Triangles

Triangles

Adult fiction
What we see of the lives of most people we encounter is a small
portion thereof--sort of like the part of an iceberg that is above the
waterline. These days, with most people being so darn image
conscious, much of what we get even from friends and family can be
spin doctored. Fiction can give us the assurance that we aren't the
only ones with messy lives and often insurmountable challenges. In
Triangles Ellen Hopkins serves us up a triple scoop of this assurance.
Holly is someone a lot of us would envy. She has a loving
lawyer husband, three beautiful children, a perfect home in a posh
area, all the creature comforts she could ever want. Lately, though,
she's felt dissatisfaction with her predictable existence and wanted
to get out of what she considers a rut. Unfortunately, in addition to
regaining her figure and taking a stab at writing, she's been
experimenting with extramarital sex.
Marissa is someone we might allude to as a saint, respect and
feel sorry for at the same time, and probably not want to spend a lot
of time around. Her life is centered around her second child, her
daughter who was born with a terminal illness and is dying slowly at
the age of four. Her husband is missing in action much of the time.
She suspects this may not all be work related. Her son is alienating
his father by being gay.
Andrea is someone you might pass without a second thought. The
single mother of a teen age daughter, she works in the title research
of Department of Motor Vehicles. Her love life is what you'd call
nonexistent. Her ex husband has moved back to the area. She is quite
concerned with the way this may influence her daughter who will now
spend more time in his household which includes a hunky boy.
As the title implies, the relationships between the women are
the focus of the book. Andrea is Holly's best friend who sees her
chum jeopardizing a relationship and lifestyle Most women (including
herself) would just about kill for. She is also the sister of Marissa
who she feels holds out too much hope of turning things around for a
child who is quickly slipping away. Over the course of a summer in
which they will be challenged individually and collectively you will
get to know each member of this trinity, not only through their words
and thoughts, but through those of companions with whom their lives
are interwoven.
You'll be glad you did.
On a personal note, Hopkins really nails how often the presence in a
family of a severely ill or handicapped child will lead to one parent
withdrawing, emotionally if not physically, and the other being super
involved in that child's care, a geometry that leads to a super high
divorce rate for this group. When Harriet became brain damaged from
having spinal meningitis my parents' already shaky marriage went into
a final downward spiral.
A great big shout out goes out to the siblings of these children who
have a lot to deal with in complex and confusing situations.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Tricks

Tricks

YA fiction
There are kids whose pictures you see on milk cartons--boys and
girls who have vanished and are desperately missed. A lot of the
other kids who disappear have no one who cares enough to search. Some
are abused and/or neglected. Some are kicked out or abandoned.
However they end up on the streets, they have to find a way to obtain
food and shelter. Often all they have to barter is their bodies.
After reading that the average age of a female prostitute in the
United States is 12, Ellen Hopkins sought to bring their plight to our
attention. "...Tricks looks at a handful of reasons that might drive
a young adult to sell his or her body. Here, and in real life, almost
always you can distill the reason to survival."
In Tricks you will learn the stories of five young people who
come from very different situations to a common destination turning
tricks in Las Vegas. Alternating voices in very vivid free form poetry
will introduce you to:
*Eden is the older daughter of "a hellfire-and-brimstone-preaching
Assembly of God minister" and "his not-nearly-as-sweet-as-she-seems
right-hand woman". She and her sister are to ignore men until they
are old enough to be safely wed to suitable (same faith) men. She has
to keep her boyfriend, who is too honest to play a role, a secret,
knowing that the consequences of being found out would be drastic.
*Seth has always preferred crafts to war games. After high school he
aspires to attend a liberal arts college.
"Not easy, coming from
a long line of farmers and
factory workers. Dad's big
dream for his only son has
always been tool and die."
The mother who had encouraged him to reach for his own dreams is
dead. But he has every reason to believe she wouldn't have accepted
his homosexuality any better than his father will if he finds out.
*Whitney is the neglected younger sister who has gone through her life
playing second fiddle.
"...I'm pretty.
She's beautiful. I'm smart.
She's a genius. I can sing

a tolerable alto. She'll solo,
lead soprano at the Met.
Mom's own failed dreams
ressurected in Kyra." Even away at college Kyra casts a long shadow.
Whitney's father, who takes her side, is rarely ever home. The
boyfriend she loves ditches her after popping her cherry.
*Ginger is the oldest of six children with five different fathers in a
family that seems ripped from the case files of children's protective
services. Mom earns a living turning tricks and bounces from live in
to live in. Alcohol and pills figure prominantly in her life style.
When she takes the younger kids out for ice cream and leaves Ginger
behind it's because she's sold her nonconsensual services to a man
willing to pay for a good time.
*Cody's family is falling apart. His syepfather's digestive problems
turn put to be cancer His brother, Corey, is getting way out of
control. His mom is a "mess."
"I never believed this day would
come. Some stupid part of me kept
insisting the doctors were wrong.

Oh, God, I miss him so much already.
What am I going to do without him?"
Cody has this gambling habit. If only lady luck will stick with him,
he'll be able to help them stay afloat.
Hopkins wrote Tricks to expose the ugly world of underage
prostitution and to hold out hope for those who become enmeshed in
it. "...No one deserves the kind of mistreatment often perpetrated by
"johns" and pimps. Whatever the reasons for resorting to
prostitution, whatever has happened in someone's past, the future is
theirs to shape. The first step is to find a way out."
On a personal note, the last two Orono Community Garden delivery days
were truly memorable. We had big heavy bags of produce to deliver.
This summer we have grown organic veggies for 57 low income senior
citizen households. Last week we experienced something of a minor
miracle. We discovered a wild plum tree on our land with the sweetest
fruit...after over a decade. Then this week we had a television
reporter giving us some good free publicity.
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Community Garden family.
You make the golden days of a short Maine summer all the more precious
for being in it!
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Don't Forget To Come Back

Don't Forget To Come Back

Picture book

As a college professor and department head who found her
vocation keeping her away from her young daughters too much, my mother
did not enjoy going out to adult only soirees. An evening of cookie
baking and read alouds was much more to her taste. There were times,
though, when she absolutely had to go to an event where children were
persona non grata. I remember watching her, in her blue velvet good
dress, do up her hair and put on makeup. She would dab a little
Nefretiti (the one perfume she wore) behind my ears.
When I had children of my own my life was pretty much centered
around them. Not to mention that I was married to a very shy man and
residing in a municipality where I lived on the wrong side of the
tracks. My children did not have many babysitters.
In the in between years, however, I did plenty of babysitting
and a number of times encountered children who were somewhat reluctant
to be left at home with a total or relative stranger. Even though I
developed quite a number of rapport builders, sometimes I had to
improvise. My most memorable time was when two couples on vacation
paid me to watch their six young children who were overtired,
sunburned, and not pleased by the prospect of spending time with a not
the mother. Fortunately I had access to an empty apliance box,
scissors, crayons, and markers. By the time the adults returned it
was being transformed into a pirate ship.
Why this stroll down memory lane. Well recently I checked out
Robie H. Harris' Don't Forget to Come Back. Originally published in
1978, it was reissued in 2004. It is a most excellent read aloud for
a family anticipating a close encounter of the babysitter kind.
It is a reassuring message for children. The young protagonist
is not at all pleased that her parents are going out without her. She
tries all the tricks in her trade to sabotage the plan. When Silly
Sarah arrives, however, things go far better than she anticipated.
It's also a book with a message for parents. Just because you
know that, of course, you will come back does not guarantee your child
will find it that obvious. Individual children vary widely in the age
at which they are able to make this leap of faith. And any child who
is overtired, in a strange place, or coming down with something is
very capable of backsliding.
On a personal note, when I had tried out for The Evil Dead I had
discovered that I have a decent alto singing voice. Now I am taking
steps to develop it including joining my church choir and signing up
to sing on stage. It just goes to show you are never too old to
discover and develop a new talent.
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who retains the willingness
to explore new directions.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Sheila Says We're Weird

Sheila Says We're Weird

Picture book
Children are very observant of differences between their
families and other clans. Unlike many adults, though, they're more
likely to be curious than judgemental. Unlike most adults, they are
able to put their curiosity into words. Ruth Ann Smalley's Sheila
Says We're Weird puts this concept beautifully into words and pictures.
Smalley's narrator is a daughter in an ecology minded family.
Colorful pictures enhance the descriptions of the clan going about
activities common in earlier times but relatively rare these days.
Sheila is the red haired, freckle faced kid next door, the best friend
of the narrator's kid sister. She has questions about even the most
basic tasks: hanging laundry, planting a garden, mending clothes,
biking to the library... After each explanation Sheila comments that
it's weird. But her continuous presence and engagement take the
offensiveness out of her judgements.
Sheila Says We're Weird is more than just a good read aloud.
Families can find practices that they can take up to reduce their
carbon footprint. They can also build clan pride and identity by
relecting on what makes them "weird".
On a personal note, Orono Festival Day was really a let down for a
whole lot of people. Usually Mill Street is blocked off with tables
on both sides and live music and dancing. There is a true festival
atmosphere. People come in droves. This year it was shunted off to
the area near the elementary school. The music was missing. A lot of
people didn't bother to come. Everyone I talked to there was
seriously let down.
A great big shout out goes out to Jim and Mary Bird and their
dedicated crew who had their annual humungous yard sale to benefit the
Orono Bog Walk.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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The Tooth

The Tooth

Picture book
When candy-loving Marissa wakes up with a toothache her mother
takes her to see the dentist. En route to his office Marissa sees a
homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. She's never before seen anyone
like him. When she tries to get closer her mother pulls her along.
Mom probably hopes that Marissa will forget about the man. In
the waiting room she sits down with a magazine. Marissa watches how
he is treated by pedestrians from the window.
After her appointment Marissa does something creatively
thoughtful.
The Tooth is a great read aloud to share with children and a
reminder to parents that kids may have much more understanding and
empathy than we give them credit for.
On a personal note, the September Orono Arts Cafe was well attended.
The joint was jumping. That's for sure. In addition to reading my
poetry, which once again was well received, I got to play tambourine
for Redman who sings and plays guitar. I was playing and dancing up a
storm, as though I had Roma (as opposed to boring Anglo and Germanic)
DNA encoded in my cells.
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Arts Cafe clan.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Smoke

Smoke

"A huge story thread in Burned and Smoke is physical abuse. It
is something I know personally, having lived in a physically abusive
relationship for three years...I should not have stayed as long as I
did, but like many women, I thought if I only did the right things, I
could fix him. It rarely works out that way."
Ellen Hopkins had crafted Burned as a stand alone novel.
Readers were not happy campers. They wanted to know what happened to
the characters they had come to care about. Fortunately for us,
Hopkins "caved" and wrote a sequel, a haunting and poignant volume
that draws heavily on her insider knowledge of abuse. Smoke is told
in the alternating voices of Pattyn and Jackie Von Stratton, the two
oldest daughters of a highly dysfunctional LDS (Latter Day Saints)
family.
Pattyn has just shot her father in a storage shed on seeing him
beating Jackie. (He was also the cause of the death of her beloved
and their unborn baby). She is fleeing to California so she can see
the Pacific Ocean just once before she is arrested and jailed. Her
life takes a very unexpected turn when it becomes linked with that of
an outspoken, switchblade-yielding Latina and her family. Even as she
moves forward with a job, friendships, and the possibility of love,
guilt, memories, and what ifs haunt her.
Jackie's father had beaten her that fateful night because he had
discovered her in the shed with a young man, Caleb. It was obvious
that they have known each other in the Biblical sense of the word.
Daddy Dearest had refused to believe that what had taken place was
forcible rape. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. Their church
community has decided that what had gone down was consensual. Even
her mother refuses to let her press charges against Caleb. Might it
have to do with Caleb's lawyer dad's sudden interest in providing pro
bono professional help and emotional support to the new widow? And
guess who's coming for Thanksgiving dinner.
Hopkins ends the novel with a litany of very sobering statistics
regarding dating/spousal and child abuse. It's a topic we all need to
be thinking on. Burned (which I reviewed earlier) and Smoke give a
world of helpful insight as well as being exquisitely crafted can't-
put-down novels.
On a personal note, 9/11 affected me in a new way this year. On all
the other anniversaries I'd given thought to the first responders who
had answered the very dangerous call to rescue their fellow human
beings and the families many had left behind. This year it felt more
personal. Many were firefighters like my son is now.
A great big shout out goes out to all the emergency rescue people who
we count on to be on the scene and adequately trained in times of need.
Julia Emily Hathaway





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Under A Painted Sky

Under A Painted Sky

YA historical fiction
"They say death aims only once and never misses, but I doubt Ty
Yorkshire thought it would strike with a scrubbing brush. Now his
face wears the mask of surprise that sometimes accompanies death: his
eyes bulge, carp-like, and his mouth curves around a profanity."
I can't imagine any reader worth her salt putting down Stacey
Lee's Under A Painted Sky after that introductory paragraph.
Samantha, Lee's narrator, possesses quite a unique and intriguing
voice. Inquiring minds would want to know exactly how this rather
mundane item could become a lethal weapon.
Samantha is in a world of trouble. Her beloved father, her only
living relative, has just perished in a fire. Mr. Yorkshire, the
building landlord, has pretended to want to help, planning to add her
to his stable of hookers.
"...The Lily of the East, we'd call you. Bet you'd fetch more than
the lot of them, maybe five dollars an evening..." When he tries to
rape her she fights back with the only weapon at hand. The year is
1849. Ty Yorkshire is Caucasian; Samantha is Chinese.
Samantha decides to flee (from Missouri) to California to meet
up with her Father's best friend, a mysterious Mr. Trask, whom she
will recognize by his red suspenders. Yorkshire's cleaning girl,
Annamae, decides to join her. Since people would soon be looking for
a murderer and an escaped slave, both girls, they disguise themselves
as Sammy and Andy, two young men who have caught the golf fever.
The cadance of Under A Painted Sky gives a reader the sense of
riding along with Sammy, Andy, and the unlikely companions they
acquire. The dangers they faced made my pulse race. It's the kind of
historical fiction that blends understanding of time and place
seamlessly with a gripping plot and characters you really come to care
about.
My one caveat: this fine novel may be a bit too graphic for
more sensitive young readers. I was bothered by scenes where
hormonally driven stallions had to be put down and where a Cholera
stricken man the travellers encounter begs them to shoot him to end
his misery.
On a personal note, one aspect of the book that I found fascinating
was how many aspects of healing that we routinely outsource to doctors
and hospitals were done by family and friends. People stitched up
wounds, set broken bones, and dug out bullets with, perhaps, whiskey
as anaesthetic. When I was about ten a family cat I really loved came
out on the wrong end of a fight. He had serious gashes and an ear
hanging by a flap of skin. My father refused to take him to the vet
so I took matters into my own hands using needle, thread, Crown Royal
from Dad's hidden stash, and a match. Amazingly that cat survived and
recovered despite having one ear that stood out at a really strange
angle.
A great big shout out goes to the first responders who we are
fortunate enough to be able to count on in emergencies.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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The Blue Zones Solution

The Blue Zones Solution

Adult nonfiction
Not all parts of the world are equal in regard to the longevity
of their citizens. Some areas, known as blue zones, boast people
edging toward and past the century mark healthy and able to do tasks
that are beyond the strength of most people half their age. What do
they have going for them? If your inquiring mind wants to know,
you'll find Dan Buettner's The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living
Like the World's Healthiest People to be a must read.
In the first part we go globe hopping, visiting some unique and
fascinating people and looking at not only their diets, but their
overall life styles. Anyone expecting the quick and simple fads we're
constantly deluged with in the United States is bound to be
disappointed.
"As a burgeoning body of research has suggested, we, too, can
make long-term changes to our personal environment that will nudge us
into moving more, socializing more, hungering for less, and eating
better. In other words, we can make decisions right now that will
lead to a healthier, happier future."
Buettner anticipated skepticism on the part of some readers.
"All those stories about the Blue Zones are fine, but I don't live on
an island in the Meditteranean, and you haven't come to my hometown
yet..." So part 2 consists of projects that created Blue Zones, some
of them right in the good old USA. They took a multi faceted
community based approach. Grocery stores and restaurants found ways
to make it easier for shoppers to make good choices. People were
enabled to become part of walking support groups. Exercise was made
more feasible... Each project had very impressive results.
The third and final section of the book is all about hands on
useful. It's loaded with practical advice including a sizeable recipe
section.
In my opinion, The Blue Zones Solution is a must read for folks
who want to rock healthy, happy longevity.
On a personal note, the day after I donated blood I received an email
that I had won a gift card in the blood drive drawing. It's to my
favorite restaurant, the Family Dog!!! Next week I will be able to
take my older daughter and her fiancé out to lunch a few days before
my birthday!!! YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to the people who work in the downtown
Orono branch of the University credit who just celebrated their first
anniversary in their building. Way to go! Keep up the good work!
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Collateral

Collateral

Adult fiction
"But how many young people truly

Comprehend the face of war until
it's staring them down. You can't patrol
unfriendly villages without embracing paranoia. You can't watch your
battle
buddies blown to bits without jonesing
for revenge..."
It seems that Ellen Hopkins has graduated from YA to adult adult
novels. In Collateral (from which the above quote was taken) she
takes on a very timely topic: America's seemingly insatiable thirst
for combat over there and the effect of repeat deployments on soldiers
and their families.
When graduate student Ashley, Hopkins' protagonist, meets Cole
in a bar love stirs up pretty quickly. He seems sensitive and caring.
He even writes poetry. He isn't at all what she'd expected a Marine
to be like. (It doesn't hurt that he's really good in bed.)
Despite the passion in their relationship, Ashley finds it isn't
all a bed of roses. Cole is sent in and out of very dangerous
deployments. Communication is often sparse. Ashley is alone much of
the time, wondering if Cole will return alive and well, seriously
mangled, or in a flag draped coffin.
Distance, however, is not the only obstacle to their romance.
Cole makes decisions without consulting Ashley. It becomes
increasingly clear that he has a hair trigger temper and the potential
for unconteolled violence...possibly even directed at the one he
supposedly loves best.
Collateral is an excellent novel on a very timely topic. It's
especially pertinent for family members and friends of returning
servicepeople.
On a personal note, Tuesday I donated blood at UMaine. Of course it
went well and was lots of fun. Only it was hot and humid which made
me feel wiped out. I fell asleep in Orono Public Library and didn't
wake up when I was supposed to meet someone. I was glad I was able to
do my volunteering at community garden. It was my 4th blood donation
for 2015.
A great big shout out goes out to the Red Cross and the people at
UMaine who made their blood drive possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Just as Good

Just as Good

Picture book
Most of our homes are awash in electronic devices. Many of us
probably can't imagine life any other way. Chris Crowe's Just as
Good: How Larry Dooby Changed America's Game takes readers and
listeners back to a post World War II America where even a radio in
the home is a luxury, professional baseball events are major events,
and people without radios congregate in places like drugstores to hear
the play by play and root for the favored team. It's also sadly a
time when a baseball loving boy can be banned from Little League and
told, "Look around, Homer...You see any Negroes playing in the major
leagues?"
Homer, Crowe's protagonist, is, however, hopeful. Eleven weeks
after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier Larry Doby has signed
with his beloved Cleveland Indians to become the American League's
first black player. On an early autumn day in 1948 he bikes home from
his newspaper route to see that his father is installing a new radio
just in time for the World Series.
"Daddy starts turning that dial like a safecracker:
News.
Crackly music.
Big-band music.
Then I hear, 'Good afternoon, baseball fans everywhere,' and my
heart thumps."
Mike Benny's illustrations perfectly capture the ambiance of the
era and the emotions of the narrative. As Homer bikes home (you can
tell as quickly as possible) two nattily dressed men (seeing his cap)
call out, 'How 'bout those Indians!' When the Indians win the World
Series Homer jumps up and down on a chair while his parents dance in
the kitchen.
Just as Good is the perfect book to introduce sports loving
children to the prejudices that existed in America's pastime (and
America itself) in the not so distant past,
Julia Emily Hathaway


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identical

identical

YA fiction
Through my childhood and teen years I harbored a fantasy of
meeting up with a long lost identical twin. OK I still would love for
that virtual impossibility to happen. So when I saw that Ellen
Hopkins had written a book in the voices of twins, identical, I was
over the moon.
Needless to say, this narrative is a lot darker than my
daydreams. Kaeleigh and Raeanne are the only children in a family
that puts the dys in dysfunctional. Their congress candidate mother
has turned cold on their judge father since his driving under the
influence (feel the irony) caused a tragic accident years earlier.
Their father misses her and has found someone to take her place
sexually...
...unfortunately that person is Kaeleigh. She's repulsed by his
advances, knowing how wrong they are, but unable to resist or tell
someone. She's the good girl honor student who works part time at a
home for vintage citizens. She deeply misses the mother who is
usually on the campaign trail and emotionally distant even when
physically present.
Raeanne is Kaeleigh's polar opposite.
"Mom says, 'That boy is trouble.
You steer clear, understand?'
Like I give a rat's shiny pink
butt about what Mom thinks."
She feels rejected by the father she yearns to be close to. She
self medicates through alcohol and drugs, often ditching school lunch
to get high and fool around with a guy she has no delusions of loving.
"You can't trust a man,
any man,
any more than you can
put your
faith in a rabid dog..."
As their mother lives in her political world and their father
bullies them with expectations of perfection and behavior no father
should ever indulge in, Kaeleigh and Raeanne cope the best they can.
Just as you think you have the picture there is a revelation worthy of
Alfred Hitchcock, one that will blindside you until you realize that
it's been flawlessly been built up to since the initial chapters.
Anyone who enjoys a good suspense story will enjoy Hopkins'
lyrical elaboration of the concept that sometimes the seemingly best
families harbor the nastiest secrets.
On a personal note, my chum Mazie gave me one of the most awesome
gifts of my entire life: a tan stone, the perfect size to fit in the
tea tin of treasures I carry in my backpack, she found on a mountain
in Iran near an ancient temple, a fragment of a world light years away
from semi rural Maine that I like to imagine. The guys running the
geology club table at the UMaine organizational fair were fascinated.
A great big shout out goes out to Mazie with wishes for a great
teaching school year with receptive students and a minimum of
administrative paperwork.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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impulse

impulse

YA novel
Under more mundane circumstances the three protagonists of Ellen
Hopkins' fine coming of age novel, impulse, would not have ended up
sharing space, let alone lives. Conner is the suburban golden boy
with the posh house, preppie wardrobe, picture perfect high achieving
family...in most people's eyes everything. Tony is the waif living
alone on the streets after serving time for killing a boyfriend of his
mother's who stole his virginity when he was only eight. Vanessa and
her little brother live with their grandmother. Their military father
is off on tours of duty while their bipolar mother slides between
phases of lucidity and delusion.
"By the time I was ten,
I knew to hide when Mama
Started talking to the air."
Conner, Tony, and Vanessa have two things in common. They hit
the rock bottom point where suicide seemed the only way out of a
seemingly intolerable existance. However, they were discovered in
time for a second chance. As patients at Aspen Springs, an inpatient
psychiatric facility, they must work to discover what demons drove
them to acts of desperation and how they can cope when they are once
more integrated into the outside world.
Through Hopkins' beautifully crafted poetry you get to know the
characters intimately through their thoughts about themselves and each
other and their interactions. Trust is hard won. Each of these young
people has been let down a lot before. Admissions come slowly,
haltingly. But to survive they must become known to each other.
Once again Hopkins has created a brilliant coming of age
narrative that should captivate young and not so young adults,
especially anyone who has loved a friend or family member facing
psychological challenges.
On a personal note, with my husband partying with the deer ticks at
camp and Adam away, leaving me and Joey cat to home alone, Labor Day
Weekend had the potential to be a total downer. Fortunately I had a
chance to audition on Friday and Saturday for a musical, The Evil
Dead. I live for auditions. I had a really great time throwing
myself into the reading and dancing. But when I sang I had an amazing
surprise. I had only sung a Capella to my cat before that. I thought
I'd do piss poor. But when I opened my mouth I projected and hit the
notes. I had no idea where that decent alto came from. I'd chosen my
song in a spirit of theological irony BTW. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep
Silent with the picture of Christ demanding full homage as an audition
piece for The Evil Dead. ;)
No, I did not get a part. But I had a great time trying out.
A great big shout out goes out to Elaine and Christina who are about
to put that production on and the cast they have assembled. I have
faith that they will come up with something special.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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burned

burned

YA fiction
You read about them from time to time in the newspaper. There
was the little boy who died in agony from ruptured bowels as his
parents' religious community prayed over him instead of calling for an
ambulance. There are girls who are raised to be child brides to much
older males. There were the youngest victims of a mass suicide who
received Kool Aid laced with poison from their also doomed parents.
Of course, those are the extreme examples. In many communities,
possibly even yours, there are families who combine religious
extremism with abuse to make their children's lives hellish while
flying under the radar of children's protective services. In burned
Ellen Hopkins gives us a very vivid example.
Pattyn (named after a famous military general as are all six
sisters) is the oldest daughter of a very bitter man. His first
marriage had ended badly. After their first son died in Somalia and
their second son was shunned for being gay his wife blew her brains
out with a .357. In his second marriage he has not been blessed with
the son he covets. He keeps regular company with Johnny Walker, often
drinking to the point of beating his wife so badly that she often
can't leave the house.
Pattyn's life begins to change when she has a dream with sexual
content. Her Mormon church has taught her that she can go to Hell for
having impure thoughts. But can she be expected to keep her dreams
properly chaste? There is no safe family member or friend with whom
she can discuss her dilemma.
Pattyn feels like an outsider in her home and church. She
resents the role of women in the Latter Day Saints community.
"I was tired of my mom's
submission
to her religion, to her husband's
sick quest for an heir,
to his abuse."
She has begun to go out into the desert to target practice. One day
this brings her into the realm of boys who have not shared her
restricted upbringing. Much to her amazement one thinks she's
pretty. All seems to be going well until their taboo relationship is
brought to the attention of Daddy Dearest.
"Damn good thing I
Didn't catch you in the act.
You'd both be dead."
Burned is a treat for fans of Ellen Hopkins novels in prose.
It's also a powerful and poignant look into families made toxic by a
volatile combination of extreme religious beliefs and mental health
issues.
On a personal note, UMaine had an amazing outdoor organizational
fair. The mall was covered with tables. Every kind of organization
you can imagine was represented, not to mention plenty of free
refreshments perfect for a slightly muggy day like iced coffee, snow
cones, ice cream, and root beer floats. There was a decidedly festive
atmosphere. The event was very well attended.
A great big shout out goes out to the organizations who took the time
to table and the people who made the event possible. It takes a lot
of work to create festivities that, ironically, spontaneous.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Flirtin' With The Monster

Flirtin' With The Monster

YA nonfiction
At the point when I had read Crank and sent for Glass by
interlibrary loan I was delighted to find Flirtin' With The Monster:
Your Favorite Authors on Ellen Hopkins' Crank and Glass, edited by
none other than Ellen Hopkins. I studied and reviewed those amazing
books. I was eager to see others' perspectives on them. The book
delivered big time.
The authors, dissecting the novel from various perspectives,
offered interesting insights. My favorite piece was Niki Burnham's
Role Models. It's about the importance of authors writing for teens
to give them authentic characters and situations rather than the
sanitized offerings demanded by would be gatekeepers such as parents,
teachers and librarians. Susan Hart Lindquist talks about why
Hopkins' very distinctive format works so splendidly. Terrie Clark
opines on the centrality of secrets in Hopkins' work and Megan Kelley
Hall compares shows the similarities between addictions and drugs.
However, some of the most poignant pieces come from people in
other fields. Mary Bryan, director of a non profit substance
treatment facility, goes into the many reasons why the character
Kristina can't just quit using meth. Gail Giles writes about the
painful decision to kick a loved one out of the home if his or
continued presence is endangering the rest of the family. John Tatro
provides the perspective of a judge who must decide the fates of the
increasing number of young meth addicts who show up in his court.
And then the last section contains the musings of Hopkins' own
family members who were models for characters in Crank and Glass.
Flirtin' With The Monster is a must read, in my opinion, for
fans of Hopkins' YA novels and people who are concerned with meth
addiction and its effects on families and communities.
On a personal note, the Orono Community Garden is looking quite
spiffy. As part of UMaine orientation, freshpeople were given various
volunteering assignments. We got a gang from the honors college who
did some big projects we otherwise would not have had the people power
to accomplish. That was a true blessing.
A great big shout out goes out to the University of Maine class of '19
(of which my son is a proud member).
Julia Emily Hathaway



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Glass/Fallout

Glass/Fallout

YA fiction
Almost a week ago I stopped by the Orono Public Library en route
to Orono Community Garden to find six books by Ellen Hopkins waiting
for me. When I looked them over to decide which to read first I
discovered that two, Glass and Fallout, were sequels to Crank, turning
what seemed to be a stand alone into a trilogy. Crank had in fact
been meant as a stand alone. But it ended with very loose ends.
Kristina Bree is torn between the needs of her new baby and her need
for the monster. Not surprisingly, readers demanded a continuation of
her story. Fortunately Hopkins listened.
Glass picks up where Crank left off. Kristina and baby Hunter
are living with Kristina's mom and stepfather who have promised
shelter and sitting to enable her to get a GED and go to college.
Kristina is discouraged, frightened, overwhelmed:
"Who knew babies could
be so obnoxious, wanting

to eat at all hours, that is?
Most of the time, my nipples
feel like puppy chew toys."
[Bringing home one's first baby home from the hospital and being
responsible for that precious and fragile new life can be overwhelming
and exhausting under the most ideal circumstances. Trust me on that
if you haven't experienced it yourself. Now imagine being seventeen,
minus the baby daddy, and substance addicted.]
Not surprisingly, the call of the monster (crank) becomes too
hard for Kristina to resist. A visit to an acquaintance for the
purpose of scoring introduces her to a very good looking boy, Trey,
who deals and uses, an attraction as powerful as the substance she
craves:
"I miss feeling special.
Miss feeling beautiful
I only hope I haven't
become
impossible for a guy to look
at with lust in his eyes."
Needless to say, neither Kristina not Trey is in possession of
sound judgement. As it becomes increasingly clear that Kristina is
dancing with the monster again relationships at home become difficult,
especially when her mother begins to correctly sense that Hunter is in
danger.
Fallout leaps ahead a number of years in both literary and real
worlds. It's told through the alternating voices of Kristina's three
older children: Hunter, Autumn, and Summer. "I chose to pull out of
Kristina's point of view, into her children's to give them a voice,
and to give voice to my readers who struggle with their own parents'
addictions...You will get 'the rest of Kristina's story' through
different lenses because 'the monster' doesn't only destroy the
addict. It tries to destroy everyone who loves him or her..."
Hunter lives with Kristina's mother and stepbrother who have
legally adopted him. He's a college student and radio dj with a
certain amount of celebrity status. He feels that compared with a lot
of people he has a good life and wonders why he's often blindsided
with near uncontrollable anger.
Autumn lives with her aunt and paternal grandfather in Texas.
Dad, Trey, is in prison again. About mom Kristina:
"Maybe she's dead. Disabled.
Brain fried too crispy to even try
To stop by and say hello for fifteen years..."
Autumn suffers from panic attacks and manifests symptoms of OCD. Her
aunt is her constant 'cheering squad', there whenever she needs
reassurance or encouragement. Aunt Cora, however, decides on marriage
and a home of her own, leaving Autumn fearing this upcoming abandonment.
Summer starts out in foster care and gets put back with her
addict father and his current live in. Dad gets picked up by the
police driving drunk with weed in the vehicle. A new foster placement
takes her away from her boyfriend. When he offers her the chance to
run away with him she jumps in his vehicle with only the clothes she
is wearing.
Of course, whether present or absent, usually absent, Kristina
is interwoven into each strand of this narrative. News clippings from
various media outlets shed light on some of the people she has
encountered in the past.
These two very worthy sequels to Crank are must reads for folks
on both sides of the generation divide. Young adults can get a feel
for the dangers hidden behind crank's siren song. Adult adults can
come to see why overreliance on the just say no message will never
really keep out children safe.
On a quite ironic personal note, I wrote this review on the first day
of the University of Maine fall semester. My older daughter and her
fiancé are continuing grad school. For my younger daughter, on the
beginning step of her career path, it is the first year in nearly her
whole life not to be heading for the classroom. My college freshman
son surprised me by stopping by between morning and afternoon classes
so I could give him lunch. The juxtaposition of their health and
happiness with the context of my reading makes me realize how
incredibly fortunate I am. Back when my older daughter was in high
school a stranger told me how lucky I was she was clean in the sense
of drug free. His only child was 29 and had been addicted much of her
life. She had almost died twice from overdoses. He had forgotten
what it was like to sleep sure that he would not get a call from a
police department, hospital, or morgue.
A great big shout out goes out to the college class of 2019 and the
families who sent them forth into the world of higher education.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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