Furia (YA fiction)

     On the soccer field Camila shines. She has the giftedness, the passion, and the drive. She's such a force to be reckoned with she's called Furia. But her team winning an important game is bittersweet for her. She sees a woman consoling a member of the losing team she wonders, "What would it be like for my mother to come and watch my games, comfort me if I lost, celebrate my victories?"

     You see Camila's parents support her older brother's rising soccer career and bask in his growing fame. But her macho, abusive father has decreed that futbol is not for girls or women. He's a very unpleasant person who cheats on his wife and bullies his family. Her mother plays but resents the role she's been shrunk into. Her brother too often feels diminished. Given their dysfunctional dynamics, Camila feels that she can't tell her family about her involvement in the sport she lives to play. 

     But keeping her secret is about to become complicated. Winning the big game has opened up a world of possibilities unavailable to most girls and women in Argentina. The team has just qualified for the Sudamericano women's tournament. Camila yearns to play on a United States professional team. Doing well in the tournament could make her dream come true. But for her to play in it she has to get her parents to sign permission slips. 

     Camila's childhood best friend, Diego, is back in town and seemingly in love with her. She's falling fast but wondering if their relationship would have space for two high visibility, high pressure careers that would require frequent separations.

     All this plays against a background of so many missing and murdered girls and nothing being done to change this. In the course of the narrative when a school girl is abducted and slain her family and community's grief is mixed with anger. But when girls and women protest the killings and the indifference of the larger society they are demonized.

     Mendez has created a truly memorable, believable, and inspiring protagonist and narrative. Furia is her first YA novel. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

On a purrrsonal note, here in Maine with a few days between storms we have accumulated ❄️ which blizzard battlers are moving to undisclosed locations to make room for more snow. Too much snow. But today on campus was fun. We had free grilled cheese sandwiches and make your own trail mix with the real good ingredients. I got to take home two bags for my weekend studying. 

A great big shout out goes out to the people who worked the wonderful event. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Onyx & Beyond (juvenile historical fiction)

"That's what the doctors said 

Mama had. Early-onset dementia. 

They said maybe put her in a home,

     & Gran said, My baby ain't going in no home.

& we worked together & kept it a secret.

Then Gran went to the sky & Mama got worse."

     After the death of his beloved grandmother Onyx, protagonist of Amber McBride's Onyx & Beyond, has more responsibilities and stresses than any 10-year-old should have. In addition to keeping up in school and navigating the streets as a Black boy he must do the cooking and housework and earn money to help buy food and care for the physical and emotional needs of his mother--parent a parent before he's hit puberty. Gotta keep his mom, whom he loves to the edges of the known universe and beyond, with him and out of a home. This could get much more difficult. Child protective services has scheduled a home visit. 

     Despite the harsh reality of his life Onyx has a fascination with the universe and dreams of flying. His narrative in free verse is a rich blend of imagination and wisdom in addition to the nitty gritty of a challenging existence. 

"I wonder if when Mama is dreaming, 

     she remembers everything?

If her dreams are more real than real life."

     Onyx & Beyond, set in the late 60s, gives a vivid picture of that turbulent time. Onyx is a fictional character. But he's based on Mcbride's father's stories from his youth. 

On a purrrsonal note, I studied at home today since the woods path between my home and the bus stop is snowed in. But I have rides both ways tomorrow. I'm so excited about going in and seeing my friends. 

A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful, amazing friends. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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The Black Queen (YA chiller)

     Inter library loans are awesome. Rather than being limited to the offerings of my local library I have access to collections all over Maine. It's always such a thrill when I pick up a stack. True, there are some duds that don't live up to their descriptions. But more often I pick up an amazing, spellbinding, impossible to put down volume. This was the case with Jumata Emill's The Black Queen. It seamlessly weaves together small town Southern intrigue, vivid characters, and a roller coaster ride of a plot with insights into the ubiquitousness and evils of racism.

     Tinsley, the white, privileged younger daughter of an influential family, feels that she's entitled to be her high school's homecoming queen. Her grandmother, mother, and older sister wielded the crown and scepter their senior years. And she has not so nice ways she's destroyed rivals for previous leadership positions. 

     But she's met her match in strikingly beautiful and immensely popular Nova--even after trying her best to intimidate her in a Mean Girls style show down and attempting to bribe her by offering to have her family pay for the restoration of a Black cemetery where Nova volunteers. 

     The night when Nova is crowned their school's first Black queen with much fanfare Tinsley is noticeably absent, off partying with her supposed besties, Giselle and Lana. When she makes a very drunk rant, stating that she should have killed Nova and left her body in "that slave cemetery she loves so much" she doesn't suspect that Lana is filming and posting to social media...

     ...where the video goes viral...

     ...which is bad news for Tinsley because the next morning Nova is found dead. Guess where. 

     Now a media hounded Tinsley is struggling to prove her innocence and avoid jail. Duchess, Nova's closest friend, is striving to put her killer behind bars. Duchess's police captain father is searching for the truth as both the black community and his white chief undermine him. And diverse characters,  some with pretty sketchy motive, are inserting themselves in the situation. 

     If you have a hunger for intrigue, drama, and suspense you will find The Black Queen to be mmm mmm good.

     In his acknowledgements Emill hints at writing more stories and maybe including Tinsley and Duchess in some of them. Now that is something to really look forward to. 

On a purrrsonal note, I am getting so tired of the snow. The woods path between my house is totally impassable. So now I have to hunt for rides to and from school. Eugene is working all kinds of hours. He isn't getting enough sleep. I'm more than ready for spring. Most people I talk to are also.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and the other blizzard battlers. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old (adult memoir)

     Celebrity memoirs, along with sci fi, cozy mysteries, Harlequin romances, and anything about sports (except those involving underdog teen or kid teams) are on my do not touch list. This should be easy to understand. I don't watch TV beyond Channel 5 news. I see very few movies. And my interest in celeb gossip matches Tobago's in befriending the dog next door. So when Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old showed up in my inter library loan stack I wondered what I was thinking when I ordered it.

     But I had ordered it. I decided to skim the introduction...

     ...and unexpectedly I was hooked. Shields reads the room. She knows who she is addressing and how to hold our interest. Her tone is intimate and candid. She combines personal narrative with research studies. And there is precious little name dropping. 

     The woman calls bull shit. In this country we're still in deep denial when it comes to ageism. She describes its 

manifestations and consequences quite eloquently. Having been on the front line of this war for decades, I find it thrilling that someone with actual name recognition is also in the trenches. And she assuages fears that it's all downhill after menopause. And speaking of menopause...

     ...she actually does. A perfectly natural process is still a taboo topic in our society, even among many doctors. Shields tells us about the wide variation of what's normal during this transition, ways people can improve their experience of it, and why we need so much more research. For this section alone the book is well worth buying for those who are headed toward or in "the change".

     Another change almost universally dreaded by mothers is children growing up and leaving home. Shields does a thoughtful discussion of the depth and complexity of feelings this transition evokes. And she reminds us that if the baby daddy is still in the house parenthood isn't the only changing relationship. 

     And she hits on the ultimate aging taboo: sex. We've moved away from the movies that show mom and dad retiring to separate beds (if not bedrooms) after a chaste kiss. But we still have a long way to go.

     If you're an older woman or nonbinary you should buy this book or at least borrow it from the library. If you're anything like me you'll find it affirming, validating, and liberating.

On a purrrsonal note, I got really great news this morning. I got 100% on my first solo presentation for capstone. I worked really hard on it.

A great big shout out goes out to me from me. I am very proud of how far I've come since the stroke. I hope you can give yourself a shout out when you accomplish something you've worked really hard for. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Before The Badge

   I think we all have perceptions of the actions of the foot soldiers of law enforcement--the cops on the beat. The camp I fall into is deeply concerned about the disproportionate number of Blacks being surveiled,  arrested and killed by police. Some think the force is being bullied by activists, the media, and political correctness. Some want to defund them while others want to give them military grade weapons. 

     In Before The Badge: How Academy Training Shapes Police Violence Samantha J. Simon shares an interesting perspective based on months of intensive field research. Prospective police officers aren't selected for and trained in racism. They are carefully selected for and socialized into a almost cult like institution. 

     "I watched this socialization process unfold for cadets during the six to eight months that they spent training to be police officers. Importantly, this socialization emphasized, and indeed required, that cadets thought about and engaged in violence that sustained their institution."

     Those cadets chosen for traits such as passion for their chosen field, a strong sense of loyalty, willingness to use physical violence, conservative beliefs, values, and political views, comfort with hierarchy, willingness to follow commands, and a binary good guy/bad guy mind set are brought into a very insular society. They spend most of their time on and off the clock with other members of the force. Outsiders--especially media professionals, activists--are portrayed as dangerous beings who put them in constant peril. "If everyone is out to get you, in one form or another, it becomes easy to legitimize violent responses and dismiss any criticism."

     And they're taught to think of themselves as warriors preparing for battle against constantly threatening advisories.

     I believe that Before The Badge is an important read for anyone concerned about the state of law enforcement in today's America. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had a totally awesome Valentines Day. Eugene had been out plowing and came home in time for me to make him breakfast. He gave me beautiful flowers and candy. I participated in really fun activities at school. When I got home Eugene took me to Applebee's for supper. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Under Shifting Stars

     Teen twins Clare and Audrey, narrators of Alexandra Latos's Under Shifting Stars, had been inseparable best friends until they started developing in very different directions. Now, ten months after the sudden death of their beloved older brother, Adam, a chasm has grown between them.

     Neurodivergent Audrey attends an alternative school. The name of the school is Peak. The students and their neurotypical peers call it Freak. Audrey is determined to leave it and regain her closeness with her sister.

     "Clare and I used to do this. We used to swing side by side until the sun set. 

     Beside me the swing is empty. 

     I'm going to get her back, I say out loud. I'm going to prove I can be like her."

     Clare is quite opposed to Audrey coming back to her school, and it isn't only because of her sister's embarrassing behavior. It's also due to the grief on Audrey's behalf she had felt when their peers had relentlessly teased her.

     "This is the first semester Audrey and I haven't been in school together. I want to keep it that way. I'm not going to let myself feel guilty about her anymore."

     And Clare is not the pretty, popular girl her family sees her as. Some days she wants to be just like Adam. She wears his clothes and uses his skateboard. Other days she feels more like a girl and dresses accordingly. She has no idea what she is or whether her family will accept this person. 

     And while all this is going the family members are having to deal with one of the hardest losses a family can sustain...

     ...and one of them feels that it's her fault Adam died.

On a purrrsonal note, the big storm that the meteorologists have been waxing eloquently about has arrived. The ❄️ is pretty heavy and the winds are kicking up, raising the possibility of a power outage. I sure hope we don't get one because it would interfere with getting homework done. And the house gets so cold. Eugene has gone out to plow.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and all the other blizzard battlers. 

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Two Tribes (juvenile graphic novel)

     Graphic novels where text and images are woven perfectly together prove the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Emily Bowen Cohen's Two Tribes is most definitely such a book.

     Mia misses her Muscogee father and community. But her divorced mother treats him as a taboo topic, a being no longer part of their life. She's married a Jewish man and is embracing and expecting Mia to share her enthusiasm for their new Jewish identity. 

     But the yearning to see her father and learn more about her community and herself won't go away. So Mia uses her bat mitzvah money to travel back to her dad...

     ...and stirs up much more trouble than she'd anticipated. 

On a purrrsonal note, all week the meteorologists and other news personalities had building major hype about the day long blizzard due the day before Valentines. Blizzard eve it was the BIG topic: would we have a snow day? We did and savored it. Now the next BIG STORM is due tomorrow. My church has canceled not only the in person service, but the zoom service. They're anticipating power outages. We'll just have to see what happens. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and the other blizzard battlers and the power company people who are essential heroes when we get a big one.

Jules Hathaway 

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