Stormy Seas

Stormy Seas

Juvenile nonfiction
"A wall of water hits. Huge gusts of wind rip across the deck.
We're in the tail of a storm. Waves taller than a house rock the
boat...When night comes it gets worse. It's impossible to sleep.
Everyone is crowded together on the cold, wet metal floor. People are
so hungry and dehydrated it's like being surrounded by the dead..."
Jose is describing his nightmarish voyage from Cuba to the
United States. Fidel Castro had come to power in 1959. Jose's
family, considered to be enemies of the state, was desperate to flee
but deterred by severe penalties inflicted on deserters. Then Castro
said that anyone who wanted to leave could.
Jose is one of the protagonists featured in Mary Beth
Leatherdale and Eleanor Shakespeare's Stormy Seas: Stories of Young
Boat Refugees. Readers will also meet:
*Ruth who was trying to get away from the Nazis,
*Phu who was the only family member his mother could afford to smuggle
out of Vietnam;
*Majeeba, a member of a persecuted minority, who fled Taliban
controlled Afghanistan,
and *Mohamed, an orphan who fled Ivory Coast to find a place where he
could live in peace.
I highly recommend this succinct volume with compelling
narratives and illustrations.
On a personal note, Thursday I had my second epiphany in that many
days. I always try to make sure new student workers who are learning
safety rules don't hurt themselves. Recently I realized that it's
dangerous for them to copy shortcuts used by more experienced
workers. I've been talking up the need to set safe examples for
them. I've learned that I can see problems, feel comfortable
addressing them, and can engender buy in. I don't know about you, but
I see them as future manager traits.
A great big shout out goes out to the amazing work family I look
forward to seeing whenever I work a shift.
jules hathaway


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