No Place To Fall

No Place To Fall

YA fiction
"The man talking on the local news has it out for me. Through
the screen door, I watch Mama, remote control in hand, mouth gasping
like a banked fish with each new tale of murder and woe. Every single
day, morning and evening, she convinces herself the world beyond our
doorstep is a Very Bad Place. I've managed to sneak off in plain
sight all summer long, but I never know when she might decide an ax
murderer is lurking in the woods and keep me home."
Amber, narrator of Jaye Robin Brown's No Place To Fall, is kept
on a short leash by more than her mother's fears and her
responsibilities. She lives in the kind of small town where people
are all up in each other's business. Any lapse in morals and
judgement will be gossip currency. Amber should know. Her sister
Whitney is married to a known drug dealer.
Small town life and the safe existence her mom wants for her are
not enough for Amber. She's curious about the wider world and its
inhabitants. And she has a dream of becoming a professional musician,
of singing for folks other than her family, her best friend, and the
congregation of her church.
When she learns that she'll be able to attend a well known art
school if she passes the audition, it seems like a dream come true.
How will she do? Will her mother be strong enough to let go?
And will a serious mistake she made trying to help a friend
stand in her way if it's discovered?
No Place to Fall is a powerful coming of age novel that should
appeal to YA readers, especially those eager to shake the dust of
their own small towns.
On a personal note, we're having lovely warm weather. I hung laundry
out after school yesterday. I love that fresh air smell. My dafodills
are as tall as my hand. Joey cat is watching for robins. I am SO
EXCITED because women's resource center is having a clothes swap
today. I'm bringing in clothes and hoping to find treasures--
especially cat shirts. WRC also has a great project going on. We're
knitting and crocheting squares that we'll put together in an afghan
for the center. It is going to look amazing.
A great big shout out goes out to the WRC people who make that room
one of the most awesome places to spend time on campus. It's an
incubator for people who are going to make a real difference in the
world. The honesty and caring and solidarity and excitement and
laughter are off the charts. I never fail to be inspired when I spend
time there.
jules hathaway


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