The Gay Revolution
Adult nonfiction
Once when my son was quite young he won a much coveted door
prize at a Bangor Public Library children's summer program event: an
18 wheeler. No, there was not a semi parked outside. His prize was a
Dysarts eighteen scoop ice cream dessert. It took two families to
devour that megatreat.
That came to mind when I started reading Lillian Faderman's The
Gay Resolution: The Story of the Struggle. We're talking 635 pages
of serious scholarship. Notes and index add on another more than
150. It is fascinating reading. But I staggered it over a several
week period because to read it all at once would have been like trying
to eat an 18 wheeler all on my own. There were also times I had to
put it aside because the things done to people because of who they
loved made me so angry.
Faderman set the scene with an event from 1948. (The great
appeal of her book, in my mind, comes from the fine balance between
scholarship and narrative, between the events and the people without
whom they couldn't have occurred.) At the University of Missouri
Professor E. K. Johnston, a highly esteemed long term faculty member
who had served as an acting dean, gave out awards to journalism
students. Then he turned himself in to the county prosecutor's office
and was thrown into jail. He lost his job, his career, and even his
pension. Jail was a possibility. At his trial there was debate over
whether he was a menace to society.
His crime? I bet you've guessed. The middle part of the
twentieth century was like one of Dante's levels of Hell for LGBT
folks. Sodomy was a crime. Police officers spent a lot of time and
taxpayer money lurking in gay bars to entrap gay men. Anyone
suspected of not being all out hetero could be fired from a job. The
same folks carrying out the Communist witch hunts considered gays an
even bigger threat to national security. Psychologists listed
homosexuality as a disorder and prescribed forcible commitment,
electroshock therapy, and even frontal lobotomies.
Between then and now when don't ask don't tell in the military
has met a well deserved demise and gays and lesbians can marry same
sex partners there is a complex and dramatic history. Faderman takes
us through it into the courts, the demonstrations, the planning
sessions, the riots, the tragedies and the celebrations. We learn how
the wide diversity in the LGBT world set up internal conflicts such as
traditionalists who wore suits and spoke politely versus the radical
crowd who saw them as sold out fuddy duddies. We see where there was
not always solidarity with other oppressed groups. Blacks sometimes
resented comparisons and Betty Friedan once called Lesbians the
lavender menace.
If you want to learn about LGBT history The Gay Revolution is a
real treasure. I highly recommend it. Reading it would make a great
New Years Resolution.
On a personal note, oh, yeah, it's New Years Eve. I plan to celebrate
by reading and eating candy near the Christmas tree with Joey cat on
my lap and then watching the ball drop.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my awesome readers. May your
festivities be fun and safe. Got 2 bits of advice on resolutions.
The first is shamelessly taken from my friend Carol Higgins Taylor.
In a column in the Weekly she advised us to make them manageable.
Break them down. My resolution number one (you'll learn about the
other nine in upcoming reviews) is a good example. Early in December
I decided to break down my desire to cut down on sugar into steps.
The first thing I did was cut sugar out of my coffee. Succeeding on
that made me proud and ready to tackle step two tomorrow: finding what
tea I like unsweetened. Taking on something too big is a recipe for
failure.
The second bit is pure me. This is not the only time to make
resolutions. Any time you want to do better is just as good. My
sugarless coffee started a few weeks ago.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Extraordinary People
Extraordinary People
Juvenile nonfiction
Any book that pictures Bruce Lee, Evel Knievel, and Marie Curie
on the front cover is, in my mind, worth at least a second look. In
the case of Michael Hearst's Extraordinary People: A Semi-
Comprehensive Guide to Some of the World's Most Fascinating
Individuals it's worth a cover to cover read. Hearst has an
intriguing description for what makes folks extraordinary.
"Well, it could be any number of traits or qualities, or even
circumstances...or a combination thereof. Some of the obvious labels
might include 'Scientist,' 'Daredevil,' and 'Humanitarian.' But what
about somebody who is extraordinary because he survived a near-death
experience? Or because she overcame discrimination?..."
You know you'll find an eclectic lot. Some of the honorees are
pretty well known. You'll learn about:
*Marie Curie who was the first woman to win the Nobel in 1903
(physics). In 1911 she won a Nobel in chemistry. Do you know her
notebooks are so radioactive they are still locked up?
*Fred Rogers, the star of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, beloved by
generations of human children and Koko the gorilla.
Did you know that he loathed television? He made the best of the
inevitable by using it to nurture and educate children.
*Benjamin Franklin who did just about everything from discovering
scientific laws and creating inventions to helping found a nation.
Did you know he never took out patents on his inventions? He felt
everyone should have access to them.
See, there are new things to learn about even his most famous
subjects.
Then there are the fascinating individuals most of us wouldn't
otherwise hear about. Some of my favorites are:
*Jeanne de Clisson, a woman pirate who plundered French ships. Her
husband had been sentenced to death by the king. She was out for
blood...literally.
*Hildegard of Bingen who was, among other things, a musical composer,
philosopher, and writer. She had popes and kings consulting her back
in the Middle Ages.
*Stagecoach Mary who got a job with the U. S. Post Office when she was
sixty, becoming the first African American woman mail carrier. With
perfect attendance she surely lived up to her professional creed.
Under any circumstances the mail must be delivered.
Yeah, I know, my feminist bias is showing.
Besides being entertaining and amusing, the book contains some
really inspirational portraits. For example, there's Malala
Yousafzai, the very young woman who continued fighting for girls'
education even after being shot in the head by the Taliban. We can
learn so much from her courage and determination.
On a personal note, Hearst asks if we are extraordinary. In my rather
biased opinion I am. I'm extraordinarily stubborn. I lost my first
two school board elections but won my third, showing that someone from
the looked down on part of town could succeed. I'm vice chair now in
my eleventh year. I refused to get an abortion twenty-three years ago
when the doctor pushed for it because he couldn't tell if the lump on
my breast was cancer. The daughter whose right to life I respected
graduated college summa cum laude. I'm able to look beyond just
accepting or rejecting what is on the table to envision other
possibilities. And in this chaotic age I am mindfully centered, able
to enjoy all life has to offer from a sunrise to my cat's affection.
Oh, yeah, and I perform as a (trophy winning) drag king and sing in a
Methodist church choir.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers. What makes you
extraordinary?
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
Any book that pictures Bruce Lee, Evel Knievel, and Marie Curie
on the front cover is, in my mind, worth at least a second look. In
the case of Michael Hearst's Extraordinary People: A Semi-
Comprehensive Guide to Some of the World's Most Fascinating
Individuals it's worth a cover to cover read. Hearst has an
intriguing description for what makes folks extraordinary.
"Well, it could be any number of traits or qualities, or even
circumstances...or a combination thereof. Some of the obvious labels
might include 'Scientist,' 'Daredevil,' and 'Humanitarian.' But what
about somebody who is extraordinary because he survived a near-death
experience? Or because she overcame discrimination?..."
You know you'll find an eclectic lot. Some of the honorees are
pretty well known. You'll learn about:
*Marie Curie who was the first woman to win the Nobel in 1903
(physics). In 1911 she won a Nobel in chemistry. Do you know her
notebooks are so radioactive they are still locked up?
*Fred Rogers, the star of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, beloved by
generations of human children and Koko the gorilla.
Did you know that he loathed television? He made the best of the
inevitable by using it to nurture and educate children.
*Benjamin Franklin who did just about everything from discovering
scientific laws and creating inventions to helping found a nation.
Did you know he never took out patents on his inventions? He felt
everyone should have access to them.
See, there are new things to learn about even his most famous
subjects.
Then there are the fascinating individuals most of us wouldn't
otherwise hear about. Some of my favorites are:
*Jeanne de Clisson, a woman pirate who plundered French ships. Her
husband had been sentenced to death by the king. She was out for
blood...literally.
*Hildegard of Bingen who was, among other things, a musical composer,
philosopher, and writer. She had popes and kings consulting her back
in the Middle Ages.
*Stagecoach Mary who got a job with the U. S. Post Office when she was
sixty, becoming the first African American woman mail carrier. With
perfect attendance she surely lived up to her professional creed.
Under any circumstances the mail must be delivered.
Yeah, I know, my feminist bias is showing.
Besides being entertaining and amusing, the book contains some
really inspirational portraits. For example, there's Malala
Yousafzai, the very young woman who continued fighting for girls'
education even after being shot in the head by the Taliban. We can
learn so much from her courage and determination.
On a personal note, Hearst asks if we are extraordinary. In my rather
biased opinion I am. I'm extraordinarily stubborn. I lost my first
two school board elections but won my third, showing that someone from
the looked down on part of town could succeed. I'm vice chair now in
my eleventh year. I refused to get an abortion twenty-three years ago
when the doctor pushed for it because he couldn't tell if the lump on
my breast was cancer. The daughter whose right to life I respected
graduated college summa cum laude. I'm able to look beyond just
accepting or rejecting what is on the table to envision other
possibilities. And in this chaotic age I am mindfully centered, able
to enjoy all life has to offer from a sunrise to my cat's affection.
Oh, yeah, and I perform as a (trophy winning) drag king and sing in a
Methodist church choir.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers. What makes you
extraordinary?
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
X a Novel
X a Novel
YA biography
What I knew about Malcolm X was strictly about his grown up
life. Until I read X a Novel, based on his life story, by Ilyasah
Shabazz (his third daughter) and Kekla Magoon, I had no knowledge of
the tumultuous youth that led to his strong adult convictions.
Malcolm started out as Malcolm Little, one of eight children in
a black close knit family. His father, a friend of Marcus Garvey,
taught and preached about better days. His mother had her children
study literature and black history. They wanted their kids to take
pride in themselves and have hope for their futures.
Sadly society didn't share that goal. Everywhere they went
black children were confronted with reminders of their second-class
status. "...you could not say how you felt or what you thought, and
you had to keep your head down low when a white person passed you on
the road. You had to use a low, dirty water fountain, right next to
the high, clean one for the whites. You had to ride in the back of
the bus or the streetcar, and you couldn't sit down unless no whites
were on board."
Early on Malcolm learned the hard way the differences between
his parents' worldview and that of the dominant society. His father
died under very suspicious circumstances. His mother was hounded
relentlessly by social services until she was involuntarily committed
and her children put into foster homes. On the bus ride to Boston
where he would live with an older half sister he rode by a hanged
black man still swinging from a tree branch.
Boston and eventually Harlem opened new worlds for Malcolm.
Unfortunately he was also introduced to serious dangers. You can read
the riveting story in X a Novel. I highly recommend this fine book
for YAs and adult adults.
On a personal note, I learned recently that my September birthday will
make me eligible for free classes at UMaine in 2016. YOWZA. What I
want to do is go part time, taking classes that will help me with my
writing and with getting published.
A great big shout out goes out to the UMaine students and faculty who
are hopefully enjoying vaca.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA biography
What I knew about Malcolm X was strictly about his grown up
life. Until I read X a Novel, based on his life story, by Ilyasah
Shabazz (his third daughter) and Kekla Magoon, I had no knowledge of
the tumultuous youth that led to his strong adult convictions.
Malcolm started out as Malcolm Little, one of eight children in
a black close knit family. His father, a friend of Marcus Garvey,
taught and preached about better days. His mother had her children
study literature and black history. They wanted their kids to take
pride in themselves and have hope for their futures.
Sadly society didn't share that goal. Everywhere they went
black children were confronted with reminders of their second-class
status. "...you could not say how you felt or what you thought, and
you had to keep your head down low when a white person passed you on
the road. You had to use a low, dirty water fountain, right next to
the high, clean one for the whites. You had to ride in the back of
the bus or the streetcar, and you couldn't sit down unless no whites
were on board."
Early on Malcolm learned the hard way the differences between
his parents' worldview and that of the dominant society. His father
died under very suspicious circumstances. His mother was hounded
relentlessly by social services until she was involuntarily committed
and her children put into foster homes. On the bus ride to Boston
where he would live with an older half sister he rode by a hanged
black man still swinging from a tree branch.
Boston and eventually Harlem opened new worlds for Malcolm.
Unfortunately he was also introduced to serious dangers. You can read
the riveting story in X a Novel. I highly recommend this fine book
for YAs and adult adults.
On a personal note, I learned recently that my September birthday will
make me eligible for free classes at UMaine in 2016. YOWZA. What I
want to do is go part time, taking classes that will help me with my
writing and with getting published.
A great big shout out goes out to the UMaine students and faculty who
are hopefully enjoying vaca.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
They Called Themselves The K.K.K.
They Called Themselves The K.K.K.
Juvenile nonfiction
You'd think we'd have achieved racial equality in America by the
twenty-first century. Some people like to pretend or believe that we
have. But in a world where black men are way overrepresented in the
penal system; black boys are more likely than white peers to be
classified as special needs, to be expelled or suspended from school,
or be shunted into the school to prison pipeline; and white police
officers shoot unarmed black youngsters that does not seem to be the
case.
And, of course, you know that when you look back in this
nation's history you find quite a bit of racial baggage. Susan
Campbell Bartoletti, in her They Called Themselves The K.K.K. The
Birth Of An American Terrorist Group, introduces young readers to a
terrifying chapter.
The idea for the book came to Bartoletti when she saw a statue
in honor of Nathan Bedford Forest who was the first K.K.K. Grand
Wizard. She wondered where the statues commemorating the K.K.K.
victims were. When she found out that none existed she began studying
thousands of pages of historical primary sources and became deeply
impressed by the bravery of all who went up against the Klan. I
reckon this book is her form of commemorative statue.
The Civil War ended with a lot of bitterness and fear on the
part of the defeated Confederacy. A way of life was, in the words of
the title of a best selling novel, gone with the wind. Not everyone
in the South had owned slaves. Very few had huge plantations. But
all whites, rich to destitute, had skin color superiority. At the
war's end there was a great deal of fear that the newly freed ex
slaves would see themselves as equal to whites, compete for education
and decent jobs, and even start the mingling of races.
Six returning Confederate officers seemed to find the enforced
peace harder to cope with than the war. "...Like most white
Southerners who had sided with the Confederacy, these men...believed
they had fought valiently for a noble cause: to preserve a government
and way of life that they considered superior and a covenant with God,
only to be defeated by a more powerful industrial North. The despair
they felt at their "Lost Cause" filled their letters and diaries. So
did defiance and fear at what the coming months might bring."
Those six good old boys started a club that rapidly got out of
hand. Dressed like ghosts, often riding similarly disguised horses,
they would ride at night terrorizing and punishing blacks who could be
whipped or hung for offenses such as registering to vote, teaching
dissent, acting "uppity," or even just turning a small piece of land
into a prosperous farm.
The scope of Bartoletti's research, as delineated in her
bibliography and source notes is amazing. Sadly not all her research
was limited to reading documents from the past. She attended a clan
conference in the Ozark Mountains.
"There began my weekend with the Klan, a weekend lit with fire-
and-brimstone speeches that warned of the dangers of racial
integration and Jews; that claimed America was intended for white
people; that condemned public schools and taxes; that burned with an
altar call of Klan members...dedicating themselves to their race,
their God, and their country and then shouting 'white power!'. The
weekend ended with a twenty-five-foot cross burning against the night
sky, surrounded by men and at least two women in white robes."
YIKES!
Bartoletti was chilled when a Klan woman told her that they no
longer need robes because, "a silent majority in America agrees with
us." If that doesn't give her book must read status I can't imagine
what would.
On a personal note, after an unseasonably warm December, Maine has
experienced a rather intense and brisk snow storm.
A great big shout out goes out to those who work to keep roads clear
(including my husband) and respond to emergencies (including my son).
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
You'd think we'd have achieved racial equality in America by the
twenty-first century. Some people like to pretend or believe that we
have. But in a world where black men are way overrepresented in the
penal system; black boys are more likely than white peers to be
classified as special needs, to be expelled or suspended from school,
or be shunted into the school to prison pipeline; and white police
officers shoot unarmed black youngsters that does not seem to be the
case.
And, of course, you know that when you look back in this
nation's history you find quite a bit of racial baggage. Susan
Campbell Bartoletti, in her They Called Themselves The K.K.K. The
Birth Of An American Terrorist Group, introduces young readers to a
terrifying chapter.
The idea for the book came to Bartoletti when she saw a statue
in honor of Nathan Bedford Forest who was the first K.K.K. Grand
Wizard. She wondered where the statues commemorating the K.K.K.
victims were. When she found out that none existed she began studying
thousands of pages of historical primary sources and became deeply
impressed by the bravery of all who went up against the Klan. I
reckon this book is her form of commemorative statue.
The Civil War ended with a lot of bitterness and fear on the
part of the defeated Confederacy. A way of life was, in the words of
the title of a best selling novel, gone with the wind. Not everyone
in the South had owned slaves. Very few had huge plantations. But
all whites, rich to destitute, had skin color superiority. At the
war's end there was a great deal of fear that the newly freed ex
slaves would see themselves as equal to whites, compete for education
and decent jobs, and even start the mingling of races.
Six returning Confederate officers seemed to find the enforced
peace harder to cope with than the war. "...Like most white
Southerners who had sided with the Confederacy, these men...believed
they had fought valiently for a noble cause: to preserve a government
and way of life that they considered superior and a covenant with God,
only to be defeated by a more powerful industrial North. The despair
they felt at their "Lost Cause" filled their letters and diaries. So
did defiance and fear at what the coming months might bring."
Those six good old boys started a club that rapidly got out of
hand. Dressed like ghosts, often riding similarly disguised horses,
they would ride at night terrorizing and punishing blacks who could be
whipped or hung for offenses such as registering to vote, teaching
dissent, acting "uppity," or even just turning a small piece of land
into a prosperous farm.
The scope of Bartoletti's research, as delineated in her
bibliography and source notes is amazing. Sadly not all her research
was limited to reading documents from the past. She attended a clan
conference in the Ozark Mountains.
"There began my weekend with the Klan, a weekend lit with fire-
and-brimstone speeches that warned of the dangers of racial
integration and Jews; that claimed America was intended for white
people; that condemned public schools and taxes; that burned with an
altar call of Klan members...dedicating themselves to their race,
their God, and their country and then shouting 'white power!'. The
weekend ended with a twenty-five-foot cross burning against the night
sky, surrounded by men and at least two women in white robes."
YIKES!
Bartoletti was chilled when a Klan woman told her that they no
longer need robes because, "a silent majority in America agrees with
us." If that doesn't give her book must read status I can't imagine
what would.
On a personal note, after an unseasonably warm December, Maine has
experienced a rather intense and brisk snow storm.
A great big shout out goes out to those who work to keep roads clear
(including my husband) and respond to emergencies (including my son).
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
The Marvels
The Marvels
Juvenile fiction
When it is Christmas Eve and you are reading while waiting for
your daughter to come home to watch a movie with you and your cat is
on your lap near the magnificent tree...well not just any book will
do. What you are reading must be nothing less than magic. Brian
Selznick's The Marvels is one of the few books that can measure up.
Just as he did with Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabaret,
Selznick finds new ways of storytelling through novel combinations of
pictures of words to bring fascinating imaginary worlds alive for the
reader.
The first almost four hundred pages are done almost entirely in
richly detailed black and white pictures, opening with a shipwreck of
which the only survivors are a boy and his dog. The boy grows up
working in a theater and adopts a baby who becomes the first
generation of an acting dynasty.
Then there is an abrupt change of format and story line. From
almost exclusively pictures we go to all words. We acquire a
protagonist: a boy who has run away from boarding school to the rather
strange home of an uncle whom he has never met. A boy who turns out
to be a girl, an elusive white dog, and ghostly voices including that
of an unseen bird round out the cast of characters.
And both story strands torn out to be deeply interconnected.
Yowza! I just hope that Selznick is at work on his next
masterpiece.
On a personal note, I had the best Christmas anyone possibly could.
My Katie came home Christmas Eve and slept in her old bed. In the
morning she and Adam opened gifts with her dad and me. She helped me
pick out an outfit the family gathering in the afternoon which was
great. My kids and their cousins were together. We had a really
funny Yankee swap and the traditional cloth snowball fight. It was an
absolutely perfect day which ended up with me watching a Christmas DVD
with my husband and Joey cat.
A great big shout out goes out to my readers. I hope that those of
you who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful one.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
When it is Christmas Eve and you are reading while waiting for
your daughter to come home to watch a movie with you and your cat is
on your lap near the magnificent tree...well not just any book will
do. What you are reading must be nothing less than magic. Brian
Selznick's The Marvels is one of the few books that can measure up.
Just as he did with Wonderstruck and The Invention of Hugo Cabaret,
Selznick finds new ways of storytelling through novel combinations of
pictures of words to bring fascinating imaginary worlds alive for the
reader.
The first almost four hundred pages are done almost entirely in
richly detailed black and white pictures, opening with a shipwreck of
which the only survivors are a boy and his dog. The boy grows up
working in a theater and adopts a baby who becomes the first
generation of an acting dynasty.
Then there is an abrupt change of format and story line. From
almost exclusively pictures we go to all words. We acquire a
protagonist: a boy who has run away from boarding school to the rather
strange home of an uncle whom he has never met. A boy who turns out
to be a girl, an elusive white dog, and ghostly voices including that
of an unseen bird round out the cast of characters.
And both story strands torn out to be deeply interconnected.
Yowza! I just hope that Selznick is at work on his next
masterpiece.
On a personal note, I had the best Christmas anyone possibly could.
My Katie came home Christmas Eve and slept in her old bed. In the
morning she and Adam opened gifts with her dad and me. She helped me
pick out an outfit the family gathering in the afternoon which was
great. My kids and their cousins were together. We had a really
funny Yankee swap and the traditional cloth snowball fight. It was an
absolutely perfect day which ended up with me watching a Christmas DVD
with my husband and Joey cat.
A great big shout out goes out to my readers. I hope that those of
you who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful one.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Shiloh's Christmas
Shiloh's Christmas
Juvenile fiction
It was not that long before Christmas that I saw a book with a
big eyed dog on the cover. I've got a soft spot in my heart for just
about all the big eyed creatures of the world. So I added Phyllis
Reynold Naylor's Shiloh's Christmas to my already considerable
borrowing stack. I was mighty glad that I did.
It turns out this is the final volume in a 4 book series. Logic
would dictate that I wait on this book until I'd read and reviewed the
other three. In matters like this, though, logic and I have no more
than a passing acquaintance. And it is Christmas Eve.
Shiloh is the canine companion of narrator Marty, a young man
who lives with his parents and two sisters in what seems to be the
rural south and wants to be a vetinarian when he grows up. He
volunteers at an animal clinic and likes everything about working with
critters except helping to put one to sleep.
People are a lot more puzzling.
First there's Marty's former nemesis, Judd, who had abused
Shiloh when he was her owner. He has been working mightily to clean
up his act and fit in better with the community. But some people are
unwilling to give him a chance. When a drought fueled fire destroys a
bunch of houses including his trailor people are quick to accuse him
of setting it--even after evidence totally exonerates him.
Then there's the new hellfire and brimstone preacher who knows
everything about sin, seemingly nothing about forgiveness. Marty's
sister, Dara Lynn begins telling stories about bizarre punishments the
minister gives out to his daughters. Do they constitute abuse? Would
reporting be the right thing to do or just cause trouble?
I would highly recommend this fine book. I promise to read and
review the three others in the series when I can get my hands on them.
On a personal note, I did my Christmas shopping yesterday. I didn't
know if I'd have money for it until I saw how much Joey's check up
would cost. Now I am enjoying Christmas Eve. Katie has come home
from Portland. She is visiting her sister and a friend. Then she and
I will watch a Christmas movie before bed. Yowza!
A great big shout out goes out to all my readers with wishes for a
very Merry Christmas.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
It was not that long before Christmas that I saw a book with a
big eyed dog on the cover. I've got a soft spot in my heart for just
about all the big eyed creatures of the world. So I added Phyllis
Reynold Naylor's Shiloh's Christmas to my already considerable
borrowing stack. I was mighty glad that I did.
It turns out this is the final volume in a 4 book series. Logic
would dictate that I wait on this book until I'd read and reviewed the
other three. In matters like this, though, logic and I have no more
than a passing acquaintance. And it is Christmas Eve.
Shiloh is the canine companion of narrator Marty, a young man
who lives with his parents and two sisters in what seems to be the
rural south and wants to be a vetinarian when he grows up. He
volunteers at an animal clinic and likes everything about working with
critters except helping to put one to sleep.
People are a lot more puzzling.
First there's Marty's former nemesis, Judd, who had abused
Shiloh when he was her owner. He has been working mightily to clean
up his act and fit in better with the community. But some people are
unwilling to give him a chance. When a drought fueled fire destroys a
bunch of houses including his trailor people are quick to accuse him
of setting it--even after evidence totally exonerates him.
Then there's the new hellfire and brimstone preacher who knows
everything about sin, seemingly nothing about forgiveness. Marty's
sister, Dara Lynn begins telling stories about bizarre punishments the
minister gives out to his daughters. Do they constitute abuse? Would
reporting be the right thing to do or just cause trouble?
I would highly recommend this fine book. I promise to read and
review the three others in the series when I can get my hands on them.
On a personal note, I did my Christmas shopping yesterday. I didn't
know if I'd have money for it until I saw how much Joey's check up
would cost. Now I am enjoying Christmas Eve. Katie has come home
from Portland. She is visiting her sister and a friend. Then she and
I will watch a Christmas movie before bed. Yowza!
A great big shout out goes out to all my readers with wishes for a
very Merry Christmas.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Full Cicada Moon
Full Cicada Moon
YA fiction
Mimi, protagonist of Marilyn Hilton's Full Cicada Moon, is en
route by bus from California to Vermont where they will meet up with
her father and see their new home. As her mother sews, Mimi fills out
a form for her new school. She's having difficulty with the ethnicity
question. She's only supposed to check one option. However, she's
Japanese on her mother's side and black on her father's.
Oh, yeah, the year is 1969 when a lot of people had problems
with what they called mixing of the races, mongralization, or
miscegenation. Mimi and her mother are headed into one of the most
white states in the nation.
Her mixed racial heritage is not the only thing that makes Mimi
stand out in her new school. She's very much ahead of her time. She
aspires to be nothing less than an astronaut. That was well before
the current push for girls and women in the STEM disciplines. She
also protests girls being kept out of shop and boys barred from home
ec in an age when it was assumed wives would cook and sew and husbands
would handle the carpentry and mechanics related honey do lists.
Will she ever fit into her new home?
This coming of age novel, beautifully told in free verse, is a
wonderful read for folks who have lived long enough to remember those
times and their children and in some cases grands. It would be
perfect for a mother-daughter book club.
On a personal note, the fictitious Mimi and I would have been chums.
I was out there in all the same ways she was. I had a best friend
whose family had death threats and rocks thrown through their windows
because her mom was white and her dad was black. I got kicked out of
a fundamentalist church for trying to explain that the "heathens" in
the middle east they had their hearts set on converting had their own
perfectly legitimate religion--Islam. I protested the war and made no
effort to hide my gender inappropriate interests or my intelligence.
A great big shout goes out to people like doctors and nurses and
police and firefighters who will serve and protect the rest of us this
holiday season.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
Mimi, protagonist of Marilyn Hilton's Full Cicada Moon, is en
route by bus from California to Vermont where they will meet up with
her father and see their new home. As her mother sews, Mimi fills out
a form for her new school. She's having difficulty with the ethnicity
question. She's only supposed to check one option. However, she's
Japanese on her mother's side and black on her father's.
Oh, yeah, the year is 1969 when a lot of people had problems
with what they called mixing of the races, mongralization, or
miscegenation. Mimi and her mother are headed into one of the most
white states in the nation.
Her mixed racial heritage is not the only thing that makes Mimi
stand out in her new school. She's very much ahead of her time. She
aspires to be nothing less than an astronaut. That was well before
the current push for girls and women in the STEM disciplines. She
also protests girls being kept out of shop and boys barred from home
ec in an age when it was assumed wives would cook and sew and husbands
would handle the carpentry and mechanics related honey do lists.
Will she ever fit into her new home?
This coming of age novel, beautifully told in free verse, is a
wonderful read for folks who have lived long enough to remember those
times and their children and in some cases grands. It would be
perfect for a mother-daughter book club.
On a personal note, the fictitious Mimi and I would have been chums.
I was out there in all the same ways she was. I had a best friend
whose family had death threats and rocks thrown through their windows
because her mom was white and her dad was black. I got kicked out of
a fundamentalist church for trying to explain that the "heathens" in
the middle east they had their hearts set on converting had their own
perfectly legitimate religion--Islam. I protested the war and made no
effort to hide my gender inappropriate interests or my intelligence.
A great big shout goes out to people like doctors and nurses and
police and firefighters who will serve and protect the rest of us this
holiday season.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Goldfish and Chrysanthemums
Goldfish and Chrysanthemums
Picture book
It is a very special picture book that touches heart and soul
without getting mushy or kitschy. There is a very fine line there.
Andrea Cheng's Goldfish and Chrysanthemums has the dignity to stay on
the right side of it.
Nancy's grandmother gets very sad news from Japan. The home she
grew up in and its garden and fish pond have been torn down to make
space for an apartment building. At a summer fair Nancy wants to get
something that will cheer her grandmother up. Nothing seems quite
right until she wins two goldfish which become the beginning of a very
special project.
True bonding between generations becomes increasingly rare in
our age segregated society. It is wonderful to see it celebrated so
beautifully.
On a personal note, I have yet another reason to be happy. One of my
dearest and best friends is moving to Veazie where she is buying a
house. Since I don't drive and there is no night bus service and my
friends live in other towns I feel so isolated when darkness falls.
A great big shout out goes out to my chum Lisa.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
It is a very special picture book that touches heart and soul
without getting mushy or kitschy. There is a very fine line there.
Andrea Cheng's Goldfish and Chrysanthemums has the dignity to stay on
the right side of it.
Nancy's grandmother gets very sad news from Japan. The home she
grew up in and its garden and fish pond have been torn down to make
space for an apartment building. At a summer fair Nancy wants to get
something that will cheer her grandmother up. Nothing seems quite
right until she wins two goldfish which become the beginning of a very
special project.
True bonding between generations becomes increasingly rare in
our age segregated society. It is wonderful to see it celebrated so
beautifully.
On a personal note, I have yet another reason to be happy. One of my
dearest and best friends is moving to Veazie where she is buying a
house. Since I don't drive and there is no night bus service and my
friends live in other towns I feel so isolated when darkness falls.
A great big shout out goes out to my chum Lisa.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Koala Hospital
Koala Hospital
Picture book
Conservationists, animal lovers, and anyone who can't resist
cute will be enchanted with Suzi Eszterhas' Koala Hospital. It tells
the story of an institution which most of us have no clue as to its
existence. While the critters it serves are ever so cute, they are
thankfully not Disneyfied. For most the hospital is a temporary
sanctuary with release into nature the goal.
For more than forty years the Koala Hospital on the coast of
Australia has been treating koalas (who BTW are marsupials, not bears)
who are hurt or ill. In a world where people neighborhoods replace
stretches of forest and highways separate trees, it should be no
surprise that many of those creatures are bitten by dogs and hit by
cars and in need of medical care. Many joeys (infants) lose their
mothers before they are weaned. Foster parents willing to do wee hour
of the night feeding and round the clock snuggling tend to them
carefully until they are ready for an outdoor enclosure and then
freedom.
At the end of the book we learn how encroachment of habitat
destroying civilization makes the survival of koalas increasingly
precarious. Children as far away as Maine are given ways they can
help save koalas as well as closer to home wildlife.
On a personal note, my precious Joey cat had his winter check up. He
passed with flying colors. Dr. Julie says he's the picture of feline
health which is excellent for an older special needs cat who almost
died in April. Words can not express how my heart is filled with joy
to have my little friend still with me, especially when he curls up on
my lap, purring, while I read near our beautiful Christmas tree.
A great big shout out goes out to Joey's medical family: the Veazie
Vet crew.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Conservationists, animal lovers, and anyone who can't resist
cute will be enchanted with Suzi Eszterhas' Koala Hospital. It tells
the story of an institution which most of us have no clue as to its
existence. While the critters it serves are ever so cute, they are
thankfully not Disneyfied. For most the hospital is a temporary
sanctuary with release into nature the goal.
For more than forty years the Koala Hospital on the coast of
Australia has been treating koalas (who BTW are marsupials, not bears)
who are hurt or ill. In a world where people neighborhoods replace
stretches of forest and highways separate trees, it should be no
surprise that many of those creatures are bitten by dogs and hit by
cars and in need of medical care. Many joeys (infants) lose their
mothers before they are weaned. Foster parents willing to do wee hour
of the night feeding and round the clock snuggling tend to them
carefully until they are ready for an outdoor enclosure and then
freedom.
At the end of the book we learn how encroachment of habitat
destroying civilization makes the survival of koalas increasingly
precarious. Children as far away as Maine are given ways they can
help save koalas as well as closer to home wildlife.
On a personal note, my precious Joey cat had his winter check up. He
passed with flying colors. Dr. Julie says he's the picture of feline
health which is excellent for an older special needs cat who almost
died in April. Words can not express how my heart is filled with joy
to have my little friend still with me, especially when he curls up on
my lap, purring, while I read near our beautiful Christmas tree.
A great big shout out goes out to Joey's medical family: the Veazie
Vet crew.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Ketzel the Cat who Composed
Ketzel the Cat who Composed
Picture book
Animals can enter our lives in unexpected ways and deeply enrich
our existences. Leslea Newman's true story, Ketzel the Cat who
Composed gives us a beautiful example of this.
Moshe was a composer who lived in a big city and used the urban
ambiance as the inspiration for his music. One day, strolling the
streets and listening, he heard the tiny mew of an abandoned kitten.
He named her Ketzel (which I think is Yiddish for kitten) and carried
her home.
One day Moshe was stumped. He wanted to enter an important
contest. But compositions could be no more than one minute long.
Fortunately he was not the only sentient being in the apartment.
You gotta read this beautiful book about a critter who really
earned her cat food.
On a personal note recently a fellow Veazie Vet client told me the
story of his cat, Primrose, who, like Ketzel, was an unexpected
companion. Years ago he heard a noise at his door. When he opened it
a cat walked in and headed for his kitchen. Efforts to find
Primrose's human companion were futile. He thinks of her now as his
volunteer cat because she volunteered to be his companion.
A great big shout out goes out to all people who find room in their
homes and hearts for unexpected critters.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Animals can enter our lives in unexpected ways and deeply enrich
our existences. Leslea Newman's true story, Ketzel the Cat who
Composed gives us a beautiful example of this.
Moshe was a composer who lived in a big city and used the urban
ambiance as the inspiration for his music. One day, strolling the
streets and listening, he heard the tiny mew of an abandoned kitten.
He named her Ketzel (which I think is Yiddish for kitten) and carried
her home.
One day Moshe was stumped. He wanted to enter an important
contest. But compositions could be no more than one minute long.
Fortunately he was not the only sentient being in the apartment.
You gotta read this beautiful book about a critter who really
earned her cat food.
On a personal note recently a fellow Veazie Vet client told me the
story of his cat, Primrose, who, like Ketzel, was an unexpected
companion. Years ago he heard a noise at his door. When he opened it
a cat walked in and headed for his kitchen. Efforts to find
Primrose's human companion were futile. He thinks of her now as his
volunteer cat because she volunteered to be his companion.
A great big shout out goes out to all people who find room in their
homes and hearts for unexpected critters.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Winter Is Coming
Winter Is Coming
Picture book
Let's stick with the naturalist theme one more book. Tony
Johnston's Winter Is Coming, beautifully illustrated by Jim LaMarche,
is a must read for families who appreciate the great outdoors.
From a platform high in a tree a girl patiently observes and
sketches the denizens of a forest. Her narration, told in free verse,
is nuanced and lovely.
"A red fox slips into the clearing
that I am watching.
First-sun hits its back.
The red fox shines like a small red fire.
I am quiet, quiet.
The red fox is quiet, quiet.
We share this place."
How can anyone not love that.
It's September when she and the fox carry out this silent
communion. As temperatures drop and days shorten in October and
November she observes a variety of forest denizens: skunks, deer,
migrating geese, a woodpecker...all driven by the urgency to prepare
for a time of cold, dark, and scarcity. The animals are described
respectfully and authentically. None of that anthropomorphic
Disneyesque crap we see in too many children's books.
We have a winner here.
On a personal note, in Penobscot County, Maine we're hard put to see
how winter is coming. Our latest dusting of snow has been pretty much
melted away. A high of sixty-one degrees is predicted for Christmas
Eve. Holy cow!
A great big shout out goes to the people who have recently generously
given a lot of food to the food pantry of the Black Bear Exchange.
The shelves are packed. This bounty should keep clients going at
least through winter break.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Let's stick with the naturalist theme one more book. Tony
Johnston's Winter Is Coming, beautifully illustrated by Jim LaMarche,
is a must read for families who appreciate the great outdoors.
From a platform high in a tree a girl patiently observes and
sketches the denizens of a forest. Her narration, told in free verse,
is nuanced and lovely.
"A red fox slips into the clearing
that I am watching.
First-sun hits its back.
The red fox shines like a small red fire.
I am quiet, quiet.
The red fox is quiet, quiet.
We share this place."
How can anyone not love that.
It's September when she and the fox carry out this silent
communion. As temperatures drop and days shorten in October and
November she observes a variety of forest denizens: skunks, deer,
migrating geese, a woodpecker...all driven by the urgency to prepare
for a time of cold, dark, and scarcity. The animals are described
respectfully and authentically. None of that anthropomorphic
Disneyesque crap we see in too many children's books.
We have a winner here.
On a personal note, in Penobscot County, Maine we're hard put to see
how winter is coming. Our latest dusting of snow has been pretty much
melted away. A high of sixty-one degrees is predicted for Christmas
Eve. Holy cow!
A great big shout out goes to the people who have recently generously
given a lot of food to the food pantry of the Black Bear Exchange.
The shelves are packed. This bounty should keep clients going at
least through winter break.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Who Was Here?
Who Was Here?
Picture book
While we're out studying our trees (see the review right before
this one), don't forget that winter provides a really cool opportunity
for nature detective work. I'll give you a hint: snow. Out in the
woods you may see the distinct calling cards of the critters with whom
you share the space. Don't despair if you reside in suburbia or a
city. Many varmints have adapted to a more metropolitan shelter and
foraging style.
Mia Posada's Who Was Here? Discovering Wild Animal Tracks is a
beautifully illustrated book of riddles. The description of a
creature's tracks is followed by information on its identity and life
style. A black bear lumbers away from a river bank, probably with a
fish in its powerful jaws. A pack of gray wolves chase a moose that
manages to get away. A beaver carries on its construction work. At
the end there are a list of clues and a list of helpful books and
websites.
On a personal note, Sylvia, one of the matriarchs of my Methodist
church, did a fundraiser for a group that fights maleria. She sold
donated jewelery after services. I was thrilled with my affordable
finds. Children were allowed after the sale to find treasures to give
their mothers for Christmas.
A great big shout out goes out to Sylvia. I can think of people half
her age who couldn't keep up with her.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
While we're out studying our trees (see the review right before
this one), don't forget that winter provides a really cool opportunity
for nature detective work. I'll give you a hint: snow. Out in the
woods you may see the distinct calling cards of the critters with whom
you share the space. Don't despair if you reside in suburbia or a
city. Many varmints have adapted to a more metropolitan shelter and
foraging style.
Mia Posada's Who Was Here? Discovering Wild Animal Tracks is a
beautifully illustrated book of riddles. The description of a
creature's tracks is followed by information on its identity and life
style. A black bear lumbers away from a river bank, probably with a
fish in its powerful jaws. A pack of gray wolves chase a moose that
manages to get away. A beaver carries on its construction work. At
the end there are a list of clues and a list of helpful books and
websites.
On a personal note, Sylvia, one of the matriarchs of my Methodist
church, did a fundraiser for a group that fights maleria. She sold
donated jewelery after services. I was thrilled with my affordable
finds. Children were allowed after the sale to find treasures to give
their mothers for Christmas.
A great big shout out goes out to Sylvia. I can think of people half
her age who couldn't keep up with her.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tree of Wonder
Tree of Wonder
Picture book
I bet about now your living room is featuring the tree that will
be central to your Christmas celebration. If you're anything like me,
it has been carefully decorated with ornaments, many passed down over
the years. It just makes you happy to behold it.
This is a good time to think of the trees we tend to pass by in
everyday life (especially if you live in a state like Maine where
there are a gazillion of them) and the role they play in the well
being of our planet. Kate Messner's Tree of Wonder: The Many
Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree is a beautiful inspiration for
this contemplation.
Messner looks at a rainforest almendro tree and the many living
things that depend on it for food and shelter. Among others, you will
learn about:
*two great green macaws who return every year to lay eggs and raise
chicks;
*eight howler monkeys and sixteen fruit bats that spread seeds in the
course of dining on the tree's fruit;
*two hundred fifty six poison dart frogs that carry their tadpoles on
their backs to relative safety in pools of water in the tree...
My favorites are the blue morpho butterflies that sip the juice of
rotting fruit. Their bright wings can be folded so their brown
underside helps them use the tree as camoflauge.
All that in one tree!
I have a suggestion for a family activity. After you enjoy the
book choose a tree in your own neighborhood and try to figure out how
many creatures depend on it for food and shelter. You have to be
quite clever. Some critters may be present only certain times of the
year like birds who nest in the spring. Some may be nocturnal. Some
may be very tiny. If a woodpecker hammers away at a tree, you can
surmise that it provides a home for insects. You probably won't find
as dramatic a cast as you would in a tropical rainforest. But you may
be surprised by the number and variety of critters you uncover. I saw
the cutest little red squirrel scamper to safety in a tree just this
afternoon.
On a personal note, my Orono Methodist church choir had a wonderful
party for choir members. We played games, talked, learned who our
Secret Santas were, and feasted on treats and spiced hot cider. A
good time was had by all.
A great big shout out goes out to my Methodist choir family and the
talented and dedicated director who keeps us in harmony.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
I bet about now your living room is featuring the tree that will
be central to your Christmas celebration. If you're anything like me,
it has been carefully decorated with ornaments, many passed down over
the years. It just makes you happy to behold it.
This is a good time to think of the trees we tend to pass by in
everyday life (especially if you live in a state like Maine where
there are a gazillion of them) and the role they play in the well
being of our planet. Kate Messner's Tree of Wonder: The Many
Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree is a beautiful inspiration for
this contemplation.
Messner looks at a rainforest almendro tree and the many living
things that depend on it for food and shelter. Among others, you will
learn about:
*two great green macaws who return every year to lay eggs and raise
chicks;
*eight howler monkeys and sixteen fruit bats that spread seeds in the
course of dining on the tree's fruit;
*two hundred fifty six poison dart frogs that carry their tadpoles on
their backs to relative safety in pools of water in the tree...
My favorites are the blue morpho butterflies that sip the juice of
rotting fruit. Their bright wings can be folded so their brown
underside helps them use the tree as camoflauge.
All that in one tree!
I have a suggestion for a family activity. After you enjoy the
book choose a tree in your own neighborhood and try to figure out how
many creatures depend on it for food and shelter. You have to be
quite clever. Some critters may be present only certain times of the
year like birds who nest in the spring. Some may be nocturnal. Some
may be very tiny. If a woodpecker hammers away at a tree, you can
surmise that it provides a home for insects. You probably won't find
as dramatic a cast as you would in a tropical rainforest. But you may
be surprised by the number and variety of critters you uncover. I saw
the cutest little red squirrel scamper to safety in a tree just this
afternoon.
On a personal note, my Orono Methodist church choir had a wonderful
party for choir members. We played games, talked, learned who our
Secret Santas were, and feasted on treats and spiced hot cider. A
good time was had by all.
A great big shout out goes out to my Methodist choir family and the
talented and dedicated director who keeps us in harmony.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Ivan
Ivan
Picture book
Once upon a time a gorilla was born in a forest in Africa. He
began to learn life skills by observing and interacting with his
family. Sadly while he was still quite young poachers kidnapped him
and delivered him to America where he ended up in a cage in a mall.
Fortunately as the lonely years passed people began to feel
angry on Ivan's behalf and to write letters and protest. When he was
twenty-seven he took his first steps on his journey to freedom. But
would he be able to adapt to life with his own species?
You'll have to read Katherine Applegate's Ivan The Remarkable
True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla to find out. This is a great
book to introduce children to the idea that human created abodes are
not always the best places for wild animals.
On a personal note, my latest fashion accessory is a tie, but not just
any tie. It is blue with playful anthropormorphic polar bears on it.
I saw it in the Orono Thrift Shop the day of the library Christmas
party. I had a hard time locating a button down shirt to wear it
with. I debuted it at Dean Dana's Christmas party and was amazed how
many people totally loved it. Even strangers. That Sunday was my day
to sing in Pastor Lorna's choir. One of the guys said he would wear
his tie out of his robe if I did. I did. He chickened out. The
congregation deemed me adorable for doing so. LOVE IT!!!
A great big shout out goes out to my Universal Fellowship choir, the
hand bell choir, and our director and organist...making beautiful
music together.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Once upon a time a gorilla was born in a forest in Africa. He
began to learn life skills by observing and interacting with his
family. Sadly while he was still quite young poachers kidnapped him
and delivered him to America where he ended up in a cage in a mall.
Fortunately as the lonely years passed people began to feel
angry on Ivan's behalf and to write letters and protest. When he was
twenty-seven he took his first steps on his journey to freedom. But
would he be able to adapt to life with his own species?
You'll have to read Katherine Applegate's Ivan The Remarkable
True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla to find out. This is a great
book to introduce children to the idea that human created abodes are
not always the best places for wild animals.
On a personal note, my latest fashion accessory is a tie, but not just
any tie. It is blue with playful anthropormorphic polar bears on it.
I saw it in the Orono Thrift Shop the day of the library Christmas
party. I had a hard time locating a button down shirt to wear it
with. I debuted it at Dean Dana's Christmas party and was amazed how
many people totally loved it. Even strangers. That Sunday was my day
to sing in Pastor Lorna's choir. One of the guys said he would wear
his tie out of his robe if I did. I did. He chickened out. The
congregation deemed me adorable for doing so. LOVE IT!!!
A great big shout out goes out to my Universal Fellowship choir, the
hand bell choir, and our director and organist...making beautiful
music together.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, December 21, 2015
Stonewall
Stonewall
YA nonfiction
Right now I have two reading projects going on simultaneously.
During the day when I have spare moments I'm studying Lillian
Faderman's The Gay Evolution: The Story of the Struggle--all 635
pages. At night I'm going for shorter volumes for my cat assisted
reading. Much to my delight I found one that aligns my two projects
neatly: Ann Bausum's Stonewall. I had just learned about this
crucial moment in LGBT history from a written for adults standpoint.
I was eager to see how it would be written up for the YA market.
I am pleased to say very nicely.
Teens are taken back to a time when it was against the law to be
gay. Psychologists were still defining homosexuality as a mental
illness. A person could be turned down for or fired from a job for
sexual orientation. People could even be arrested for not wearing
enough "gender appropriate" items of clothing. Coming out was an
extremely risky proposition.
There were very few safe places gay people could meet one
another, dance, relax, and just be themselves. Sometimes these havens
proved to be not so safe when the police officers came calling. On a
hot June night in 1969 police raided a gay bar in New York's Greenwich
Villiage, the Stonewall Inn. They expected it to be a routine bust.
Some people would be busted. The rest would flee. Life as usual
would go on.
They were wrong. Instead of running off, the people who were
released stuck around and fought back, attracting others to the
struggle. That night was to gay history what the battles of Lexington
and Concord were to the American Revolution.
Stonewall gives not only a vivid picture of this pivotal event
in LGBT history, but analysis of the conditions that led up to it and
subsequent progress it helped make possible. This book should be on
the shelves of every high school and public library.
On a personal note, I just delivered a holiday cake, fresh from the
oven, to the Veazie Vet crew. I also arranged for Joey cat to have
his winter check up tomorrow morning. He seems right now to be the
picture of feline fitness. I am hoping there will be a little money
left over from my school committee stipend so I can actually afford to
give each of my kids a Christmas present on Christmas. As for me, the
best Christmas gift possible is sleeping contentedly on my lap. He
could have died in April. But surgery saved him and gave him a new
lease on life! My little friend.
A great big shout out goes out to the vets who save our precious
animal companions in their times of need.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
Right now I have two reading projects going on simultaneously.
During the day when I have spare moments I'm studying Lillian
Faderman's The Gay Evolution: The Story of the Struggle--all 635
pages. At night I'm going for shorter volumes for my cat assisted
reading. Much to my delight I found one that aligns my two projects
neatly: Ann Bausum's Stonewall. I had just learned about this
crucial moment in LGBT history from a written for adults standpoint.
I was eager to see how it would be written up for the YA market.
I am pleased to say very nicely.
Teens are taken back to a time when it was against the law to be
gay. Psychologists were still defining homosexuality as a mental
illness. A person could be turned down for or fired from a job for
sexual orientation. People could even be arrested for not wearing
enough "gender appropriate" items of clothing. Coming out was an
extremely risky proposition.
There were very few safe places gay people could meet one
another, dance, relax, and just be themselves. Sometimes these havens
proved to be not so safe when the police officers came calling. On a
hot June night in 1969 police raided a gay bar in New York's Greenwich
Villiage, the Stonewall Inn. They expected it to be a routine bust.
Some people would be busted. The rest would flee. Life as usual
would go on.
They were wrong. Instead of running off, the people who were
released stuck around and fought back, attracting others to the
struggle. That night was to gay history what the battles of Lexington
and Concord were to the American Revolution.
Stonewall gives not only a vivid picture of this pivotal event
in LGBT history, but analysis of the conditions that led up to it and
subsequent progress it helped make possible. This book should be on
the shelves of every high school and public library.
On a personal note, I just delivered a holiday cake, fresh from the
oven, to the Veazie Vet crew. I also arranged for Joey cat to have
his winter check up tomorrow morning. He seems right now to be the
picture of feline fitness. I am hoping there will be a little money
left over from my school committee stipend so I can actually afford to
give each of my kids a Christmas present on Christmas. As for me, the
best Christmas gift possible is sleeping contentedly on my lap. He
could have died in April. But surgery saved him and gave him a new
lease on life! My little friend.
A great big shout out goes out to the vets who save our precious
animal companions in their times of need.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Devil You Know
The Devil You Know
YA fiction
Sometimes situations beyond their control dictate that
youngsters are forced to grow up too fast, to take on responsibilities
usually handled by adults. They may feel overwhelmed, imposed upon,
and cheated of their youth. Maybe they long for chances to be
spontaneous and adventurous. I surely know how that feels. When
Harriet incurred severe brain damage from spinal meningitis, I was
supposed to go from eleven to thirty overnight.
Cadie (Arcadia), protagonist of Trish Doller's The Devil You
Know, also is quite familiar with the situation. Her mother died,
leaving her to parent her brother and attend school while her father
struggled to keep his small grocery store going in the face of
supermarket competition. "...Back when I was a freshman and Danny was
a baby, he got his days and nights mixed up. It was me who cut a path
in the carpet trying to get him to sleep, and I missed so much school
we got a warning letter from the district. I get that we need Dad's
income from the store, but sometimes I think he forgets Danny is his
child. And that I am his child too."
As the story begins Cadie has begun her post high school
summer. Her life, for the most part, is a round of caring for her
four-year-old brother, doing both indoor and outdoor chores, and
working at the store. She escapes only by planning trips to exotic
locales by way of maps and yard sale guide books...
...until, on a very rare free night, she goes to a major bonfire
party. Two very good looking cousins from Maine, strangers, show up.
They are on an excursion before, Noah, the older one who has just
graduated UMaine, begins work in the real world. They invite Cadie
and one of her friends to join them. Even though she knows she'll be
in major trouble, Cadie can't resist the chance to be young and
carefree for just a few days.
There's only one catch. One of the cousins may be a sociopathic
killer. Where they're going he could easily off her and get away with
it.
On a personal note, I feel like Mother Nature is toying with Maine.
Last week we got snow, only to see it melt. Today we got a decent
dusting. The question on most people's lips is, "Will we get a white
Christmas?"
A great big shout out goes out to the December break released and
hopefully safely traveled UMaine students with wishes for a wonderful
vacation.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
Sometimes situations beyond their control dictate that
youngsters are forced to grow up too fast, to take on responsibilities
usually handled by adults. They may feel overwhelmed, imposed upon,
and cheated of their youth. Maybe they long for chances to be
spontaneous and adventurous. I surely know how that feels. When
Harriet incurred severe brain damage from spinal meningitis, I was
supposed to go from eleven to thirty overnight.
Cadie (Arcadia), protagonist of Trish Doller's The Devil You
Know, also is quite familiar with the situation. Her mother died,
leaving her to parent her brother and attend school while her father
struggled to keep his small grocery store going in the face of
supermarket competition. "...Back when I was a freshman and Danny was
a baby, he got his days and nights mixed up. It was me who cut a path
in the carpet trying to get him to sleep, and I missed so much school
we got a warning letter from the district. I get that we need Dad's
income from the store, but sometimes I think he forgets Danny is his
child. And that I am his child too."
As the story begins Cadie has begun her post high school
summer. Her life, for the most part, is a round of caring for her
four-year-old brother, doing both indoor and outdoor chores, and
working at the store. She escapes only by planning trips to exotic
locales by way of maps and yard sale guide books...
...until, on a very rare free night, she goes to a major bonfire
party. Two very good looking cousins from Maine, strangers, show up.
They are on an excursion before, Noah, the older one who has just
graduated UMaine, begins work in the real world. They invite Cadie
and one of her friends to join them. Even though she knows she'll be
in major trouble, Cadie can't resist the chance to be young and
carefree for just a few days.
There's only one catch. One of the cousins may be a sociopathic
killer. Where they're going he could easily off her and get away with
it.
On a personal note, I feel like Mother Nature is toying with Maine.
Last week we got snow, only to see it melt. Today we got a decent
dusting. The question on most people's lips is, "Will we get a white
Christmas?"
A great big shout out goes out to the December break released and
hopefully safely traveled UMaine students with wishes for a wonderful
vacation.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Molly's Pilgrim
Molly's Pilgrim
Picture book
I was very frustrated this past Thanksgiving with what I saw as
hypocracy. Even as though, across the country, families sat down to
celebrate how long ago native Americans had rescued the poorly
prepared Pilgrims there was a lot of talk about how to keep out
today's Syrian refugees. Not in my back yard. Not in my state. Not
in my country. How many of us would be here or even alive if the
original inhabitants had taken such a hard line? Then, shelving in
the Orono Public Library children's wing I found a book sadly as
relevant today as the era of the true story on which it was based:
Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen.
Molly is miserably alone in the town to which she and her
parents have moved. English is a challenge. The popular girls in her
third grade class pick on her.
As Thanksgiving approaches Molly's teacher decides to make a
Pilgrim village model as a class project. The children are told to
make the people at home. Molly's is not like the others and makes a
very important point: that Pilgrims are still coming to America.
Sunday school and secular teachers and youth leaders can find
this vintage book quite useful in discussing with youngsters who
today's pilgrims are and why we should grant them refuge.
On a personal note, the Orono Methodist Church was quite fortunate
when the Greater Lincoln Community Choir performed a Christmas concert
for us. The music was beautiful, uplifting, and joyous. I couldn't
resist the urge to dance.
A great big shout out goes out to those choir members who shared so
generously of their amazing talents!
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
I was very frustrated this past Thanksgiving with what I saw as
hypocracy. Even as though, across the country, families sat down to
celebrate how long ago native Americans had rescued the poorly
prepared Pilgrims there was a lot of talk about how to keep out
today's Syrian refugees. Not in my back yard. Not in my state. Not
in my country. How many of us would be here or even alive if the
original inhabitants had taken such a hard line? Then, shelving in
the Orono Public Library children's wing I found a book sadly as
relevant today as the era of the true story on which it was based:
Molly's Pilgrim by Barbara Cohen.
Molly is miserably alone in the town to which she and her
parents have moved. English is a challenge. The popular girls in her
third grade class pick on her.
As Thanksgiving approaches Molly's teacher decides to make a
Pilgrim village model as a class project. The children are told to
make the people at home. Molly's is not like the others and makes a
very important point: that Pilgrims are still coming to America.
Sunday school and secular teachers and youth leaders can find
this vintage book quite useful in discussing with youngsters who
today's pilgrims are and why we should grant them refuge.
On a personal note, the Orono Methodist Church was quite fortunate
when the Greater Lincoln Community Choir performed a Christmas concert
for us. The music was beautiful, uplifting, and joyous. I couldn't
resist the urge to dance.
A great big shout out goes out to those choir members who shared so
generously of their amazing talents!
Sent from my iPod
Kissing America
Kissing America
YA fiction
"You never stop missing them. It was a simple thing to say.
But I'd never heard anyone say it before. Not the grief counselor.
Not my mom. Everyone seemed to think the opposite: you moved on, you
forgot, it was impolite to keep talking about it. My mom had stopped
missing my dad years ago."
One of the first things Eva, protagonast of Margo Rabb's Kissing
America, reveals about herself is that she tells people that her
father died of a heart attack. The truth, that he met his demise in a
plane crash elicits too much morbid curiosity. Although it's been two
years since the tragedy much is still unknown. She just hopes his
last minutes were not in a state of terror.
Eve keeps small possessions of her father's in a shoe box hidden
in her closet. Her mother has outwardly moved on, cleaned all traces
of him from their living space, and found a boyfriend, Larry.
However, she keeps Eva on a very short leash, fearful that the
unimaginable can also happen to her.
Eva doesn't have anyone with whom she can share thoughts about
her loss until she begins to tutor Will, a young man who knows grief
intimately. His brother died in infancy. Just as she is coming to
rely on him (oh, yeah, and in love) he moves across the country to
live with his dad. Now she has to find a way to somehow rejoin him
that her very protective mother won't totally veto.
Her quest becomes quite a journey of discovery.
On a personal note, the December Orono Arts Cafe was wonderful. I
read some of my Christmas poems which were well received. Then at the
very end I did a sing along of Go Tell It On The Mountain. I reminded
people how radical it was that the Messiah was born into the family of
a man in the building trades like my Eugene (The rich and powerful
thought he'd hang out and be all holier than thou with them) and that
the star, the sign was shown to some of the lowliest workers, the
shepherds. Then I asked them to think on times they'd had news they
wanted to share with the world. Then we belted that song out with all
the joy and excitement it called for.
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Arts Cafe family.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"You never stop missing them. It was a simple thing to say.
But I'd never heard anyone say it before. Not the grief counselor.
Not my mom. Everyone seemed to think the opposite: you moved on, you
forgot, it was impolite to keep talking about it. My mom had stopped
missing my dad years ago."
One of the first things Eva, protagonast of Margo Rabb's Kissing
America, reveals about herself is that she tells people that her
father died of a heart attack. The truth, that he met his demise in a
plane crash elicits too much morbid curiosity. Although it's been two
years since the tragedy much is still unknown. She just hopes his
last minutes were not in a state of terror.
Eve keeps small possessions of her father's in a shoe box hidden
in her closet. Her mother has outwardly moved on, cleaned all traces
of him from their living space, and found a boyfriend, Larry.
However, she keeps Eva on a very short leash, fearful that the
unimaginable can also happen to her.
Eva doesn't have anyone with whom she can share thoughts about
her loss until she begins to tutor Will, a young man who knows grief
intimately. His brother died in infancy. Just as she is coming to
rely on him (oh, yeah, and in love) he moves across the country to
live with his dad. Now she has to find a way to somehow rejoin him
that her very protective mother won't totally veto.
Her quest becomes quite a journey of discovery.
On a personal note, the December Orono Arts Cafe was wonderful. I
read some of my Christmas poems which were well received. Then at the
very end I did a sing along of Go Tell It On The Mountain. I reminded
people how radical it was that the Messiah was born into the family of
a man in the building trades like my Eugene (The rich and powerful
thought he'd hang out and be all holier than thou with them) and that
the star, the sign was shown to some of the lowliest workers, the
shepherds. Then I asked them to think on times they'd had news they
wanted to share with the world. Then we belted that song out with all
the joy and excitement it called for.
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Arts Cafe family.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, December 17, 2015
The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly
The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly
YA fiction
"I am a blood-soaked girl.
Before me a body. Pulped. My boots drenched with his blood. I
search out his eyes, but they're gone, hidden away behind pale lids."
On the YA acquisitions shelves of the Orono Public Library I
found a prime specimen of one of my favorite subgenres. Stephanie
Oakes' The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly, which starts with the quote
above, interweaves a young woman's experience in juvie with the
religious cult dystopia that constitutes her past.
As we meet Minnow, she is standing under a bridge beside the
body of her victim. We learn on the very first page that she has no
hands. The arresting officers are stumped as far as how to
fingerprint her. Following a trial she is committed to juvie until
she turns eighteen, at which point she will be paroled or transferred
to adult prison.
Detention facilities require adjustment on the part of any
teen. For one who has spent twelve years in a very restrictive cult
hidden from the rest of the world they constitute total culture
shock. Minnow goes back and forth between her daily life and her
memories of her growing years in a place where men keep multiple wives
pregnant, twelve was considered old enough for marriage, and the
cutting off of hands for punishment without subsequent medical
treatment was seen as acceptable.
Surprisingly an FBI agent begins to visit her. The cult
compound has burned down. The leader they called the Prophet is dead,
possibly murdered. Their forensic psychologist thinks that she will
be able to help them figure out who did it.
Dystopia fans: this is a real gem.
On a personal note, I have spent time this week with my UMaine chums
encouraging them. I have been impressed with what some groups have
been doing to ease the stress of finals. Barbara Smith and her
Commuter Lounge crew provided the stuff for making gingerbread houses
and decorating cookies. Special kudos to Mariah who did some
emergency baking when cookies ran short--while handling finals, work,
and parenthood. Whew! The CASE gang provided some very special
amenities in a central location. A lot was centered around hot food.
The grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup were perfect for a snowy
day. What they offered that was the most brilliant, however, was
cloth bears and mooses students could stuff. That day I kept running
into young women and men who were visibly delighted with their new
best friends.
A great big shout out goes out to all who help the students handle
finals week.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"I am a blood-soaked girl.
Before me a body. Pulped. My boots drenched with his blood. I
search out his eyes, but they're gone, hidden away behind pale lids."
On the YA acquisitions shelves of the Orono Public Library I
found a prime specimen of one of my favorite subgenres. Stephanie
Oakes' The Sacred Lies Of Minnow Bly, which starts with the quote
above, interweaves a young woman's experience in juvie with the
religious cult dystopia that constitutes her past.
As we meet Minnow, she is standing under a bridge beside the
body of her victim. We learn on the very first page that she has no
hands. The arresting officers are stumped as far as how to
fingerprint her. Following a trial she is committed to juvie until
she turns eighteen, at which point she will be paroled or transferred
to adult prison.
Detention facilities require adjustment on the part of any
teen. For one who has spent twelve years in a very restrictive cult
hidden from the rest of the world they constitute total culture
shock. Minnow goes back and forth between her daily life and her
memories of her growing years in a place where men keep multiple wives
pregnant, twelve was considered old enough for marriage, and the
cutting off of hands for punishment without subsequent medical
treatment was seen as acceptable.
Surprisingly an FBI agent begins to visit her. The cult
compound has burned down. The leader they called the Prophet is dead,
possibly murdered. Their forensic psychologist thinks that she will
be able to help them figure out who did it.
Dystopia fans: this is a real gem.
On a personal note, I have spent time this week with my UMaine chums
encouraging them. I have been impressed with what some groups have
been doing to ease the stress of finals. Barbara Smith and her
Commuter Lounge crew provided the stuff for making gingerbread houses
and decorating cookies. Special kudos to Mariah who did some
emergency baking when cookies ran short--while handling finals, work,
and parenthood. Whew! The CASE gang provided some very special
amenities in a central location. A lot was centered around hot food.
The grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup were perfect for a snowy
day. What they offered that was the most brilliant, however, was
cloth bears and mooses students could stuff. That day I kept running
into young women and men who were visibly delighted with their new
best friends.
A great big shout out goes out to all who help the students handle
finals week.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School
Juvenile Fiction
I do admit that I enjoy every book in Jeff Kinney's Diary of a
Wimpy Kid series the minute the Orono Public Library has it ready for
circulation. I found volume number 10: Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: Old
School to be especially amusing.
Middle son narrator Greg thinks that the nostalgia many adults
exhibit for the old days is a cover up for their envy of the
electronic devices that weren't available in their childhoods. (No
way is he going to be like that when he grows up!) His mother is one
of the purveyors of nostalgia. She's trying to get people to sign a
petition calling for a 48 hour moratorium on electronic devices in
their town. Greg and his brothers want her to give up. It's getting
hard for them to pretend not to know her.
Of course you know mom will win. If she'd called it quits the
premise of the story would be shot to heck. However the moratorium
and park clean up are only some of the problems that are being slung
Greg's way. The house is being taken over by his mother's pet pig who
even has its own bedroom. A younger child who starts doing his
homework gets him placed in harder classes. His grandfather moves on,
taking over his bedroom. He has to move in with little brother,
Manny. Older brother Rodrick has a new job at a very strange ice
cream parlor.
Then there's the impending class field trip to Hardscrabble
farms where Greg and his classmates will get to "sleep in log cabins
and learn about nature and hard work" for a week. I think we've
established that that's not his can of Monster.
I would highly recommend this book as a Christmas gift for a
youngster who might otherwise go through the vaca without reading a
page.
On a personal note, Robert Q. Dana, UMaine Dean of Students, threw his
fabulous Christmas party. The food was divine. The conversations
were lively. Good cheer was abundant. Dean Dana mingled with
everyone, greeting people personally. He was visibly delighted to see
people enjoying his hospitality so much.
Robert Q. Dana is one of the people I most admire. Although he's been
in admin for decades, he goes about his work with the same optimism
and enthusiasm he showed when I met when I was pregnant with Amber.
Unlike many of his peers, he isn't all about the athletic stars and
academic high achievers. There is no disguising his admiration for
the student who overcomes daunting obstacles or comes back from bad
decisions to succeed.
A great big shout out goes out to Robert Q. Dana and his office crew
who carry out his mission admirably.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile Fiction
I do admit that I enjoy every book in Jeff Kinney's Diary of a
Wimpy Kid series the minute the Orono Public Library has it ready for
circulation. I found volume number 10: Dairy of a Wimpy Kid: Old
School to be especially amusing.
Middle son narrator Greg thinks that the nostalgia many adults
exhibit for the old days is a cover up for their envy of the
electronic devices that weren't available in their childhoods. (No
way is he going to be like that when he grows up!) His mother is one
of the purveyors of nostalgia. She's trying to get people to sign a
petition calling for a 48 hour moratorium on electronic devices in
their town. Greg and his brothers want her to give up. It's getting
hard for them to pretend not to know her.
Of course you know mom will win. If she'd called it quits the
premise of the story would be shot to heck. However the moratorium
and park clean up are only some of the problems that are being slung
Greg's way. The house is being taken over by his mother's pet pig who
even has its own bedroom. A younger child who starts doing his
homework gets him placed in harder classes. His grandfather moves on,
taking over his bedroom. He has to move in with little brother,
Manny. Older brother Rodrick has a new job at a very strange ice
cream parlor.
Then there's the impending class field trip to Hardscrabble
farms where Greg and his classmates will get to "sleep in log cabins
and learn about nature and hard work" for a week. I think we've
established that that's not his can of Monster.
I would highly recommend this book as a Christmas gift for a
youngster who might otherwise go through the vaca without reading a
page.
On a personal note, Robert Q. Dana, UMaine Dean of Students, threw his
fabulous Christmas party. The food was divine. The conversations
were lively. Good cheer was abundant. Dean Dana mingled with
everyone, greeting people personally. He was visibly delighted to see
people enjoying his hospitality so much.
Robert Q. Dana is one of the people I most admire. Although he's been
in admin for decades, he goes about his work with the same optimism
and enthusiasm he showed when I met when I was pregnant with Amber.
Unlike many of his peers, he isn't all about the athletic stars and
academic high achievers. There is no disguising his admiration for
the student who overcomes daunting obstacles or comes back from bad
decisions to succeed.
A great big shout out goes out to Robert Q. Dana and his office crew
who carry out his mission admirably.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, December 12, 2015
The Forget-Me-Not Summer
The Forget-Me-Not Summer
Juvenile fiction
Leila Howland's The Forget-Me-Not Summer is a wonderful read for
a child who feels disadvantaged in comparison to sibling(s), whose
mantra often seems to be NO FAIR!!!
Zinnia feels like the plain middle child trapped between
glamorous gorgeous Marigold who has already been in a television show
and cute as a button Lily who gets her way in everything
effortlessly. If only she could be like her older sister. Marigold,
however, feels that beauty isn't everything. Maybe she'd rather be
captivating like Zinnia.
It comes as an unpleasant surprise to both girls that, due to
their parents' professional projects, they will be spending three
weeks in July across the country in Massachusetts with a great aunt
they barely know. Marigold won't be able to audition for a very
special movie. Both feel that they will be leaving civilization. In
alternating chapters the two older girls narrate the challenges and
joys of their unexpected adventure.
On a personal note, I have advice for people with cats, dogs, or
toddler size children. Never start a dryer without checking inside.
Recently I found Joey cat sound asleep under the wet clothes I had
tossed in. Silly cat.
A great big shout out goes out to our UMaine students slogging through
the last week of classes en route to finals. Hang in there! Vaca is
just around the corner!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
Leila Howland's The Forget-Me-Not Summer is a wonderful read for
a child who feels disadvantaged in comparison to sibling(s), whose
mantra often seems to be NO FAIR!!!
Zinnia feels like the plain middle child trapped between
glamorous gorgeous Marigold who has already been in a television show
and cute as a button Lily who gets her way in everything
effortlessly. If only she could be like her older sister. Marigold,
however, feels that beauty isn't everything. Maybe she'd rather be
captivating like Zinnia.
It comes as an unpleasant surprise to both girls that, due to
their parents' professional projects, they will be spending three
weeks in July across the country in Massachusetts with a great aunt
they barely know. Marigold won't be able to audition for a very
special movie. Both feel that they will be leaving civilization. In
alternating chapters the two older girls narrate the challenges and
joys of their unexpected adventure.
On a personal note, I have advice for people with cats, dogs, or
toddler size children. Never start a dryer without checking inside.
Recently I found Joey cat sound asleep under the wet clothes I had
tossed in. Silly cat.
A great big shout out goes out to our UMaine students slogging through
the last week of classes en route to finals. Hang in there! Vaca is
just around the corner!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, December 10, 2015
The Alex Crow
The Alex Crow
YA dystopia
YA and adult adult dystopia fans will find The Alex Crow to be
compelling and fascinating. Three story strands that would seem on
the surface to have nothing to do with each other are woven together
seamlessly and suspensefully.
Ariel thinks that his brain holds a library holds a library of
tragic stories. That would not be surprising. The only survivor of
an attack on his village, he has also spent nine months in a refugee
camp in an orphan's tent where bullying and rape were rampant.
Adopted into an American family, he and his new brother are spending a
summer at a very strange camp with a frightening psychologist doing
research on the campers.
In 1880 an ill fated sea expedition had become trapped in an ice
pack, being pulled inexorably away from their destination. Members
died from cold and starvation. A few made it to land and the home of
a Russian exile who extended gracious and life saving hospitality.
One day he showed them a monster frozen in ice, a grotesque human like
creature they decided to steal and deliver to civilization.
Leonard Fountain, also known as the melting man, due to his
advanced state of radiation sickness, drives a repurposed U-Haul truck
with a humungous bomb in the cargo area. He hears voices. Joseph
Stalin tells him what to do. A GPS like voice comments on his every
move. Other auditory and visual hallucinations come and go. He's a
man on a bizarre and very dangerous mission.
Like most good dystopias, The Alex Crow pushes current
technologies just a smidge further and looks at their implications. I
wouldn't be surprised if today's labs were trying to make the
fictional part come true. Anyway it's a very pertinent and engaging
read.
On a personal note, the UMaine branch of Amnesty International held a
letter writing party, providing pizza and popcorn for all who would
write on behalf of victims of serious injustice: a woman given a 30
year jail sentence for having a stillbirth, girls who would be in
middle school in America being forced into marriage, a family
disappearing, no justice for gay crime victims, a man in solitary
confinement 40 years for a crime he might not have committed... It
was a privilege to join a fine group of young people in this crucial
endeavor.
A great big shout out goes out to people involved at all levels of
Amnesty International. You're rock stars!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA dystopia
YA and adult adult dystopia fans will find The Alex Crow to be
compelling and fascinating. Three story strands that would seem on
the surface to have nothing to do with each other are woven together
seamlessly and suspensefully.
Ariel thinks that his brain holds a library holds a library of
tragic stories. That would not be surprising. The only survivor of
an attack on his village, he has also spent nine months in a refugee
camp in an orphan's tent where bullying and rape were rampant.
Adopted into an American family, he and his new brother are spending a
summer at a very strange camp with a frightening psychologist doing
research on the campers.
In 1880 an ill fated sea expedition had become trapped in an ice
pack, being pulled inexorably away from their destination. Members
died from cold and starvation. A few made it to land and the home of
a Russian exile who extended gracious and life saving hospitality.
One day he showed them a monster frozen in ice, a grotesque human like
creature they decided to steal and deliver to civilization.
Leonard Fountain, also known as the melting man, due to his
advanced state of radiation sickness, drives a repurposed U-Haul truck
with a humungous bomb in the cargo area. He hears voices. Joseph
Stalin tells him what to do. A GPS like voice comments on his every
move. Other auditory and visual hallucinations come and go. He's a
man on a bizarre and very dangerous mission.
Like most good dystopias, The Alex Crow pushes current
technologies just a smidge further and looks at their implications. I
wouldn't be surprised if today's labs were trying to make the
fictional part come true. Anyway it's a very pertinent and engaging
read.
On a personal note, the UMaine branch of Amnesty International held a
letter writing party, providing pizza and popcorn for all who would
write on behalf of victims of serious injustice: a woman given a 30
year jail sentence for having a stillbirth, girls who would be in
middle school in America being forced into marriage, a family
disappearing, no justice for gay crime victims, a man in solitary
confinement 40 years for a crime he might not have committed... It
was a privilege to join a fine group of young people in this crucial
endeavor.
A great big shout out goes out to people involved at all levels of
Amnesty International. You're rock stars!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Mosquitoland
Mosquitoland
Juvenile fiction
When families fall apart the children are often the collateral
damage. This certainly seems to be the case for Mim, protagonist of
David Arnold's Mosquitoland. Her parents are divorced. Her father
has married a waitress, Kathy, who served him in Denny's. They and
Mim have moved hundreds of miles away to a Southern town she calls
Mosquitoland.
Mim is on Abilitol, an antipsychotic medication. Her aunt on
her father's side had that diagnosis. Her dad seems to think she has
all the red flags. (He is a poster adult for the dangers of
advertising medications to lay people wanting ten milligram miracles).
One day when Mim is in school she is summoned (by loudspeaker)
to the principal's office. Just outside the door she overhears a
conversation between her principal and father and stepmother. Kathy
says Eve (Mim's birth mother) will beat the bisease because she's a
fighter.
It's been three weeks since Mim got a letter from her mom or
talked to her on the phone. Mim decides she has to go help her.
Instead of going into the offices she returns home long enough to
pack, grab some money, and head out for a nearly 1,000 mile trip via
Greyhound.
The trip is far from the ordinary journey she expects. Just
hours in, the bus is in an accident, killing her seatmate and
necessitating a motel overnight stay. That is just the beginning.
On a personal note, Orono Public Library had a lovely children's
Christmas party. There was gingerbread house making with all kinds of
candy for decorating. Julie of Julie and the Bug Boys fame provided
music. Santa was there to listen to wishes. The community room was
set up for hot cocoa with candy canes and marshmellows. It was a
fabulous success. I played the role of paparazzi so the library would
have pictures of the event.
A great big shout out goes out to all who worked to bring the event to
life.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
When families fall apart the children are often the collateral
damage. This certainly seems to be the case for Mim, protagonist of
David Arnold's Mosquitoland. Her parents are divorced. Her father
has married a waitress, Kathy, who served him in Denny's. They and
Mim have moved hundreds of miles away to a Southern town she calls
Mosquitoland.
Mim is on Abilitol, an antipsychotic medication. Her aunt on
her father's side had that diagnosis. Her dad seems to think she has
all the red flags. (He is a poster adult for the dangers of
advertising medications to lay people wanting ten milligram miracles).
One day when Mim is in school she is summoned (by loudspeaker)
to the principal's office. Just outside the door she overhears a
conversation between her principal and father and stepmother. Kathy
says Eve (Mim's birth mother) will beat the bisease because she's a
fighter.
It's been three weeks since Mim got a letter from her mom or
talked to her on the phone. Mim decides she has to go help her.
Instead of going into the offices she returns home long enough to
pack, grab some money, and head out for a nearly 1,000 mile trip via
Greyhound.
The trip is far from the ordinary journey she expects. Just
hours in, the bus is in an accident, killing her seatmate and
necessitating a motel overnight stay. That is just the beginning.
On a personal note, Orono Public Library had a lovely children's
Christmas party. There was gingerbread house making with all kinds of
candy for decorating. Julie of Julie and the Bug Boys fame provided
music. Santa was there to listen to wishes. The community room was
set up for hot cocoa with candy canes and marshmellows. It was a
fabulous success. I played the role of paparazzi so the library would
have pictures of the event.
A great big shout out goes out to all who worked to bring the event to
life.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, December 4, 2015
Draw What You See
Draw What You See
Juvenile biography
When Benny Andrews was seventy-five he traveled to hurricane
ravaged Louisiana. Children had survived a nightmare. Many continued
to live under quite adverse conditions. Andrews wanted to help then
learn to tell their stories. Not exactly what you'd expect of a
septigenarian.
As you'll see in Kathleen Benson's Draw What You See, Andrews
rarely did what was expected of him. He was born black, one of ten
children, in the Depression era South. He started working in the
fields early. His school year was only five months long, centered
around the needs of big farm owners rather than students. Unlike his
peers, he managed to graduate from high school and college.
Becoming a successful artist could have made him turn his back
on his past. He never forgot where he can't from. He painted
pictures of ordinary people occupying their lives. He fought to get
opportunities for other black artists.
Draw What You See is a very inspiring story, a chance for
children to see how one person defying the odds can truly make a
difference.
On a personal note, I was delighted to participate in a UMaine open
mic. I opened the show by singing Dream A Little Dream of Me. I was
wearing an evening gown and sequin covered ballet flats. Later I read
one of my poems. It was fabulous. Open mics are chances for people
to share their work and support each others endeavors. Imagine that--
people creating our own entertainment instead of consuming prepackaged
stuff.
A great big shout out goes out to all my fellow contributors.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile biography
When Benny Andrews was seventy-five he traveled to hurricane
ravaged Louisiana. Children had survived a nightmare. Many continued
to live under quite adverse conditions. Andrews wanted to help then
learn to tell their stories. Not exactly what you'd expect of a
septigenarian.
As you'll see in Kathleen Benson's Draw What You See, Andrews
rarely did what was expected of him. He was born black, one of ten
children, in the Depression era South. He started working in the
fields early. His school year was only five months long, centered
around the needs of big farm owners rather than students. Unlike his
peers, he managed to graduate from high school and college.
Becoming a successful artist could have made him turn his back
on his past. He never forgot where he can't from. He painted
pictures of ordinary people occupying their lives. He fought to get
opportunities for other black artists.
Draw What You See is a very inspiring story, a chance for
children to see how one person defying the odds can truly make a
difference.
On a personal note, I was delighted to participate in a UMaine open
mic. I opened the show by singing Dream A Little Dream of Me. I was
wearing an evening gown and sequin covered ballet flats. Later I read
one of my poems. It was fabulous. Open mics are chances for people
to share their work and support each others endeavors. Imagine that--
people creating our own entertainment instead of consuming prepackaged
stuff.
A great big shout out goes out to all my fellow contributors.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Right Word
The Right Word
Juvenile biography
Are you ever stumped for the perfect word that exactly conveys
what you want it to? You're in luck. A very familiar volume will
give you synonyms in all gradations of concept, meaning, and nuance.
Jen Bryant's The Right Word brings us the story of Peter Mark Roget
and his Thesaurus.
Roget was very young when his father died. Because his family
moved often, he didn't make many friends. He became an avid reader
and list maker. He was a big fan of Linnaeus, the man who grouped
plants and animals into logical categories. His mother complained
that he was always scribbling.
Roget became a doctor and, despite his shyness, a well respected
lecturer. When other writers published word list books his grown
chldren convinced him that he could do better. He proved them right.
On a personal note, when I read Roget's mother's complaint about his
always scribbling, I had to laugh. It's what my beloved husband often
says about me. I guess those of us who are fascinated by language
must seem to march to the beat of a different drummer. The three
poetry manuscripts I am putting together are coming along very slowly
because of my volunteering, performing, and social engagements. I'll
make a lot more progress during Christmas break when the students are
away and I spend most of my time with dear Joey cat. At the moment
he's sprawled out on my lap purring contentedly.
A great big shout out goes out to my many kindred spirits who are
spell bound by the beauty and mystery of words.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile biography
Are you ever stumped for the perfect word that exactly conveys
what you want it to? You're in luck. A very familiar volume will
give you synonyms in all gradations of concept, meaning, and nuance.
Jen Bryant's The Right Word brings us the story of Peter Mark Roget
and his Thesaurus.
Roget was very young when his father died. Because his family
moved often, he didn't make many friends. He became an avid reader
and list maker. He was a big fan of Linnaeus, the man who grouped
plants and animals into logical categories. His mother complained
that he was always scribbling.
Roget became a doctor and, despite his shyness, a well respected
lecturer. When other writers published word list books his grown
chldren convinced him that he could do better. He proved them right.
On a personal note, when I read Roget's mother's complaint about his
always scribbling, I had to laugh. It's what my beloved husband often
says about me. I guess those of us who are fascinated by language
must seem to march to the beat of a different drummer. The three
poetry manuscripts I am putting together are coming along very slowly
because of my volunteering, performing, and social engagements. I'll
make a lot more progress during Christmas break when the students are
away and I spend most of my time with dear Joey cat. At the moment
he's sprawled out on my lap purring contentedly.
A great big shout out goes out to my many kindred spirits who are
spell bound by the beauty and mystery of words.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Conviction
Conviction
YA fiction
Kelly Loy Gilbert's Conviction reminds me of the Alfred
Hitchcock films of my youth. There is plenty of suspense. It is,
however, the kind that comes from the revelation of the darkness in
the human psyche rather than from overuse of gross special effects.
Reading it is sort of like peeling an onion. Every time you think you
have your bearings a deeper layer is revealed.
Protagonist Braden is a gifted baseball player, a pitcher who
can throw the ball 94 miles-per-hour. The game is a bond he shares
with his former player, now radio evangelist father. Doing well in it
is also a way he can try to live up to his dad's high expectations.
One very foggy night police surround the car he and his father
are in. They handcuff his dad and take him away. When Braden arrives
at the police station he is told that his father is in jail, charged
with killing a police officer.
The next day a social worker arrives at Braden's house, telling
him that unless he has a relative who will take over his supervisiob
he will be put in the state's custody. His long estranged brother,
Trey, comes back home. Braden has no idea how to relate to him as
they live under the same roof for the first time in nearly a decade.
He can't understand why Trey doesn't seem to care about their father
and his plight.
Braden dreads having to testify in court. He dreads the ball
game in which he'll face the nephew of the dead man even more.
Conviction is one of those finely crafted novels that is making
YA books one of the most popular genres for adult adults. Whether
you're a high school student, the grandparent of a high school
student, or anywhere in between, it's a mighty fine read.
On a personal note, Orono High School did a wonderful job putting on a
comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It was a truly
fine ensemble production.
A great big shout out goes out to the cast and crew and the adults who
helped them really bring the play to life.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
Kelly Loy Gilbert's Conviction reminds me of the Alfred
Hitchcock films of my youth. There is plenty of suspense. It is,
however, the kind that comes from the revelation of the darkness in
the human psyche rather than from overuse of gross special effects.
Reading it is sort of like peeling an onion. Every time you think you
have your bearings a deeper layer is revealed.
Protagonist Braden is a gifted baseball player, a pitcher who
can throw the ball 94 miles-per-hour. The game is a bond he shares
with his former player, now radio evangelist father. Doing well in it
is also a way he can try to live up to his dad's high expectations.
One very foggy night police surround the car he and his father
are in. They handcuff his dad and take him away. When Braden arrives
at the police station he is told that his father is in jail, charged
with killing a police officer.
The next day a social worker arrives at Braden's house, telling
him that unless he has a relative who will take over his supervisiob
he will be put in the state's custody. His long estranged brother,
Trey, comes back home. Braden has no idea how to relate to him as
they live under the same roof for the first time in nearly a decade.
He can't understand why Trey doesn't seem to care about their father
and his plight.
Braden dreads having to testify in court. He dreads the ball
game in which he'll face the nephew of the dead man even more.
Conviction is one of those finely crafted novels that is making
YA books one of the most popular genres for adult adults. Whether
you're a high school student, the grandparent of a high school
student, or anywhere in between, it's a mighty fine read.
On a personal note, Orono High School did a wonderful job putting on a
comedy, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It was a truly
fine ensemble production.
A great big shout out goes out to the cast and crew and the adults who
helped them really bring the play to life.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Tommy
Tommy
YA nonfiction
Now I'm not all that interested in guns. Not nearly as
interested as the males in my family are. But when I saw that the
author of Tommy: The Gun That Changed America is Karen Blumenthal I
had to snatch up that book. Her Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the
Lawless Years of Prohibition had really brought the past to life.
Tommy is equally fascinating and reader worthy.
John Taliferro Thompson was a man with a mission. As an army
ordnance officer, he was convinced that the United States needed more
effective weapons and ammo--guns that could reload more rapidly, ammo
with more stopping power. "...a small machine gun, a gun that will
fire fifty to one hundred rounds, so light that a man can drag it with
him as he crawls on his belly from trench to trench and wipe out a
whole company single-handed." He agreed with Teddy Roosevelt "In
time of peace, prepare for war." (His NRA membership may have also
entered into his thinking.)
Thompson and a carefully chosen cadre worked tirelessly to
achieve this goal. Timing was not with them. They perfected it just
in time for World War I, then considered the war to end all wars, to
draw to a close.
Thompson also envisioned his guns being sold to those "on the
side of law and order" such as police. Ironically, the most
enthusiastic of their users turned out to be on the other side.
Outlaws such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson
utilized them in ways that has Thompson seeing red.
Tommy gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of
a weapon from conception to near obsolescence and the world in which
this all transpired.
On a personal note, with UMaine back in session from Thanksgiving
break, it's now a mad rush til finals and end of semester.
A great big shout out goes out to students, faculty, and others caught
up in this rush at UMaine and other fine educational institutions.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
Now I'm not all that interested in guns. Not nearly as
interested as the males in my family are. But when I saw that the
author of Tommy: The Gun That Changed America is Karen Blumenthal I
had to snatch up that book. Her Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the
Lawless Years of Prohibition had really brought the past to life.
Tommy is equally fascinating and reader worthy.
John Taliferro Thompson was a man with a mission. As an army
ordnance officer, he was convinced that the United States needed more
effective weapons and ammo--guns that could reload more rapidly, ammo
with more stopping power. "...a small machine gun, a gun that will
fire fifty to one hundred rounds, so light that a man can drag it with
him as he crawls on his belly from trench to trench and wipe out a
whole company single-handed." He agreed with Teddy Roosevelt "In
time of peace, prepare for war." (His NRA membership may have also
entered into his thinking.)
Thompson and a carefully chosen cadre worked tirelessly to
achieve this goal. Timing was not with them. They perfected it just
in time for World War I, then considered the war to end all wars, to
draw to a close.
Thompson also envisioned his guns being sold to those "on the
side of law and order" such as police. Ironically, the most
enthusiastic of their users turned out to be on the other side.
Outlaws such as John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson
utilized them in ways that has Thompson seeing red.
Tommy gives readers a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of
a weapon from conception to near obsolescence and the world in which
this all transpired.
On a personal note, with UMaine back in session from Thanksgiving
break, it's now a mad rush til finals and end of semester.
A great big shout out goes out to students, faculty, and others caught
up in this rush at UMaine and other fine educational institutions.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Thanksgiving Wish
Thanksgiving Wish
Picture book
"'You never stop missing someone, Mandi,' her father said one
night as he tucked her into bed. 'You sort of forget how much you miss
them until something--like Thanksgiving reminds you again...'"
I think most people who have lost a special someone will relate
to that quote from Michael J. Rosen's Thanksgiving Wish. I lost my
mother in January of 2006. The holiday season that year really caught
me off guard. Probably having three children to make special times
for was the one thing that kept me from totally losing my sanity.
Amanda and her extended family have always spent Thanksgiving at
her Bubbe's house. There was a litany of special dishes. During the
month of November Bubbe would cook one each day.
The year Bubbe dies Amanda's parents decide to host the family
gathering at their new house. At the last minute they decide to make
all the traditional dishes. In the middle of a cooking marathon with
aunts helping out heavy usage overloads the electric system, blowing
the fuses. No more cooking until the hardware store opens the next
day. They're stuck with "Raw turkey, hard potatoes, cold soup, soupy
pies."
Or are they? The miracle they need may be just across the alley.
John Thompson's realistic, detailed pictures really help to
bring to life a touching but not mushy story.
On a personal note, what I enjoyed the most about my Thanksgiving was
spending time with my children, their cousins, and Amber's fiancée.
They get along so beautifully! When they are together under one roof
that time is precious beyond measure.
A great shout out goes out to Amber, Katie, Adam, Caleb, Maggie, and
Brian.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
"'You never stop missing someone, Mandi,' her father said one
night as he tucked her into bed. 'You sort of forget how much you miss
them until something--like Thanksgiving reminds you again...'"
I think most people who have lost a special someone will relate
to that quote from Michael J. Rosen's Thanksgiving Wish. I lost my
mother in January of 2006. The holiday season that year really caught
me off guard. Probably having three children to make special times
for was the one thing that kept me from totally losing my sanity.
Amanda and her extended family have always spent Thanksgiving at
her Bubbe's house. There was a litany of special dishes. During the
month of November Bubbe would cook one each day.
The year Bubbe dies Amanda's parents decide to host the family
gathering at their new house. At the last minute they decide to make
all the traditional dishes. In the middle of a cooking marathon with
aunts helping out heavy usage overloads the electric system, blowing
the fuses. No more cooking until the hardware store opens the next
day. They're stuck with "Raw turkey, hard potatoes, cold soup, soupy
pies."
Or are they? The miracle they need may be just across the alley.
John Thompson's realistic, detailed pictures really help to
bring to life a touching but not mushy story.
On a personal note, what I enjoyed the most about my Thanksgiving was
spending time with my children, their cousins, and Amber's fiancée.
They get along so beautifully! When they are together under one roof
that time is precious beyond measure.
A great shout out goes out to Amber, Katie, Adam, Caleb, Maggie, and
Brian.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Librarian on the Roof!
Librarian on the Roof!
Picture book
If you've got the stereotype of the timid, shushing librarian in
your head, feel free to ditch it once and for all. When it comes to
providing services for and protecting the rights of their patrons,
librarians are some of the most hard core women and men around. Take
my BFF, Barbara McDade. A lot of people were not pleased when she
provided safe camping space and wifi access for the Occupy movement a
few years back. When her library needed a new pricey copper roof she
plunged into the fund raising with a can do spirit that would have
impressed Bob the Builder.
Another gutsy librarian hero, Rosealeta Laurell, is the subject
of M. G. King's Librarian on the Roof. When she became the head
librarian of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart Texas it didn't
take her long to realize that the historic building was lacking in
resources for children. She decided there needed to be a comfortable
place in the library for children to access books and computers (which
many families could not afford).
There was only one problem. This would take a lot of money.
Letters to businesses and well off people didn't pan out. It would
have taken far too many bake sales to go that traditional route.
RoseAleta decided to go straight to the top, of the building
that is. For a week, despite some pretty inclement weather and city
official negativity, she camped out on the library roof, promising to
not come down until the money had been raised.
This is one truly inspiring story, very well worth reading and
reading aloud.
On a personal note, I'm going to need a lot of spunk and inginuity in
2016. There are four projects I really need to get started. As
school committee vice chair for Veazie, Maine I need to start a town
wide visioning team, change the town charter so the town council
doesn't have too much power over the school budget, and develop a
student (not lawsuit prevention) centered transgender policy. The
project closest to my <3, though, is starting an organization to
provide help for people who can't afford life saving surgery for their
beloved companion animals. Yikes!
A great big shout out goes out to those rock stars who are our
librarians and to my fellow library volunteers who help them take care
of business.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
If you've got the stereotype of the timid, shushing librarian in
your head, feel free to ditch it once and for all. When it comes to
providing services for and protecting the rights of their patrons,
librarians are some of the most hard core women and men around. Take
my BFF, Barbara McDade. A lot of people were not pleased when she
provided safe camping space and wifi access for the Occupy movement a
few years back. When her library needed a new pricey copper roof she
plunged into the fund raising with a can do spirit that would have
impressed Bob the Builder.
Another gutsy librarian hero, Rosealeta Laurell, is the subject
of M. G. King's Librarian on the Roof. When she became the head
librarian of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart Texas it didn't
take her long to realize that the historic building was lacking in
resources for children. She decided there needed to be a comfortable
place in the library for children to access books and computers (which
many families could not afford).
There was only one problem. This would take a lot of money.
Letters to businesses and well off people didn't pan out. It would
have taken far too many bake sales to go that traditional route.
RoseAleta decided to go straight to the top, of the building
that is. For a week, despite some pretty inclement weather and city
official negativity, she camped out on the library roof, promising to
not come down until the money had been raised.
This is one truly inspiring story, very well worth reading and
reading aloud.
On a personal note, I'm going to need a lot of spunk and inginuity in
2016. There are four projects I really need to get started. As
school committee vice chair for Veazie, Maine I need to start a town
wide visioning team, change the town charter so the town council
doesn't have too much power over the school budget, and develop a
student (not lawsuit prevention) centered transgender policy. The
project closest to my <3, though, is starting an organization to
provide help for people who can't afford life saving surgery for their
beloved companion animals. Yikes!
A great big shout out goes out to those rock stars who are our
librarians and to my fellow library volunteers who help them take care
of business.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Orphans of the Night
Orphans of the Night
YA fiction
We humans have a penchant for scary tales. Think on the
perrenial popularity of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday The 13th,
Goosebumps, and virtually anything penned by Stephen King. There's no
more perfect time than winter, when darkness falls almost right after
kids get out of school, to share stories of the supernatural,
especially when a storm knocks out the power and the blackness outside
is full of spooky sounds.
Orphans of the Night, edited by Joseph Sherman, shows us that
the perennially popular urban legends (think Bloody Mary) are not the
only show in town. This collection of short stories by talented
juvenile lit authors brings us the supernatural beings that are the
stuff of nightmares across time and around the world. If you read it
cover to cover (which I maybe shouldn't have done with my husband
planning to depart soon for some vacation days at camp) you'll learn
about such fine frightening fiends such as:
*the Njuggle, a demon from the Shetland Islands, that will kill by
taking the form of a handsome horse and riding into the water to drown
its rider;
*the Mongolian Sidhi-kur, a living corpse that can be quite a trickster;
*the Ixtabay, a vengeful female spirit that lures men to their death...
My favorite story concerns a Hawaiian Menehune, one of a race of
little people with supernatural construction powers. In A Few Good
Menehune one, with a lot of help from his friends, manages to
transform a too powerful white developer with plans to replace
precious natural habitat with condos.
"They found Mr. Kirk sitting stark naked in the surf, singing
'Tiny Bubbles' to the little fishies. From neck to ankles he had been
tattooed with a perfect pin-striped business suit, oxford shirt, and
power tie. He looked up to met Darlene's gaze with a vacant, cheerful
smile..."
If you have young adults in the house Orphans of the Night might
be a great investment for a night when the power goes out, maybe
rendering the ubiquitous electronics less than useful. It would seem
to be a great boredom buster.
On a personal note, after twenty-five years the oven part of our
electric stove stopped working. Eugene went out and bought a lovely
new one. He thinks it's not so great because it doesn't have fancy
features. I love it. It does all it needs to and has a digital clock
and an oven light. Plus I'm aware of the billions of people who can
only dream of having such a stove, electricity to run it, and ample
food to prepare with it.
A great big shout out goes out to all who collect traditional stories
to keep them alive.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
We humans have a penchant for scary tales. Think on the
perrenial popularity of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday The 13th,
Goosebumps, and virtually anything penned by Stephen King. There's no
more perfect time than winter, when darkness falls almost right after
kids get out of school, to share stories of the supernatural,
especially when a storm knocks out the power and the blackness outside
is full of spooky sounds.
Orphans of the Night, edited by Joseph Sherman, shows us that
the perennially popular urban legends (think Bloody Mary) are not the
only show in town. This collection of short stories by talented
juvenile lit authors brings us the supernatural beings that are the
stuff of nightmares across time and around the world. If you read it
cover to cover (which I maybe shouldn't have done with my husband
planning to depart soon for some vacation days at camp) you'll learn
about such fine frightening fiends such as:
*the Njuggle, a demon from the Shetland Islands, that will kill by
taking the form of a handsome horse and riding into the water to drown
its rider;
*the Mongolian Sidhi-kur, a living corpse that can be quite a trickster;
*the Ixtabay, a vengeful female spirit that lures men to their death...
My favorite story concerns a Hawaiian Menehune, one of a race of
little people with supernatural construction powers. In A Few Good
Menehune one, with a lot of help from his friends, manages to
transform a too powerful white developer with plans to replace
precious natural habitat with condos.
"They found Mr. Kirk sitting stark naked in the surf, singing
'Tiny Bubbles' to the little fishies. From neck to ankles he had been
tattooed with a perfect pin-striped business suit, oxford shirt, and
power tie. He looked up to met Darlene's gaze with a vacant, cheerful
smile..."
If you have young adults in the house Orphans of the Night might
be a great investment for a night when the power goes out, maybe
rendering the ubiquitous electronics less than useful. It would seem
to be a great boredom buster.
On a personal note, after twenty-five years the oven part of our
electric stove stopped working. Eugene went out and bought a lovely
new one. He thinks it's not so great because it doesn't have fancy
features. I love it. It does all it needs to and has a digital clock
and an oven light. Plus I'm aware of the billions of people who can
only dream of having such a stove, electricity to run it, and ample
food to prepare with it.
A great big shout out goes out to all who collect traditional stories
to keep them alive.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Go Set A Watchman
Go Set A Watchman
Adult fiction
To be perfectly honest, I did not set out to read Harper Lee's
Go Set A Watchman. This had nothing to do with the hype and
controversy surrounding the book. Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird has for
decades been my lifetime favorite novel. I was Scout last year for
Halloween. I didn't want to take even the slightest chance of its
appeal being diminished. So I did not pick it up until it was right
at eye level on a library new acquisitions shelf.
Again being honest, it took me awhile to warm up to it. I found
the rather slow pace, the decorous description of the South back in
the day to be a tad tedious.
"The possessor of the right to kiss her on the courthouse steps
was Henry Clinton, her lifelong friend, her brother's comrade, and if
he kept on kissing her like that, her husband. Love whom you will but
marry your own kind was a dictum amounting to instinct within her.
Henry Clinton was Jean Louise's own kind, and now she did not consider
the dictum particularly harsh."
Huh?
Jean Louise (Scout of To Kill A Mockingbird) has grown up,
acquired an education, and relocated to New York, returning to Maycomb
Junction for two weeks each year. The first chapters show her latest
home coming as fairly predictable although her flashbacks to her years
as Scout are fascibating and sometimes funny.
After the first hundred pages my patience was well rewarded.
Jean Louise finds a very disagreeable pamphlet, The Black Plague,
among her father's papers. It turns out that prim and proper Aunt
Alexandria finds a lot of truths in it. Her father, Atticus, brought
it home from a Citizen's Council meeting. In fact he's on the Board
of Directors. The Henry who would have to marry her if he kept on
with ardent kissing is one of its most enthusiastic members.
Jean Louise is horrified when she eavesdrops on a meeting,
seeing her father sitting at the same table as a slimy politician he
wouldn't have given the time of day to when she was a child and
hearing the speaker:
"...his main interest today was to uphold the Southern Way of Life and
no niggers and no Supreme Court was going to tell him or anybody else
what to do...a race as hammer-headed as...essential
inferiority...kinky wooly heads...still in trees...greasy smelly...
marry your daughters...mongrelize the race..."
Whatever happened to the lawyer who took grave risks to defend a
black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, the father who
brought her up with the idea that all deserved equality and none
merited special privilege? Did she really know the people who shaped
her childhood world? Would the place she grew up in ever feel like
home again?
"The one human being she had ever fully and wholeheartedly
trusted had failed her; the only man she had ever known to whom she
could point and say with expert knowledge, 'He is a gentleman,' had
betrayed her publicly, grossly, and shamelessly."
The rest of the book is intense with a surprise ending. While I
would highly recommend it, particularly for book clubs, I still say it
can't hold a candle to To Kill A Mockingbird.
On a personal note, the week before Thanksgiving I went to
multicultural Thanksgiving. (Counting gay Thanksgiving and Wade
Center Thanksgiving, the family one was my fourth). It was lovely and
thought provoking. John Bear Mitchell spoke about the day from a
Native American perspective. We had drumming and singing. Then we
feasted. My favorite part was the fruit bread and cherry cheesecake I
had for dessert. I sat with a group of very interesting students from
China. Afterward I was able to get to church in time for choir
practice.
A great big shout out goes out to my multicultural center friends who
put on such a fine event.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
To be perfectly honest, I did not set out to read Harper Lee's
Go Set A Watchman. This had nothing to do with the hype and
controversy surrounding the book. Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird has for
decades been my lifetime favorite novel. I was Scout last year for
Halloween. I didn't want to take even the slightest chance of its
appeal being diminished. So I did not pick it up until it was right
at eye level on a library new acquisitions shelf.
Again being honest, it took me awhile to warm up to it. I found
the rather slow pace, the decorous description of the South back in
the day to be a tad tedious.
"The possessor of the right to kiss her on the courthouse steps
was Henry Clinton, her lifelong friend, her brother's comrade, and if
he kept on kissing her like that, her husband. Love whom you will but
marry your own kind was a dictum amounting to instinct within her.
Henry Clinton was Jean Louise's own kind, and now she did not consider
the dictum particularly harsh."
Huh?
Jean Louise (Scout of To Kill A Mockingbird) has grown up,
acquired an education, and relocated to New York, returning to Maycomb
Junction for two weeks each year. The first chapters show her latest
home coming as fairly predictable although her flashbacks to her years
as Scout are fascibating and sometimes funny.
After the first hundred pages my patience was well rewarded.
Jean Louise finds a very disagreeable pamphlet, The Black Plague,
among her father's papers. It turns out that prim and proper Aunt
Alexandria finds a lot of truths in it. Her father, Atticus, brought
it home from a Citizen's Council meeting. In fact he's on the Board
of Directors. The Henry who would have to marry her if he kept on
with ardent kissing is one of its most enthusiastic members.
Jean Louise is horrified when she eavesdrops on a meeting,
seeing her father sitting at the same table as a slimy politician he
wouldn't have given the time of day to when she was a child and
hearing the speaker:
"...his main interest today was to uphold the Southern Way of Life and
no niggers and no Supreme Court was going to tell him or anybody else
what to do...a race as hammer-headed as...essential
inferiority...kinky wooly heads...still in trees...greasy smelly...
marry your daughters...mongrelize the race..."
Whatever happened to the lawyer who took grave risks to defend a
black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, the father who
brought her up with the idea that all deserved equality and none
merited special privilege? Did she really know the people who shaped
her childhood world? Would the place she grew up in ever feel like
home again?
"The one human being she had ever fully and wholeheartedly
trusted had failed her; the only man she had ever known to whom she
could point and say with expert knowledge, 'He is a gentleman,' had
betrayed her publicly, grossly, and shamelessly."
The rest of the book is intense with a surprise ending. While I
would highly recommend it, particularly for book clubs, I still say it
can't hold a candle to To Kill A Mockingbird.
On a personal note, the week before Thanksgiving I went to
multicultural Thanksgiving. (Counting gay Thanksgiving and Wade
Center Thanksgiving, the family one was my fourth). It was lovely and
thought provoking. John Bear Mitchell spoke about the day from a
Native American perspective. We had drumming and singing. Then we
feasted. My favorite part was the fruit bread and cherry cheesecake I
had for dessert. I sat with a group of very interesting students from
China. Afterward I was able to get to church in time for choir
practice.
A great big shout out goes out to my multicultural center friends who
put on such a fine event.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Poisoned Apples
Poisoned Apples
YA poetry
The first poem in a collection of fifty (Christine Heppermann's
Poisoned Apples), The Woods, faces a photograph of a grove of trees.
"The action's always there.
Where are the fairy tales about gym class
or the doctor's office or the back of the bus
where bad things also happen?...
No need for a bunch of trees.
You can lose your way anywhere."
In a volume slim enough to slip into just about any backpack or
messanger bag Heppermann shows us that in today's society the
expectations our society has for girls and the situations they find
themselves in provide dangers the Brothers Grimm never imagined back
in the day.
*A beautifying spa treatment is compared to the preparation of a
turkey for the dinner table with the implied concept of consumption by
another being;
*Mannequins make a 13-year-old girl feel like a failure;
*An anorexic girl pushes past the point of no return.
Many of the poems contain elements of the original stories,
sometimes in very surprising ways:
*Rapunzel decides she's going to sleep in rather than let down her
hair so a prince can climb it;
*The miller's daughter, instead of entering into the mission
impossible that has her making deals with Rumplestilskin, gets an
apartment, takes classes, waits tables, and won't tell the secret
ingredient in the gravy;
*Little Red much prefers her drinking and smoking Wolfie to the
woodsman whose posterior she will kick if he shows up...
My favorite imagines how period products would be marketed if
guys were the ones who menstruated:
"For pads with Wings, Kotex shows jet fighters.
For Heavy Flow, ninjas surf a tsunami.
For Scented, smiling blondes in bikinis
Enjoy sniffing a crotch..."
Poisoned Apples is a delightful must read for anyone questioning
the relevance of poetry or fairy tales.
On a personal note, I am proud to say I did not spend a cent on Black
Friday. I walked to Orono and back, finding two bags of bottles and
cans to cash in. I cooked a turkey with all the trimmings dinner. I
spent quality time with my precious companion Joey cat.
A great big shout out goes out to all the others who decided not to
battle the crowds in this orgy of spending that ironically happens
after we at least pay lip service to being grateful for all that we
have.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA poetry
The first poem in a collection of fifty (Christine Heppermann's
Poisoned Apples), The Woods, faces a photograph of a grove of trees.
"The action's always there.
Where are the fairy tales about gym class
or the doctor's office or the back of the bus
where bad things also happen?...
No need for a bunch of trees.
You can lose your way anywhere."
In a volume slim enough to slip into just about any backpack or
messanger bag Heppermann shows us that in today's society the
expectations our society has for girls and the situations they find
themselves in provide dangers the Brothers Grimm never imagined back
in the day.
*A beautifying spa treatment is compared to the preparation of a
turkey for the dinner table with the implied concept of consumption by
another being;
*Mannequins make a 13-year-old girl feel like a failure;
*An anorexic girl pushes past the point of no return.
Many of the poems contain elements of the original stories,
sometimes in very surprising ways:
*Rapunzel decides she's going to sleep in rather than let down her
hair so a prince can climb it;
*The miller's daughter, instead of entering into the mission
impossible that has her making deals with Rumplestilskin, gets an
apartment, takes classes, waits tables, and won't tell the secret
ingredient in the gravy;
*Little Red much prefers her drinking and smoking Wolfie to the
woodsman whose posterior she will kick if he shows up...
My favorite imagines how period products would be marketed if
guys were the ones who menstruated:
"For pads with Wings, Kotex shows jet fighters.
For Heavy Flow, ninjas surf a tsunami.
For Scented, smiling blondes in bikinis
Enjoy sniffing a crotch..."
Poisoned Apples is a delightful must read for anyone questioning
the relevance of poetry or fairy tales.
On a personal note, I am proud to say I did not spend a cent on Black
Friday. I walked to Orono and back, finding two bags of bottles and
cans to cash in. I cooked a turkey with all the trimmings dinner. I
spent quality time with my precious companion Joey cat.
A great big shout out goes out to all the others who decided not to
battle the crowds in this orgy of spending that ironically happens
after we at least pay lip service to being grateful for all that we
have.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
This Book Is Gay
This Book Is Gay
YA nonfiction
The young adult years are the time many of us grapple with
questions about sexuality. Our bodies change drastically, not always
in ways that please us or match media standards. Our emotions can
make life seem like a roller coaster. It would be confusing enough if
our responsibilities were not growing, people weren't treating us
differently...
I remember being more annoyed by than attracted to the booger
brained boys I went to school with, particularly the Neanderthals who
felt that I'd suddenly put on a sign that said please touch. I had no
desire to fake an interest in stuff like football or act like I was
stupid. If they married me for stupidity I'd be stuck playing life
size Barbie doll for the rest of my life. So was I a lesbian? Even
as a library geek par excellence I could not find the answer to that.
James Dawson's This Book Is Gay, dedicated to "anyone who has
ever wondered," is a most excellent resource for today's young (and
not so young) people. In addition to his research and personal
observations, Dawson has drawn on the words of over three hundred LGBT
people. His tone is conversational, deeply personal, nonjudgemental.
His book is eminantly readable.
"...loads of young people--gay, straight, or bi; trans or cis--
have oodles of questions about what it's like to be LGBT. This book
has some of the answers. Whether you think you might be LGBT or you
think you're straight and have some questions or you're anywhere in
between, this book's for you."
Some of the topics dealt with are: what the different
categories and others (like A for asexual) mean; the way stereotypes
limit people; strategies for dealing with homophobic and transphobic
people and institutions; and ways to come out and meet compatible
people. The last chapter aims to help parents and caretakers
understand and accept LGBT youth.
This Book Is Gay needs to be placed in every middle and high
school library and the juvenile sections of public libraries.
Teachers, guidance counselors, and others who work with young people
would do well to put this book on their summer reading lists.
On a personal note, I had a really great Thanksgiving. The
festivities started for me the night before when my younger daughter
arrived from Portland to spend the night. We had a nice time to chat
before bed. We had the traditional family Thanksgiving dinner out in
Winterport. I so enjoyed the time I spent with my three kids, their
cousins, and Amber's fiancée.
A great big shout out goes out to my kids, my niece and nephew, and
all of their significant others. You never cease to amaze me.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
The young adult years are the time many of us grapple with
questions about sexuality. Our bodies change drastically, not always
in ways that please us or match media standards. Our emotions can
make life seem like a roller coaster. It would be confusing enough if
our responsibilities were not growing, people weren't treating us
differently...
I remember being more annoyed by than attracted to the booger
brained boys I went to school with, particularly the Neanderthals who
felt that I'd suddenly put on a sign that said please touch. I had no
desire to fake an interest in stuff like football or act like I was
stupid. If they married me for stupidity I'd be stuck playing life
size Barbie doll for the rest of my life. So was I a lesbian? Even
as a library geek par excellence I could not find the answer to that.
James Dawson's This Book Is Gay, dedicated to "anyone who has
ever wondered," is a most excellent resource for today's young (and
not so young) people. In addition to his research and personal
observations, Dawson has drawn on the words of over three hundred LGBT
people. His tone is conversational, deeply personal, nonjudgemental.
His book is eminantly readable.
"...loads of young people--gay, straight, or bi; trans or cis--
have oodles of questions about what it's like to be LGBT. This book
has some of the answers. Whether you think you might be LGBT or you
think you're straight and have some questions or you're anywhere in
between, this book's for you."
Some of the topics dealt with are: what the different
categories and others (like A for asexual) mean; the way stereotypes
limit people; strategies for dealing with homophobic and transphobic
people and institutions; and ways to come out and meet compatible
people. The last chapter aims to help parents and caretakers
understand and accept LGBT youth.
This Book Is Gay needs to be placed in every middle and high
school library and the juvenile sections of public libraries.
Teachers, guidance counselors, and others who work with young people
would do well to put this book on their summer reading lists.
On a personal note, I had a really great Thanksgiving. The
festivities started for me the night before when my younger daughter
arrived from Portland to spend the night. We had a nice time to chat
before bed. We had the traditional family Thanksgiving dinner out in
Winterport. I so enjoyed the time I spent with my three kids, their
cousins, and Amber's fiancée.
A great big shout out goes out to my kids, my niece and nephew, and
all of their significant others. You never cease to amaze me.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, November 27, 2015
We Rode The Orphan Trains
We Rode The Orphan Trains
Juvenile nonfiction
These days when an adoption can take quite a few months, involve
reams of paperwork, and cost as much as a brand new truck it may be
hard to imagine a time when one could go to a public building to view
a group of prospective sons and daughters and return home with a
child. In the not so long ago past that was state of the art. Andrea
Warren's We Rode the Orphan Trains explores a fascinating chapter in
United States history through the stories of some of the children and
one of the agents responsible for their safe delivery.
In 1850 New York City it's estimated that between ten and thirty
thousand children resided in crowded, underfunded orphanages or bedded
down on the cruel streets of the Big Apple. Decades before the
importance of municipal sanitation was known, epidemics of diseases
like typhoid and yellow fever orphaned many. Poverty and substance
addictions would leave others parentless or cause them to be
abandoned. The bloodshed of the Civil War would later leave many
youngsters fending for themselves.
In 1853 Charles Loring Brace, a minister, became aware of the
plight of these familyless children. "...Some children sold rags or
matches, trying to earn a few pennies to buy bread. Others became
thieves and pickpockets. They slept wherever they could, on sidewalk
steam grates, in makeshift shacks, or under bridges..."
Brace believed that homes were better for children than
institutions...and, of course, far better than the street. He had
heard about orphan relocation programs in Europe. Surely there were
small town and farm families in the west who could make room for one
more child. Train loads of youngsters were sent to towns and cities,
posters announcing their arrival in advance.
"The object of the coming of these children is to find homes in
your midst, especially among farmers, where they may enjoy a happy and
wholesome family life, where good care, good examples, and moral
training will fit them for a life of self-support and
usefullness...The conditions are that these children shall be properly
clothed, treated as members of the family, given proper school
advantages and remain in the family until they are eighteen years of
age...The Society (Children's Aid Society) retains the right to remove
a child at any time for just cause and agrees to remove any found
unsatisfactory after being notified."
Among the train riders profiled in this fascinating book you
will meet:
*Ruth who was taken to an orphanage when she was three by her widowed
mother who could only take her younger child to her job as a live-in
housekeeper. She was five when she rode the train. After a bad night
with an unsuitable family she was transferee to an understanding
father and a mother and two unmarried aunts who doted on her;
*Twins Nettie and Nellie who were removed from their home at the age
of five by the authorities following the death of a little sister.
They were six when they rode the train. Fortunately their agent knew
that they needed to stay together even though separate placements
would have been easier. A "temporary" home turned into a permanent
haven where there mother vehemently defended against prejudice against
orphans.
*and Howard who was removed from his home because of "scandalous
neglect" on the part of his mother. He and older brother, Fred, were
placed in families close enough to maintain the sibling bond. When he
needed a birth certificate for the navy he was startled to learn that
his birth parents were still alive.
The most fascinating and relevant aspect of history, in my
opinion, is not the memorizing of names and dates of battles and dead
white men, but the lived experience of "ordinary" people. This book
and others about the orphan trains make an excellent introduction to
this concept for children. Youngsters and concepts like home and
belonging are central to this narrative.
On a personal note, the book's theme that real family does not have to
be biological has become very personal to me. My mom had pressured me
to produce grandchildren to the point where at times I felt like
merely the vessel for this acheivement. I was not going to do that to
my kids. Well I found myself captivated by my friend Ed's
granddaughter, a very bright and energetic strawberry blonde toddler.
With my sterling ethics and abilities to bake and read aloud with
expression I figured I was prime great aunt material. I adopted Ed as
my brother. At our stage in life there was no need to involve DHHS.
Now I am happily planning what to give my new great niece for Christmas.
A great big shout out goes out to all who realize that real family is
not limited to blood or marriage kin.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
These days when an adoption can take quite a few months, involve
reams of paperwork, and cost as much as a brand new truck it may be
hard to imagine a time when one could go to a public building to view
a group of prospective sons and daughters and return home with a
child. In the not so long ago past that was state of the art. Andrea
Warren's We Rode the Orphan Trains explores a fascinating chapter in
United States history through the stories of some of the children and
one of the agents responsible for their safe delivery.
In 1850 New York City it's estimated that between ten and thirty
thousand children resided in crowded, underfunded orphanages or bedded
down on the cruel streets of the Big Apple. Decades before the
importance of municipal sanitation was known, epidemics of diseases
like typhoid and yellow fever orphaned many. Poverty and substance
addictions would leave others parentless or cause them to be
abandoned. The bloodshed of the Civil War would later leave many
youngsters fending for themselves.
In 1853 Charles Loring Brace, a minister, became aware of the
plight of these familyless children. "...Some children sold rags or
matches, trying to earn a few pennies to buy bread. Others became
thieves and pickpockets. They slept wherever they could, on sidewalk
steam grates, in makeshift shacks, or under bridges..."
Brace believed that homes were better for children than
institutions...and, of course, far better than the street. He had
heard about orphan relocation programs in Europe. Surely there were
small town and farm families in the west who could make room for one
more child. Train loads of youngsters were sent to towns and cities,
posters announcing their arrival in advance.
"The object of the coming of these children is to find homes in
your midst, especially among farmers, where they may enjoy a happy and
wholesome family life, where good care, good examples, and moral
training will fit them for a life of self-support and
usefullness...The conditions are that these children shall be properly
clothed, treated as members of the family, given proper school
advantages and remain in the family until they are eighteen years of
age...The Society (Children's Aid Society) retains the right to remove
a child at any time for just cause and agrees to remove any found
unsatisfactory after being notified."
Among the train riders profiled in this fascinating book you
will meet:
*Ruth who was taken to an orphanage when she was three by her widowed
mother who could only take her younger child to her job as a live-in
housekeeper. She was five when she rode the train. After a bad night
with an unsuitable family she was transferee to an understanding
father and a mother and two unmarried aunts who doted on her;
*Twins Nettie and Nellie who were removed from their home at the age
of five by the authorities following the death of a little sister.
They were six when they rode the train. Fortunately their agent knew
that they needed to stay together even though separate placements
would have been easier. A "temporary" home turned into a permanent
haven where there mother vehemently defended against prejudice against
orphans.
*and Howard who was removed from his home because of "scandalous
neglect" on the part of his mother. He and older brother, Fred, were
placed in families close enough to maintain the sibling bond. When he
needed a birth certificate for the navy he was startled to learn that
his birth parents were still alive.
The most fascinating and relevant aspect of history, in my
opinion, is not the memorizing of names and dates of battles and dead
white men, but the lived experience of "ordinary" people. This book
and others about the orphan trains make an excellent introduction to
this concept for children. Youngsters and concepts like home and
belonging are central to this narrative.
On a personal note, the book's theme that real family does not have to
be biological has become very personal to me. My mom had pressured me
to produce grandchildren to the point where at times I felt like
merely the vessel for this acheivement. I was not going to do that to
my kids. Well I found myself captivated by my friend Ed's
granddaughter, a very bright and energetic strawberry blonde toddler.
With my sterling ethics and abilities to bake and read aloud with
expression I figured I was prime great aunt material. I adopted Ed as
my brother. At our stage in life there was no need to involve DHHS.
Now I am happily planning what to give my new great niece for Christmas.
A great big shout out goes out to all who realize that real family is
not limited to blood or marriage kin.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Lois Lane: Fallout
Lois Lane: Fallout
YA fiction
I think if I had a dollar for every young person for whom, at
least temporarily, gaming is much more fascinating than books I'd be
able to achieve family financial security and do a lot of good in the
world. Reading assignments can become the occassions for all out
warfare. Lois Lane: Fallout can come to the rescue. The plot
evolves vividly and excitingly in both real and virtual worlds.
Lois is the older daughter in a constantly on the move military
family. Her father, General Sam Lane, has said they will finally be
able to stay put, develop roots. He wants her to fit in and not make
waves. It seems that she's found trouble in a number of the schools
she's spent time in.
Even though Lois sets out with the best of intentions, it soon
becomes clear that it won't be easy or maybe possible. She sees her
principal refuse to help a student who is being bullied. A group is
waging covert warfare on her.
"...I swear to you, they're...doing something to me. To my
mind. Cognitive assault. Psychological coercion..."
They is a group that moves as one, finishes one another's
sentences, acts more like a single organism than a collection of
individuals. They are able to get to their victim in both real life
and a game, Worlds War Three.
These young people, the Warheads, spend only their mornings in
school. Afternoons find them involved in an independent study called
Project Hydra. It takes place off campus in a corporate building. Who
is behind this. To what end are they using high school students?
As the action moves between real and virtual worlds, the plot is
fast paced and suspenseful. I think even young people who aren't much
into reading would find the book hard to put down.
On a personal note tis the night before Thanksgiving and I am eagerly
awaiting the arrival of my younger daughter, Katie.
A great big shout out goes out to all my readers. May tomorrow find
you in a good place with lots to be thankful for!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
I think if I had a dollar for every young person for whom, at
least temporarily, gaming is much more fascinating than books I'd be
able to achieve family financial security and do a lot of good in the
world. Reading assignments can become the occassions for all out
warfare. Lois Lane: Fallout can come to the rescue. The plot
evolves vividly and excitingly in both real and virtual worlds.
Lois is the older daughter in a constantly on the move military
family. Her father, General Sam Lane, has said they will finally be
able to stay put, develop roots. He wants her to fit in and not make
waves. It seems that she's found trouble in a number of the schools
she's spent time in.
Even though Lois sets out with the best of intentions, it soon
becomes clear that it won't be easy or maybe possible. She sees her
principal refuse to help a student who is being bullied. A group is
waging covert warfare on her.
"...I swear to you, they're...doing something to me. To my
mind. Cognitive assault. Psychological coercion..."
They is a group that moves as one, finishes one another's
sentences, acts more like a single organism than a collection of
individuals. They are able to get to their victim in both real life
and a game, Worlds War Three.
These young people, the Warheads, spend only their mornings in
school. Afternoons find them involved in an independent study called
Project Hydra. It takes place off campus in a corporate building. Who
is behind this. To what end are they using high school students?
As the action moves between real and virtual worlds, the plot is
fast paced and suspenseful. I think even young people who aren't much
into reading would find the book hard to put down.
On a personal note tis the night before Thanksgiving and I am eagerly
awaiting the arrival of my younger daughter, Katie.
A great big shout out goes out to all my readers. May tomorrow find
you in a good place with lots to be thankful for!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
The Education of Ivy Blake
The Education of Ivy Blake
Juvenile fiction
Readers who enjoyed Ellen Airgood's Prairie Evers will be
thrilled with its very worthy sequel, The Education of Ivy Blake.
Ivy is free spirit Prairie's best friend. She's been living
with the Evers family, feeling a real sense of security and belonging
for the first time in her life. Suddenly, in the middle of the night,
her mother, Tracy, is back to claim her.
"The gist of it was, she was leaving George. Leaving George,
leaving Poughkeepsie, leaving her job at the night desk of the hotel,
quitting her life across the river cold turkey. She'd thrown her
wedding ring and house keys smack at George's heart, which he didn't
have anyway, and pulled away."
She wants a new start in a new town with Ivy.
Ivy works hard to convince herself that her new life is going to
be ok. She takes every positive sign as an omen of normalcy. Tracy,
however, hasn't acquired the stability required for single parenting a
preteen. She dismisses Ivy's interests, reminding her that people
like them "don't get happy endings." She drinks too much. She
behaves very erratically, making scenes in public. Sometimes the
police get called in.
Ivy very much misses the Evers family. But she refuses to tell
them the truth of her situation...no matter how bad things get.
On a personal note, I had my most recent op ed published in the Bangor
Daily News. It was a very personal piece about suicide prevention. I
wrote it to further spread the message of the UMaine Out of the
Darkness walk. It's my best yet. I plan to enter it next fall for
Maine Press Awards.
A great big shout out goes out to people working to prevent suicide
and to help the kids in unstable family situations who, like Ivy, are
in danger of missing out on the chance to grow up nurtured and
protected.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
Readers who enjoyed Ellen Airgood's Prairie Evers will be
thrilled with its very worthy sequel, The Education of Ivy Blake.
Ivy is free spirit Prairie's best friend. She's been living
with the Evers family, feeling a real sense of security and belonging
for the first time in her life. Suddenly, in the middle of the night,
her mother, Tracy, is back to claim her.
"The gist of it was, she was leaving George. Leaving George,
leaving Poughkeepsie, leaving her job at the night desk of the hotel,
quitting her life across the river cold turkey. She'd thrown her
wedding ring and house keys smack at George's heart, which he didn't
have anyway, and pulled away."
She wants a new start in a new town with Ivy.
Ivy works hard to convince herself that her new life is going to
be ok. She takes every positive sign as an omen of normalcy. Tracy,
however, hasn't acquired the stability required for single parenting a
preteen. She dismisses Ivy's interests, reminding her that people
like them "don't get happy endings." She drinks too much. She
behaves very erratically, making scenes in public. Sometimes the
police get called in.
Ivy very much misses the Evers family. But she refuses to tell
them the truth of her situation...no matter how bad things get.
On a personal note, I had my most recent op ed published in the Bangor
Daily News. It was a very personal piece about suicide prevention. I
wrote it to further spread the message of the UMaine Out of the
Darkness walk. It's my best yet. I plan to enter it next fall for
Maine Press Awards.
A great big shout out goes out to people working to prevent suicide
and to help the kids in unstable family situations who, like Ivy, are
in danger of missing out on the chance to grow up nurtured and
protected.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Terrible Typhoid Mary
Terrible Typhoid Mary
Juvenile Biography
Imagine that you feel perfectly healthy. Out of the blue you
are approached by health officials who believe that you are spreading
deadly illness wherever you go. They demand urine, feces, and blood
specimens. Perhaps they will isolate you, maybe do God only knows
what to your body in the name of public health and medical science.
That's the real life nightmare a cook named Mary Mallon was swept into
back in 1907.
Mallon's nemesis, George Soper, was a sanitary engineer. At the
turn of that century cities were putting them on municipal payrolls to
imrove urban living conditions and cut down on epidemics. In addition
to food waste and trash there were ashes from furnaces and stoves and
equine byproducts. (Did you know a horse can produce 20-30 pounds of
poop and 4 gallons of pee a day? Remind me to stick with cats.)
Contaminated drinking water was a prime route for the proliferation of
some pretty nasty diseases.
"...Working with city governments and city health departments,
sanitary engineers designed apartment houses with better ventilation
and flush toilets. They designed massive sewer systems to dispose of
human waste. They planned public waterworks to supply safe, clean
drinking water. These improvements helped reduce the incidence of
typhoid disease by sixty-seven percent."
Soper was contacted by a well to do woman who rented a house out
to vacationing families. One of them had incurred, between members
and their servants, six cases of typhoid fever that summer. People
were talking. She wanted the house's tainted reputation to be cleared
before the next rental season.
Soper began to suspect that the culprit might be a cook hired
before the onset of the illnesses. He had read about healthy
carriers, people who remained capable of transmitting contagious
diseases after recovering from them. Mallon might be one of these
individuals. Although this concept had won the 1905 Nobel Prize it
had not at that point been proven in the United States.
"If he was right, this discovery would make his career. He
would become famous in medical and scientific circles...His name
would go down in medical history...
Mary was not going to make this easy for him.
Terrible Typhoid Mary is a fascinating narrative in its right.
It also shines a light on an ethical dilemma that shows up whenever a
dread disease is seen as threatening a population. Which should win
out: individual rights or collective safety. In Maine very recently
Governor Paul LePage tried to quarantine a nurse who had cared for
Ebola patients in Africa.
On a personal note, my fall semester writing class was really
excellent. Each of us could do two presentations and get feedback on
them. I presented some poems and an op ed piece.
A great big shout out goes out to Engineers Without Borders, a group
that works on projects like clean water access and sanitary disposal
of human waste in third world countries. Those people are rock stars!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile Biography
Imagine that you feel perfectly healthy. Out of the blue you
are approached by health officials who believe that you are spreading
deadly illness wherever you go. They demand urine, feces, and blood
specimens. Perhaps they will isolate you, maybe do God only knows
what to your body in the name of public health and medical science.
That's the real life nightmare a cook named Mary Mallon was swept into
back in 1907.
Mallon's nemesis, George Soper, was a sanitary engineer. At the
turn of that century cities were putting them on municipal payrolls to
imrove urban living conditions and cut down on epidemics. In addition
to food waste and trash there were ashes from furnaces and stoves and
equine byproducts. (Did you know a horse can produce 20-30 pounds of
poop and 4 gallons of pee a day? Remind me to stick with cats.)
Contaminated drinking water was a prime route for the proliferation of
some pretty nasty diseases.
"...Working with city governments and city health departments,
sanitary engineers designed apartment houses with better ventilation
and flush toilets. They designed massive sewer systems to dispose of
human waste. They planned public waterworks to supply safe, clean
drinking water. These improvements helped reduce the incidence of
typhoid disease by sixty-seven percent."
Soper was contacted by a well to do woman who rented a house out
to vacationing families. One of them had incurred, between members
and their servants, six cases of typhoid fever that summer. People
were talking. She wanted the house's tainted reputation to be cleared
before the next rental season.
Soper began to suspect that the culprit might be a cook hired
before the onset of the illnesses. He had read about healthy
carriers, people who remained capable of transmitting contagious
diseases after recovering from them. Mallon might be one of these
individuals. Although this concept had won the 1905 Nobel Prize it
had not at that point been proven in the United States.
"If he was right, this discovery would make his career. He
would become famous in medical and scientific circles...His name
would go down in medical history...
Mary was not going to make this easy for him.
Terrible Typhoid Mary is a fascinating narrative in its right.
It also shines a light on an ethical dilemma that shows up whenever a
dread disease is seen as threatening a population. Which should win
out: individual rights or collective safety. In Maine very recently
Governor Paul LePage tried to quarantine a nurse who had cared for
Ebola patients in Africa.
On a personal note, my fall semester writing class was really
excellent. Each of us could do two presentations and get feedback on
them. I presented some poems and an op ed piece.
A great big shout out goes out to Engineers Without Borders, a group
that works on projects like clean water access and sanitary disposal
of human waste in third world countries. Those people are rock stars!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
This Way Home
This Way Home
YA fiction
"...He wouldn't have admitted it, but the freshly painted houses
and well-tended lawns made him feel inexplicably happy. He loved the
big inviting porches with wicker furniture, and toys scattered
everywhere...And the trees, some of which were a hundred years old,
anchored by strong, invisible roots. It was like his neighborhood had
wrapped itself around its families, promising a lifetime of good
things, like backyard barbecues and graduation parties."
Elijah Thomas, protagonist of Wes Moore and Shawn Goodman's This
Way Home, is looking toward his own graduation and beyond. His
basketball skills make a scholarship to a top ten university highly
probable. He still wishes his father who vanished before he was even
old enough to form a memory of him would show up and take pride in
him. But his two job working mom goes all out to prepare him for a
better future. His two best friends, Dylan and Michael, have been
with him since they were really little.
Not all, though, is good in the hood. Walking home from a
street basketball game, Elijah comes upon a crime scene. A boy his
age, a straight A student and jazz band musician, has been shot. There
are rumors of gang involvement.
The last day of school Michael shows Elijah and Dylan the pairs
of $400 sneakers a sponsor has provided for their neighborhood
basketball team. The only information he'll give about the donor is
he has mad money and keeps a low profile. When the team uniforms
arrive they have ominous logos on them.
"...But then there was that patch and what it stood for--Blood Street
Nation. It was so small and discreet, which, he supposed, was the
genius of it. A tiny, little crimson icon that said so much, namely
that he and his friends were about to play ball for a gang..."
Elijah has his misgivings. They've stayed out of gangs all
their lives. But there is no adult with whom he can talk out his
dilemma with. "...Maybe the shoes and jerseys were gifts, with no
strings attached. And maybe if he said it enough times, he'd actually
believe it."
This Way Home is a tightly suspenseful story with a protagonist
it would be nearly impossible not to root for. It's an excellent read
for high school boys who are turned off by books they consider
irrelevant.
On a personal note, I'm now splitting my Sundays between singing alto
in two church choirs. Singing the anthems makes me feel like I'm more
fully connected to the source of all joy and beauty. Last Sunday we
had a hand bell choir accompanying us. It was so beautiful.
A great big shout out goes out to both my choirs and church families.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"...He wouldn't have admitted it, but the freshly painted houses
and well-tended lawns made him feel inexplicably happy. He loved the
big inviting porches with wicker furniture, and toys scattered
everywhere...And the trees, some of which were a hundred years old,
anchored by strong, invisible roots. It was like his neighborhood had
wrapped itself around its families, promising a lifetime of good
things, like backyard barbecues and graduation parties."
Elijah Thomas, protagonist of Wes Moore and Shawn Goodman's This
Way Home, is looking toward his own graduation and beyond. His
basketball skills make a scholarship to a top ten university highly
probable. He still wishes his father who vanished before he was even
old enough to form a memory of him would show up and take pride in
him. But his two job working mom goes all out to prepare him for a
better future. His two best friends, Dylan and Michael, have been
with him since they were really little.
Not all, though, is good in the hood. Walking home from a
street basketball game, Elijah comes upon a crime scene. A boy his
age, a straight A student and jazz band musician, has been shot. There
are rumors of gang involvement.
The last day of school Michael shows Elijah and Dylan the pairs
of $400 sneakers a sponsor has provided for their neighborhood
basketball team. The only information he'll give about the donor is
he has mad money and keeps a low profile. When the team uniforms
arrive they have ominous logos on them.
"...But then there was that patch and what it stood for--Blood Street
Nation. It was so small and discreet, which, he supposed, was the
genius of it. A tiny, little crimson icon that said so much, namely
that he and his friends were about to play ball for a gang..."
Elijah has his misgivings. They've stayed out of gangs all
their lives. But there is no adult with whom he can talk out his
dilemma with. "...Maybe the shoes and jerseys were gifts, with no
strings attached. And maybe if he said it enough times, he'd actually
believe it."
This Way Home is a tightly suspenseful story with a protagonist
it would be nearly impossible not to root for. It's an excellent read
for high school boys who are turned off by books they consider
irrelevant.
On a personal note, I'm now splitting my Sundays between singing alto
in two church choirs. Singing the anthems makes me feel like I'm more
fully connected to the source of all joy and beauty. Last Sunday we
had a hand bell choir accompanying us. It was so beautiful.
A great big shout out goes out to both my choirs and church families.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
One Blue Tarp
One Blue Tarp
Play
After pondering a subject as heavy as the use of children as
soldiers I felt like I needed a break from serious. I'd heard a lot
about a play, One Blue Tarp, that had premiered down the road in
Bangor at the Penobscot Theater Company. I'd picked up the book at
Orono Public Library. It seemed like the perfect breather.
David Stillman is a plaid shirt and plain jeans (wouldn't be
caught dead in Hollisters) kind of guy. He has just bought a new blue
tarp to cover the pile of odds and ends he has stashed in his yard.
He's guarding that tarp with his life. A new town ordinance has
banned blue tarps in people's yards.
His nemesis, Gale Pritchard, a wealthy widow "from away" has
settled down in his small town. She believes that if the people can
be persuaded to see the error of their ways and gussy up their living
spaces Clara can become a tourist destination like Camden and
Belfast. Eventually it can be the site of "points of light" such as a
winter carnival and a literary festival. The elimination of eyesores
has been the first step in her campaign.
Despite being a wicked funny comedy, One Blue Tarp also calls
attention to a very controversial topic in today's Maine: who knows
what is best for the state's future. It's epitomized in the ongoing
conflict between proponants and opponants of a North Woods park that
would preserve forest land for future generations but limit or
eliminate traditional uses. Those who would gentrify the state to
bring in more people and money are up against long term residents who
feel threatened by the loss of what they consider their traditional
way of life. Whose state is it anyway?
Gale admits toward the end that it's about more than a very
prosaic and commonplace object. When, in a town meeting, David tells
her people just want to have choices rather than mandates, she exclaims,
"Choice! Look at the choices you people make. Look at what you eat.
Look at where you live. Look at what you watch on tv. Look at the
video games you let your children play. Trash! All of it trash and
you just want to cover it up with your stupid tarps!"
As funny as it is to read, it would be great to see in the flesh
or to put on. With a small cast and sparse setting it wouldn't be all
that hard to direct. If anyone in the environs of Veazie takes me up
on this good advice, I'm in the right demographics for David's wife
and Gale. Just saying.
On a personal note, I just went and got my flu shot, the pricier one
that supposedly protects me from four strains. Not that I really need
it. But with my popularity with both toddler and vintage sets and the
fact that I volunteer at the Orono Public Library, I could otherwise
become Influenza Jules. We want the only thing contagious about me to
be my personality. Of course I bought rum raisin ice cream to prevent
adverse side effects, a strategy that obviously worked.
A great big shout out goes out to the many people like my beloved
husband who, though nowhere near David on the curmudgeon scale, feel
angered by changes that threaten more traditional life styles.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Play
After pondering a subject as heavy as the use of children as
soldiers I felt like I needed a break from serious. I'd heard a lot
about a play, One Blue Tarp, that had premiered down the road in
Bangor at the Penobscot Theater Company. I'd picked up the book at
Orono Public Library. It seemed like the perfect breather.
David Stillman is a plaid shirt and plain jeans (wouldn't be
caught dead in Hollisters) kind of guy. He has just bought a new blue
tarp to cover the pile of odds and ends he has stashed in his yard.
He's guarding that tarp with his life. A new town ordinance has
banned blue tarps in people's yards.
His nemesis, Gale Pritchard, a wealthy widow "from away" has
settled down in his small town. She believes that if the people can
be persuaded to see the error of their ways and gussy up their living
spaces Clara can become a tourist destination like Camden and
Belfast. Eventually it can be the site of "points of light" such as a
winter carnival and a literary festival. The elimination of eyesores
has been the first step in her campaign.
Despite being a wicked funny comedy, One Blue Tarp also calls
attention to a very controversial topic in today's Maine: who knows
what is best for the state's future. It's epitomized in the ongoing
conflict between proponants and opponants of a North Woods park that
would preserve forest land for future generations but limit or
eliminate traditional uses. Those who would gentrify the state to
bring in more people and money are up against long term residents who
feel threatened by the loss of what they consider their traditional
way of life. Whose state is it anyway?
Gale admits toward the end that it's about more than a very
prosaic and commonplace object. When, in a town meeting, David tells
her people just want to have choices rather than mandates, she exclaims,
"Choice! Look at the choices you people make. Look at what you eat.
Look at where you live. Look at what you watch on tv. Look at the
video games you let your children play. Trash! All of it trash and
you just want to cover it up with your stupid tarps!"
As funny as it is to read, it would be great to see in the flesh
or to put on. With a small cast and sparse setting it wouldn't be all
that hard to direct. If anyone in the environs of Veazie takes me up
on this good advice, I'm in the right demographics for David's wife
and Gale. Just saying.
On a personal note, I just went and got my flu shot, the pricier one
that supposedly protects me from four strains. Not that I really need
it. But with my popularity with both toddler and vintage sets and the
fact that I volunteer at the Orono Public Library, I could otherwise
become Influenza Jules. We want the only thing contagious about me to
be my personality. Of course I bought rum raisin ice cream to prevent
adverse side effects, a strategy that obviously worked.
A great big shout out goes out to the many people like my beloved
husband who, though nowhere near David on the curmudgeon scale, feel
angered by changes that threaten more traditional life styles.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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