Missoula
Adult nonfiction
"Now, should we treat women as independent agents, responsible
for themselves? Of course. But being responsible has nothing to do
with being raped. Women don't get raped because they were drinking or
took drugs. Women do not get raped because they weren't careful
enough. Women get raped because someone raped them."
If you haven't been spending the summer up in the unincorporated
territories you've probably heard about the trial of a Stanford
student athlete. He raped an unconscious woman. There was no doubt;
he was caught in the act. The guy got a miniscule sentence for an act
of violence. His doting dad said Sonny Boy shouldn't be punished too
harshly for "twenty minutes of action." Sadly Stanford is not the only
place in America that did not get the memo that women are fully
sentient beings with the rights to respect and safety. Jon Krakauer's
Missoula: Rape And The Justice System In A College Town vividly
describes more of this kind of incident.
A much believed rape myth says that the villain is a stranger
lurking in a dark alley. Actually most rapists are well known to
their victims. Some are people they have every reason to trust. In
college this can translate to classmates, dates, and friends.
Another myth states that rape charges are often concocted by
women. Maybe there's morning after regret. Maybe the experience
didn't live up to expectations. Maybe there's a boyfriend who might
be bent out of shape by the thought she'd cheat on him. But oops, she
did it again...ruined the life of a fine young man. Unlike victims of
other violent crimes, women who are raped are often treated with more
suspicion than their assailants, denied justice by district attorneys
refusing to prosecute, and crucified in the court of public
opinion...especially when the perps are talented athletes.
In Missoula, Krakauer gives us very personal portraits of women
in a college town who were violated by football players and the legal
system. Their accounts were suspected in a way allegations of other
victims aren't. In fact fans of the college football team thought
they were the villains.
Krakauer started the research for Missoula after learning a
friend had suffered for years as a result of sexual assault. Then his
work became even more personal.
"As the scope of my research expanded, I was stunned to discover
that many of my acquaintances, and even several women in my own
family, had been sexually assaulted by men they trusted. The more I
listened to these women's accounts, the more disturbed I became. I
had no idea that rape was so prevalent, or could cause such deep and
intractable pain. My ignorance was inexcusable, and it made me
ashamed."
When it comes to rape, ignorance is a luxury we really can't
afford. Reading Missoula is a good first step to take in combatting
ignorance.
On a personal note, this book was very personal for me. I started
reading it right after my latest opinion piece was in the Bangor Daily
News. I wrote it as a response to the Stanford rapist's dad
describing the act as twenty minutes of action. I wrote about how I
had suffered for decades because of a similar twenty minutes of
action. The piece was very well received.
A great big shout out goes out to my very supportive editor, Matt, and
the readers who had so many kind things to say.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
A Big Fat Crisis
A Big Fat Crisis
Adult Nonfiction
"Like cholera and typhoid in the nineteenth century, obesity is
the twenty-first century's public health crisis. Our major approach
of exhorting individuals to be more responsible is just not working.
Ending obesity requires solutions that transcend human behavior."
If you're anything like me, this quote from Deborah A. Cohen's A
Big Fat Crisis will have you breathing a sigh of relief. We know all
the reasons we should make better food choices and exercise more.
Most of us have at least a basic idea of what good choices look like.
Most of us, maybe sometimes, maybe most of the time, find pretty big
gaps between what we know and what we do. We chalk it up to weakness
in the willpower department. When we frame the problem this way it
can cause a whole lot of guilt. It can cause us to unfairly judge
others.
Believe it or not, Cohen, a doctor who does diet and activity
research for a living, shares our struggle. Shopping, especially with
children, is confusing. Restaurants are loaded with traps. Work and
family claim time that is needed for regular exercise.
What's a person to do? Well to start with, let's stop blaming
ourselves. According to Cohen, our less than stellar eating habits
are dominated by two powerful factors. Our brains, wired in long ago
times of scarcity, urge us to feast on foods high in calorie density.
Food is constantly present and big companies spend gazillions of
dollars making their usually unhealthy products irrisistable.
Cohen maintains that, considering the cost to individuals and
society of our current obesity epidemic, we need public policy to help
us eat healthy. Knowing many will scream about a nanny state, she
reminds us that restrictions on alcohol, smoking, and driving were
first widely opposed. At one point even public sanitation was
controversial.
"...At that time, prohibiting people from tossing garbage and human
waste out the window and mandating indoor plumbing seemed like an
invasion of privacy and an attack on individual rights. Prohibiting
butchers from dumping animal carcasses and their entrails on the
public streets was considered undue interference with private
business. Implementing regulatory controls required long, contentious
political battles..."
Whether or not you are overweight, chances are high that you
aren't eating as well as you could be. That surely holds true for
me. Don't be ashamed. Get on over to your favorite book store or
library and score a copy of A Big Fat Crisis. For the cost of taking
the family out for a less than wholesome restaurant meal make a solid
investment in your health and well being.
On a personal note, last week we had a night of seriously major
thunderstorms. The hubby and I were running errands. Much to my
surprise we stopped at Subway for supper. I'm not gonna lie. I was
delighted with the chance to not cook or do dishes.
A great big shout out goes out to Cohen for her enlightening book.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult Nonfiction
"Like cholera and typhoid in the nineteenth century, obesity is
the twenty-first century's public health crisis. Our major approach
of exhorting individuals to be more responsible is just not working.
Ending obesity requires solutions that transcend human behavior."
If you're anything like me, this quote from Deborah A. Cohen's A
Big Fat Crisis will have you breathing a sigh of relief. We know all
the reasons we should make better food choices and exercise more.
Most of us have at least a basic idea of what good choices look like.
Most of us, maybe sometimes, maybe most of the time, find pretty big
gaps between what we know and what we do. We chalk it up to weakness
in the willpower department. When we frame the problem this way it
can cause a whole lot of guilt. It can cause us to unfairly judge
others.
Believe it or not, Cohen, a doctor who does diet and activity
research for a living, shares our struggle. Shopping, especially with
children, is confusing. Restaurants are loaded with traps. Work and
family claim time that is needed for regular exercise.
What's a person to do? Well to start with, let's stop blaming
ourselves. According to Cohen, our less than stellar eating habits
are dominated by two powerful factors. Our brains, wired in long ago
times of scarcity, urge us to feast on foods high in calorie density.
Food is constantly present and big companies spend gazillions of
dollars making their usually unhealthy products irrisistable.
Cohen maintains that, considering the cost to individuals and
society of our current obesity epidemic, we need public policy to help
us eat healthy. Knowing many will scream about a nanny state, she
reminds us that restrictions on alcohol, smoking, and driving were
first widely opposed. At one point even public sanitation was
controversial.
"...At that time, prohibiting people from tossing garbage and human
waste out the window and mandating indoor plumbing seemed like an
invasion of privacy and an attack on individual rights. Prohibiting
butchers from dumping animal carcasses and their entrails on the
public streets was considered undue interference with private
business. Implementing regulatory controls required long, contentious
political battles..."
Whether or not you are overweight, chances are high that you
aren't eating as well as you could be. That surely holds true for
me. Don't be ashamed. Get on over to your favorite book store or
library and score a copy of A Big Fat Crisis. For the cost of taking
the family out for a less than wholesome restaurant meal make a solid
investment in your health and well being.
On a personal note, last week we had a night of seriously major
thunderstorms. The hubby and I were running errands. Much to my
surprise we stopped at Subway for supper. I'm not gonna lie. I was
delighted with the chance to not cook or do dishes.
A great big shout out goes out to Cohen for her enlightening book.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, July 25, 2016
Masterminds & Wingmen
Masterminds & Wingmen
Parenting
"In this book, I'm going to describe and give suggestions for
the most common dynamics and challenges you'll probably face with
boys. How can you help your son when he's struggling? How can you
get a better understanding of how he sees the world and his place in
it? How can you reach out to him without his shutting you out?"
Did you ever encounter a book you wish had been written years
earlier. I surely did this when I read Rosalind Wiseman's Masterminds
& Wingmem. Wiseman, author of Queen Bees & Wannabees and Queen Bee
Moms & Kingpin Dads, has done for boys what she did for girls and
parents. I wish this book had come out when my college son was in
middle school. Don't get me wrong. Those were great years. I miss
them like crazy now with the hubby and Joey cat being the only male
presences in the household. I just wish I'd known then what I have
just learned.
Wiseman had written Queen Bees & Wannabees in collaboration with
many girls and young women. She'd wondered if boys would help her in
the same way. She need not have worried. Over 160 young men signed
up to edit, question, critique, and share their own deep personal
experiences. They are liberally quoted throughout the book. Here's
one example:
"In my AP classes, I was always one of five guys. The same five guys
in a classroom of girls. I had plenty of guy friends who could have
taken those classes, but they didn't want to do it. They'd rather be
the best among the mediocre. Really, my friends would rather look
stupid. They weren't secure enough to compete with the girls."
Wiseman and her collaborators introduce readers to the Act-Like-
A-Man Box: a widely agreed on collection of traits that define status
in Boyland. Not surprisingly, they contain attibutes like good with
girls, tough, confident, good at "right" sports,
And [in possession of] slacker attitude. The box determines a lot
more than social status. When the elite do things that are wrong it
can be quite daunting for lower status boys to speak up.
Another concept we're cued in on is the idea that each small
social group has certain designated roles such as the mastermind, the
associate, and the entertainer. Although each has advantages, even
the most prestigious carry restraints. Although the mastermind has
power and control, it can be difficult and lonely at the top.
After these frameworks are introduced they are used as lenses
through which to see the many situations in which boys get involved.
There are many practical suggestions for parents and teachers. Blocks
headlined LANDMINE! describe things you do not want to do or say.
I consider Masterminds & Wingmen to be a must read for anyone
parenting or working with boys and young men.
On a personal note, I miss even the biggest challenges of active
parenting. I miss those days of belonging and connection, of
dailiness, of doing stuff together and life holding excitement and
surprises. What I wouldn't give for a family trip to the fair or a
snow day or even people telling me what they'd like for supper.
Without kids, especially residing in a town where I've lost my only
connection with anyone in it, life feels like drifting on an ocean.
Randomly good and bad things (mostly good things) happen. But
drifting alone feels so precarious for someone whose prime need is
belonging. Wiseman describes four criteria for happiness:
"...meaningful relationships, the freedom to pursue what interests and
challenges them, a feeling of belonging and social connection to
others, and a sense that they're contributing to something larger than
themselves.". One out of four is...not good."
A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful children and their
significant others and four pawed children.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Parenting
"In this book, I'm going to describe and give suggestions for
the most common dynamics and challenges you'll probably face with
boys. How can you help your son when he's struggling? How can you
get a better understanding of how he sees the world and his place in
it? How can you reach out to him without his shutting you out?"
Did you ever encounter a book you wish had been written years
earlier. I surely did this when I read Rosalind Wiseman's Masterminds
& Wingmem. Wiseman, author of Queen Bees & Wannabees and Queen Bee
Moms & Kingpin Dads, has done for boys what she did for girls and
parents. I wish this book had come out when my college son was in
middle school. Don't get me wrong. Those were great years. I miss
them like crazy now with the hubby and Joey cat being the only male
presences in the household. I just wish I'd known then what I have
just learned.
Wiseman had written Queen Bees & Wannabees in collaboration with
many girls and young women. She'd wondered if boys would help her in
the same way. She need not have worried. Over 160 young men signed
up to edit, question, critique, and share their own deep personal
experiences. They are liberally quoted throughout the book. Here's
one example:
"In my AP classes, I was always one of five guys. The same five guys
in a classroom of girls. I had plenty of guy friends who could have
taken those classes, but they didn't want to do it. They'd rather be
the best among the mediocre. Really, my friends would rather look
stupid. They weren't secure enough to compete with the girls."
Wiseman and her collaborators introduce readers to the Act-Like-
A-Man Box: a widely agreed on collection of traits that define status
in Boyland. Not surprisingly, they contain attibutes like good with
girls, tough, confident, good at "right" sports,
And [in possession of] slacker attitude. The box determines a lot
more than social status. When the elite do things that are wrong it
can be quite daunting for lower status boys to speak up.
Another concept we're cued in on is the idea that each small
social group has certain designated roles such as the mastermind, the
associate, and the entertainer. Although each has advantages, even
the most prestigious carry restraints. Although the mastermind has
power and control, it can be difficult and lonely at the top.
After these frameworks are introduced they are used as lenses
through which to see the many situations in which boys get involved.
There are many practical suggestions for parents and teachers. Blocks
headlined LANDMINE! describe things you do not want to do or say.
I consider Masterminds & Wingmen to be a must read for anyone
parenting or working with boys and young men.
On a personal note, I miss even the biggest challenges of active
parenting. I miss those days of belonging and connection, of
dailiness, of doing stuff together and life holding excitement and
surprises. What I wouldn't give for a family trip to the fair or a
snow day or even people telling me what they'd like for supper.
Without kids, especially residing in a town where I've lost my only
connection with anyone in it, life feels like drifting on an ocean.
Randomly good and bad things (mostly good things) happen. But
drifting alone feels so precarious for someone whose prime need is
belonging. Wiseman describes four criteria for happiness:
"...meaningful relationships, the freedom to pursue what interests and
challenges them, a feeling of belonging and social connection to
others, and a sense that they're contributing to something larger than
themselves.". One out of four is...not good."
A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful children and their
significant others and four pawed children.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Moving Diversity Forward
Moving Diversity Forward
Adult nonfiction
Verna A. Myers' Moving Diversity Forward: How To Go From Well-
Meaning To Well-Being certainly reinforced my habit of giving a book a
chance. The size and title looked suspiciously like those of volumes
that take cook book formula approaches to solving complex problems.
The American Bar Association logo on the bottom said this has nothing
to do with me. But when I flipped through the book at the Orono
Public Library and saw how wrong I was, I checked it out and started
reading as soon as I got home.
What I like the most about the book is that Myers perceives and
addresses her readers as complex human beings with multi faceted
identities. Politicians, media, and a lot of others peg us by only
one facet: blacks, whites, men, women, the rich, the poor, the
elderly, and, the one we'll hear too often in the coming months,
Republicans and Democrats. Myers gets that any one of us is a mix of
those and so many more.
Myers urges readers to dig beyond what we think we know to look
at concepts and practices embedded deeply enough to become invisible
to us. White privilege is a prime example. Even if we aren't racist
white people will accrue unasked for advantages from birth on. I was
very aware of this when I had a high school age son. Other perfectly
wonderful boys ran the risk of being shot by police officers just for
going to the store for a snack.
Myers sees any individual as somewhere on a journey in regard to
"racial and cultural awareness and skills." No one gets it perfect;
most people are not beyond hope. Wherever you are, reading Moving
Diversity Forward can give you insights and strategies to keep you
moving in the right direction.
On a personal note, one of the best things about living near UMaine is
the cultural diversity. The Multicultural Center and International
Students Association have great events, discussions about racial and
cultural issues, and spaces to hang out with people from other
places. Right now the Young African Leaders are Here for three
weeks. I have been able to make friends with Ema who will keep in
touch when she goes back to Nigeria. I so look forward to getting to
know her better and learning more about her culture.
A great big shout out goes out to Myers for this thought provoking
book. I hope someday she makes it to Penobscot County, Maine. I
would surely like to converse with her.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
Verna A. Myers' Moving Diversity Forward: How To Go From Well-
Meaning To Well-Being certainly reinforced my habit of giving a book a
chance. The size and title looked suspiciously like those of volumes
that take cook book formula approaches to solving complex problems.
The American Bar Association logo on the bottom said this has nothing
to do with me. But when I flipped through the book at the Orono
Public Library and saw how wrong I was, I checked it out and started
reading as soon as I got home.
What I like the most about the book is that Myers perceives and
addresses her readers as complex human beings with multi faceted
identities. Politicians, media, and a lot of others peg us by only
one facet: blacks, whites, men, women, the rich, the poor, the
elderly, and, the one we'll hear too often in the coming months,
Republicans and Democrats. Myers gets that any one of us is a mix of
those and so many more.
Myers urges readers to dig beyond what we think we know to look
at concepts and practices embedded deeply enough to become invisible
to us. White privilege is a prime example. Even if we aren't racist
white people will accrue unasked for advantages from birth on. I was
very aware of this when I had a high school age son. Other perfectly
wonderful boys ran the risk of being shot by police officers just for
going to the store for a snack.
Myers sees any individual as somewhere on a journey in regard to
"racial and cultural awareness and skills." No one gets it perfect;
most people are not beyond hope. Wherever you are, reading Moving
Diversity Forward can give you insights and strategies to keep you
moving in the right direction.
On a personal note, one of the best things about living near UMaine is
the cultural diversity. The Multicultural Center and International
Students Association have great events, discussions about racial and
cultural issues, and spaces to hang out with people from other
places. Right now the Young African Leaders are Here for three
weeks. I have been able to make friends with Ema who will keep in
touch when she goes back to Nigeria. I so look forward to getting to
know her better and learning more about her culture.
A great big shout out goes out to Myers for this thought provoking
book. I hope someday she makes it to Penobscot County, Maine. I
would surely like to converse with her.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Lincoln's Spymaster
Lincoln's Spymaster
Juvenile biography
"I have in my Force from sixteen to eighteen persons on whose
courage, skill, and devotion to their country I can rely. If they,
with myself at the head, can be at service in any way of obtaining
information of the movements of traitors, or safely conveying your
letters or dispatches, or that class of Secret Service, which is most
dangerous, I am at your command."
In an election year we hear the Secret Service alluded to quite
often. Very few of us know how this agency started out. Its
beginning is portrayed quite vividly in Samantha Seiple's biography of
Allan Pinkerton: Lincoln's Spymaster.
Lincoln's election was highly controversial. Plenty of people
didn't want him to get to DC for his inauguration. A group of
Confederate sympathizers, the Palmetto Guards, was planning to take
lethal means to prevent this event. It was up to detective Allan
Pinkerton and his operatives to infiltrate them, learn the details of
their plot, and find a way to thwart it. After they succeeded in
their mission Pinkerton made Lincoln an offer he couldn't refuse.
Even apart from his colorful and highly dangerous work in the
service of his country and later in the wild, wild West, Pinkerton is
a fascinating character. He was a highly unlikely government spy. He
had to flee his native Scotland to avoid arrest with a price on his
head. Arriving in the United States he established himself as a
cooper (barrel maker).
Pinkerton was way ahead of his time in his views on women.
Notice in the quote above he uses the word persons where most folks
would have used men. He hired women as operatives and included them
in his A Team. That was radical in a time when women were considered
the property of husbands.
Lincoln's Spymaster is a great asset for convincing action
loving students that history has a lot going for it. I feel it's a
must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a personal note, last Saturday night there was a cook out a street
over. I had put a box of rescued toys and books on my lawn. I went
over to tell the kids there about my free box. They and their parents
were so happy with the goodies. I was invited to stay. After the
eating there was a bonfire. I impressed people with my rendition of
You Took A Bad Time To Leave Me Lucille. After my second wine cooler
when the sun had set I excused myself to rest up for church.
A great big shout out goes out to the family who held the cook out to
raise money to fight Alzheimers.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile biography
"I have in my Force from sixteen to eighteen persons on whose
courage, skill, and devotion to their country I can rely. If they,
with myself at the head, can be at service in any way of obtaining
information of the movements of traitors, or safely conveying your
letters or dispatches, or that class of Secret Service, which is most
dangerous, I am at your command."
In an election year we hear the Secret Service alluded to quite
often. Very few of us know how this agency started out. Its
beginning is portrayed quite vividly in Samantha Seiple's biography of
Allan Pinkerton: Lincoln's Spymaster.
Lincoln's election was highly controversial. Plenty of people
didn't want him to get to DC for his inauguration. A group of
Confederate sympathizers, the Palmetto Guards, was planning to take
lethal means to prevent this event. It was up to detective Allan
Pinkerton and his operatives to infiltrate them, learn the details of
their plot, and find a way to thwart it. After they succeeded in
their mission Pinkerton made Lincoln an offer he couldn't refuse.
Even apart from his colorful and highly dangerous work in the
service of his country and later in the wild, wild West, Pinkerton is
a fascinating character. He was a highly unlikely government spy. He
had to flee his native Scotland to avoid arrest with a price on his
head. Arriving in the United States he established himself as a
cooper (barrel maker).
Pinkerton was way ahead of his time in his views on women.
Notice in the quote above he uses the word persons where most folks
would have used men. He hired women as operatives and included them
in his A Team. That was radical in a time when women were considered
the property of husbands.
Lincoln's Spymaster is a great asset for convincing action
loving students that history has a lot going for it. I feel it's a
must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a personal note, last Saturday night there was a cook out a street
over. I had put a box of rescued toys and books on my lawn. I went
over to tell the kids there about my free box. They and their parents
were so happy with the goodies. I was invited to stay. After the
eating there was a bonfire. I impressed people with my rendition of
You Took A Bad Time To Leave Me Lucille. After my second wine cooler
when the sun had set I excused myself to rest up for church.
A great big shout out goes out to the family who held the cook out to
raise money to fight Alzheimers.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Symptoms Of Being Human
Symptoms Of Being Human
YA fiction
Can you imagine what it would be like to be the child of a
congressman running for reelection: being expected to look perfect,
poised, and put together at fundraisers and other huge events and
knowing that every aspect of your life is under the scrutiny of a
scandal hungry press? As an adult with an open book of a life, I'd be
terrified. Riley, teenage protagonist of Jeff Garvin's Symptoms Of
Being Human, has a huge secret and is still learning all its nuances
and implications.
Riley is gender fluid. There's the not knowing whether one
will wake up feeling more masculine or more feminine every day. How
does one dress at a stage in life when peers have expectations of
gender consistency? How does one deal with the bullies who torment
anyone who is in the least bit different? How does one decide whether
to stay in the closet when coming out may be the end of a parent's
career and maybe even the end of that parent's unconditional love?
Symptoms Of Being Human is one of the most authentic and gutsy
coming of age stories I've ever read. I'd highly recommend it not
only to its target audience, but to all parents and the professionals
who work with young people.
On a personal note, I wish they had the term gender fluid in the
popular lexicon when I was growing up. When I insisted on being the
knight rescuer and preferred tree climbing to dressing and undressing
Barbie dolls I was a tomboy. When I was more interested in peace and
justice and camping and mountain climbing than in primping and
simpering to catch the male gaze I was weird. Now I can go with my
ever shifting identity. I have a wardrobe ranging from dresses and
jewelery to button down shirts and ties. Hmm. Maybe this is one
reason I lost that last election. I doubt Veazie is ready for gender
fluid. Too bad, so sad.
A great big shout goes out to gender fluid people and allies.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
Can you imagine what it would be like to be the child of a
congressman running for reelection: being expected to look perfect,
poised, and put together at fundraisers and other huge events and
knowing that every aspect of your life is under the scrutiny of a
scandal hungry press? As an adult with an open book of a life, I'd be
terrified. Riley, teenage protagonist of Jeff Garvin's Symptoms Of
Being Human, has a huge secret and is still learning all its nuances
and implications.
Riley is gender fluid. There's the not knowing whether one
will wake up feeling more masculine or more feminine every day. How
does one dress at a stage in life when peers have expectations of
gender consistency? How does one deal with the bullies who torment
anyone who is in the least bit different? How does one decide whether
to stay in the closet when coming out may be the end of a parent's
career and maybe even the end of that parent's unconditional love?
Symptoms Of Being Human is one of the most authentic and gutsy
coming of age stories I've ever read. I'd highly recommend it not
only to its target audience, but to all parents and the professionals
who work with young people.
On a personal note, I wish they had the term gender fluid in the
popular lexicon when I was growing up. When I insisted on being the
knight rescuer and preferred tree climbing to dressing and undressing
Barbie dolls I was a tomboy. When I was more interested in peace and
justice and camping and mountain climbing than in primping and
simpering to catch the male gaze I was weird. Now I can go with my
ever shifting identity. I have a wardrobe ranging from dresses and
jewelery to button down shirts and ties. Hmm. Maybe this is one
reason I lost that last election. I doubt Veazie is ready for gender
fluid. Too bad, so sad.
A great big shout goes out to gender fluid people and allies.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
A Beetle Is Shy
A Beetle Is Shy
Picture book
One of the most beautiful nature books I have ever seen is
Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long's A Beetle Is Shy. The authors get
readers up close and personal with some of the fascinating members of
a type of critter we tend to literally overlook.
Did you know that beetles arrived or evolved on this terrestial
orb nearly 300 million years ago--quite a bit before other insects
made an appearance? Do you know how we know this? Do you know the
ways in which beetles are useful to our species? Do you know some of
the ways in which they travel, communicate, and protect themselves?
If there are youngsters in your life or you harbor curiosity
about the world of nature A Beetle Is Shy is a great read.
I will be checking out other fascinating looking books the
authors have collaborated on.
On a personal note, I am dismayed to the extent at which people tune
out the natural world, often in frenzied focus on electronics. A few
nights ago I was at a cookout turned campfire. In Penobscot County
out sunsets tend to be rather modest affairs. That evening one of the
most vivid I have ever seen burst across the firmament. The sky was
an explosion of purples and pinks with an apricot undertone. I was
delighted with the show. I was saddened that I was the only one in
the group who noticed.
A great big shout out goes out to people who still notice the world of
nature.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
One of the most beautiful nature books I have ever seen is
Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long's A Beetle Is Shy. The authors get
readers up close and personal with some of the fascinating members of
a type of critter we tend to literally overlook.
Did you know that beetles arrived or evolved on this terrestial
orb nearly 300 million years ago--quite a bit before other insects
made an appearance? Do you know how we know this? Do you know the
ways in which beetles are useful to our species? Do you know some of
the ways in which they travel, communicate, and protect themselves?
If there are youngsters in your life or you harbor curiosity
about the world of nature A Beetle Is Shy is a great read.
I will be checking out other fascinating looking books the
authors have collaborated on.
On a personal note, I am dismayed to the extent at which people tune
out the natural world, often in frenzied focus on electronics. A few
nights ago I was at a cookout turned campfire. In Penobscot County
out sunsets tend to be rather modest affairs. That evening one of the
most vivid I have ever seen burst across the firmament. The sky was
an explosion of purples and pinks with an apricot undertone. I was
delighted with the show. I was saddened that I was the only one in
the group who noticed.
A great big shout out goes out to people who still notice the world of
nature.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, July 18, 2016
Girls & Sex
Girls & Sex
Parenting
"Well, what parent wouldn't freak out? Children were having
indiscriminate sex (or indiscriminate not-sex) everywhere! Under the
table at bar mitzvahs! Behind the monkey bars during recess!..."
Back when I was starting out with my book review blog, 2011 for
anyone keeping track, I read and reviewed Peggy Orenstein's very
insightful Cinderella Ate My Daughter. I feel now, as I felt then,
that it is a must read for parents of girls. Needless to say I was
delighted to the point of doing my library happy dance when I
discovered on one of the Orono Public Library new book shelves
Orenstein's latest: Girls & Sex: Navigating The Complicated New
Landscape. It takes up where Cinderella left off, focussing on high
school and college students.
The media, in the less than fine if it bleeds it leads--
sensational sells tradition, periodically uncovers and delivers the
scandelous and frightening. For legions of middle school girls oral
sex has become the new spin the bottle. Porn and promiscuity are
rampant on high school campuses; hook ups and rape on the college
scene. No matter how well you parent you and your daughter are
probably screwed.
Orenstein's message is that matters are a lot more complex and
nuanced than the news media (and the simplistic solution books) would
have you believe. Her research involved lengthy, extensive interviews
with over seventy girls between fifteen and twenty and consultations
with professionals in the field. Aspects of the dominant culture that
influence objectification of girls and women enter into the picture.
The chapter called Blurred Lines, Take Two focuses on rape.
What specifically constitutes rape? Can lack of protest count as
consent? What if a woman is too drunk or incapacitated to give
consent? Does consent for one act count as agreement to going
further? How do societal factors pressing girls to be nice and polite
impede them from asserting their right to not be sexually exploited?
The background information is skilfully interwoven with a high school
student's really heart breaking story.
Girls & Sex is, in my mind, a must read for parents of girls and
boys, high school teachers and guidance counselors, college professors
and their colleagues in residence life and student development, and
members of the press.
On a personal note, recently I was invited to read one of my poems at
a UMaine reception for young African leaders. After the entertainment
which was music and my poem, we all took food and sat down to eat.
The food was good and spicy. After awhile I got up to get more
juice. A couple of African women were asking my friend Favour who was
a great dancer. She said I'm a great dancer. I started dancing. It
seemed like people were waiting for someone to get that going because
in very short order they all had joined me. They had gone from
pleasantly conversing to having the time of their lives. Don't think
I wasn't proud!
A great big shout out goes out to our visiting Africans who are great
citizen diplomats.
Sent from my iPod
Parenting
"Well, what parent wouldn't freak out? Children were having
indiscriminate sex (or indiscriminate not-sex) everywhere! Under the
table at bar mitzvahs! Behind the monkey bars during recess!..."
Back when I was starting out with my book review blog, 2011 for
anyone keeping track, I read and reviewed Peggy Orenstein's very
insightful Cinderella Ate My Daughter. I feel now, as I felt then,
that it is a must read for parents of girls. Needless to say I was
delighted to the point of doing my library happy dance when I
discovered on one of the Orono Public Library new book shelves
Orenstein's latest: Girls & Sex: Navigating The Complicated New
Landscape. It takes up where Cinderella left off, focussing on high
school and college students.
The media, in the less than fine if it bleeds it leads--
sensational sells tradition, periodically uncovers and delivers the
scandelous and frightening. For legions of middle school girls oral
sex has become the new spin the bottle. Porn and promiscuity are
rampant on high school campuses; hook ups and rape on the college
scene. No matter how well you parent you and your daughter are
probably screwed.
Orenstein's message is that matters are a lot more complex and
nuanced than the news media (and the simplistic solution books) would
have you believe. Her research involved lengthy, extensive interviews
with over seventy girls between fifteen and twenty and consultations
with professionals in the field. Aspects of the dominant culture that
influence objectification of girls and women enter into the picture.
The chapter called Blurred Lines, Take Two focuses on rape.
What specifically constitutes rape? Can lack of protest count as
consent? What if a woman is too drunk or incapacitated to give
consent? Does consent for one act count as agreement to going
further? How do societal factors pressing girls to be nice and polite
impede them from asserting their right to not be sexually exploited?
The background information is skilfully interwoven with a high school
student's really heart breaking story.
Girls & Sex is, in my mind, a must read for parents of girls and
boys, high school teachers and guidance counselors, college professors
and their colleagues in residence life and student development, and
members of the press.
On a personal note, recently I was invited to read one of my poems at
a UMaine reception for young African leaders. After the entertainment
which was music and my poem, we all took food and sat down to eat.
The food was good and spicy. After awhile I got up to get more
juice. A couple of African women were asking my friend Favour who was
a great dancer. She said I'm a great dancer. I started dancing. It
seemed like people were waiting for someone to get that going because
in very short order they all had joined me. They had gone from
pleasantly conversing to having the time of their lives. Don't think
I wasn't proud!
A great big shout out goes out to our visiting Africans who are great
citizen diplomats.
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, July 14, 2016
The Story Of Seeds
The Story Of Seeds
YA nonfiction
"Scientists, such as the Russian seed collector Nikolai Vavilov,
have recognized the importance of seeds and have given their lives to
protect one of our planet's greatest treasures. There are people
throughout the world who are striving to defend and protect our
seeds. Some plant them. Some save them. All are working toward
keeping the diversity of our seeds alive and well."
Before I read Nancy F. Castaldo's The Story Of Seeds I thought I
knew about seeds. Boy, was I ever wrong! Throughout history people
have gone to lengths usually associated with nuclear secrets to
protect these treasures. During World War II Russian scientists died
protecting from invading German armies seeds needed to feed their
people. In Iraq a seed bank has had to be protected during invasions
by the Taliban and the United States.
If you find yourself wondering what this has to do with you, the
answer is a lot! Defending seed diversity should be a concern for all
of us. A lot of the varieties of plants that once flourished on earth
are extinct. We're on very precarious ground here. The Irish potato
famine happened because of a fungal blight causing devastating food
shortages. A diversity of genetic varieties hedges our bets by
increasing the chances at least a few will survive evolving
environmental challenges.
I don't explain this very well. The book does brilliantly. It
makes a complex subject comprehensible and personal. It includes
important ways kids, families, and groups can make a difference. It's
a must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a personal note, Orono Comnunity Garden is producing nicely.
A great big shout goes out to my community garden family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
"Scientists, such as the Russian seed collector Nikolai Vavilov,
have recognized the importance of seeds and have given their lives to
protect one of our planet's greatest treasures. There are people
throughout the world who are striving to defend and protect our
seeds. Some plant them. Some save them. All are working toward
keeping the diversity of our seeds alive and well."
Before I read Nancy F. Castaldo's The Story Of Seeds I thought I
knew about seeds. Boy, was I ever wrong! Throughout history people
have gone to lengths usually associated with nuclear secrets to
protect these treasures. During World War II Russian scientists died
protecting from invading German armies seeds needed to feed their
people. In Iraq a seed bank has had to be protected during invasions
by the Taliban and the United States.
If you find yourself wondering what this has to do with you, the
answer is a lot! Defending seed diversity should be a concern for all
of us. A lot of the varieties of plants that once flourished on earth
are extinct. We're on very precarious ground here. The Irish potato
famine happened because of a fungal blight causing devastating food
shortages. A diversity of genetic varieties hedges our bets by
increasing the chances at least a few will survive evolving
environmental challenges.
I don't explain this very well. The book does brilliantly. It
makes a complex subject comprehensible and personal. It includes
important ways kids, families, and groups can make a difference. It's
a must acquire for school and public libraries.
On a personal note, Orono Comnunity Garden is producing nicely.
A great big shout goes out to my community garden family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Long Haul
The Long Haul
Juvenile Fiction
"Ever since school let out, I haven't had anything I've needed
to DO or anywhere I've needed to BE. As long as the air-conditioning
was working and the TV remote had batteries in it, I was all set for a
relaxing summer vacation.
But then out of the blue, THIS happened--"
If you're guessing anything like global thermonuclear warfare or a
zombie apocalypse you're wrong. Greg, protagonist of Jeff Kinney's
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, is having his dream vaca hijacked
by a family road trip. His mother has been inspired by an article in
a magazine called Family Frolic. Before he knows it he's packed into
the overstuffed family car with his parents and brothers.
If you're anything like me, you know real world enactments
rarely look anything like parenting magazine suggestions. The Heffley
family takes that to a whole new level. Anything that can go wrong
does so spectacularly.
Kinney's newest has appeal for both child (including kids who
would rather make summer a book free time) and adult. He has no
problem laying out parental foibles. Here's a thought. If you have a
family trip planned and suitable age kids pack this book. At the very
least, no matter what goes wrong in this endeavor, it can leave your
youngsters with the realization...
...it could have been a lot worse.
On a personal note, I took Joey cat to the vet for his summer check
up. It was all good news. He's in great health. I had saved up
enough money and did not have to whip out the credit card. Of course
I bought him a new catnip toy as a reward for being good.
A great big shout out goes out to Dr. Julie Keene, the cat whisperer.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile Fiction
"Ever since school let out, I haven't had anything I've needed
to DO or anywhere I've needed to BE. As long as the air-conditioning
was working and the TV remote had batteries in it, I was all set for a
relaxing summer vacation.
But then out of the blue, THIS happened--"
If you're guessing anything like global thermonuclear warfare or a
zombie apocalypse you're wrong. Greg, protagonist of Jeff Kinney's
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, is having his dream vaca hijacked
by a family road trip. His mother has been inspired by an article in
a magazine called Family Frolic. Before he knows it he's packed into
the overstuffed family car with his parents and brothers.
If you're anything like me, you know real world enactments
rarely look anything like parenting magazine suggestions. The Heffley
family takes that to a whole new level. Anything that can go wrong
does so spectacularly.
Kinney's newest has appeal for both child (including kids who
would rather make summer a book free time) and adult. He has no
problem laying out parental foibles. Here's a thought. If you have a
family trip planned and suitable age kids pack this book. At the very
least, no matter what goes wrong in this endeavor, it can leave your
youngsters with the realization...
...it could have been a lot worse.
On a personal note, I took Joey cat to the vet for his summer check
up. It was all good news. He's in great health. I had saved up
enough money and did not have to whip out the credit card. Of course
I bought him a new catnip toy as a reward for being good.
A great big shout out goes out to Dr. Julie Keene, the cat whisperer.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Same But Different
Same But Different
YA nonfiction
"And then, as I'm trying on a really cute pair of jeans, and
feeling free of my brother, he--well the mention of him--finds his way
into what was supposed to be my afternoon, when Mom starts talking
about what we can do to help him.
Oh God, Mom, no! I'm thinking. He's not here. He's NOT here.
We are away from him. You and me. Far away. And NOT him. Can we
just have one day without Charlie?!"
Same But Different explores what autism means from a family
perspective. Ryan (girl) and RJ (boy) are twins. RJ has autism; Ryan
doesn't. In alternating chapters they share their perspectives of
shared experiences. Holly Robinson Peete, who also has two younger
sons, is the mom who has to balance everyone's needs. She adds very
poignant chapters at the beginning and end.
Very few things can be taken for granted in the Peete family.
Life is centered around RJ's precariousness. All food, even pizza,
must be gluten free. All transitions must be carefully planned for.
Even then there's no way to prevent melt downs including very public
ones.
Ryan (Callie in the book) experiences a wide range of emotions
in regard to her twin. Sometimes she wants to protect him; sometimes
she resents the assumption that she will be the responsible one. She
loves him and is deeply concerned when he retreats into a shell. A
poignant example is when he loses his beloved dog. Still...
"...I joined track as soon as I started middle school. I knew I
wanted to be part of a team. Part of a group that lets me just be.
Part of something Charlie wasn't part of."
RJ (Charlie in the book) has serious limitations like inability
to read social cues. Stimuli that don't faze others torture him. He
describes changing rooms between classes:
"Go to my locker.
Struggle with the code.
Put back one set of books. Pull out another.
Kids all talking LOUDLY.
Strong smells.
Bad smells.
Bright lights that slice at me.
Colors that punch me in the eyes."
Knowing his mother likes him to believe it RJ says he has
autism; it doesn't have him. Sometimes he isn't so sure, living in a
world of confusion and stares and what he considers micro managing (as
in social media use) by parents and his sister.
Mom Holly herself is in uncharted and often quite frightening
territory.
"As RJ's mother, I have advocated myself down to a pulp since
the day he was diagnosed with autism. It's an ongoing battle--not
just for me alone, but for our entire family. We have firsthand
experience as passengers on the Autism Express. It can be a wild
ride, with sky-high peaks set against quick, unexpected plummets to
places so low, I've despaired of ever getting out of the valley."
This book is amazingly honest, candid, and insightful. Read it
if a human heart beats in your chest.
On a personal note, having a seriously disabled sibling creates strong
and confusing feelings long after childhood ends. Love and concern
can be balanced against more taboo feelings like fear of being put in
charge of an adult sibling and wanting to be known as one's own
person. Let me tell you. Somehow guilt manages to push its way in.
A great big shout out goes out to people with disabilities and their
loved ones.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA nonfiction
"And then, as I'm trying on a really cute pair of jeans, and
feeling free of my brother, he--well the mention of him--finds his way
into what was supposed to be my afternoon, when Mom starts talking
about what we can do to help him.
Oh God, Mom, no! I'm thinking. He's not here. He's NOT here.
We are away from him. You and me. Far away. And NOT him. Can we
just have one day without Charlie?!"
Same But Different explores what autism means from a family
perspective. Ryan (girl) and RJ (boy) are twins. RJ has autism; Ryan
doesn't. In alternating chapters they share their perspectives of
shared experiences. Holly Robinson Peete, who also has two younger
sons, is the mom who has to balance everyone's needs. She adds very
poignant chapters at the beginning and end.
Very few things can be taken for granted in the Peete family.
Life is centered around RJ's precariousness. All food, even pizza,
must be gluten free. All transitions must be carefully planned for.
Even then there's no way to prevent melt downs including very public
ones.
Ryan (Callie in the book) experiences a wide range of emotions
in regard to her twin. Sometimes she wants to protect him; sometimes
she resents the assumption that she will be the responsible one. She
loves him and is deeply concerned when he retreats into a shell. A
poignant example is when he loses his beloved dog. Still...
"...I joined track as soon as I started middle school. I knew I
wanted to be part of a team. Part of a group that lets me just be.
Part of something Charlie wasn't part of."
RJ (Charlie in the book) has serious limitations like inability
to read social cues. Stimuli that don't faze others torture him. He
describes changing rooms between classes:
"Go to my locker.
Struggle with the code.
Put back one set of books. Pull out another.
Kids all talking LOUDLY.
Strong smells.
Bad smells.
Bright lights that slice at me.
Colors that punch me in the eyes."
Knowing his mother likes him to believe it RJ says he has
autism; it doesn't have him. Sometimes he isn't so sure, living in a
world of confusion and stares and what he considers micro managing (as
in social media use) by parents and his sister.
Mom Holly herself is in uncharted and often quite frightening
territory.
"As RJ's mother, I have advocated myself down to a pulp since
the day he was diagnosed with autism. It's an ongoing battle--not
just for me alone, but for our entire family. We have firsthand
experience as passengers on the Autism Express. It can be a wild
ride, with sky-high peaks set against quick, unexpected plummets to
places so low, I've despaired of ever getting out of the valley."
This book is amazingly honest, candid, and insightful. Read it
if a human heart beats in your chest.
On a personal note, having a seriously disabled sibling creates strong
and confusing feelings long after childhood ends. Love and concern
can be balanced against more taboo feelings like fear of being put in
charge of an adult sibling and wanting to be known as one's own
person. Let me tell you. Somehow guilt manages to push its way in.
A great big shout out goes out to people with disabilities and their
loved ones.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
All Rise For The Honorable
All Rise For The Honorable
Juvenile fiction
When a parent serves a prison sentence s(he) isn't the only one
doing time. As Leslie Connor reminds us in the author's note for All
Rise For The Honorable Perry T. Cook, about one in twenty-eight school
kids has an incarcerated mother or father. That's a lot of kids
missing out on the dailiness of parental presence.
"For this story I asked, what if a boy was born in a prison
nursery? What if he spent his babyhood there, and then stayed on?
What would be his sense of home? Who would be his family?"
Perry (11) has his own room at the minimum security prison in
which his mother is doing time for manslaughter. Other than attending
a regular school, he spends his time in the slammer. A lot of people
might consider him to be deprived.
However, when Perry is forcibly removed from the only home he's
ever known, he feels his loss keenly. He's forced to live with the DA
who changed his living arrangements, supposedly for his own good.
(The only redeeming grace is that his best friend, Zoey, is the DA's
stepdaughter.). He lives for the moments he can be reunited with his
behind bars family.
Sadly the unique living arrangement Perry has enjoyed may end up
costing his mother in the form of more time behind bars. The DA has
it in his head that something has gone badly wrong and somebody must
pay for this.
Can a middle school kid find a way to right this wrong through a
school research project?
Read the book and find out.
On a personal note, Pastor Lorna gave me a treasure for my museum of
natural objects from around the world--a stone from Berring Strait in
Alaska.
A great big shout out goes out to kids with parents in prison and
folks working to strengthen their relationships with their
incarcerated moms and dads.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
When a parent serves a prison sentence s(he) isn't the only one
doing time. As Leslie Connor reminds us in the author's note for All
Rise For The Honorable Perry T. Cook, about one in twenty-eight school
kids has an incarcerated mother or father. That's a lot of kids
missing out on the dailiness of parental presence.
"For this story I asked, what if a boy was born in a prison
nursery? What if he spent his babyhood there, and then stayed on?
What would be his sense of home? Who would be his family?"
Perry (11) has his own room at the minimum security prison in
which his mother is doing time for manslaughter. Other than attending
a regular school, he spends his time in the slammer. A lot of people
might consider him to be deprived.
However, when Perry is forcibly removed from the only home he's
ever known, he feels his loss keenly. He's forced to live with the DA
who changed his living arrangements, supposedly for his own good.
(The only redeeming grace is that his best friend, Zoey, is the DA's
stepdaughter.). He lives for the moments he can be reunited with his
behind bars family.
Sadly the unique living arrangement Perry has enjoyed may end up
costing his mother in the form of more time behind bars. The DA has
it in his head that something has gone badly wrong and somebody must
pay for this.
Can a middle school kid find a way to right this wrong through a
school research project?
Read the book and find out.
On a personal note, Pastor Lorna gave me a treasure for my museum of
natural objects from around the world--a stone from Berring Strait in
Alaska.
A great big shout out goes out to kids with parents in prison and
folks working to strengthen their relationships with their
incarcerated moms and dads.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Where's My Wand
Where's My Wand
Adult biography
"In 1971, it was still somewhat common for neighbors to actually
speak to one another and occasionally even socialize. As our tenure
in St. Louis wore on, Val and I realized that making excuses for
Mother was becoming increasingly difficult, so we came up with what we
was a sexy but viable explanation. When neighbors politely inquired
as to her studied avoidance of them, Val simply explained, in hushed
tones, that as a CIA operative, Mother couldn't risk getting too close
to anyone. 'She knows things,' Val would intone mysteriously. 'Things
she can't tell a soul. If she got to know you, and let something
slip, she'd have to kill you.'"
Eric, narrator of Where's My Wand?, does indeed have a strange
mother. Mom would probably earn an obsessive compulsive diagnosis
today. Only total perfection in house cleaning will be tolerated.
Even shag carpeting must have no indentations. Of course her husband
and children never live up to her standards, the cause of frequent
bitter spousal arguments. Needless to say, not having outsiders bear
witness to this familial insanity precludes her kids from having
friends over.
Of course ongoing family drama is not all the childhood hardship
Eric has to deal with. Deaf in one ear and quite weak in athletic
ability and looks, he's picked on quite a bit by bullies and looked
down upon by classmates, especially after he's appointed crossing
guard. Then there's his family's fundamentalist church, heavy on the
fire and brimstone.
Eric operates in crisis mode, trying to exert control over
outside forces, many of which are the beyond the scope of his
influence. At first he uses a cape to channel magic. Eventually he
transitions to prayer. But what to do when the Almighty seems to give
up on him?
Read the book and see.
I think this book will have special appeal to all who have grown
beyond their own childhoods enough to view them with a sense of humor.
On a personal note, recently I got to the library only to realize I'd
lost the book I was reading. It was not in the post office. I knew
then and there it was on the bus. My first thought was, OMG I'll have
to go to Bangor to the lost and found place. Bangor scares me. I'd
seriously jump on a plane to Ethiopia with less trepidation.
Fortunately I realized if I caught the bus on the way back I could get
the book. This was exactly what happened.
A great big shout out goes out to the friendly bus driver who reunited
the book and me.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult biography
"In 1971, it was still somewhat common for neighbors to actually
speak to one another and occasionally even socialize. As our tenure
in St. Louis wore on, Val and I realized that making excuses for
Mother was becoming increasingly difficult, so we came up with what we
was a sexy but viable explanation. When neighbors politely inquired
as to her studied avoidance of them, Val simply explained, in hushed
tones, that as a CIA operative, Mother couldn't risk getting too close
to anyone. 'She knows things,' Val would intone mysteriously. 'Things
she can't tell a soul. If she got to know you, and let something
slip, she'd have to kill you.'"
Eric, narrator of Where's My Wand?, does indeed have a strange
mother. Mom would probably earn an obsessive compulsive diagnosis
today. Only total perfection in house cleaning will be tolerated.
Even shag carpeting must have no indentations. Of course her husband
and children never live up to her standards, the cause of frequent
bitter spousal arguments. Needless to say, not having outsiders bear
witness to this familial insanity precludes her kids from having
friends over.
Of course ongoing family drama is not all the childhood hardship
Eric has to deal with. Deaf in one ear and quite weak in athletic
ability and looks, he's picked on quite a bit by bullies and looked
down upon by classmates, especially after he's appointed crossing
guard. Then there's his family's fundamentalist church, heavy on the
fire and brimstone.
Eric operates in crisis mode, trying to exert control over
outside forces, many of which are the beyond the scope of his
influence. At first he uses a cape to channel magic. Eventually he
transitions to prayer. But what to do when the Almighty seems to give
up on him?
Read the book and see.
I think this book will have special appeal to all who have grown
beyond their own childhoods enough to view them with a sense of humor.
On a personal note, recently I got to the library only to realize I'd
lost the book I was reading. It was not in the post office. I knew
then and there it was on the bus. My first thought was, OMG I'll have
to go to Bangor to the lost and found place. Bangor scares me. I'd
seriously jump on a plane to Ethiopia with less trepidation.
Fortunately I realized if I caught the bus on the way back I could get
the book. This was exactly what happened.
A great big shout out goes out to the friendly bus driver who reunited
the book and me.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Words To My Life's Song
Words To My Life's Song
Juvenile biography
I adore Ashley Bryan. Mostly I love his vibrant, evolving art
and distinctive narrative voice. I love the way he lives life his own
way, spiritually and artistically, paving the way for kindred
spirits. I so admire the way he bounces around, being curious about
everything, at an age where too many of his peers are sitting around
on their butts, getting ready for assisted living. Needless to say I
was over the moon when I discovered his autobiography in the juvenile
wing of the Orono Public Library.
Like a banana split, a s'more, or a grasshopper pie, Words To My
Life's Song is a rich triple layered treat.
The first strand consists of Bryan's life story, starting out
with his depression era childhood and his creative ways of keeping
life colorful. His parents had told him not to let anyone stop him
when doing creative, constructive work. He surely did live up to
their advice. Even World War II didn't get in the way of his drawing.
The second strand consists of a visit in photographs and words.
Bryan shares with the reader a day on his beloved Maine island. You
walk along the beach collecting treasures, observe a rainbow following
a shower, investigate his collections including his intricate stained
glass creations, and end up watching the first stars appear.
The third strand is a rich sampling of his painting and collage
work.
Words To My Life's Song is a must acquire for public and school
libraries, artists, fans of Bryan's work, and free spirits who vibrate
to a different frequency than most folks.
On a personal note, I had the great good fortune of meeting Bryan in
person. He has the power of listening eagerly and making the people
around him sense his valuing of us. Back then and now reading the
book I feel in the presence of a kindred spirit. Unlike folks who are
check list organized (maybe dominated?) or lost in virtual space, he
lives fully and mindfully, using his God given talents to bring joy
and wonder to his life and community of readers. That's how I feel
when I garden and shelve and write and volunteer at UMaine.
A great big shout out goes out to the one and only Ashley Bryan.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile biography
I adore Ashley Bryan. Mostly I love his vibrant, evolving art
and distinctive narrative voice. I love the way he lives life his own
way, spiritually and artistically, paving the way for kindred
spirits. I so admire the way he bounces around, being curious about
everything, at an age where too many of his peers are sitting around
on their butts, getting ready for assisted living. Needless to say I
was over the moon when I discovered his autobiography in the juvenile
wing of the Orono Public Library.
Like a banana split, a s'more, or a grasshopper pie, Words To My
Life's Song is a rich triple layered treat.
The first strand consists of Bryan's life story, starting out
with his depression era childhood and his creative ways of keeping
life colorful. His parents had told him not to let anyone stop him
when doing creative, constructive work. He surely did live up to
their advice. Even World War II didn't get in the way of his drawing.
The second strand consists of a visit in photographs and words.
Bryan shares with the reader a day on his beloved Maine island. You
walk along the beach collecting treasures, observe a rainbow following
a shower, investigate his collections including his intricate stained
glass creations, and end up watching the first stars appear.
The third strand is a rich sampling of his painting and collage
work.
Words To My Life's Song is a must acquire for public and school
libraries, artists, fans of Bryan's work, and free spirits who vibrate
to a different frequency than most folks.
On a personal note, I had the great good fortune of meeting Bryan in
person. He has the power of listening eagerly and making the people
around him sense his valuing of us. Back then and now reading the
book I feel in the presence of a kindred spirit. Unlike folks who are
check list organized (maybe dominated?) or lost in virtual space, he
lives fully and mindfully, using his God given talents to bring joy
and wonder to his life and community of readers. That's how I feel
when I garden and shelve and write and volunteer at UMaine.
A great big shout out goes out to the one and only Ashley Bryan.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Out of the Woods
Out of the Woods
Picture book
The narrative and illustrations of Rebecca Bond's Out of the
Woods: A True Story of an Unforgettable Event are deceptively
modest. The tale they convey is quite unforgettable.
In 1914 narrator Antonio lives in a pretty isolated hotel run by
his mother. He's the only child around. But he is satisfied with the
hotel's staff and visitors. His favorite place is the less posh third
floor where the long forest workers (as opposed to the more posh
passing through travelers in their private rooms) bunked, played
cards, made music, and told probably quite ribald stories. He's also
fascinated by the wild woods denizens.
One too dry summer smoke is spotted. In the face of the raging
flames there's only one place of relative safety for human or beast.
It's the scene of a once in a lifetime miracle.
Fortunately his story was preserved and shared by his
granddaughter.
On a personal note, I had about the best Fourth of July anyone could
possibly have. Eugene and I went to the parade in Brewer. We had
barbecue in Winterport, surrounded by all our children. We ended the
evening back in Brewer, watching the fireworks from the banks of the
Penobscot River.
A great big shout out goes out to all who made the parade and
fireworks happen.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
The narrative and illustrations of Rebecca Bond's Out of the
Woods: A True Story of an Unforgettable Event are deceptively
modest. The tale they convey is quite unforgettable.
In 1914 narrator Antonio lives in a pretty isolated hotel run by
his mother. He's the only child around. But he is satisfied with the
hotel's staff and visitors. His favorite place is the less posh third
floor where the long forest workers (as opposed to the more posh
passing through travelers in their private rooms) bunked, played
cards, made music, and told probably quite ribald stories. He's also
fascinated by the wild woods denizens.
One too dry summer smoke is spotted. In the face of the raging
flames there's only one place of relative safety for human or beast.
It's the scene of a once in a lifetime miracle.
Fortunately his story was preserved and shared by his
granddaughter.
On a personal note, I had about the best Fourth of July anyone could
possibly have. Eugene and I went to the parade in Brewer. We had
barbecue in Winterport, surrounded by all our children. We ended the
evening back in Brewer, watching the fireworks from the banks of the
Penobscot River.
A great big shout out goes out to all who made the parade and
fireworks happen.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Jerrie Mock Story
The Jerrie Mock Story
Juvenile biography
"No one would ever have believed that Jerrie Mock had a big day
ahead of her. The thirty-eight-year-old woman straightened the house,
packed a suitcase, and ran some errands...The next day she would leave
to fly around the world. In 1964, there were very few female pilots,
and even fewer who dared to fly alone for such a distance. As Jerrie
Mock planned her flight, she discovered that, if she succeeded, she
would be the first woman to circle the globe, solo."
If the topic of pioneering aviatrices (woman pilots) comes up,
most of us think of Amelia Earhart. Very few of us remember Jerrie
Mock. Actually very few of us have heard about Jerrie Mock. Sadly
most of us don't know what we're missing. I was among this number
until, browsing the Orono Public Library new books, I picked up Nancy
Roe Pimm's The Jerrie Mock Story: The First Woman To Fly Solo Around
The World and read the above paragraph.
HOLY COW!
We're talking about the woman who achieved the challenge Amelia
Earhart disappeared and presumably died trying to complete.
I was sure this book would contain a lot of spell binding
adventure. In this regard I was more than satisfied. Mock had to
make a lot of life or death decisions under less than ideal
circumstances. When her plane's wings became coated in heavy ice, the
added weight threatened to pull her small plane into the ocean. At
one point a burning smell came from behind its gas tank. A sudden
bright light had the potential meaning of someone trying to shoot her
down.
Beyond the adventure story, though, there is a lot of depth.
Recall this was 1964--a time idealized by old black and white shows
like Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver. Mock was not a man
with a wife to handle all life's mundane aspects or a career woman who
had chosen not to go the be fruitful and multiply route. She was a
woman who temporarily left and returned to a husband and three
children. Her thoughts about both her adventures and the more
traditional aspects of her life are well worth reading. She is
candid. As much as she loves her husband, she understandably gets
ticked off when he long distance micro manages her itinerary.
This book has the power not only to entertain and enlighten, but
to inspire. In the final chapter we read that, "Jerrie Mock, just an
ordinary person, leads us to believe that when you set your mind to
it, with hard work and determination, anything is possible..."
So don't stop believing!
On a personal note, while I'm not planning anything remotely
dangerous, I'm choosing to go out on a limb in regard to my future. I
can take some bland and meaningless job where I'd be isolated from any
chance of real friendships or pursue my dream masters program as a
means of turning my passion into vocation. I think you can guess
which option I'm leaning toward.
A great big shout out goes out to moms who follow their dreams instead
of letting society's expectations trap them.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile biography
"No one would ever have believed that Jerrie Mock had a big day
ahead of her. The thirty-eight-year-old woman straightened the house,
packed a suitcase, and ran some errands...The next day she would leave
to fly around the world. In 1964, there were very few female pilots,
and even fewer who dared to fly alone for such a distance. As Jerrie
Mock planned her flight, she discovered that, if she succeeded, she
would be the first woman to circle the globe, solo."
If the topic of pioneering aviatrices (woman pilots) comes up,
most of us think of Amelia Earhart. Very few of us remember Jerrie
Mock. Actually very few of us have heard about Jerrie Mock. Sadly
most of us don't know what we're missing. I was among this number
until, browsing the Orono Public Library new books, I picked up Nancy
Roe Pimm's The Jerrie Mock Story: The First Woman To Fly Solo Around
The World and read the above paragraph.
HOLY COW!
We're talking about the woman who achieved the challenge Amelia
Earhart disappeared and presumably died trying to complete.
I was sure this book would contain a lot of spell binding
adventure. In this regard I was more than satisfied. Mock had to
make a lot of life or death decisions under less than ideal
circumstances. When her plane's wings became coated in heavy ice, the
added weight threatened to pull her small plane into the ocean. At
one point a burning smell came from behind its gas tank. A sudden
bright light had the potential meaning of someone trying to shoot her
down.
Beyond the adventure story, though, there is a lot of depth.
Recall this was 1964--a time idealized by old black and white shows
like Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver. Mock was not a man
with a wife to handle all life's mundane aspects or a career woman who
had chosen not to go the be fruitful and multiply route. She was a
woman who temporarily left and returned to a husband and three
children. Her thoughts about both her adventures and the more
traditional aspects of her life are well worth reading. She is
candid. As much as she loves her husband, she understandably gets
ticked off when he long distance micro manages her itinerary.
This book has the power not only to entertain and enlighten, but
to inspire. In the final chapter we read that, "Jerrie Mock, just an
ordinary person, leads us to believe that when you set your mind to
it, with hard work and determination, anything is possible..."
So don't stop believing!
On a personal note, while I'm not planning anything remotely
dangerous, I'm choosing to go out on a limb in regard to my future. I
can take some bland and meaningless job where I'd be isolated from any
chance of real friendships or pursue my dream masters program as a
means of turning my passion into vocation. I think you can guess
which option I'm leaning toward.
A great big shout out goes out to moms who follow their dreams instead
of letting society's expectations trap them.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, July 8, 2016
Gay America
Gay America
Adult nonfiction
The legalization of gay marriage; the repeal of don't ask, don't
tell, controversy surrounding transgender bathroom access--LGBTQ
issues are making quite a bit of news these days. A lot of people are
wondering where all this came from. Contrary to the opinions of
Westboro Baptist, the world is not going to Hades in the proverbial
basket. Current events are the product of a long history of changing
times and attitudes and the fight against discrimination. Linas
Alsenas' Gay America: Struggle For Equality provides a good overview
of this history for the adult with an inquisitive and open mind.
Starting with the late nineteenth century, where even in the
repressed Victorian era, people including some quite prominent ones
enjoyed same sex relations, Gay America explores explores some
chapters in our nation's history such as:
*The jazz age during which relative sexual freedom and artistic
freedom created spaces for same sex love to flourish;
*The Great Depression when women were urged to stay home and leave the
too few jobs for men, many men experienced gender insecurity, and
gains by gays were overthrown;
*Reactions to Kinsey's revelations, based on the sex lives of
thousands od men and women that homosexuality, rather than a rare
abnormality, was a practice of a large percentage of humans,
and, of course, Stonewall and its repercussions.
Narrative is easily understandable and illustrations are
plentiful. Libraries would do well to make this volume widely
accessible.
On a personal note, summer is not Joey cat's favorite season. I would
probably not be crazy about hot weather if I wore a thick black fur
coat. Whenever we get a cooler day he perks right up. There is shed
fur everywhere. Whenever he scratches himself a cloud poufs right
off. Cats. Gotta love them.
A great big shout goes out to the LGBTQ community.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
The legalization of gay marriage; the repeal of don't ask, don't
tell, controversy surrounding transgender bathroom access--LGBTQ
issues are making quite a bit of news these days. A lot of people are
wondering where all this came from. Contrary to the opinions of
Westboro Baptist, the world is not going to Hades in the proverbial
basket. Current events are the product of a long history of changing
times and attitudes and the fight against discrimination. Linas
Alsenas' Gay America: Struggle For Equality provides a good overview
of this history for the adult with an inquisitive and open mind.
Starting with the late nineteenth century, where even in the
repressed Victorian era, people including some quite prominent ones
enjoyed same sex relations, Gay America explores explores some
chapters in our nation's history such as:
*The jazz age during which relative sexual freedom and artistic
freedom created spaces for same sex love to flourish;
*The Great Depression when women were urged to stay home and leave the
too few jobs for men, many men experienced gender insecurity, and
gains by gays were overthrown;
*Reactions to Kinsey's revelations, based on the sex lives of
thousands od men and women that homosexuality, rather than a rare
abnormality, was a practice of a large percentage of humans,
and, of course, Stonewall and its repercussions.
Narrative is easily understandable and illustrations are
plentiful. Libraries would do well to make this volume widely
accessible.
On a personal note, summer is not Joey cat's favorite season. I would
probably not be crazy about hot weather if I wore a thick black fur
coat. Whenever we get a cooler day he perks right up. There is shed
fur everywhere. Whenever he scratches himself a cloud poufs right
off. Cats. Gotta love them.
A great big shout goes out to the LGBTQ community.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
"You Can Tell Just By Looking"
"You Can Tell Just By Looking"
Adult nonfiction
"One of the functions of myths is to fill in gaps in knowledge
between yourself and others, between us and them. Myths help to
police the boundaries between same and different, known and unknown,
setting up some differences (whiteness, heterosexuality, Christianity,
able-bodiedness) as the very measure of what it is to be normal,
natural, and human..."
Setting up a binary with one side seen as normal and natural and
the other side anything but creates fertile ground for the creation of
myths. As researchers Michael Bronski, Ann Pellegrini, and Michael
Amico show in "You Can Tell Just By Looking" And 20 Other Myths about
LGBT Life and People, issues of sexuality and sexual orientation
abound with them.
This compact and reasonably priced paperback is, in my mind, one
of the most cogent explorations of myths such as:
*All transgender people have sex-reassignment surgery;
*Most homophobes are repressed homosexuals;
*All religions condemn homosexuality; and
*There's no such thing as a gay or trans child because the authors,
rather than straight up affirming or refuting, set the issues in the
context of the complex, messy world we all live in. LGBT people and
life circumstances are amazingly diverse. They and all of us live in
a world where sexuality and sexual orientation intersect with other
facets of identity--nationality, race, religion, socioeconomic status
to name just a few. Readers are encouraged to look at the much wider
picture and question assumptions includingly the ones we unknowingly
harbor.
This fine book is surely on my short list of books about LGBTQ
issues every thinking person should read.
On a personal note, I was very pleased that Orono Public Library made
a prominent display of LGBTQ related books during Pride Month.
A great big shout out goes out to Orono Public Library.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"One of the functions of myths is to fill in gaps in knowledge
between yourself and others, between us and them. Myths help to
police the boundaries between same and different, known and unknown,
setting up some differences (whiteness, heterosexuality, Christianity,
able-bodiedness) as the very measure of what it is to be normal,
natural, and human..."
Setting up a binary with one side seen as normal and natural and
the other side anything but creates fertile ground for the creation of
myths. As researchers Michael Bronski, Ann Pellegrini, and Michael
Amico show in "You Can Tell Just By Looking" And 20 Other Myths about
LGBT Life and People, issues of sexuality and sexual orientation
abound with them.
This compact and reasonably priced paperback is, in my mind, one
of the most cogent explorations of myths such as:
*All transgender people have sex-reassignment surgery;
*Most homophobes are repressed homosexuals;
*All religions condemn homosexuality; and
*There's no such thing as a gay or trans child because the authors,
rather than straight up affirming or refuting, set the issues in the
context of the complex, messy world we all live in. LGBT people and
life circumstances are amazingly diverse. They and all of us live in
a world where sexuality and sexual orientation intersect with other
facets of identity--nationality, race, religion, socioeconomic status
to name just a few. Readers are encouraged to look at the much wider
picture and question assumptions includingly the ones we unknowingly
harbor.
This fine book is surely on my short list of books about LGBTQ
issues every thinking person should read.
On a personal note, I was very pleased that Orono Public Library made
a prominent display of LGBTQ related books during Pride Month.
A great big shout out goes out to Orono Public Library.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, July 7, 2016
My Name Is Not Friday
My Name Is Not Friday
YA historical fiction
"When I was first delivered into the hands of God, I brought my
brother with me. I was just seven years old, and when Mama died
giving birth to him, there weren't anyone left to look out for either
of us. Not knowing she was dead, I'd wrapped him in our blanket and
folded Mama's arms against her chest, and rested him there, thinking
he'd be the first thing she'd see when she opens her eyes."
The names we are called are important. Whether bestowed at
birth or adopted or given later in life they can either encapsulate
self definition or forced false identity. The latter is surely the
case for the protagonist of Jon Walter's My Name Is Not Friday.
Samuel and little brother, Joshua, free blacks, end up in a
church run orphanage. They're about as different as two siblings can
be. Samuel is a diligent student, considered the best boy in the
residence. Joshua is an indifferent student who is always getting
into trouble.
One day the orphanage's altar is desecrated. Sure that Joshua
will be blamed and punished, Samuel lies to protect him. Soon he is
in the hands of a slave dealer who renames him Friday after the day he
acquired him. After being sold at auction he becomes the property of
a white boy close to him in age.
The story is suspenseful and poignant. Characters are
convincing. Time and place are vividly evoked. My Name Is Not Friday
is a real gem in the historical fiction genre.
On a personal note, my son is now moving into his first apartment.
Sigh. Of course I'm happy for and proud of him. But I'm nowhere ready
to be an "empty nester". I've got to keep up a life that holds joy
and excitement and unpredictability and belonging. Grad school is
looking like a very good idea.
A great big shout out goes out to my grown up children and their
significant others. They're the cat's pajamas!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA historical fiction
"When I was first delivered into the hands of God, I brought my
brother with me. I was just seven years old, and when Mama died
giving birth to him, there weren't anyone left to look out for either
of us. Not knowing she was dead, I'd wrapped him in our blanket and
folded Mama's arms against her chest, and rested him there, thinking
he'd be the first thing she'd see when she opens her eyes."
The names we are called are important. Whether bestowed at
birth or adopted or given later in life they can either encapsulate
self definition or forced false identity. The latter is surely the
case for the protagonist of Jon Walter's My Name Is Not Friday.
Samuel and little brother, Joshua, free blacks, end up in a
church run orphanage. They're about as different as two siblings can
be. Samuel is a diligent student, considered the best boy in the
residence. Joshua is an indifferent student who is always getting
into trouble.
One day the orphanage's altar is desecrated. Sure that Joshua
will be blamed and punished, Samuel lies to protect him. Soon he is
in the hands of a slave dealer who renames him Friday after the day he
acquired him. After being sold at auction he becomes the property of
a white boy close to him in age.
The story is suspenseful and poignant. Characters are
convincing. Time and place are vividly evoked. My Name Is Not Friday
is a real gem in the historical fiction genre.
On a personal note, my son is now moving into his first apartment.
Sigh. Of course I'm happy for and proud of him. But I'm nowhere ready
to be an "empty nester". I've got to keep up a life that holds joy
and excitement and unpredictability and belonging. Grad school is
looking like a very good idea.
A great big shout out goes out to my grown up children and their
significant others. They're the cat's pajamas!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, July 3, 2016
The Lost Mother
The Lost Mother
Adult fiction
"Supposedly the bad times came from New York City when the stock
market crashed. But it seemed to Thomas that everything really
started a few years later on the wintry morning his mother left them
at her sister's house in town. Irene was awfully dressed up just to
run a few errands, Aunt Lena sputtered that night to his father,
Henry--as if she hadn't known, when she'd been the one who'd called
the taxicab to take her sister down to the bus depot."
Authors like Steinbeck are becoming sadly more relevant in
twenty-first century America. Just like then, good people and
families are struggling to cope with social and economic forces way
beyond their control. Think homeless families with at least one full
time worker residing in shelters or cars. Mary McGarry Morris' The
Lost Mother is unfortunately as germane to today's America as it is to
the era in which it was set.
When we first meet young Thomas he, his little sister, Margaret,
their father, Henry, and all their worldly goods are contained in a
tent. They've lost their farm. Mother Irene has taken a bus to
Massachusetts, supposedly to work in a factory to earn money to help
buy the farm back. Henry is an itinerant butcher, driving in a barely
held together truck to farms where his skills are needed for
slaughtering farm food animals. Fewer and fewer people can afford to
raise the animals that he relies on to earn a living. He must travel
further and further away, just to try to make ends meet, leaving his
children alone a lot of the time. The tent that holds up during the
summer will be no match for a Vermont winter.
If you think things can't get worse, you'll be very wrong.
The Lost Mother is one of the most poignant coming of age
stories I have ever read. It's a riveting piece of literature and a
sad commentary on a nation in which the most precarious citizens are
too often written off by their wealthier fellow citizens. Even now in
the twenty-first century one can meet children mandated to be
responsible for self and siblings in harsh and unforgiving millieus.
On a personal note, even as I write this my Eugene is up on the
trailer roof replacing all the shingles. We are truly lucky that he
has the necessary skills and was able to save up the money to buy the
needed materials. Lots of people today wouldn't be as fortunate.
A great big shout out goes out to innocent kids who have to grow up
much too fast.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"Supposedly the bad times came from New York City when the stock
market crashed. But it seemed to Thomas that everything really
started a few years later on the wintry morning his mother left them
at her sister's house in town. Irene was awfully dressed up just to
run a few errands, Aunt Lena sputtered that night to his father,
Henry--as if she hadn't known, when she'd been the one who'd called
the taxicab to take her sister down to the bus depot."
Authors like Steinbeck are becoming sadly more relevant in
twenty-first century America. Just like then, good people and
families are struggling to cope with social and economic forces way
beyond their control. Think homeless families with at least one full
time worker residing in shelters or cars. Mary McGarry Morris' The
Lost Mother is unfortunately as germane to today's America as it is to
the era in which it was set.
When we first meet young Thomas he, his little sister, Margaret,
their father, Henry, and all their worldly goods are contained in a
tent. They've lost their farm. Mother Irene has taken a bus to
Massachusetts, supposedly to work in a factory to earn money to help
buy the farm back. Henry is an itinerant butcher, driving in a barely
held together truck to farms where his skills are needed for
slaughtering farm food animals. Fewer and fewer people can afford to
raise the animals that he relies on to earn a living. He must travel
further and further away, just to try to make ends meet, leaving his
children alone a lot of the time. The tent that holds up during the
summer will be no match for a Vermont winter.
If you think things can't get worse, you'll be very wrong.
The Lost Mother is one of the most poignant coming of age
stories I have ever read. It's a riveting piece of literature and a
sad commentary on a nation in which the most precarious citizens are
too often written off by their wealthier fellow citizens. Even now in
the twenty-first century one can meet children mandated to be
responsible for self and siblings in harsh and unforgiving millieus.
On a personal note, even as I write this my Eugene is up on the
trailer roof replacing all the shingles. We are truly lucky that he
has the necessary skills and was able to save up the money to buy the
needed materials. Lots of people today wouldn't be as fortunate.
A great big shout out goes out to innocent kids who have to grow up
much too fast.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, July 2, 2016
The Odds Of Getting Even
The Odds Of Getting Even
Juvenile fiction
"Mr. Macon Johnson's kidnapping trial snatched Tupelo Landing
inside out sharp as Miss Rose snaps a pillowcase before she pins it to
her wash line. It gave my best friend Dale Earnhardt Johnson III a
triple shot of worry before the courthouse even opened its doors.
In the first place, Mr. Macon Johnson is Dale's daddy."
Sheila Turnage's The Odds Of Getting Even is an outré treat for a
ll from intermediate school on up who enjoy a good laugh. It's a
perfect lazy days of summer read for taking on an airplane or to the
beach. (If you choose the latter please slather on the sunscreen.)
Sixth grade narrator Moses (Mo) LoBeau and best chum Dale run
the Desperado Detective Agency. They've done the leg work to put
Macon, town bad boy from a line of wrong side of the law characters,
behind bars. As the trial is about to start Mo is sure it will be a
slam dunk. There's only one problem. The defendant disappears,
leaving behind an unconcious jailhouse guard and escaping in a police
car.
That is just the first of a number of incidents. There's a
break in at Dale's house that very day. Sunday's collection, complete
with collection plate, goes missing from Creekside Baptist Church.
All clues point to Macon as the miscreant responsible for the
local crime wave. Dale staunchly declare's his dad's innocence. If
you have the great good fortune of getting your hands on this book
you'll find yourself caught up in a roller coaster ride through a
close knit town in which eccentricity seems to be a requirement for
citizenship.
On a personal note, Pride Day in Bangor was something special. So
many people turned out for the event. I marched in the parade and
then tabled. There were tables all over West Market Square. I was
lucky mine was near the music. It was a real festival of pride. Then
when I got home my husband had a surprise for me. He took me to
Subway for supper and we got the meal deals and ate there.
Great big shout outs go out to everyone who participated in Pride Day
and to my husband.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
"Mr. Macon Johnson's kidnapping trial snatched Tupelo Landing
inside out sharp as Miss Rose snaps a pillowcase before she pins it to
her wash line. It gave my best friend Dale Earnhardt Johnson III a
triple shot of worry before the courthouse even opened its doors.
In the first place, Mr. Macon Johnson is Dale's daddy."
Sheila Turnage's The Odds Of Getting Even is an outré treat for a
ll from intermediate school on up who enjoy a good laugh. It's a
perfect lazy days of summer read for taking on an airplane or to the
beach. (If you choose the latter please slather on the sunscreen.)
Sixth grade narrator Moses (Mo) LoBeau and best chum Dale run
the Desperado Detective Agency. They've done the leg work to put
Macon, town bad boy from a line of wrong side of the law characters,
behind bars. As the trial is about to start Mo is sure it will be a
slam dunk. There's only one problem. The defendant disappears,
leaving behind an unconcious jailhouse guard and escaping in a police
car.
That is just the first of a number of incidents. There's a
break in at Dale's house that very day. Sunday's collection, complete
with collection plate, goes missing from Creekside Baptist Church.
All clues point to Macon as the miscreant responsible for the
local crime wave. Dale staunchly declare's his dad's innocence. If
you have the great good fortune of getting your hands on this book
you'll find yourself caught up in a roller coaster ride through a
close knit town in which eccentricity seems to be a requirement for
citizenship.
On a personal note, Pride Day in Bangor was something special. So
many people turned out for the event. I marched in the parade and
then tabled. There were tables all over West Market Square. I was
lucky mine was near the music. It was a real festival of pride. Then
when I got home my husband had a surprise for me. He took me to
Subway for supper and we got the meal deals and ate there.
Great big shout outs go out to everyone who participated in Pride Day
and to my husband.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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