So Much For Democracy

So Much For Democracy

Juvenile Fiction
We hear a lot about political coups in other countries on the
news. They may seem quite removed from our experience of life, quite
hard to relate to. Kari Jones' So Much For Democracy helps bridge the
gap by introducing the experience of a girl and her family caught up
in the turmoil.
Canadian Astrid has a list of 35 things she hates about Ghana,
where she and her family are living while her father helps with that
country's elections. They range from the constant presence of
soldiers through snakes and spiders to the medicine she must take to
prevent maleria.
There are also drastic changes in her mother's behavior. Astrid
is used to the great degree of freedom she had in Canada. In Ghana
she must follow a long list of rules. Her mother is in constant panic
mode, always in her children's business. It seems to Astrid that
she's blamed for everything that goes wrong.
Why is Astrid's seemingly indomitable teacher afraid of the
soldiers? How does a man go from being imprisoned to taking over a
government? Will her mother ever get back to being herself?
Young people who read So Much For Democracy will learn a lot
while enjoying a suspenseful plot and a likeable, feisty protagonist.
On a personal note, I am working on organizing a benefit supper and
silent auction to raise money for education for girls in Tanzania.
That will be my very belated birthday celebration. It will be October
24 at Orono United Methodist. I have mixed feelings. I'm excited
because I think it will be fun and raise money (and consciousness) for
a very important cause. I'm also nervous because I've never run
anything like that before. I want to make it an annual event.
A great big shout out goes out to the fine people who go into nations
to deal with humungous challenges like war and Ebola.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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