Are you in the mood for a truly spellbinding novel? If so you would do well to get your hands onDiane Marie Brown's Black Candle Women.
The women are several generations of the Montrose family: Augusta, the matriarch; Madelyn, her daughter; Victoria and Willow, her granddaughters; and Nickie, Victoria's teenage daughter.
Bet you've noticed something strange. There's obviously been some procreating going on. So where are the men?
A little back story here. Although the women reside in California, they're transplants from New Orleans. In her earlier years Augusta had apprenticed herself to a practitioner of hoodoo magic, Bela Nova. The relationship had ended badly when Augusta seduced Bela Nova's son. Bella Nova had pronounced a generational curse. Augusta and her descendants would never know love because everyone they loved would die. Even Bela Nova's own son. The adults in the family, except for Willow who was deterred by the curse, have lost husbands.
Now for the first time Nickie, who knows nothing about the curse, brings home a boy she really likes. When Victoria tries to keep them apart without explaining why Nickie reacts like just about any thwarted teen. When she finally runs away Augusta is forced return to the place where the curse was born, a place she's sworn never again to set foot in, for a show down with her former mentor turnoff nemesis.
Black Candle Women is a perfect stormy night read and so much more. In addition to serving up a riveting plot, it offers up food for thought on family relationships and the toxic power of secrets.
On a purrrsonal note, I've been having more trouble with weight. Since my visit with my primary care physician when she blew off my concerns about weighing 98 I've lost even more. My ambitions are modest. I just want to get up to and stay at three figures.
A great big shout out to the friends who are helping me figure out how and Eugene who is doing all the cooking.
Jules Hathaway
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
How You Grow Wings
Rimma Onoseta's How You Grow Wings takes readers to a place, rural Nigeria, most of us will never visit and describes it so vividly it comes to life in our minds. It is a story set in a nation still suffering the lingering effects of colonialism and government corruption.
It's the story of a highly dysfunctional family. The mother, who grew up bearing the scorn of lighter skinned family members, obsessively bleaches her skin and takes her simmering anger out on her two daughters. The father, ashamed of not attaining the power and wealth of his older brother and aware that his wife wishes she was married to his sibling, has become silent—a shadow presence in his household. Older daughter, Chita, meets her mother's hostility with defiance. When she is ten she is hospitalized a week for injuries inflicted by her mother. And it's only the first time. Her younger sister, Zam, adapts by complying with her mother's demands and desperately attempting to stay out of her way.
When their Aunt Sophie requests that Sam come to live in her household the girls' lives go in very different directions. Zam is introduced to a life of privilege and opportunity. Chita flees her abusive mother to a precarious existence in the slums and a struggle for survival.
A voracious reader growing up, Onoseta writes the kind of stories her younger self wanted to read, "stories about young Nigerian girls who are chaotic and fierce and who question what they're taught." I certainly hope she's at work on another one.
The one thing I take issue with is the book's YA designation. YA covers a lot of developmental territory. The book opens with a scene in which Zam returns home to find a relative beating his daughter so severely she'll have to be hospitalized in a living room full of guests including the local priest who do nothing to stop the assault. This is not content for the younger end of the YA spectrum. Maybe could we have a mature YA category? On the other end it's also perfect for post secondary readers. In fact, given higher education's current emphasis on diversity and inclusion and the way in which topics such as colonialism, class, colorism, and intergenerational trauma are embedded in a riveting narrative, How You Grow Wings belongs in college and university classrooms. Maybe writers like Onset can replace some of the long dead white males who are still being inflicted on students.
On a purrrsonal note, the Black Bear Exchange had its official grand opening in the spacious location it moved into last winter. It was well attended and I saw some people I hadn't seen in awhile. People were quite impressed with the place.
A great big shout out goes out to Lisa and the BBE crew.
Jules Hathaway
It's the story of a highly dysfunctional family. The mother, who grew up bearing the scorn of lighter skinned family members, obsessively bleaches her skin and takes her simmering anger out on her two daughters. The father, ashamed of not attaining the power and wealth of his older brother and aware that his wife wishes she was married to his sibling, has become silent—a shadow presence in his household. Older daughter, Chita, meets her mother's hostility with defiance. When she is ten she is hospitalized a week for injuries inflicted by her mother. And it's only the first time. Her younger sister, Zam, adapts by complying with her mother's demands and desperately attempting to stay out of her way.
When their Aunt Sophie requests that Sam come to live in her household the girls' lives go in very different directions. Zam is introduced to a life of privilege and opportunity. Chita flees her abusive mother to a precarious existence in the slums and a struggle for survival.
A voracious reader growing up, Onoseta writes the kind of stories her younger self wanted to read, "stories about young Nigerian girls who are chaotic and fierce and who question what they're taught." I certainly hope she's at work on another one.
The one thing I take issue with is the book's YA designation. YA covers a lot of developmental territory. The book opens with a scene in which Zam returns home to find a relative beating his daughter so severely she'll have to be hospitalized in a living room full of guests including the local priest who do nothing to stop the assault. This is not content for the younger end of the YA spectrum. Maybe could we have a mature YA category? On the other end it's also perfect for post secondary readers. In fact, given higher education's current emphasis on diversity and inclusion and the way in which topics such as colonialism, class, colorism, and intergenerational trauma are embedded in a riveting narrative, How You Grow Wings belongs in college and university classrooms. Maybe writers like Onset can replace some of the long dead white males who are still being inflicted on students.
On a purrrsonal note, the Black Bear Exchange had its official grand opening in the spacious location it moved into last winter. It was well attended and I saw some people I hadn't seen in awhile. People were quite impressed with the place.
A great big shout out goes out to Lisa and the BBE crew.
Jules Hathaway
We Are Not Broken
We Are Not Broken, George M. Johnson's childhood memoir, the sequel to his All Boys Aren't Blue, is a loving and brilliant tribute to the central figure in his life in his growing up years—his grandmother. Along with his older cousins, Rall and Rasul, and his little brother, Garrett, he spent afternoons after school and weekends at her Big Yellow House. It's also a tribute to her peers, the other Black grandmothers who through physical and emotional labor held their families together and taught their grandchildren their worth in a world that was far from welcoming and often downright hostile. Johnson's memories are candid and evocative.
Embedded in the tales of joy and sorrow, love and loss there is pointed criticism of the larger world: its acceptance of harsh physical punishments that left generations of children traumatized, the racism that put Black youth in frequent jeopardy, and the homophobia, sexism, and patriarchal ideologies upheld by the Black church.
Johnson has a poignant message for readers.
"Black boys in society are often seen as adults by the age of twelve. We are viewed as dangerous and more prone to violence, and often left broken. This book is attempt to change our narrative and give voice to our stories through our own eyes. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to disprove any notion that Black boys don't deserve love, affection, care, and the space to be open, vulnerable, emotional, and kind."
On a purrrsonal note, Orono Public Library's Volunteer Appreciation Night was truly special. The refreshments were a sophisticated blend of sweet and savory. The appreciation gifts were flower filled glass vases. The speaker gave us a sneak peek at what the library will look like after its long awaited expansion. Such an exciting prospect!
A great big shout out goes out to librarians for putting on such a fine event.
Jules Hathaway
Embedded in the tales of joy and sorrow, love and loss there is pointed criticism of the larger world: its acceptance of harsh physical punishments that left generations of children traumatized, the racism that put Black youth in frequent jeopardy, and the homophobia, sexism, and patriarchal ideologies upheld by the Black church.
Johnson has a poignant message for readers.
"Black boys in society are often seen as adults by the age of twelve. We are viewed as dangerous and more prone to violence, and often left broken. This book is attempt to change our narrative and give voice to our stories through our own eyes. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to disprove any notion that Black boys don't deserve love, affection, care, and the space to be open, vulnerable, emotional, and kind."
On a purrrsonal note, Orono Public Library's Volunteer Appreciation Night was truly special. The refreshments were a sophisticated blend of sweet and savory. The appreciation gifts were flower filled glass vases. The speaker gave us a sneak peek at what the library will look like after its long awaited expansion. Such an exciting prospect!
A great big shout out goes out to librarians for putting on such a fine event.
Jules Hathaway
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The Perfect Mother
Ready for an adult mystery? Aimee Malloy's The Perfect Mother blends a captivating narrative with spot on social commentary.
They're the May Mothers, a cadre of new moms who gave birth in the same month, brought together by a questionnaire. Meeting at first on line and then in person, they share their hopes and fears in the new, unpredictable worlds of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood.
Many members come and go. But there's a regular core group. Collette is an author not writing under her own name. She's ghosting the sequel to the memoir of an egotistical politician. Although the original was hot, the sequel isn't getting off the ground. Nell is returning from maternity leave to her high pressure career in publishing. She's intent on keeping a secret from her past hidden. Francine is married to an architect who left his established firm in Tennessee to start a private practice in New York. When a big contract falls through they aren't sure how they'll manage.
When the moms plan a Fourth of July bar trip that trio, concerned about Winnie, a single mom who seems depressed, make sure that she can go. Nell even provides a babysitter.
Unfortunately Winnie comes home to an empty crib and a sleeping babysitter. So who took baby Midas? Will Winnie ever see him alive again? When the police seem to be nothing but ineptitude the trio takes matters into their own hands.
In addition to delivering a real page turner of a plot The Perfect Mother takes a hard look at the dimensions along which mothers condemn and are encouraged to condemn each other. Breast milk vs formula. Working outside vs staying home. You know—the mommy wars.
On a purrrsonal note, I wore a gold sequined dress today even though the winds were fierce. I'm wearing dresses more because I get so many compliments when I do. Now some of the undergrads are copying me and I'm lovin' it.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow thrift shop and yard sale fashionistas.
Jules Hathaway
They're the May Mothers, a cadre of new moms who gave birth in the same month, brought together by a questionnaire. Meeting at first on line and then in person, they share their hopes and fears in the new, unpredictable worlds of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood.
Many members come and go. But there's a regular core group. Collette is an author not writing under her own name. She's ghosting the sequel to the memoir of an egotistical politician. Although the original was hot, the sequel isn't getting off the ground. Nell is returning from maternity leave to her high pressure career in publishing. She's intent on keeping a secret from her past hidden. Francine is married to an architect who left his established firm in Tennessee to start a private practice in New York. When a big contract falls through they aren't sure how they'll manage.
When the moms plan a Fourth of July bar trip that trio, concerned about Winnie, a single mom who seems depressed, make sure that she can go. Nell even provides a babysitter.
Unfortunately Winnie comes home to an empty crib and a sleeping babysitter. So who took baby Midas? Will Winnie ever see him alive again? When the police seem to be nothing but ineptitude the trio takes matters into their own hands.
In addition to delivering a real page turner of a plot The Perfect Mother takes a hard look at the dimensions along which mothers condemn and are encouraged to condemn each other. Breast milk vs formula. Working outside vs staying home. You know—the mommy wars.
On a purrrsonal note, I wore a gold sequined dress today even though the winds were fierce. I'm wearing dresses more because I get so many compliments when I do. Now some of the undergrads are copying me and I'm lovin' it.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow thrift shop and yard sale fashionistas.
Jules Hathaway
Select (juvenile fiction)
Alex (12), protagonist of Christie Matheson's Select, loves playing soccer. She's been on a team since she was 5 1/2. In the intervening years she's amasses some pretty impressive skills.
One day after a game Alex sees her mother talking to a stranger. He's the coach of Sanfrancisco Select, a prestigious soccer club. He wants her to join, dangling the possibility of a college soccer scholarship. Alex wants to go to college. She knows that her mother, raising two daughters on a low income job, can't make that happen.
When Alex quits her rec league soccer team to become a select her coach tells her not to forget why she loves soccer. On her new team she quickly discovers the reason for this reminder. Playing brings a lot of stress and little pleasure. Her new coach is a sexist who is extremely verbally abusive, not only to his team, bur to woman coaches and referees. And he's never satisfied with his team's performance. Even winning every game they're not good enough. They should have crushed the other team.
Then one day he goes too far.
Unfortunately Select is all too relevant. In today's big money high stakes youth sports world too many coaches forget that their players are children or teens and deserve a developmentally appropriate and enriching experience.
Sports loving kids will enjoy this lively narrative while being reminded of a very important right.
On a purrrsonal note, Maine Day went off really well even though inclement weather drove it inside. The fun activities were conveniently located in the Union.
A great big shout to all who worked so hard to give UMaine students a Maine Day to remember.
Jules Hathaway
One day after a game Alex sees her mother talking to a stranger. He's the coach of Sanfrancisco Select, a prestigious soccer club. He wants her to join, dangling the possibility of a college soccer scholarship. Alex wants to go to college. She knows that her mother, raising two daughters on a low income job, can't make that happen.
When Alex quits her rec league soccer team to become a select her coach tells her not to forget why she loves soccer. On her new team she quickly discovers the reason for this reminder. Playing brings a lot of stress and little pleasure. Her new coach is a sexist who is extremely verbally abusive, not only to his team, bur to woman coaches and referees. And he's never satisfied with his team's performance. Even winning every game they're not good enough. They should have crushed the other team.
Then one day he goes too far.
Unfortunately Select is all too relevant. In today's big money high stakes youth sports world too many coaches forget that their players are children or teens and deserve a developmentally appropriate and enriching experience.
Sports loving kids will enjoy this lively narrative while being reminded of a very important right.
On a purrrsonal note, Maine Day went off really well even though inclement weather drove it inside. The fun activities were conveniently located in the Union.
A great big shout to all who worked so hard to give UMaine students a Maine Day to remember.
Jules Hathaway
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Ruby Lost and Found
Ruby (13) was especially close to her Ye-Ye (grandfather). He had so many ways of making their time together special like their frequent trips to their favorite bakery for egg tarts and coconut bread and their elaborate scavenger hunts. Now he is gone and she's missing him terribly. She's also missing her two best friends—one who has moved 3000 miles away and one who is still physically present but switching her friendship loyalties.
As summer vacation begins Ruby has served a two week detention for being caught off campus during school hours. Her parents have deemed her untrustworthy and decided that during the week days while they work, she'll stay with her Nai-Nai (grandmother) who hangs out at a senior rec center. She's sure it will be a long, boring summer…
…until it isn't. Ruby starts developing strong feelings for Nai-Nai and her chums. The senior center turns out to be more fun than she expected. There's even a boy her age with friendship potential who goes with his grandmother. But she's in for two cruel changes. She's noticing that Nai-Nai is experiencing moments of confusion where she forgets people's names, misplaces things, and even gets lost in the city she's lived in for decades. And after over half a century in business the beloved bakery will be shutting down.
Big sister, Viv, is filling her last summer before college with fun and friends. And their parents, preoccupied with starting their own business, are clueless.
Christina Li's Ruby Lost and Found is pitch perfect for its target demographic, kids who are about to be hit with a whole lot of change which often does include loss. And it has the potential to be especially helpful for those who are seeing the frightening and confusing signs of dementia in their own beloved grandparents.
On a purrrsonal note, wouldn't you know it! The picture perfect weather we started the week with has turned ugly just in time for Maine Day, the day of volunteering and free barbecue and all kinds of activities UMaine students look forward to just about all year.
A great big shout out goes to the folks running this MAJOR event.
Jules Hathaway
As summer vacation begins Ruby has served a two week detention for being caught off campus during school hours. Her parents have deemed her untrustworthy and decided that during the week days while they work, she'll stay with her Nai-Nai (grandmother) who hangs out at a senior rec center. She's sure it will be a long, boring summer…
…until it isn't. Ruby starts developing strong feelings for Nai-Nai and her chums. The senior center turns out to be more fun than she expected. There's even a boy her age with friendship potential who goes with his grandmother. But she's in for two cruel changes. She's noticing that Nai-Nai is experiencing moments of confusion where she forgets people's names, misplaces things, and even gets lost in the city she's lived in for decades. And after over half a century in business the beloved bakery will be shutting down.
Big sister, Viv, is filling her last summer before college with fun and friends. And their parents, preoccupied with starting their own business, are clueless.
Christina Li's Ruby Lost and Found is pitch perfect for its target demographic, kids who are about to be hit with a whole lot of change which often does include loss. And it has the potential to be especially helpful for those who are seeing the frightening and confusing signs of dementia in their own beloved grandparents.
On a purrrsonal note, wouldn't you know it! The picture perfect weather we started the week with has turned ugly just in time for Maine Day, the day of volunteering and free barbecue and all kinds of activities UMaine students look forward to just about all year.
A great big shout out goes to the folks running this MAJOR event.
Jules Hathaway
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The Weight Of Blood
A couple of years ago I'd rave reviewed Tiffany D. Jackson's The Weight Of Blood. I Remember thinking it sorta reminded me of Carrie and wasn't surprised when she cited Stephen King as one of her biggest inspirations. When I brought the book back to the library I didn't plan on revisiting it. Certainly not this soon. But two things happened. First I learned that this year Carrie turns 50. Then I was reading in the juvenile wing of the Orono Public Library while waiting for a friend to show up. Looking to the side, I saw Maddy (Jackson's Carrie figure) covered in white paint and blood looking dazed on the cover of her book. Probably coincidence, but I saw an imperative for rereading and added it to my stack of inter library loans.
I am really am glad I did, this time oriented to seeing the parallels between the two books rather than noticing a resemblance in passing. Both books have a central figure who yearns to be accepted by the other teens and has the chances of achieving this modest success of a snowball in Hell. Each is being raised by a domineering parent who sees her as deeply flawed. Physical characteristics come to represent something larger. Carrie's breasts, referred to her mother as dirty pillows, stand for sexuality; Maddy's hair, which her father is constantly straightening, stands for race. In both a very oppressive fundamentalist brand of Christianity is a dominant influence. Both are sent to school with a wardrobe and mindset guaranteed to alienate peers. And in both the prom, the chance for one night of peer acceptance, is warped into a truly horrific event.
Has half a century made a difference? Yes and no. Technologies have advanced plenty just as they have in real life. But the hatred and fear of difference burns just as brightly in the hearts of many of our fellow citizens.
Interesting difference: While Carrie is seen as adult fiction The Weight Of Blood is shelved under YA. I wonder why. Any ideas?
If you like your horror novels based on a keen understanding of human nature both are very good options. It's been way too long since I've picked up Carrie so I'm adding that to my summer reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, I was waiting for Diane and a few others. We met up to distribute flyers about Orono Community Garden and a new food cupboard organized by Orono Health Association to the residents of the two housing complexes for older people.
A great big shout out goes out to the Community Garden's new partner, Food and Medicine. I'm a big fan of their philosophy and greatly looking forward to working with them.
Jules Hathaway
I am really am glad I did, this time oriented to seeing the parallels between the two books rather than noticing a resemblance in passing. Both books have a central figure who yearns to be accepted by the other teens and has the chances of achieving this modest success of a snowball in Hell. Each is being raised by a domineering parent who sees her as deeply flawed. Physical characteristics come to represent something larger. Carrie's breasts, referred to her mother as dirty pillows, stand for sexuality; Maddy's hair, which her father is constantly straightening, stands for race. In both a very oppressive fundamentalist brand of Christianity is a dominant influence. Both are sent to school with a wardrobe and mindset guaranteed to alienate peers. And in both the prom, the chance for one night of peer acceptance, is warped into a truly horrific event.
Has half a century made a difference? Yes and no. Technologies have advanced plenty just as they have in real life. But the hatred and fear of difference burns just as brightly in the hearts of many of our fellow citizens.
Interesting difference: While Carrie is seen as adult fiction The Weight Of Blood is shelved under YA. I wonder why. Any ideas?
If you like your horror novels based on a keen understanding of human nature both are very good options. It's been way too long since I've picked up Carrie so I'm adding that to my summer reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, I was waiting for Diane and a few others. We met up to distribute flyers about Orono Community Garden and a new food cupboard organized by Orono Health Association to the residents of the two housing complexes for older people.
A great big shout out goes out to the Community Garden's new partner, Food and Medicine. I'm a big fan of their philosophy and greatly looking forward to working with them.
Jules Hathaway
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