movement. I recommend this book to any high school students/college students who want to a look at history with a Gen Z frame-of-mind. Also other generations (like me, a millennial) could benefit from this book, as a quick refresher on history and its various movements.

Ever wonder why things are the way they are in the world?

Cramm This Book breaks down issues and events for today's teens to show how history has impacted them. The book takes big issues, such as 9/11, Black Lives Matter, and climate change, into smaller, more digestible parts, including specific examples and definitions.

Coupled with illustrations, map and images, Cramm This Book is written so today's teens will be interested in current events and can understand why things are the way they are. The writing is not like a history book. It's interesting and engaging, explaining everything in a way teens can understand. I loved the text messages between countries when explaining different wars.

As a history teacher, I try to make the history relatable to my students and this book does an excellent job of doing that. This is a book I can see using in my classroom to further engage my students. It speaks their language and talks to them, not at them. I also loved how the book ends on a call to action for today's teens, urging them that they have the choice whether to care or not, whether to take action or not. But the future is in their hands.

While the book does an excellent job of explaining and connecting events from WWII on, I wish it would have made further connections between more current issues and early history, including colonialism, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. So many roots of today's social movements and issues stem from the formation of the United States. However, you have to draw the line somewhere, and those connections could be another book itself.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for the advanced copy. Cramm This Book publishes February 15, 2022.