Thursday, July 30, 2015

brain rules

brain rules

Adult non fiction
It's a very unimpressive looking organ (think gummy candy the
color of raw squid) located inside the human skull. However, it's
command central--in charge of everything from breathing and
procreating to the finest art and most abstract math. You know I'm
talking about the brain. There's an awful lot we are discovering
about its abilities and limitations and what we can do to make the
most of it. If we wait for the final answers most of us will pass
first. However, and you knew I was going to say this, I've just
discovered a delightful book that can enlighten most of us.
John Medina's brain rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and
Thriving at Work, Home, and School neatly links the latest research in
formidable sounding fields like neuroscience and biochemistry with
practical real life applications. The text is highly readable with
only the faintest trace of the didactic. The twelve chapters are
built around topics of great general interest:
*Are female and male brains all that different?
*Does music help kids learn better?
*How can we get people to pay attention to what we consider important?
*What is it about stress that scrambles our cognitive powers?...
Some of what you read will make intuitive sense. Some will
shatter ideas many of us believe. It's a fascinating read and, in
paperback, a solid book club choice. I reccomend it to anyone who is
a parent, a teacher, a legislator, a heath care professional, a
marketer, or a member of the human species.
On a personal note, I was fascinated by how, since vision trumps all
other senses, pictures facilitate the understanding of the written
word. I've always thought it a shame that so many books for all but
our youngest readers have words and background and nothing else. Why
are we so picture phobic or snobby? I have seen my poems alone and
with graphic art done by my friend, Leah. The graphic arts adds so
much richness and depth. Someday I want my poems to be published in
that format.
A great big shout out goes out to all who are gaining insight into the
inner workings of our awesome brains.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Fatal Fever

Fatal Fever

YA nonfiction
My youngest child, Adam, is about to start college in
September. His life at this point is full of hope and promise. I
can't imagine how I would feel if I was to be advised to come right
away because he was critically ill. A number of parents of Cornell
students were in this predicament in 1903. Cornell and surrounding
Ithaca, New York were in the grip of a typhoid epidemic. Death In
Ithaca is a chapter in Gail Jarrow's Fatal Fever: Tracking Down
Typhoid Mary.
In America when antibiotics were still decades away from
discovery and water sources and human waste disposal left a lot to be
desired infectious diseases were big time killers. "Typhoid was among
the top five fatal infectious diseases in the United States, along
with influenza, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diptheria. In 1900, it
struck nearly 400,000 Americans, and more than 3500 of them died."
Understandably people were frightened. Tracking down sources of
outbreaks was quite the challenge, particularly since victims could be
asymptomatic for as long as three weeks. Cleansing water sources of
fecal contaminents was a truly formidable task. Untreated sewage ran
into rivers and outhouses were located next to wells.
Then the already terrifying picture became even more ominous
with the discovery of carriers, people who harbored typhoid in their
bodies and cast them out
in their stools without showing symptoms. One strong candidate was an
Irish immigrant who worked as a cook. A number of members of families
she had worked for had contracting the disease when she had been in
their employ.
Fatal Fever combines a fast paced detective story with
fascinating scientific information and ethical issues that are as
current as they were a century ago;
1) Health authorities isolated Mary for much of her life to protect
people from a source of contamination. "When a deadly, highly
contagious, and untreatable disease strikes, what do we expect health
officials to do? What government actions would--or should--we
tolerate? Does the protection of a city's population trump the rights
and freedom of an individual?"
2) Although few Americans die of typhoid these days, the sitaution is
much more dire in other parts of the world. Remember fecal
contamination of food and water is the primary route of
transmission. "As many as 2.5 billion people worldwide live without
basic sanitation, with a billion of them defecating on open ground?
Nearly 800 million have no access to clean water." With our technology
and relative wealth, do we not have a duty to help bring those numbers
down?
On a personal note, reading the book I became intrigued by what I
learned about Dr. S. Josephine Baker. The fact that she became a
doctor when she did is of interest in itself. But her interests in
public health and treating and improving life for the poorest of the
poor, coupled with her dislike of unsuitable political appointees,
make her someone I'd like to know a lot more about.
A great big shout out goes out to all who choose public health over
other potentially more lucrative callings.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Monday, July 27, 2015

What World is Left

What World is Left

YA novel
"...He said children are disposed of in death camps. 'Disposed
of' Those are words people use to talk about garbage, not human
beings. Not children. Can it be true? It must be true. What would
this man stand to gain by lying?"
When Monique Polak's mother was only fourteen, an age in which
we think of girls as making the transition to high school, she was
making a transition of a whole different kind. She and her family
were shipped off to Theresienstadt, a Nazi concentration camp. Like
many other survivers, most of her life she did not share her
experiences...until 2007 when her writer daughter, Polak, was give a
grant to write a book based on them. What World is Left is a poignant
and gritty work of event based fiction.
Anneke, her parents, and her little brother, Theo, are taken by
train to Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, a place that was originally
built in 1780 as a garrison town by Emperor Joseph II and named after
his mother, Emperor Maria Theresa. Meant to house 7,000 it holds
nearly 10 times that many, quartered in squalor and filth. Meals
consist of watery soup. Labor is hard and unending. Nazi guards can
abuse and kill on whim. And there is a constant fear. "The one goal--
the only goal at Theresienstadt--is to keep your name, and the names
of those you love, off the transport lists. But transports are as
much a part of life here as bedbugs and latrines."
As bad as conditions are in Theresienstadt, it is not a death
camp like Sobibor or Auschwitz-Birkenau. In fact it is touted as a
model camp--a gift from Hitler to the Jews. The Nazis use it as
evidence that the rumors the rest of the world has heard are just not
true. Cosmetic embellishments like flower pots and fake store fronts
installed before the arrival of the Danish Red Cross and a movie with
the most healthy inhabitants drafted as extras have Anneke facing a
moral issue no young person should have to. Her father, a well known
artist, has been compelled to lend his talents to those projects. She
knows that his refusal would have doomed the family to suffering and
quite possibly death. But if the world is successfully deceived, no
one will come to their rescue.
What World is Left is an excellent read for the mature YA or
adult adult reader. The context of the quote I started the review
with is a conversation between two doctors Anneke overhears. One is
wondering why they are told to cure children who are doomed to be
killed. Later on she is groped by a Nazi. No matter how filthy and
degraded she feels, she knows it is best for her not to tell anyone.
On a personal note, it sometimes seems to me that humanity never
learns from history how wrong it is to dehumanize and mistreat those
we label "other." We may not do this on the scale of the Nazis. But
it happens all over the world. I am very much troubled right now by
Governor LePage's fight to deny basic assistance to immigrants. He
portrays them as lazy bums who come to Maine to take advantage of our
generosity. Really those families would be in grave peril in their
native lands. Also the whitest, oldest state in America is badly in
need of their energy and talents.
A great big shout goes out to all who advocate on behalf of those who
experience prejudice and hatred.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Written in the Stars

Written in the Stars

YA novel
Imagine that you are young, just out of high school. A family
vacation trip to your parents' homeland, Pakistan, goes horribly
wrong. You are trapped in your worst nightmare with no hope of
escape. Worse, it is your own parents, the people you love and trust
the most, who have put you in this predicament. That is the plight of
Naila, narrator of Aisha Saeed's Written in the Stars.
As the story opens Naila is finishing her senior year in her
Florida high school. Unlike her peers, she has to be very secretive
about having a boyfriend, Saif. She is not even allowed to go to
school sporting events. Her parents, particularly her mother, are
very conservative and concerned with their reputation and status in
the Pakistani community. She must do her part by being the perfect
daughter, even accepting her parents' right to marry her off to
whomever they find suitable.
All through the year that she has been in this relationship
Naila has been nothing but circumspect. After all soon they will have
the freedom of being away at college. But she does let her friends
talk her into going to her prom where her parents catch her dancing
with Saif.
Naila's parents are beyond furious. She has disgraced them in
the eyes of their friends, ruined their reputation. She must never
see Saif again. And she is not to return to school--not even for her
graduation. In fact on the day of her graduation she, her parents,
and her little brother are on a plane to Pakistan, headed for a visit
with extended family. Little does she know they will return to the
States without her.
What makes this story truly poignant is that, although these
particular characters are fictitious, forced arranged marriages are
still trapping girls in foreclosed futures. As Saeed points out in
her author's note, this abusive situation happens all over the world,
including the United States. It is only possible within a world in
which girls and women are seen as property to be traded and sold
rather than as sentient beings. Naila's sister-in-law describes this
dehuminization poignantly.
"Life is full of sadness. It's part of being a woman. Our
lives are lived for the sake of others. Our happiness is never
factored in..."
Written in the Stars is a must read for all feminists between
the ages of 16 and 96.
On a personal note, I have two daughters in their twenties. From
their earliest infancies I have only wanted them to grow up to live
their dreams. I can't imagine forcing them into marriages with people
they scarcely know.
A great big shout out goes out to all who raise awareness of and work
to end this cruel tradition.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Saturday, July 25, 2015

Little Man

Little Man

Juvenile novel
Starting middle school can be a challenging and frustrating
experience, especially for kids who are different enough to draw the
attention of mean peers. Elizabeth Mann's Little Man is a gem of this
subgenre. What distinguishes it most from the rest is its locale, a
Caribbean island called Little Scrub, and the characters who inhabit
it. We aren't in Kansas anymore.
Albert, the younger brother of two locally well known school
athletes, is the runt of the litter. Dressing for school on the first
day of dreaded middle school, he feels pitifully inadequate as he
fails to fill out his hand-me-down school uniform. "...He still
hadn't grown big like Ashanti, and looking cool like him was out of
the question..." Sure enough, when he gets on the school bus the local
bullies, members of a sprawling clan, chant "Little Man, Little Man,
you so small, didn't hardly see you at all."
Complicating matters, Albert's long time best friend, Linden,
who had a knack for defusing situations is not around. He's in the
States where his college professor father has a new job. In school
and at home Albert drags around lost and alone.
Then one night while helping his musician father at a barbeque,
Albert beholds an amazing sight--Mocko Jumbies, colorful characters
who dance and perform all kinds of tricks on 8' tall stilts. Much to
his surprise, one of them turns put to be Peachy, his school bus
driver. In addition to being a performer in a popular group, Peachie
is teaching a group of high school stiltwalking. He's willing to let
Albert join the group.
Could this be at least part of the answer to his problems?
Any kid who would enjoy an action packed coming of age story in
a colorful setting will find Little Man impossible to put down.
On a personal note, my mother-in-law had a 75th birthday party last
weekend. It was a very nice event with a lovely cake. Today is her
actual birthday. So...
...a great big shout out and wishes for a happy birthday go out to my
mother-in-law, Arlene Hathaway of Winterport, Maine.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Bootleg

Bootleg

Juvenile nonfiction
The year was 1758. A Virginian running for the House of
Burgess, a gentleman by the name of George Washington, provided
"brandy, rum, cider, beer, and wine" for the citizens who voted.
Could those liquid refreshments have contributed to his win.
The above information about one of our founding fathers comes
from a fascinating little volume: Karen Blumenthal's Bootleg:
Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition. It gives an
eye opening look at the years when Prohibition was in full swing as
well as the decades leading up to it. Prohibition was well
intentioned. Proponants believed that banning the demon rum and all
related beverages would clear up all society's ills. When they got
their wish, however, things played out way differently than they'd
anticipated with gangsters taking over turf, adulterated illegal booze
sickening and killing thousands, and children involved in dangerous
law breaking.
Why does this remind me of the marijuana situation today?
How one felt on prohibition related issues often had to do with
demographics as well as ethics. The rich who could afford to buy
alcohol for home consumption thought saloons were dens on iniquity
that needed to be shut down; immigrants workers saw them as places
for unwinding and relaxing. Conservative Christians questioned
Catholic and Jewish use of wine. Southern whites tried to keep
alcohol away from blacks. Some people who wanted alcohol legal tried
to keep women from voting, fearing that they were all fans of Carrie
Nation, the prohibitionist who spoke strongly and carried an axe.
Literally.
Even as prohibition was the law of the land the Harding White
House was, in Blumenthal's words, "as wet as the Potomac River."
Politics!
On a personal note, I had a perfect Bastille Day. I went with Amy and
Cecille (two of my book club chums) to see the arrival of the grand
ship Hermione. It had crossed the ocean from France. It was
magnificent. We ate supper out near Hermione while listening to
wonderful music. My favorite part was the authentic small town
parade. Everyone from vintage citizens to babes in strollers danced
and skipped down the street. Women's costumes made me very grateful
to live now rather than back in the day. :)
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who worked to make this
very special event happen, especially the sailors.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Seed

Seed

YA novel
In the subgenre I call religious cult dystopia I have not yet
met the novel I don't fall in love with. I think this is because they
tend to be authentic both plausibly and emotionally. The authors
create worlds that are just a little beyond what one sees in cults and
even some churches. The feelings of the protagonists as they inhabit
and then are pushed out of their comfort zones are ones we can all
relate to despite differences in circumstances. Lisa Heathfield's
Seed is a real gem in this category.
Pearl (15) has spent all her life in a self contained
agricultural community called Seed. The group is centered around the
worship of Nature, a being that will provide them with all they need.
There are many rules and rituals, all overseen by patriarch Papa S who
punishes anyone who dares disobey. Children are raised communally and
relationships are anything but monogamous. Pearl very much enjoys her
life, abundant in simple pleasures. Of course she has known nothing
else.
Pearl's contact with non Seed people has been limited to selling
them vegetables and crafts at a market. All she sees there enforces
her fear of the outside world and her conviction that she is only
truly safe at Seed. But all that is about to change. A family of
outsiders is accepted into the community, a family that includes an
intriguing boy close to her in age.
I consider Seed an enchanting and thought provoking summer read
for both young adults and adult adults.
On a personal note, recently Eugene and I went to his uncle and
aunt's 40th anniversary party. It was a very nice event and quite an
interesting mix of people. Eugene and I are only days away from our
26th. But I have a 40th anniversary coming up--me and the Red Cross.
Four decades of donating blood. My mother tried to talk me out of my
first time. She went with me and was so stressed she almost fainted.
A nurse told me, "You did just fine. But next time could you leave
your mother at home?". Now my son is a regular donor. How cool is that?
A great big shout goes out to the Red Cross and all my fellow blood
donors.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Boys Don't Knit (In Public)

Boys Don't Knit (In Public)

YA novel
During my life time there has been much debate about what
interests and activities are appropriate for girls and boys. Girls
have had to fight very hard to take their rightful places in hockey
rinks and science labs. We now know that we're much more complex than
the Barbie and Ken stereotypes of the 1950s, for example, homecoming
queen and football captain. However, a lot of people who have come to
accept girls playing with toy trucks and scoring touchdowns get a
little spleeny when it comes to boys playing dress up or sewing. I
didn't understand this until I read that transgender females face more
prejudice than transgender males. As long as activities and traits
considered masculine are more highly valued that those considered
feminine (say competing over nurturing) taking on "male" interests and
identity will be moving on up while incorporating those considered
"female" will be anything but.
T. S. Easton's Boys Don't Knit (In Public) takes a perceptive
look at this issue. Ben Fletcher (17) is on probation for an incident
involving shoplifted alcohol and a lollipop lady (school crossing
guard). One of the terms of his probation is the keeping of a
journal. This becomes the delightful format through which we get to
see the world through his eyes.
A second term is "giving something back" to the victim of his
actions: the lollipop lady, Mrs. Frensham. This turns out to be much
easier said than done. The person who was supposed to cue her in
failed to do so. On his first visit she throws household items at him
through an upstairs window.
A third term is "involvement in some suitable extracurricular
activity." He is sent a list of open community college offerings. The
only one he doesn't have a reason to avoid is knitting. Much to his
surprise he has a lot of natural talent. Even more surprisingly, he
really enjoys it and soon goes way beyond class in his new found
interest. It helps him cope with the stresses in his life, ranging
from his family life to the friends who have a propensity to get him
in trouble.
There's a major problem though. The kids who go to school with
Ben, especially the bullies who keep starting incidents, will think
there's somethhing very wrong with him if news of his new hobby gets
out. His father thinks anything sewing related is what no real man
would ever do.
On a personal note, there's one way in which I'm very much like Ben.
In the book he gets to the point where he designs his own patterns. I
knit and crochet with yarn from thrift shops and yard sales, projects
other people gave up on, and damaged items. I see what I can do with
what I have. My favorite piece is a rainbow afghan I crocheted. I
carry around a crafts bag and pull out my creation du jour whenever I
have a few minutes. This year I designed my very first counted cross
stitch piece and I hope to do a lot more.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow needle artists. Long may
you craft!
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Sunday, July 19, 2015

Listen, Slowly

Listen, Slowly

Juvenile fiction
Mai, narrator of Thanhha Lai's Listen, Slowly, was sure that the
summer after sixth grade would be the one she's waited for all her
life, full of California sun and fun. She's old enough to go to the
beach without an adult. She and her best friend have new highlights
and bathing suits. There is a certain boy she'd like to know better.
Her parents, however, have a mission to send her on. Her
grandmother who had to flee Vietnam with seven children including
Mae's father, never learned what happened to her husband. She has
wanted to know for decades. Now a detective may have the information
to help her get closure. With her lawyer mother, her doctor father,
and all other family members too busy, Mai must escort her frail
grandmother back and stay with her until she learns what she needs to.
Wanting only to get back home to her normal life, Mai is
immersed in a culture that is very different and sometimes scary. Her
coping with and learning to value it make for a very poignant coming
of age story.
On a personal note, I can relate. When I was 18 I was one of a group
of exchange students in Mexico. The adult (26) who was in charge was
having a nervous breakdown. As the next oldest, I had taken over
before we even took the train through Mexico. So the months we were
away I had to handle everything from solving student/host family
conflict to helping a kid larger than me come down from illegal drugs.
At the same time I was dating a Mexican law student to whom I became
engaged. By some miracle everyone got back fine.
A great big shout out goes out to all people challenged with making
their way in unfamiliar places.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Saturday, July 18, 2015

Scarlett the Cat to the Rescue

Scarlett the Cat to the Rescue

Picture book
In 1996 in Brooklyn an abandoned garage caught on fire. A cat,
Scarlett, was cuddled up with her kittens. She leapt to her paws to
begin carrying them to safety one by one.
The fire was brought under control. A firefighter heard the
soft cries of the kittens. Knowing they could not have saved
themselves, he searched for and found Scarlett. Nancy Loewen's
Scarlett the Cat to the Rescue: Fire Hero is the story of this very
heroic feline.
The terse text with every word perfectly chosen and dramatic but
tender pictures make this real life story a true peach of a read aloud
for parents and teachers to share.
On a personal note, for the rest of her life Scarlett was a special
needs cat, needing eye drops three times a day. A special section at
the back asks what the challenges and rewards of taking care of such
an animal are. I can tell you. My beloved Joey cat was born with
urinary tract problems. He has had to have a number of life saving
operations. The challenges are that I have to be very vigilent and
bring him to the vet at the first sign of a urinary tract infection.
I also often have to give him meds he doesn't want. The rewards are
so much greater. He is a sweet natured cat with a heroic will to
live. Most of the time when he is well he is the happiest, most
affectionate cat you can imagine. I can never take him for granted.
Each day when I see his dear little face my heart is filled with joy.
A great big shout out goes out to everyone at Veazie Vet who is so
good to Joey and to all the folks who take tender loving car of
special needs animals.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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The Wrong Side Of Right

The Wrong Side Of Right

YA novel
If you follow election news coverage you might be a bit peturbed
by what goes down. Does it seem that big time politicians will do
just about anything to get themselves elected including using friends
and family members to achieve this goal? What if these people aren't
even old enough to vote? Jenn Marie Thorne's The Wrong Side Of Right
tackles this very pertinent issue in a unique and intriguing coming of
age story.
Kate has just finished an AP final. Her uncle with whom she
lives (her mom had died the year before) calls to tell her to come
home right away. Reporters are surrounding her home. One asks her
when she learned that Senator Cooper was her father...
...Senator Cooper as in the Republican candidate for president.
It seems that in a much earlier campaign when Kate's mom was a young
election volunteer he was not as faithful to his wife as he should
have been. The existance of an illigitimate child has been leaked to
the press. The opposition is making much of his earlier infidelity.
Now he is sitting in Kate's living room trying to figure out if
there's any truth to the accusition.
Before she knows it, Kate is spending a campaign summer with the
senator and his family. She enjoys being a big sister for the most
part. Meg, the senator's wife, is warm and gracious. The senator
himself is an enegma--an almost always missing enigma. Does he really
want to bring his newly discovered daughter into his life? Is he
instead just putting the spin on the story that he believes will make
him most electable?
Then there's the son of the President who is running for
reelection and, therefore, Kate's dad's rival. He has a bad boy
reputation...gives his father's entourage quite a few anxious
moments. He seems intent on befriending (and possibly going beyond
befriending) her. Intuitively this seems strange to Kate. Aren't
their parents fighting for the nation's most powerful office? But he
may be the only one who understands what she's going through on the
campaign trail.
The Wrong Side Of Right will make a great summer read for a book
seeking teen who is not all into glittery vampires.
On a personal note, once upon a time I was a Democrat campaign
volunteer. I'd worked on campaigns so long I don't remember when I
started. My favorite was the presidential campaign of 2004. My kids
and I were eating, breathing, sleeping campaign, subsisting for the
most part on whatever was at headquarters--high on taste and low on
nutrition. We were so united. It felt like magic. Since then the
shine has worn off the two party system in my eyes. It's like being
in a family where every other year the parents battle for the custody
of the kids and then forget they exist.
A great big shout out goes out to all who are trying to reform
America's slightly dysfunctional system for electing leaders.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Friday, July 17, 2015

In Regard To Food

In Regard To Food

Picture books
A lot of young people don't know much about the routes food
takes (and the people whose labor this entails) before it lands in the
supermarket. Too many people of all ages don't know what can and
can't be composted to keep food garbage from landing up in landfills
where organic waste can create noxious gases. So it was true
serendipity when I discovered a book on each aspect of this process to
pair up beautifully.
Pat Brisson's Before We Eat: from farm to table is a lovely
picture book for the youngest children. As a group is thanking the
people who helped provide the food for their meal, there is a seamless
segue to the wide range of roles involved in its production--ground
plowing through grocery selling. The words are minimal, the woodcut
pictures rich and beautifully detailed. A parent or teacher sharing
this book would do well to think of local places to visit that link in
with the words and illustrations. A visit to a community garden this
time of year would help with the tending, weeding, and harvesting
pictures. If you're near a harbor there may be fishing boats. Even
pointing out grazing cows through a car window can help make a link
between picture and experience.
Mary McKenna Siddals' Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the
Earth is another great book in terms of linking printed word and
picture with hands on experience. A jubilant red haired youngster
invites readers to mix a batch of compost stew. Some of the
alphabetically listed ingredients are pretty much what you'd expect:
apple cores, grass clippings, kitchen scraps... Others were a surprise
to me: laundry lint, coffee grounds, seaweed strands... Ashley
Wolff's richly detailed and whimsical collages couldn't be more
perfect. Way to combine literacy and environmentalism!
The real life application? Start making compost. If the
prospect seems intimidating or space considerations are daunting join
up with other families or try to get a program going in your local
school, religious or civic group, or other organization. Your state's
Cooperative Extension will probably be a good source of information.
When you have yourself a bunch of rich compost inhabited with very
happy earthworms...
...time to take on the planting, tending, weeding, and
harvesting alluded to in Before We Eat. :)
On a personal note, I am enjoying the soft gentle rain Orono Community
Garden needs for our veggies! That beautiful space is getting to look
like a modern day Garden of Eden--minus the serpent.
A great big shout out goes out to ethical food producers and
composters around the world. You're nothing less than rock stars!
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Two Bobbies

Two Bobbies

Picture book
Finally on the superhero theme, Kirby Lawson and Mary Nethery's
Two Bobbies, A True Story Of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, And
Survival shows us that people aren't the only beings with superhero
potential. Bobbi, a dog, and Bob Cat, a feline, are real life stub
tailed critters and best friends. Their friendship and loyalty
survived quite an ordeal.
The ordeal came in the form of Hurricane Katrina. In the crisis
that was post hurricane Louisiana many people and animals were left to
fend for themselves. There was simply not enough help to go around.
Resilient and resourceful, Bobbi and Bob Cat traveled together,
seeking food and watching out for danger.
Four months after Katrina Bobbi and Bob Cat met up with a
construction crew who began feeding them. The workers delivered them
to a temporary shelter where volunteers discovered something amazing
about their friendship. Obviously they had to be adopted together.
Only when the temporary shelter was about to shut down a home had not
been found for them.
Could there be one more miracle in store?
Illustrator Jean Cassels has obviously spent a lot of time
around cats and dogs. Everything about Bobbi and Bob Cat--their
expressions, their postures, their fur texture--rings true. I can not
imagine the child who would not come to care deeply about the two
furry friends. Two Bobbies could inspire a discussion about how the
critters helped each other survive and some ways people can assist one
another.
On a personal note, Joey cat is thriving, being just so happy. In the
morning and night he is alert and pouncy. He slows down and naps when
the day starts to heat up. He has his own window fan for when it's
muggy.
A great big shout out goes out to all the kind people who rescue
animals and help find them loving homes.
Julia Emily Hathaway


Sent from my iPod

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Princess Smartypants

Princess Smartypants

Picture book
While we're on the subject of superheroes, we can't overlook
Babette Cole's classic Princess Smartypants. Orono Public Library
just acquired a copy. It is a breath of fresh air for all of us who
are just plain fed up with princesses waiting around in comas to be
awakened by true love's kiss and carted off to happily ever by Prince
Charming. Bleah!
Princess Smartypants has no desire for marriage. She likes her
unwed, independent lifestyle just fine thank you. Her queenly mom
pressures her to pretty herself up and find a husband. Hopeful
suitors keep pestering her. But she is clever, resourceful, and
perfectly capable of deterring the legions of would be hubbies. The
surprise ending is absolutely delightful.
Princess Smartypants is a must read for feisty girls and moms
who want to be the heroines of their life stories, not dormant trophy
princesses.
On a personal note, the other Fathers Day weekend event was one of my
best achievements as a writer: my first Artsapalooza. Artsapalooza
is an annual event in Orono--an evening where musicians perform and
writers read their work in a wide range of venues. Much to my delight
I was given prime time in my beloved Keith Anderson community center
where I perform with Orono Arts Cafe and Orono Community Theater. I
did my research and picked just the right poems for the demographic I
attracted. It was one forty minute love fest. My listeners and I were
so engaged, so on the same wave length. I was in seventh heaven. The
next morning I got an invitation to perform next year.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in Artsapalooza
2015.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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I Am Jazz

I Am Jazz

Juvenile non fiction
A real life superhero (continuing the theme here) is Jazz
Jennings, the young protagonist of I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and
Jazz Jennings. Jazz' favorite color is pink. She enjoys activities
like dancing, singing, soccer, and swimming. She and her best friends
like wearing princess gowns and jumping on trampolines.
Jazz is different from her chums in one way. She was born into
a male body. She confused her family by having feelings and interests
not consistent with her outward appearance.
Fortunately one day her parents took Jazz to a doctor who
explained about the word transgender. Fortunately too her parents
accepted and loved her just as she is.
Fortunately for us, this beautifully told story, greatly
enhanced by Shelagh McNicholas' vibrant and colorful illustrations,
brings this subject to life in a way that is understandable to our
youngest readers and listeners, some of whom may be or have friends
who are transgender. The back page has a very important resource
listing.
On a personal note, I first learned about transgender as a school
committee member. Consolidation had joined my town's school with
those of two towns, one of which was involved in a legal case
involving a transgender child. In a beautiful coincidence my then
college student daughter Katie asked me to find her books for a paper
on bullying of transgender students. I read everything I could get my
hands on. I was overjoyed, blown away. I grew up with a sibling who
always seemed to be a male suffocatig under pressures to like girly
girl stuff and dress dainty. It makes me so happy when transgender
people can be their true heart felt selves. I am proud to be an ally.
A great big shout out goes out to transgender people and those who
love and advocate for them.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Unplugged

Unplugged

Picture book
This summer's theme for a library reading program for kids is
superheroes. The youngsters would do well to read Unplugged: Ella
Gets Her Family Back. Ella, the protagonist, is a superhero for our
times. Let me tell you why.
Ella has noticed something that really bothers her. Her family
members are increasingly absorbed by their individual electronic
devices, tuning each other out. Mom is constantly on her cell phone,
too busy to make blueberry waffles. Dad has stuff to read on his
computer. Sister Maya texts nonstop. Brother Carlos is caught up in
video games.
Ella can remember when her family talked to each other and did
things together. She does not like the direction in which they are
going. When she tries to talk about it the others won't pay
attention. So she finds a most creative to get them to listen and
make her point.
Penny Weber's illustrations really help bring the story to
life. Curly haired Ella is vivid, confident, expressive, powerful.
Her hooked on electronics family looks truly zombified. Their
appearance on the last few pages is a lot more hopefully.
Our electronic devices are decidedly mixed blessings. Probably
their biggest danger comes when they cease being things we can use and
put down. Even little kids are spending too much time in virtual
world at a great cost to real world activities and relationships. It
happens slowly, insidiously, incrementally, below the level of
consciousness. The task for people of all ages and families is to
become conscious of how we allocate time and attention and make the
choices and decisions mindfully so we can attain a healthy balance
between real and virtual worlds. Unplugged is a good ice breaker for
having this discussion in any family with young children.
On a personal note, one thing that happened at the marathon really
bothered me. A woman was running with a meagerly dressed baby in a
stroller. At one point she noticed the infant was nonresponsive and
turning blue. She handed the child to a volunteer and went on to
finish the race. Fortunately the volunteer knew first aid for
hypothermia and where to find a nurse. But really. Putting a
marathon over one's own baby turning blue. To me that is just not
right.
A great big shout out goes out to the first aid savvy volunteer and
his nurse friend. Without their rapid response a sporting event could
have become a tragedy.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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A Baseball Duo

A Baseball Duo

Juvenile biography
Baseball is often called America's sport, its national pastime.
Many people take their major league loyalties very seriously. (If I
had a dollar every time a Mainer donned a Red Sox shirt I would be a
happy camper.) Some of the athletes they have admired over the
decades have had to overcome serious obstacles to earn their places on
teams. Lively new books tell us the stories of two who were
encouraged and inspired by their brothers.
Emily Arnold McCully's Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy
Story is about a very determined girl. Lizzie, born in 1894, showed
her gift at the age of six, playing catch with her baseball playing
brother. Although her mother told them not to, her brother and
father, who also had been a player, encouraged her to develop her
talent. Her dad gave her his old ball and glove. It was an uphill
struggle. But talent, determination, and an ability to negotiate
enabled her to become the the first woman to play on both Major League
All-Star teams.
Growing up poor in the Dominican Republic, Pedro Martinez,
protagonist of Matt Tavares' Growing Up Pedro had a steep climb to the
major lagues. From early boyhood he dreamed of following in older
brother Ramon's footsteps. He had his sights set on the two of them
playing in the major leagues. Unlike Ramon, however, he was small and
thin, hardly starting pitcher material in many people's eyes. My
favorite part of this story is that, although he became rich and
famous, he never forgot where he came from. He donated time and money
so that people in the Dominican Republic, especially children could
have better lives and futures.
If you have a child who lives and breathes baseball, either of
these books would be a fine choice for a summer read.
On a personal note, I haven't forgotten that I promised to tell you
the two special events of my Fathers Day weekend. The first was the
marathon which was the first ever held at the University of Maine.
The day before I helped get ready. That day would have been perfect.
The day of the actual race was anything but. Did it ever rain! My
job was to stand at a turn for six hours to make sure all the over 500
runners went in the right direction. They ran a course twice. Half
marathoners ran it once. I had a blaze orange flag to catch their
eye. They were so nice, thanking me for volunteering. Even with a
poncho I was soaked when I got to my daughter Amber's home for fathers
day supper. I ate it in her pajamas. That was a day to remember!
A great big shout out goes out to the dedicated runners who were
gracious even when soldiering on in the rain and my many fellow
volunteers.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Just Joking 4

Just Joking 4

Juvenile humor
Many kids think that summer vacation and reading of any sort are
incompatible. Sadly, these are often the youngsters most in need of
literacy practice. Rosie Cowsell Pattison's Just Joking 4 is a lively
little volume that should be appealing to them.
This book is one of the best in it's genre that I've ever seen.
The jokes are novel and clever?
"What do you do when you're attacked by a gang of circus performers?
Go for the juggler."
The photographs that illustrate then are outstanding, not surprising
since the publisher is National Geographic Kids. Many fascinating
animal facts are included. My favorite is that a cat can jump five
times its height. That's like me jumping 25 feet! Joey cat, Yikes!
On a personal note, the July Orono Arts Cafe was one of the best I've
ever participated in. We had ten acts including three new ones. The
joint was jumping! People were clapping, stamping feet, shaking the
plastic maracas we put on the tables. At one point Terrie and I were
dancing. Next time I am going to bring my tambourine.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow Arts Cafe performers,
especially the new ones, our enthusiastic audience, and the folks who
work behind the scenes to make this fabulous venue possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Bone Gap

Bone Gap

YA novel
During a couple of breezy evenings, which fell blessedly on the
heels of warm, sunny days, in my outdoor swing, surrounded by the
sights and sounds of urban nature, I fell under the delightful spell
of Laura Ruby's Bone Gap. It's like a YA fairy tale, combining a
vivid world that is part real, part fantasy with a genuine
understanding of human nature to reach a profound and slightly
disturbing insight.
Sean and Finn O'Sullivan are brothers. Finn is considered
strange and moony by the denizens of Bone Gap. Older brother, Sean,
has been his caretaker since their mother decided her boys were old
enough to fend for themselves and moved to Oregon with a orthodontist
who didn't like kids. He's an EMT who has had to put med school plans
on hold.
Roza is an exchange student from Poland who showed up in their
barn one day, battered but not wanting to go to the hospital or see a
doctor. They invited her to stay in a small unused apartment in their
house. She quickly won their hearts over with her way of being and
ethnic cooking.
Priscilla, who prefers to be called Petey, is an outspoken,
liberated daughter of beekeeper, Mel, following capably in her
mother's footsteps. The Bone Gap citizens consider to have a smoking
body but the face of one of her charges. Only someone as spaced out
as Finn would fall for--or use her to get what he desires.
Actually the town of Bone Gap is every bit as much of a
character as any of its inhabitants. It's a place where people are up
in everyone else's business and "know" more than they actually know
about their neighbors, rumor and speculation carrying equal weight
with fact. It's also a place where a prize horse can appear in a barn
out of nowhere and seamlessly carry one to what seem to be alternative
universes or places where fairy tales (unDisneyized ones) are more
than fodder for children's bedtime stories.
When Roza disappears, the town decides she left the brothers.
Didn't their own mother abandon them? Why should she be any
different? Sean assumes that she is gone for good. Only Finn is sure
she has been abducted against her own will. He will do whatever it
takes to find her and bring her back.
This beautifully crafted story with its gripping plot and
colorful characters has a powerful underlying message: how well do we
really perceive those around us?
On a personal note, I am super excited. Today I am going to Castine
with my friend Amy. I miss the ocean so much! We are going to see
the arrival of a tall ship and stick around for the fireworks. I
adore fireworks!
A great big shout out goes out to those who continue to go down to the
sea in ships. Can you tell I grew up near Gloucester, Massachusetts?
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Monday, July 13, 2015

Turning 15

Turning 15

Juvenile biography
What did you do on your fifteenth birthday? Go out to dinner
with your family? Have friends over for a party, maybe to spend the
night? Chances are you didn't wake up in a huge tent with over a
hundred other girls and women and spend the day marching toward
Montogmery to fight for voting rights, hearing passing motorists
screaming vile insults, being well aware of the possibility of snipers
and bombs. Then again, you probably hadn't been in jail nine times by
the time you turned fifteen.
Lynda Blackman Lowery, narrator of Turning 15 On The Road To
Freedom was born in 1950. "In those days, you were born black or you
were born white in Selma [Alabama]--and there was a big difference."
When she was seven her mother died. Her father would not let his
children be split up. Her grandmother moved in to help out,
strengthening Lynda with messages like, "There is nothing more
previous walking on this earth than you are. You are a child of God..."
Sadly not all the Selma denizens agreed with this loving
appraisal. Many places were whites only...including the voting
booth. Out and out refusal to register blacks, enabled by tests the
whites didn't have to take, as voters and showing photographs of those
who tried to bosses who had the power to fire them kept elections
pretty much out of reach--even for the teachers who were considered
the best and brightest. Can you imagine being a teen and having this
basic right denied to your parents and teachers?
Lynda was one of the determined young people who was not going
to put up with this injustice anymore. She and her peers had to face
dangers most of us don't have to confront in a lifetime. Her
narrative, told in an authentic young teen's voice, is amazing and
inspiring. Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom is the perfect read for
a child or parent feeling overwhelmed by all the bad things going on
in today's world.
On a personal note, it bugs the living daylights out of me that, after
what so many went through to get us the right to vote (which women,
for example, haven't even had a century) so few of us exercise it.
They have better participation where people can get killed at the
polling place. Do we stop valuing a right once we don't have to fight
for it?
A great big shout out goes out to all informed voters. Way to rock
democracy!
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Doctored

Doctored

Adult Biography
When I was a child doctors fell only slightly under the Trinity
in the esteem of most people including my mother. Decades later when
my children were young many parents like me brought our children for
medical treatment with a great deal less trust. Would a doctor
prescribe an unneeded medicine because Big Pharma was making offers he/
she could not refuse?That was a frequent concern of mine.
Sandeep Jauhar, author of Doctored: The Disillusionment of an
American Physician, discusses this loss of special status from the
physician's perspective. "Today medicine is just another profession,
and doctors have become like everyone else: insecure, discontented,
and anxious about the future...American doctors are suffering from a
collective mallaise. We strove, made sacrifices, and for what?..."
In Doctored, Jauhar interweaves two strands of a profoundly
disturbing story. There is his narrative of his struggle to establish
himself professionally and earn enough to support a wife and child.
There is also his growing recognition of the Faustian bargains
required to thrive and even survive as a cardiologist.
This is scary stuff. Americans, according to Jauhar, spend over
$2.5 trillion on health care only have our country come in last in
health care quality, almost last in infant mortality, and behind
Bosnia in life expectancy. If you're like me, you'll be thinking,
What the Hell? This is exactly the question the book sets out to
answer. Doctors order unnecessary tests just so they can break even.
The different specialists on a patient's case give fragmented and
sometimes contradictory recommendations. The politics behind doctors
referring patients (and income) to one another make the Mafia look
like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood... Even intended reforms can have
decidedly dark sides. Surgical report cards, intending to prove
quality of care, can inspire doctors to cherry pick the patients most
likely to survive and thrive, leaving too few willing to take on
patients most in need of help.
In Jauhar's words, "The practice of medicine today is as fraught
as it's ever been, and the doctor-patient relationship is in serious
trouble...These are not trivial problems. How they are resolved will
in no small part determine the future of health care in this country."
That's for damn sure!
On a personal note, I could only read a little over half the book. In
terms of scariness it makes Stephen King's works seem suitable for
publication as Little Golden Books. It is excellent as human interest
story and document/call for action. If you can read it cover to
cover, you have my sincere admiration.
A great big shout out goes out to those doctors who are doing their
best to buck the system and treat patients as people.
Julia Emily Hathaway




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The Little Spark

The Little Spark

Adult non fiction
I am one of those people who never grew up. I never learned
most of the things grown ups do:
*that creativity is the domain of only professionals,
*that most people are doomed to failure on such endeavors,
*that anything less than perfection is failure,
*that making a mess is a very bad thing...
So far I've gone through life like a female Peter Pan, learning,
writing, creating, dancing just for the intrisic joy in doing so.
When I read Carrie Bloomston's The Little Spark: 30 Ways to Ignite
Your Creativity it felt like coming home.
We're born with creative sparks. As children we live life, as
Bloomston says, "with curiosity and openness.". Remember how we'd
totally immerse ourselves in projects and fantasies of our own
devising, dress creatively, dance and skip instead of walk? Then
something happened, adulthood, which is greatly overrated. Now we
don't have time to be creative. We might make a mess. People would
judge our efforts. We'd never do well enough. Why bother?
Bloomston asserts that no matter how hard we try to hide it or
blow it out the spark stays lit. We can bring it back to full blaze
by taking baby steps in the right direction. The Little Spark gives
invitations to take these steps and affirmations for the journey.
Questions help you personalize these roadmaps. Spark 2, for instance,
is about creating the space you need. There are ways to do this even
when you don't have a lot of square footage to work with. Do you need
fresh air? Do you prefer a desk, an easel, or even the floor as a
work space? How can you store materials?
A lot of people deal in somedays. Someday I'm going to write a
book/make a quilt with the children's old clothes/join the choir...
If that's you, get your hands on a copy of The Little spark. It can
show you what small steps it can take to turn someday into today. And
you'll have a wonderful time on the journey.
On a personal note, quite fittingly, The Little Spark was one of the
first books I read and reviewed in my brand new--drum roll please--
studio. That's right, folks. For the first time in my life I have a
studio dedicated to my reading, writing, and crafting. It's the room
my girls grew up in which makes it doubly special. Up til now I had
run into an obstacle Bloomston describes eloquently,
Always having to move stuff to get down to work. In my case that
translated into misplacing just what I needed. The girls' old room
had started to be a storage space with a Hurricane Andrew decor. Then
one day I knew it just had to be a studio. The minute I started
cleaning the project organized itself. A small coffee table, for
instance, just had to hold my library books. The free bookcase I
found on someone's lawn fit perfectly beside the bed where I like to
read and write. I now have my studio set up enough to be useful but
still a work in progress. The bed is made up for a daughter sleeping
over. But I use it on hot nights since it's the room with the best
cross ventilation.
A great big shout out goes out to my daughter, Amber, who is one of
the craftiest people I know. She has an amazing crafts blog that is
perfect for people who don't have tons of money for fancy supplies.
If you'd like to discover some pretty fun ways to unleash your inner
creativity, check out http://amberscraftaweek.blogspot.com.you'll be
glad you did.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Without Benefit of Insects

Without Benefit of Insects

Adult biography

Sadly my adult lifetime and that of famous entemologist Edith
Marion Patch had no overlap. I am a great fan of hers. If we had
been contemporaries I believe we would have gotten on famously. We
both were fascinated by the six legged denizens of our world, even
during those teen years when insects were commonly considered yucky
and an interest in them suspect. We both combined reading with field
work. Before a trip to Mexico when I was ten my mom helped me get a
permit in my name from the government enabling me to bring specimens I
collected back across the the border. We both cultivated monarch
butterflies to which we were quite partial. We both had a knack for
writing, an abhorance for giving children anything short of the truth,
and the awareness of how to write for different audiences. We even
believed in lucky stones.
I was never able to meet Edith Patch. However, I had the great
good fortune of living two years in Braeside, her former home. At
that time it was vegetarian student housing and I was in my doomed
attempt at a PhD. It thrilled me no end to eat in her kitchen, walk
the wood floors she had, look out the windows she had seen the world
through... I so badly wanted to learn more about her. Needless to
say, when I saw K. Elizabeth Gibbs' Without Benefit of Insects: The
Story of Edith M. Patch of the University of Maine I was over the moon.
Edith Patch was an amazing woman. Just to get to be a
University entemologist at the turn of the century (and I don't mean
the one we recently passed through) was a feat. The person who
appointed her was criticized for hiring a woman who (it was assumed)
"could not climb a tree, nor catch a grasshopper" retorted that it
would take a "lively grasshopper to evade her." Indeed she spent
plenty of time out in the field pursuing active inquiry on the life
cycles and alternate hosts of plant pests that jeopardized Maine crops.
That field work was not the only way in which Edith Patch did
not let herself be imprisoned by ivy towers. Unlike many academics
who speak fluent jargon and little else, she felt that it was
important to offer first quality information to lay people too. She
could simultaneously write pieces that would draw kudos from her peers
and ones that were suitable for popular magazine. She had a special
affinity for children and devoted a lot of time to writing books and
articles for them that earned praise for both accuracy and creativity.
Edith Patch was seriously ahead of her time and in some ways
ours. She showed how excellently women could serve in entemology--or
any science involving field work. Decades before Rachel Carson's
Silent Spring she expressed concern over the wide spread use of toxins
by those who considered insects nature's bad guys. "If the time ever
comes when insects are fought to the extent recommended by economic
entemologists, there will be in consequence the greatest of economic
disasters--due to the scarcity of insects." She considered pollinators
to be especially vulnerable. She also constantly urged parents and
teachers to encourage children to explore the outdoors and its
denizens rather than just learn from books in the classroom. I can't
imagine how she would react to the rote fact memorization to do well
on standardized tests emphasis domineering much of American education.
Basically, I think Without Benefit of insects is a must read for
feminists, entemologists, teachers, outdoors enthusiasts, and anyone
who wants to learn more about one of the most fascinating Maine
scientists ever. Read and be inspired!
On a personal note, I donated blood today. Tonight I will be at a
community center development committee meeting. Last night was school
committee. My week will also include volunteering at community
garden, Orono Library, and church. Am I turning into one of those
people my mom used to call pillars of the community?
A great big shout out goes out to the nurses and other people who made
the blood drive possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Saturday, July 4, 2015

driven to distraction at work

driven to distraction at work

Adult nonfiction
To look at the Orono Public Library adult new nonfiction
section, you'd think we'd won the library lottery. Every time I visit
there are fresh new books on fascinating and timely topics packing the
shelves. Driven To Distraction At Work: How To Focus And Be More
Productive by Edward M. Hallowell, MD is one of the more useful volumes.
Hallowell is a big time expert on ADD and ADHD. People consult
him to see if they have one of those disorders. "They come to see me
because they've lost their ability to focus on anything; they're
always in a rush, bouncing from task to task like boats against the
current, worried that they're falling behind even as they strive to
get ahead. Multitasking, hopping from project to project, e-mailing
while talking on the phone..." (Sound like you or anyone you know?) He
coined a term to describe people who were functioning poorly and
experiencing discomfort but did not qualify for either diagnosis: ADT
(attention defecit trait also known as modern life). Where the former
are intrinsic, the latter is caused by the situation.
Anyone who has been around long enough has a sense of what he's
talking about. The same electronics that provide many benefits have
also become rather intrusive and domineering. The constant pings and
buzzes that alert us to incoming texts and other messages can fragment
the ability to concentrate. Our 24/7/365 electronic communication
ability can enable work related matters to intrude on family time
while those tempting games, websites, and silly kitty pictures can
make at work time less productive. Overexposure to toxic news (If it
bleeds, it leads) can lead to anxiety. Multitasking, that desperate
doing two things at once because otherwise we can't get to everything,
can leave us unablity to do any of the tasks well....
Hallowell contends that advice that concerns itself only with
the visible output, such as the adages concerning list making and more
efficient time management, are doomed to failure. To make meaningful
change you have to understand exactly what you are up against. The
first part of his book is devoted to in depth exploration of the six
most common ADT causes. An example we're all probably familiar with
screen sucking (when electronics control life at least a little too
much).
There are, however, general methods of improving balance and
focus just as there are ways for achieving physical health and
vitality. The second part of the book deals with ways of working them
into daily life. I am thrilled with the importance he gives to three
considered unaffordable luxuries by so many people today: adequate
sleep, play, and face time with actual human beings.
We can't turn back the hands of time and return to a simpler era
many long for. Electronics, for better and worse, are here to stay.
But we can learn to take back our lives and be their masters rather
than their Pavlovian dogs. So I highly recommend Driven To
Distraction At Work.
On a personal note, I am taking advantage of the social and civic
slowing down summer affords. In the time over and beyond more routine
tasks (such as cooking and keeping my blog up) I am focussing on two
major projects I plan to finish by September: the master cleaning and
organizing of house and shed including painting public rooms and the
poetry manuscript I plan to sell to a small publisher. I'm sure some
of the tips I've learned from Dr. Hallowell will help me achieve these
goals.
A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful readers along with warm
wishes for a fabulous Fourth of July weekend.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Thursday, July 2, 2015

The Year We Sailed The Sun

The Year We Sailed The Sun

Juvenile fiction
Back in the day Theresa Nelson acquired herself a mother-in-law
who had lived (or survived) a most unusual childhood. Instead of just
thinking "wow" (like most of us would have), she wanted to share her
story with the world. It took her quite awhile from inspiration to
product--longer than it took me to raise up my three children from
Amber's birth til Adam's high school graduation. But if you're lucky
enough to read The Year We Sailed The Sun you will consider it well
worth the time she invested.
The year is 1912; the settings are the Kerry Patch and the Bad
Lands, two of the toughest, most lawless, hardscrabble neighbors in
pre WWI St. Louis. Tomboy narrator Julia, 11, is an orphan. Her
grandmother who took her and her older sister in (both parents are
deceased) has just passed.
You gotta love her first sentences.
"I suppose I will go to hell for biting that nun.
Mary (sister) says it's a mortal sin, for sure.
Never mind. It was worth it. I would bite her again, if I got
the chance.
Bill (brother) says Pop's down there frying already, so I won't
be lonesome."
[If you can read that opening and not put that book on your
summer reading list, I don't want to know].
Julia (great name for a narrator BTW) is shooting marbles (still
in her funeral attire) when her reluctant temporary guardian hauls her
into the parlor where she comes face to face with two nuns ("...a big
one with a face like George Washington on a dollar bill, and a little-
bitty plump one, like a pigeon with spectacles...). Horrified, she
recognizes them as the orphan nuns. "...I'd seen 'en, marching their
charges to church on Sunday mornings. Drab-looking girls in brown-and-
white uniforms, each one homelier than the last, trudging down Morgan
Street with their eyes straight in front of them, past the pool halls
and the whiskey bars and the ramshackle floozy houses, tramping along
in lockstep, two by two."
Now the nuns have come for Julia and Mary.
The House Of Mercy: Industrial School and Girls' Home is all
Julia feared it would be and more. The plaid uniforms are not only
ugly, but uncomfortable. The girls are packed in like sardines. The
food is pretty much what you'd expect. Finances are always tight. In
fact, much to her chagrin, Julia becomes one of the girls taken round
to beg alms from the rich. The sisters are quite strict. Breaking
rules can lead to spending time in the sin room, a chamber little
bigger than a broom closet with no furnishings except a chair and
chamber pot.
Julia is a very clever escape artist. As she gets around she
begins to understand not-so-savory episodes in her family's past. She
also learns why her brother is in mortal peril...
...unless she and her siblings can get away which would be a
miracle, a miracle she somehow has to achieve.
The Year We Sailed the Sun is one of the most delightful,
enthralling books I have read this year to date. The details bring
time and place vividly to life. Julia's voice is distinct and
unforgettable.
On a personal note the Veazie school budget has been far from routine
this year. We (school committee) worked hard to come up with a budget
that would be realistic while not endangering the children's
education. The town council insisted we make drastic cuts. We
refused. They insisted again. We refused again. They put their
number on the referendum. We got the people to vote it down. Monday
we had a Nightmare on Main Street meeting between both those groups
and budget committee. But Tuesday when it was just School Committee
and Budget Committee we reached a compromise. Now if we can just sell
it to town council next Monday... If I could bring all the devout
nuns from the book to life, I would have them praying constantly
between now and then.
A great big shout out goes out to the children in Veazie and their
families and larger community on whose behalf we are working diligently.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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