Peace And Me
Juvenile nonfiction
Every year the news announces the Nobel Prize winners. How much
do you know about the origins of this prestigious award? Back in the
day (the 1840's) Alfred Nobel invented dynamite. It was a great boon
to construction. But it was also weaponized by nations at war. This
aspect really bothered Nobel. He directed that his estate be used to
fund annual prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, and
peace--an incentive for our best and brightest to make the world a
better place.
Ali Winter's Peace And Me shows readers some of the diverse life
missions of a dozen Nobel Prize winners. Each starts with a peace
definition:
*Under Peace is...helping those in trouble you read about Jean Henry
Durant (1901) who wrote a book about his experiences tending to
injured soldiers on the battlefield that inspired the formation of the
Red Cross.
*Under Peace is...respecting all communities you read about Rigoberta
Mencho Tum (1992) who fought for the rights of indigenous peoples.
*Under Peace is...protecting our environment you read about Wangari
Maathai (2004) who started the Green Belt Movement by planting native
trees and encouraging other women in Kenya to do the same.
At the very end a question is raised: what does peace mean to
you? What a great conversation starter!
I consider Peace And Me to be a must acquire for school and
public libraries and a wise investment for families.
On a personal note, last week I worked. One lunch and two suppers I
was at my beloved Wells. But Wednesday I was lent out to the Bears
Den which is the much more real world eating place in the Union. It
was the second time I'd worked there. Even under the best of
circumstances I'd be apprehensive. And when your cat has cancer does
not constitute anything near optimal for doing something that scares
you witless. I made sandwiches in a deer in the headlights frame of
mind, especially when the manager decided he wanted one. Have you
ever worked with the feeling that you'd screw up every way possible
and one mistake would be write up worthy? I had one of the nicest
supervisors too. I felt guilty for feeling stressed. After 5 1/2
hours of sandwich making which is not strenuous by anyone's standards
I felt as exhausted as if I'd run a marathon. I barely had the energy
to take the bus home.
This coming week I have off. Lots of time for the best little cat in
the world!!!
A great big shout out goes out to precious Joey cat.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, June 30, 2019
American Street
American Street
YA fiction
"On the flight to Detroit, I am alone. I look down at America--
its vastness resembling a huge mountain. I feel as if I was just a
pebble in the valley.
My mother will be on the next plane, I tell myself over and over
again. Just like when she sends me ahead on my own by foot, or by tap-
tap, or by motortaxi. I tell myself that this won't be any different."
Only it is. Fabiola and her mother had carefully prepared their
escape from Haiti to America. All their documents are in order. In
New York, however, Fabiola, who is a born in America citizen, is put
on a connecting flight to Detroit while her beloved mother, who is
not, is sent to an immigration center in New Jersey. Authorities plan
to send her back to Haiti.
Fabiola has never been without her mother for any significant
length of time. Now, alone, she experiences culture shock her first
night.
"...I am surrounded by family, but none of them really knows me
or understands what happened to me today. My heart begins to ache for
my mother. How could my aunt just leave me here in the kitchen--is
this how you treat family in America? There is no celebration for my
arrival, no meal is cooked, no neighbors are invited to welcome me..."
There is a lot to cope with. Fabiola's aunt, who suffers from
health problems, spends most of the time in her room. Her three
cousins have very strong and divergent personalities. The twins hang
out with people her mother would consider vagabonds. Her new school
and neighborhood require a lot of adjustment.
A mystery woman enters Fabiola's life. She introduces herself
as a police detective. She needs to get a drug dealer, Dray, cousin
Donna's boyfriend, off the streets. If Fabiola cooperates she will be
helping her mother.
"Fabiola, we can get her out, and we can expedite the process
for her to get a green card. She won't have to hide once she's here.
She can live and work legally. Isn't that what she wants? What you
both want?"
Of course that's what they both want. But Fabiola wasn't born
yesterday. She knows that expedited visas often have hidden costs.
So what will she decide? You'll have to read the book to see.
On a purrrsonal note, a month and 3 weeks after his cancer diagnosis
Joey cat is still living big for a little cat. He's still cuddling,
enjoying windows, eating pretty well, and being interested in life and
happy. He's even still able to surprise me. I had no idea he was
going to get all excited about my lasagna. And I am finding the
purest joy in the moments in time we have together.
I phrase what is happening as Joey living with cancer. That lets me
focus on quality of life rather than... It lets me experience
happiness and truly be there for Joey when he needs me the most.
Today we watched the rain fall and cuddled a lot. So even with grey
skies, my day was all sunshine.
It helps me to be honest with friends and family and management and
coworkers. People are really pulling for Joey and being there for
me. If I was all stoic they wouldn't know how much I need their love.
Also I'm being kind to myself, not expecting as much achievement as I
normally do. Ironically I had made a complicated summer plan a few
hours before Joey and I went to the vet. Then it was just all too
much. Of course I work. I volunteer a little. I spend time with
family when I can. Otherwise I hang with Joey, reading (books being
my opiate of choice), working on my blog, and eating candy.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"On the flight to Detroit, I am alone. I look down at America--
its vastness resembling a huge mountain. I feel as if I was just a
pebble in the valley.
My mother will be on the next plane, I tell myself over and over
again. Just like when she sends me ahead on my own by foot, or by tap-
tap, or by motortaxi. I tell myself that this won't be any different."
Only it is. Fabiola and her mother had carefully prepared their
escape from Haiti to America. All their documents are in order. In
New York, however, Fabiola, who is a born in America citizen, is put
on a connecting flight to Detroit while her beloved mother, who is
not, is sent to an immigration center in New Jersey. Authorities plan
to send her back to Haiti.
Fabiola has never been without her mother for any significant
length of time. Now, alone, she experiences culture shock her first
night.
"...I am surrounded by family, but none of them really knows me
or understands what happened to me today. My heart begins to ache for
my mother. How could my aunt just leave me here in the kitchen--is
this how you treat family in America? There is no celebration for my
arrival, no meal is cooked, no neighbors are invited to welcome me..."
There is a lot to cope with. Fabiola's aunt, who suffers from
health problems, spends most of the time in her room. Her three
cousins have very strong and divergent personalities. The twins hang
out with people her mother would consider vagabonds. Her new school
and neighborhood require a lot of adjustment.
A mystery woman enters Fabiola's life. She introduces herself
as a police detective. She needs to get a drug dealer, Dray, cousin
Donna's boyfriend, off the streets. If Fabiola cooperates she will be
helping her mother.
"Fabiola, we can get her out, and we can expedite the process
for her to get a green card. She won't have to hide once she's here.
She can live and work legally. Isn't that what she wants? What you
both want?"
Of course that's what they both want. But Fabiola wasn't born
yesterday. She knows that expedited visas often have hidden costs.
So what will she decide? You'll have to read the book to see.
On a purrrsonal note, a month and 3 weeks after his cancer diagnosis
Joey cat is still living big for a little cat. He's still cuddling,
enjoying windows, eating pretty well, and being interested in life and
happy. He's even still able to surprise me. I had no idea he was
going to get all excited about my lasagna. And I am finding the
purest joy in the moments in time we have together.
I phrase what is happening as Joey living with cancer. That lets me
focus on quality of life rather than... It lets me experience
happiness and truly be there for Joey when he needs me the most.
Today we watched the rain fall and cuddled a lot. So even with grey
skies, my day was all sunshine.
It helps me to be honest with friends and family and management and
coworkers. People are really pulling for Joey and being there for
me. If I was all stoic they wouldn't know how much I need their love.
Also I'm being kind to myself, not expecting as much achievement as I
normally do. Ironically I had made a complicated summer plan a few
hours before Joey and I went to the vet. Then it was just all too
much. Of course I work. I volunteer a little. I spend time with
family when I can. Otherwise I hang with Joey, reading (books being
my opiate of choice), working on my blog, and eating candy.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Moxie
Moxie
YA fiction
"Principal Wilson introduces Coach Cole and then Coach Cole
introduces the football players and Mitchell Wilson and all the other
boys trot out in their jeans and football jerseys over their shirts
and Emma Johnson and the other Creamsickle girls [cheerleaders] do
backflips and the pep squad exhibits pep and Claudia yawns again.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a town that
doesn't revolve around seventeen-year-old boys who get laid way too
often just because they know how to throw a football."
Vivian, protagonist of Jennifer Mathieu's Moxie, is trapped in a
town where football reigns supreme. Mandatory in school rallies take
place during the season. Businesses shut down for home games. Team
members are treated like royalty and given a pass for sexually
harassing behaviors ranging from hallway groping and bra snapping to
rape.
Vivian is fed up with that and with other sexist aspects of her
school. Dress code checks are one of them. Administration
periodically makes sweeps of classes, shaming girls considered to be
in violation of it. They must be policed so their attire doesn't
distract their male peers from their studies.
Vivian wants to do something with her anger, just not something
that will draw attention to herself. Inspired by mementos from her
mother's rebellious teen years, she creates a zine and distributes it
anonymously. She has no clue that other girls will build on Moxie,
turning it into a force to be reckoned with.
Moxie is a must read for anyone who attends a school with sexist
practices or has not-so-fond memories of doing so.
On a purrrsonal note, it is pouring out. Inside our hang out the best
little cat in the world is curled up contentedly beside me
slumbering. Eugene and I had gone on a ride to look at used trucks to
try to find one with not too high monthly payments. We also stopped
at the Brewer Goodwill where I wicked lucked out. I got a musical
bears in love snowglobe (which reminded me of Eugene and me) and five
shirts: two cat shirts (one of which reminds us a home without a cat
is like a garden without flowers), two Christmas shirts (one of which
asks just how good I have to be), and a shirt with cats and dogs that
says you can't buy love but you can rescue it. When I got home I
found precious Joey waiting patiently in our hang out spot for me.
Our being together, sheltered from the rain, feels so cozy.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and to the best little cat in
the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"Principal Wilson introduces Coach Cole and then Coach Cole
introduces the football players and Mitchell Wilson and all the other
boys trot out in their jeans and football jerseys over their shirts
and Emma Johnson and the other Creamsickle girls [cheerleaders] do
backflips and the pep squad exhibits pep and Claudia yawns again.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to live in a town that
doesn't revolve around seventeen-year-old boys who get laid way too
often just because they know how to throw a football."
Vivian, protagonist of Jennifer Mathieu's Moxie, is trapped in a
town where football reigns supreme. Mandatory in school rallies take
place during the season. Businesses shut down for home games. Team
members are treated like royalty and given a pass for sexually
harassing behaviors ranging from hallway groping and bra snapping to
rape.
Vivian is fed up with that and with other sexist aspects of her
school. Dress code checks are one of them. Administration
periodically makes sweeps of classes, shaming girls considered to be
in violation of it. They must be policed so their attire doesn't
distract their male peers from their studies.
Vivian wants to do something with her anger, just not something
that will draw attention to herself. Inspired by mementos from her
mother's rebellious teen years, she creates a zine and distributes it
anonymously. She has no clue that other girls will build on Moxie,
turning it into a force to be reckoned with.
Moxie is a must read for anyone who attends a school with sexist
practices or has not-so-fond memories of doing so.
On a purrrsonal note, it is pouring out. Inside our hang out the best
little cat in the world is curled up contentedly beside me
slumbering. Eugene and I had gone on a ride to look at used trucks to
try to find one with not too high monthly payments. We also stopped
at the Brewer Goodwill where I wicked lucked out. I got a musical
bears in love snowglobe (which reminded me of Eugene and me) and five
shirts: two cat shirts (one of which reminds us a home without a cat
is like a garden without flowers), two Christmas shirts (one of which
asks just how good I have to be), and a shirt with cats and dogs that
says you can't buy love but you can rescue it. When I got home I
found precious Joey waiting patiently in our hang out spot for me.
Our being together, sheltered from the rain, feels so cozy.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and to the best little cat in
the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, June 21, 2019
Send Me Down A Miracle
Send Me Down A Miracle
Juvenile/YA fiction
"I tried to do as Daddy said and stay away, but I couldn't help
passing by her house occasionally 'cause it was practically on the way
to everywhere, it being on the main road and all. So me and my best
friend, Sharalee, would just happen to ride by the Dabney Place on our
bikes every once in a while and there it was, same as always, boarded
up and leaning to the right, with the paint peeling, looking like some
forgotten old man, but we knew she was in there, walking around in all
that dark, full of all kinds of mystery and intrigue.
Charity (14), protagonist of Han Nolan's Send Me Down A Miracle,
is captivated by Adrienne Dabney, a New York artist who has returned
to her small home town to see if a month long sensory deprivation
experiment will improve her work. Charity, whose own mother has gone
off to a bird cage collectors' convention, becomes drawn to a career
in art off in New York City, sure that Adrienne has chosen her as her
protigee. Inwardly, though, she has serious conflicts. She's always
been close to her fundamentalist preacher father. He's seeing
Adrienne as insane at best, probably a tool of Satan.
Coming out of her month long seclusion, at a town picnic to
celebrate her emergence, Adrienne speaks of having a vision. She's
seen Jesus sitting in one of her chairs. Of course people want to see
the chair. It's not long before people are praying to the chair for
miracles...
...while Charity's father, sure that it's a graven idol luring
his flock to eternal damnation, wants to chop it into kindling.
If you enjoy a poignant coming-of-age story narrated in a very
distinctive voice, Send Me Down A Miracle is a fine choice.
On a personal note, I learned something interesting. Out of three
dining commons and the cafeteria in the union (Bears Den), dining
services only chose 20 students to work over the summer. I'm guessing
we're the ones management feels they can really count on. A lot of
people would probably be decidedly unimpressed. But I am very proud
to be in that number. I will do my best to live up to the
expectations of those who selected me. Joey cat is still going
strong. We're now past lilacs and into lupines. I saw my first daisy
of the year today.
A great big shout out goes out to the other members of our elite
dining services team.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile/YA fiction
"I tried to do as Daddy said and stay away, but I couldn't help
passing by her house occasionally 'cause it was practically on the way
to everywhere, it being on the main road and all. So me and my best
friend, Sharalee, would just happen to ride by the Dabney Place on our
bikes every once in a while and there it was, same as always, boarded
up and leaning to the right, with the paint peeling, looking like some
forgotten old man, but we knew she was in there, walking around in all
that dark, full of all kinds of mystery and intrigue.
Charity (14), protagonist of Han Nolan's Send Me Down A Miracle,
is captivated by Adrienne Dabney, a New York artist who has returned
to her small home town to see if a month long sensory deprivation
experiment will improve her work. Charity, whose own mother has gone
off to a bird cage collectors' convention, becomes drawn to a career
in art off in New York City, sure that Adrienne has chosen her as her
protigee. Inwardly, though, she has serious conflicts. She's always
been close to her fundamentalist preacher father. He's seeing
Adrienne as insane at best, probably a tool of Satan.
Coming out of her month long seclusion, at a town picnic to
celebrate her emergence, Adrienne speaks of having a vision. She's
seen Jesus sitting in one of her chairs. Of course people want to see
the chair. It's not long before people are praying to the chair for
miracles...
...while Charity's father, sure that it's a graven idol luring
his flock to eternal damnation, wants to chop it into kindling.
If you enjoy a poignant coming-of-age story narrated in a very
distinctive voice, Send Me Down A Miracle is a fine choice.
On a personal note, I learned something interesting. Out of three
dining commons and the cafeteria in the union (Bears Den), dining
services only chose 20 students to work over the summer. I'm guessing
we're the ones management feels they can really count on. A lot of
people would probably be decidedly unimpressed. But I am very proud
to be in that number. I will do my best to live up to the
expectations of those who selected me. Joey cat is still going
strong. We're now past lilacs and into lupines. I saw my first daisy
of the year today.
A great big shout out goes out to the other members of our elite
dining services team.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Devil In The Grove
Devil In The Grove
Adult nonfiction
"'Everything was silent,' she observed. The reporter for the
Mount Dora Topic had never seen anything like it. Blacks had simply
vanished. She wasn't there long when she heard the roar of engines in
the distance and experienced a 'scary feeling' when a long line of
cars rolled into town, and it was only as the noise grew louder that
she began to get a glimpse of anyone. 'People would rush inside, pull
their blinds,' she said. Mabel tried to count the cars, there were
more than two hundred vehicles, she observed, many from Polk and
Orange counties. Her instincts told her to get home to Mount Dora to
be with her husband and young daughter, but as a reporter, Mabel
sensed trouble. She couldn't leave."
Mabel's instincts were spot on. The year was 1949, the setting a
small Florida town. A white teenage girl named Norma went out with
her husband, from whom she had been separated, for a night of drinking
and dancing. Things did not go quite as planned. Norma didn't get
home that night. The next day she was talking about being raped by
four Negroes.
That was back in the day when lynching was a routine response to
allegations of black on white sexual molestation which was considered
the violation of the delicate flower of Southern womanhood. That was
when the pressure to integrate schools had many whites feeling
threatened. Wouldn't it inevitably lead to mixed marriages and
mongralization (mixed race children)? That was when many law
enforcement people wore their uniforms to their KKK meetings.
All four subjects were tortured into making confessions. Two
were shot by white law enforcement officers who claimed self defense.
All kinds of legal shenanigans went down. The doctor who could have
testified that rape didn't happen, for example, wasn't a witness.
In his Murder In The Grove Gilbert King conveys the sequence of
events from alleged crime through trial and appeals in precise and
vivid detail. In this thoroughly researched volume he also conveys
much background on brutal racism in post WWII Florida and the primary
actors including...
...a pre Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall taking on the most
dangerous case of his career.
On a personal note, recall that July 10 will be the 8th anniversary
of this blog? July 9 will be the 4th anniversary of the day Joey cat
and I officially opened our beautiful studio with its cat patio,
Christmas trees large and small, and beautiful decorations. For
nearly 4 years it has been our purrrrfect sanctuary.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"'Everything was silent,' she observed. The reporter for the
Mount Dora Topic had never seen anything like it. Blacks had simply
vanished. She wasn't there long when she heard the roar of engines in
the distance and experienced a 'scary feeling' when a long line of
cars rolled into town, and it was only as the noise grew louder that
she began to get a glimpse of anyone. 'People would rush inside, pull
their blinds,' she said. Mabel tried to count the cars, there were
more than two hundred vehicles, she observed, many from Polk and
Orange counties. Her instincts told her to get home to Mount Dora to
be with her husband and young daughter, but as a reporter, Mabel
sensed trouble. She couldn't leave."
Mabel's instincts were spot on. The year was 1949, the setting a
small Florida town. A white teenage girl named Norma went out with
her husband, from whom she had been separated, for a night of drinking
and dancing. Things did not go quite as planned. Norma didn't get
home that night. The next day she was talking about being raped by
four Negroes.
That was back in the day when lynching was a routine response to
allegations of black on white sexual molestation which was considered
the violation of the delicate flower of Southern womanhood. That was
when the pressure to integrate schools had many whites feeling
threatened. Wouldn't it inevitably lead to mixed marriages and
mongralization (mixed race children)? That was when many law
enforcement people wore their uniforms to their KKK meetings.
All four subjects were tortured into making confessions. Two
were shot by white law enforcement officers who claimed self defense.
All kinds of legal shenanigans went down. The doctor who could have
testified that rape didn't happen, for example, wasn't a witness.
In his Murder In The Grove Gilbert King conveys the sequence of
events from alleged crime through trial and appeals in precise and
vivid detail. In this thoroughly researched volume he also conveys
much background on brutal racism in post WWII Florida and the primary
actors including...
...a pre Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall taking on the most
dangerous case of his career.
On a personal note, recall that July 10 will be the 8th anniversary
of this blog? July 9 will be the 4th anniversary of the day Joey cat
and I officially opened our beautiful studio with its cat patio,
Christmas trees large and small, and beautiful decorations. For
nearly 4 years it has been our purrrrfect sanctuary.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Give People Money
Give People Money
Adult nonfiction
"What I came to believe is this: An UBI is as much an ethos as
it is a technocratic policy proposal. It contains within it the
principles of universality, unconditionality, inclusion, and
simplicity, and it insists that every person is deserving of
participation in the economy, freedom of choice, and a life without
deprivation. Our governments can and should choose to provide those
things, whether through a $1,000 stipend or not."
In case you haven't heard of it, a UBI is a Universal Basic
Income. Under such a system, each participant would receive a check
every month. You may be wondering why try something so radical.
Annie Lowrey has researched the issue extensively. She discussed it
eloquently in Give People Money.
So what would a UBI do?
For one thing it would end the devastating poverty found not
just in third world countries, but right here in the United States.
In the richest nation in the world over a million child containing
households must try to meet their needs on $2 per person per day. Try
to imagine you and yours surviving on that. No wonder we have
families living in cars and children going to bed hungry! A UBI would
help make sure families at least have roofs over their heads and food
on their tables.
It would require exploitative employers to shape up. Between
Clinton changing an entitlement (welfare) into a time limited benefit
and outsourcing and automation doing away with many decent jobs, there
are a lot of desperate people who big businesses with obscenely rich
CEOs can exploit. Ridiculously low wages? Abusive work conditions?
Unpredictable schedules? That's no way to make people live. I will
be dancing on the street when so many people can afford to say no to
WalMart and other such companies they have to offer decent wages and
working conditions to attract emloyees.
And there's so much more that even goes beyond the money
aspect. If you've stuck with this review so far, please put it down
and head for your local library or bookstore to pick up the book
itself. Lowrey explains the whole concept much better than I can.
On a personal note, we had a great Fathers Day. Eugene took me out to
Burger King for breakfast. Then we drove around checking out flea
markets. I really lucked out at one, finding FOUR adorable cat
shirts. Amber and Brian had the dinner at their house--burgers,
fries, and ice cream. Adam joined us. A great time was had by all.
A great big shout out goes out to my family including the best little
cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"What I came to believe is this: An UBI is as much an ethos as
it is a technocratic policy proposal. It contains within it the
principles of universality, unconditionality, inclusion, and
simplicity, and it insists that every person is deserving of
participation in the economy, freedom of choice, and a life without
deprivation. Our governments can and should choose to provide those
things, whether through a $1,000 stipend or not."
In case you haven't heard of it, a UBI is a Universal Basic
Income. Under such a system, each participant would receive a check
every month. You may be wondering why try something so radical.
Annie Lowrey has researched the issue extensively. She discussed it
eloquently in Give People Money.
So what would a UBI do?
For one thing it would end the devastating poverty found not
just in third world countries, but right here in the United States.
In the richest nation in the world over a million child containing
households must try to meet their needs on $2 per person per day. Try
to imagine you and yours surviving on that. No wonder we have
families living in cars and children going to bed hungry! A UBI would
help make sure families at least have roofs over their heads and food
on their tables.
It would require exploitative employers to shape up. Between
Clinton changing an entitlement (welfare) into a time limited benefit
and outsourcing and automation doing away with many decent jobs, there
are a lot of desperate people who big businesses with obscenely rich
CEOs can exploit. Ridiculously low wages? Abusive work conditions?
Unpredictable schedules? That's no way to make people live. I will
be dancing on the street when so many people can afford to say no to
WalMart and other such companies they have to offer decent wages and
working conditions to attract emloyees.
And there's so much more that even goes beyond the money
aspect. If you've stuck with this review so far, please put it down
and head for your local library or bookstore to pick up the book
itself. Lowrey explains the whole concept much better than I can.
On a personal note, we had a great Fathers Day. Eugene took me out to
Burger King for breakfast. Then we drove around checking out flea
markets. I really lucked out at one, finding FOUR adorable cat
shirts. Amber and Brian had the dinner at their house--burgers,
fries, and ice cream. Adam joined us. A great time was had by all.
A great big shout out goes out to my family including the best little
cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The End Of White Christian America
The End Of White Christian America
Adult nonfiction
"For most of the twentieth century, in White Christian America,
the terms 'Christian' and Protestant were virtually synonymous.
Questions like 'And where do you go to church?' felt appropriate in
casual interactions or even business exchanges. White Christian
America was a place where few gave a second thought to saying 'Merry
Christmas' to strangers on the street..."
With the "righteous" right evangelicals making their presence
felt whenever an issue that pushes their buttons--gay marriage,
transgender rights, Black Lives Matter--arises, it can seem like White
Christian America is still a force to be reckoned with. At the end of
White Christian America Robert Jones shows readers this isn't the
case. Despite a resurgence of the "moral majority" during Reagan's
presidency, it's on life support and fading fast.
So why is this once powerful institution on its way out? Let's
start with demographics. Within decades America will no longer be
majority white nation. Then there's the rise of religious
disaffeliation. Many younger adults claim no religious identity.
Finally, White Christian America is out of step with an increasingly
diverse America.
If religion is a concern in your life this is a good book to read.
On a personal note, Saturday night was Artsapalooza. For the time
this was a mixed experience for me. I did enjoy performing. I gave
my all iny interactive style and had a very engaged, enthused
audience. But I had my smallest audience ever. I was one of the acts
up against the award winning Orono High School Choir which is THE
BIGGEST ACT of the night. I was also in the Ameriprise office instead
of a restaurant which would have drawn sandwich seekers as well as
poetry lovers. So when I started walking home part of me was saying,
Why did I bother? I should have stayed home with Joey. (I'm willing
to admit that his battling cancer might have had something to do with
my sadness.)
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"For most of the twentieth century, in White Christian America,
the terms 'Christian' and Protestant were virtually synonymous.
Questions like 'And where do you go to church?' felt appropriate in
casual interactions or even business exchanges. White Christian
America was a place where few gave a second thought to saying 'Merry
Christmas' to strangers on the street..."
With the "righteous" right evangelicals making their presence
felt whenever an issue that pushes their buttons--gay marriage,
transgender rights, Black Lives Matter--arises, it can seem like White
Christian America is still a force to be reckoned with. At the end of
White Christian America Robert Jones shows readers this isn't the
case. Despite a resurgence of the "moral majority" during Reagan's
presidency, it's on life support and fading fast.
So why is this once powerful institution on its way out? Let's
start with demographics. Within decades America will no longer be
majority white nation. Then there's the rise of religious
disaffeliation. Many younger adults claim no religious identity.
Finally, White Christian America is out of step with an increasingly
diverse America.
If religion is a concern in your life this is a good book to read.
On a personal note, Saturday night was Artsapalooza. For the time
this was a mixed experience for me. I did enjoy performing. I gave
my all iny interactive style and had a very engaged, enthused
audience. But I had my smallest audience ever. I was one of the acts
up against the award winning Orono High School Choir which is THE
BIGGEST ACT of the night. I was also in the Ameriprise office instead
of a restaurant which would have drawn sandwich seekers as well as
poetry lovers. So when I started walking home part of me was saying,
Why did I bother? I should have stayed home with Joey. (I'm willing
to admit that his battling cancer might have had something to do with
my sadness.)
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Squeezed
Squeezed
Adult nonfiction
"In Squeezed you will meet a professor on food stamps in
Chicago, an unemployed restaurant manager in Boston, and a nanny in
New York City betrayed by the American Dream, and you will even hear
about pharmacists who lost their jobs to a robot in Pittsburgh. They
are people on the brink who did everything 'right,' and yet the math
of their family lives is simply not adding up. Some are just getting
by. For others, something happened and they tumbled down and never
got up."
Recall a few years ago we learned through Guy Standing's The
Precariat; The New Dangerous Class about the desperate plight of the
people at the bottom of our nation's economic ladder? I'm sure a lot
of readers thought it would always be someone else doomed to suffer.
After all they had higher education and skills. In Squeezed: Why Our
Families Can't Afford America Alissa Quart (quoted above) tells us how
precariousness is climbing up the ladder, afflicting even people in
formerly secure positions. Whether we realize it or not, increasingly
few of us are safe. This is due not only to the rising costs of
everything, but to other insidious factors.
One factor is the changing roles in many respected professions.
When you think of college professors you probably envision tenured
faculty ensconced in ivory towers, secure in lifetime employment and
pulling down decent pay and benefit packages. An increasing number,
however, are adjuncts--part time contingent employees with no chance
of making the tenure track or even working full time at one
institution. Paid (poorly) by the course, usually with no benefits,
they must commute between several institutions to simply make rent.
Another factor is automation. We're not just talking about
factory workers. Pharmacy robots are taking the place of
pharmacists. Robot nurses are being trained to take care of
patients. And how about lawyers? A lot of them are un or
underemployed thanks to that profession becoming robotized.
In my mind squeezed is as scary as anything penned by Stephan
King. But we need to read it. What we don't know can hurt us big time.
On a personal note, here in Penobscot County the lilac blooming left
sweetly perfumed air and aggravated allergies. Now we've seeing
lovely lupines. The weather was a little too perfect the weekend of
the Veazie town wide yard sale--at least from a buyer's perspective.
A lot of would be sellers were spending recreation time with friends
and family. There were very few sales. I found one that had anything
I wanted. Oh well, it was a nice walk.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who will go to all the
work of setting up and running yard sales this summer.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"In Squeezed you will meet a professor on food stamps in
Chicago, an unemployed restaurant manager in Boston, and a nanny in
New York City betrayed by the American Dream, and you will even hear
about pharmacists who lost their jobs to a robot in Pittsburgh. They
are people on the brink who did everything 'right,' and yet the math
of their family lives is simply not adding up. Some are just getting
by. For others, something happened and they tumbled down and never
got up."
Recall a few years ago we learned through Guy Standing's The
Precariat; The New Dangerous Class about the desperate plight of the
people at the bottom of our nation's economic ladder? I'm sure a lot
of readers thought it would always be someone else doomed to suffer.
After all they had higher education and skills. In Squeezed: Why Our
Families Can't Afford America Alissa Quart (quoted above) tells us how
precariousness is climbing up the ladder, afflicting even people in
formerly secure positions. Whether we realize it or not, increasingly
few of us are safe. This is due not only to the rising costs of
everything, but to other insidious factors.
One factor is the changing roles in many respected professions.
When you think of college professors you probably envision tenured
faculty ensconced in ivory towers, secure in lifetime employment and
pulling down decent pay and benefit packages. An increasing number,
however, are adjuncts--part time contingent employees with no chance
of making the tenure track or even working full time at one
institution. Paid (poorly) by the course, usually with no benefits,
they must commute between several institutions to simply make rent.
Another factor is automation. We're not just talking about
factory workers. Pharmacy robots are taking the place of
pharmacists. Robot nurses are being trained to take care of
patients. And how about lawyers? A lot of them are un or
underemployed thanks to that profession becoming robotized.
In my mind squeezed is as scary as anything penned by Stephan
King. But we need to read it. What we don't know can hurt us big time.
On a personal note, here in Penobscot County the lilac blooming left
sweetly perfumed air and aggravated allergies. Now we've seeing
lovely lupines. The weather was a little too perfect the weekend of
the Veazie town wide yard sale--at least from a buyer's perspective.
A lot of would be sellers were spending recreation time with friends
and family. There were very few sales. I found one that had anything
I wanted. Oh well, it was a nice walk.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who will go to all the
work of setting up and running yard sales this summer.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
One Perfect Lie
One Perfect Lie
Adult mystery
"Chris Brennan was applying for a teaching job at Central Valley
High School, but he was a fraud. His resume was a fake, and his
identity completely phony. So far he'd fooled the personnel director,
the assistant principal, and the chairperson of the social studies
department. This morning was his final interview, with the principal,
Dr. Wendy McElroy. It was make-or-break."
If you can read that first paragraph of Lisa Scottoline's One
Perfect Lie and then put the book down, you have much more will power
than I do. Who is Chris Brennan? Why is he posing as a high school
teacher? Why are the stakes so high? Inquiring minds want to know...
...especially since Scottoline soon reveals that a plan is being
set in motion. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer, fuel oil, and a blasting
cap are involved. And the Oklahoma City Bombing anniversary is only
six days away.
Chris will also be assistant coach for varsity baseball. He has
to find a boy whom he can get to help him carry out his work, one he
can bond with quickly and receive unconditional loyalty from. A boy
he'll no longer need in less than a week.
If you enjoy a suspenseful mystery with plot twists galore and
psychological depth, you'll find One Perfect Lie impossible to put down.
On a purrrsonal note, a month and a week after his cancer diagnosis
Joey is in the game. He eats well and keeps the ounces he's put back
on. He's alert and curious. And he gives every sign of being happy
and enjoying life. Yesterday he discovered teriyaki chicken and
pronounced it purr purr good. We start and end each day with nice
long cuddles. During the day we cuddle whenever he wants to. He is
my world. There are very few things that can pull me away from him.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world and
all who are praying and pulling for him.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult mystery
"Chris Brennan was applying for a teaching job at Central Valley
High School, but he was a fraud. His resume was a fake, and his
identity completely phony. So far he'd fooled the personnel director,
the assistant principal, and the chairperson of the social studies
department. This morning was his final interview, with the principal,
Dr. Wendy McElroy. It was make-or-break."
If you can read that first paragraph of Lisa Scottoline's One
Perfect Lie and then put the book down, you have much more will power
than I do. Who is Chris Brennan? Why is he posing as a high school
teacher? Why are the stakes so high? Inquiring minds want to know...
...especially since Scottoline soon reveals that a plan is being
set in motion. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer, fuel oil, and a blasting
cap are involved. And the Oklahoma City Bombing anniversary is only
six days away.
Chris will also be assistant coach for varsity baseball. He has
to find a boy whom he can get to help him carry out his work, one he
can bond with quickly and receive unconditional loyalty from. A boy
he'll no longer need in less than a week.
If you enjoy a suspenseful mystery with plot twists galore and
psychological depth, you'll find One Perfect Lie impossible to put down.
On a purrrsonal note, a month and a week after his cancer diagnosis
Joey is in the game. He eats well and keeps the ounces he's put back
on. He's alert and curious. And he gives every sign of being happy
and enjoying life. Yesterday he discovered teriyaki chicken and
pronounced it purr purr good. We start and end each day with nice
long cuddles. During the day we cuddle whenever he wants to. He is
my world. There are very few things that can pull me away from him.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world and
all who are praying and pulling for him.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion
Adult fiction
"Against all odds, she had just survived the last wedding of
their three daughters, Dee Dee, Ce Ce, and Le Le. Their only
unmarried child now was their twenty-five-year-old son, Carter, who
lived in Atlanta. And some other (God help her) beleaguered mother of
the bride would be in charge of planning that happy occasion. All she
and Earl would have to do for Carter's wedding was show up and smile.
And today, other than one short stop at the bank and picking up a
couple of pork chops for dinner, she didn't have another thing she had
to do. She was almost giddy with relief."
Of course you know Sookie (Sarah Jane), protagonist of Fannie
Flagg's The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, won't get to
enjoy her leisure long. One day she receives shocking news. She was
adopted. Her birth mother was a Polish Catholic woman. Her father
was unknown.
This news would come as a shock to most women old enough to have
married off their daughters. Me? I'd be relieved not to carry the
DNA of plantation owners who had slaves and took the wrong side in the
Civil War. But for Sookie this intelligence is devastating. Lenore
(the woman she knows as her mother) was Southern old family elite with
European royalty ties. All Sookie's life Lenore has ruthlessly held
her to Southern Belle standards, pushing her to be a debutante. To
Lenore family status is everything.
Sookie has always prided herself on honesty. Now she believes
her whole life is a lie. What will people think of her? How will her
children react to the news? How can she keep Lenore from learning
that she knows?
But don't start feeling sorry for Sookie. She's about to embark
on a flight of self discovery and learn about a fascinating chapter in
feminist herstory. You won't want to miss the ride. So buckle up,
lean back, and be ready for one wild journey.
On a personnel note, my big house and shed reorganizing project is
taking on aspects of exorcism. I'm getting rid of the stuff I
acquired with good intentions and never got around to really using and
the ghosts of guilt they engendered. The bread machine is a good
example. I bought it to make good bread for my family. Amber was
three, Katie a baby, and Adam a plan. I made exactly one loaf that
was more suitable for door stop than anything intended for human
consumption. The machine got neglected in the hecticness of life with
three children. When I actually had time to make bread there were not
enough people at home to make this a sensible idea. Bye bye bread
machine! Bye bye guilt ghosties!
A great big shout goes out to all of my readers who have experienced
unfulfilled good intentions and guilt ghosties.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"Against all odds, she had just survived the last wedding of
their three daughters, Dee Dee, Ce Ce, and Le Le. Their only
unmarried child now was their twenty-five-year-old son, Carter, who
lived in Atlanta. And some other (God help her) beleaguered mother of
the bride would be in charge of planning that happy occasion. All she
and Earl would have to do for Carter's wedding was show up and smile.
And today, other than one short stop at the bank and picking up a
couple of pork chops for dinner, she didn't have another thing she had
to do. She was almost giddy with relief."
Of course you know Sookie (Sarah Jane), protagonist of Fannie
Flagg's The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion, won't get to
enjoy her leisure long. One day she receives shocking news. She was
adopted. Her birth mother was a Polish Catholic woman. Her father
was unknown.
This news would come as a shock to most women old enough to have
married off their daughters. Me? I'd be relieved not to carry the
DNA of plantation owners who had slaves and took the wrong side in the
Civil War. But for Sookie this intelligence is devastating. Lenore
(the woman she knows as her mother) was Southern old family elite with
European royalty ties. All Sookie's life Lenore has ruthlessly held
her to Southern Belle standards, pushing her to be a debutante. To
Lenore family status is everything.
Sookie has always prided herself on honesty. Now she believes
her whole life is a lie. What will people think of her? How will her
children react to the news? How can she keep Lenore from learning
that she knows?
But don't start feeling sorry for Sookie. She's about to embark
on a flight of self discovery and learn about a fascinating chapter in
feminist herstory. You won't want to miss the ride. So buckle up,
lean back, and be ready for one wild journey.
On a personnel note, my big house and shed reorganizing project is
taking on aspects of exorcism. I'm getting rid of the stuff I
acquired with good intentions and never got around to really using and
the ghosts of guilt they engendered. The bread machine is a good
example. I bought it to make good bread for my family. Amber was
three, Katie a baby, and Adam a plan. I made exactly one loaf that
was more suitable for door stop than anything intended for human
consumption. The machine got neglected in the hecticness of life with
three children. When I actually had time to make bread there were not
enough people at home to make this a sensible idea. Bye bye bread
machine! Bye bye guilt ghosties!
A great big shout goes out to all of my readers who have experienced
unfulfilled good intentions and guilt ghosties.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
What I Saw and How I Lied
What I Saw and How I Lied
Juvenile/YA fiction
"Margie held her candy cigarette high in the air, even though
ladies didn't smoke on the street. We couldn't imagine being wicked
enough to smoke on the street, but it was something to shoot for,
something that smacked of high heels and saying 'damn' if you broke a
nail. In the meantime, we were careful not to step on the cracks in
the sidewalk. Step on a crack, break your mother's back. We'd been
saying it since we were nine years old, and it was just like Holy
Communion. We believed it absolutely, no matter how screwball it
sounded."
Evie, narrator of Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied, and
her best friend, Margie, are making the most of their last days of
summer vacation. Life is good. With WWII over, rationing has ended
and consumer goods are once again flooding the stores. Evie is
eagerly awaiting the day when she'll be able to "fill out a sweater."
Evie's life is about to take a turn for the unexpected. When
her stepfather, Joe, gets home from work he announces that they and
her mother, Bev, will be going to Florida the next day. The heck with
school! The family hadn't gotten around to taking a summer vacation.
Only the journey turns out to be a lot more than a vacation.
Evie is about to learn things about her stepfather she'd never
suspected. She's also going to enter into a relationship with an
older guy, Peter, who served in the war with Joe and seems to have a
thing for Bev.
When Peter dies under suspicious circumstances Evie is faced
with a dilemma. Can she tell the carefully crafted lies Joe and Bev
thought up to clear their name? Or will her loyalties lie with Peter?
I especially liked the book for two reasons. This poignant
coming of age story about a teen who abruptly has to grow up too fast
rings true. The narrative beautifully recreates an America recovering
from wartime fear and deprivation into a vision of hope for the future.
On a personal note, I'm returning to the memoir I've changed the
format for several times over the years. This time I think I have a
winner. I've written the introduction and will share it, as well as
my Artsapalooza audience. See if they would read a book that had that
on the first page. I'm going to try to complete the first draft by
September.
A great big shout out goes out to my BFFs--Lisa, Mazie, and Jodi--for
being awesome and believing in me.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile/YA fiction
"Margie held her candy cigarette high in the air, even though
ladies didn't smoke on the street. We couldn't imagine being wicked
enough to smoke on the street, but it was something to shoot for,
something that smacked of high heels and saying 'damn' if you broke a
nail. In the meantime, we were careful not to step on the cracks in
the sidewalk. Step on a crack, break your mother's back. We'd been
saying it since we were nine years old, and it was just like Holy
Communion. We believed it absolutely, no matter how screwball it
sounded."
Evie, narrator of Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied, and
her best friend, Margie, are making the most of their last days of
summer vacation. Life is good. With WWII over, rationing has ended
and consumer goods are once again flooding the stores. Evie is
eagerly awaiting the day when she'll be able to "fill out a sweater."
Evie's life is about to take a turn for the unexpected. When
her stepfather, Joe, gets home from work he announces that they and
her mother, Bev, will be going to Florida the next day. The heck with
school! The family hadn't gotten around to taking a summer vacation.
Only the journey turns out to be a lot more than a vacation.
Evie is about to learn things about her stepfather she'd never
suspected. She's also going to enter into a relationship with an
older guy, Peter, who served in the war with Joe and seems to have a
thing for Bev.
When Peter dies under suspicious circumstances Evie is faced
with a dilemma. Can she tell the carefully crafted lies Joe and Bev
thought up to clear their name? Or will her loyalties lie with Peter?
I especially liked the book for two reasons. This poignant
coming of age story about a teen who abruptly has to grow up too fast
rings true. The narrative beautifully recreates an America recovering
from wartime fear and deprivation into a vision of hope for the future.
On a personal note, I'm returning to the memoir I've changed the
format for several times over the years. This time I think I have a
winner. I've written the introduction and will share it, as well as
my Artsapalooza audience. See if they would read a book that had that
on the first page. I'm going to try to complete the first draft by
September.
A great big shout out goes out to my BFFs--Lisa, Mazie, and Jodi--for
being awesome and believing in me.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
The Second Trial
The Second Trial
YA fiction
"The police officer kept his eyes locked on the thirteen-year-
old boy. 'You're going to have to move,' he said.
Danny crossed his arms. 'No.'
Sergeant Sandho faced the boy squarely. 'Your father--your
dad's a violent and dangerous man, Danny. Your mom can't trust him,
and neither can you.' He paused. 'If he gets the chance again, we all
believe he'll hurt your mom--very badly. Even kill her.'"
Danny had gone through most of his life thinking his father was
a swell guy, the dad he bonded with through shared interests like
fishing. Sure, sometimes he'd heard raised voices. But doesn't every
family have disagreements?
One day, lying in bed, Danny heard his father threaten to shoot
his mother. Ominous sounds were followed by his dog's frenzied
barking. His mother lay on the floor, unconscious, blood oozing from
her scalp.
Six months later at the trial Danny learns of the many terrible
things his father did to his mother. As he tries to wrap his mind
around this mind-shattering information, his loyalties split, he is
told he must leave everyone and everything he knows--even his beloved
grandparents. He and his mom and sister will go into a victim
protection program with new names and family history.
The Second Trial is the poignant coming of age narrative of a
barely teen aged boy having to cope with a situation most of us
couldn't handle. It's an insightful must read for all concerned about
the impact of domestic violence on families.
On a personal note, I'm really enjoying doing my volunteering
journal. It's just so cute and motivating. It makes me really want
to put in more time and write about it. I am going to start letting
people start reading it, starting with my BFF, Jodi, in the hope that
it will inspire people to start their own. I've been making
progress. In about a week I went from 37 to 48 hours. I'm almost
half way to my goal of 100 hours for 2019.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world,
Joey.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"The police officer kept his eyes locked on the thirteen-year-
old boy. 'You're going to have to move,' he said.
Danny crossed his arms. 'No.'
Sergeant Sandho faced the boy squarely. 'Your father--your
dad's a violent and dangerous man, Danny. Your mom can't trust him,
and neither can you.' He paused. 'If he gets the chance again, we all
believe he'll hurt your mom--very badly. Even kill her.'"
Danny had gone through most of his life thinking his father was
a swell guy, the dad he bonded with through shared interests like
fishing. Sure, sometimes he'd heard raised voices. But doesn't every
family have disagreements?
One day, lying in bed, Danny heard his father threaten to shoot
his mother. Ominous sounds were followed by his dog's frenzied
barking. His mother lay on the floor, unconscious, blood oozing from
her scalp.
Six months later at the trial Danny learns of the many terrible
things his father did to his mother. As he tries to wrap his mind
around this mind-shattering information, his loyalties split, he is
told he must leave everyone and everything he knows--even his beloved
grandparents. He and his mom and sister will go into a victim
protection program with new names and family history.
The Second Trial is the poignant coming of age narrative of a
barely teen aged boy having to cope with a situation most of us
couldn't handle. It's an insightful must read for all concerned about
the impact of domestic violence on families.
On a personal note, I'm really enjoying doing my volunteering
journal. It's just so cute and motivating. It makes me really want
to put in more time and write about it. I am going to start letting
people start reading it, starting with my BFF, Jodi, in the hope that
it will inspire people to start their own. I've been making
progress. In about a week I went from 37 to 48 hours. I'm almost
half way to my goal of 100 hours for 2019.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world,
Joey.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Palaces For The People
Palaces For The People
Adult nonfiction
"Social infrastructure is not 'social capital'--a term commonly
used to measure people's relationships and interpersonal networks--but
the physical conditions that determine whether social capital
develops. When social infrastructure is robust, it fosters contact,
mutual support, and collaboration among friends and neighbors; when
degraded, it inhibits social activity, leaving families and
individuals to fend for themselves. Social infrastructure is
crucially important, because face-to-face interactions--at the school,
the playground, and the corner diner--are the building blocks of all
public life..."
Eric Klinenberg, author of Palaces For The People, would
certainly enjoy a visit to downtown Orono, Maine. Within a small area
he'd discover a community garden where a cadre of volunteers grows
organic veggies to give to low income people; a former school that
houses a center for older people and a popular volunteer run thrift
shop; a library with programs for children and adults; the outdoor
ampitheater that is the setting for free summer concerts; a public
pool; a community building that hosts everything from plays to yoga
classes; a riverfront picnic spot; a constellation of local shops and
restaurants, and two churches. In four days Artsapalooza will turn a
wide range of venues into sites for the sharing of music, art, poetry,
and dance. In December families sing Christmas songs and sip cocoa
while awaiting Santa's arrival.
Many people think of infrastructure as just stuff like subways
and sewers. Klinenberg shows readers why social infrastructure is
equally as important. He starts the book by describing the results of
a devastating Chicago heat wave. During one week the death toll was
over 700 mortalities higher than usual. Mortality rates varied by
neighborhood, but not always in favor of the well off. Four of the
neighborhoods with the lowest mortality rates were impoverished. They
were densely populated places, rich in green spaces, community
organizations, and commercial venues.
This epiphany set Klinenberg off on a quest to discover the of
vibrant or virtually nonexistent social infrastructures. Nearly every
place he went he found the "social glue" dissolving. Factors like
class segregation, political polarization, and too much time online
are leaving people increasingly isolated and afraid.
I was really excited when I read the book. Although Klinenberg
is honest about the challenges faced by those trying to create and
maintain public spaces, he describes a number of vibrant places and
their programs. If you believe in the power of place, you'll find
Palaces For The People to be a must read.
On a personal note, this past weekend Eugene and I took a nice
afternoon ride. I really enjoyed the lilacs which are in full bloom.
Eugene got subs for supper. When we stopped at Goodwill I found myself
a long sweater, two cat shirts, and the most amazing Christmas cat one
piece pajamas ever. They even light up!!! Can you believe it?
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene who really knows how to make
me happy.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"Social infrastructure is not 'social capital'--a term commonly
used to measure people's relationships and interpersonal networks--but
the physical conditions that determine whether social capital
develops. When social infrastructure is robust, it fosters contact,
mutual support, and collaboration among friends and neighbors; when
degraded, it inhibits social activity, leaving families and
individuals to fend for themselves. Social infrastructure is
crucially important, because face-to-face interactions--at the school,
the playground, and the corner diner--are the building blocks of all
public life..."
Eric Klinenberg, author of Palaces For The People, would
certainly enjoy a visit to downtown Orono, Maine. Within a small area
he'd discover a community garden where a cadre of volunteers grows
organic veggies to give to low income people; a former school that
houses a center for older people and a popular volunteer run thrift
shop; a library with programs for children and adults; the outdoor
ampitheater that is the setting for free summer concerts; a public
pool; a community building that hosts everything from plays to yoga
classes; a riverfront picnic spot; a constellation of local shops and
restaurants, and two churches. In four days Artsapalooza will turn a
wide range of venues into sites for the sharing of music, art, poetry,
and dance. In December families sing Christmas songs and sip cocoa
while awaiting Santa's arrival.
Many people think of infrastructure as just stuff like subways
and sewers. Klinenberg shows readers why social infrastructure is
equally as important. He starts the book by describing the results of
a devastating Chicago heat wave. During one week the death toll was
over 700 mortalities higher than usual. Mortality rates varied by
neighborhood, but not always in favor of the well off. Four of the
neighborhoods with the lowest mortality rates were impoverished. They
were densely populated places, rich in green spaces, community
organizations, and commercial venues.
This epiphany set Klinenberg off on a quest to discover the of
vibrant or virtually nonexistent social infrastructures. Nearly every
place he went he found the "social glue" dissolving. Factors like
class segregation, political polarization, and too much time online
are leaving people increasingly isolated and afraid.
I was really excited when I read the book. Although Klinenberg
is honest about the challenges faced by those trying to create and
maintain public spaces, he describes a number of vibrant places and
their programs. If you believe in the power of place, you'll find
Palaces For The People to be a must read.
On a personal note, this past weekend Eugene and I took a nice
afternoon ride. I really enjoyed the lilacs which are in full bloom.
Eugene got subs for supper. When we stopped at Goodwill I found myself
a long sweater, two cat shirts, and the most amazing Christmas cat one
piece pajamas ever. They even light up!!! Can you believe it?
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene who really knows how to make
me happy.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Insane
Insane
Adult nonfiction
"It is important to acknowledge how often race, poverty, and
mental illness overlap in the criminal justice system, creating a
mutually reinforcing downward spiral. But of all the gross imbalances
of our current approach to criminal justice, perhaps no group has been
hurt as much as people with mental illness. Once they are caught in
the criminal justice system, they are far less able to cope with its
demands and are at much higher risk for exploitation and abuse. This
book seeks to understand why we are shunting some of the most
vulnerable people in America into jails and prisons--and why they have
been so mistreated when they get there."
I worry about my trans sibling, Harte, who has the double burden
of severe brain damage and mental illness. I've known him all his
life, but I often can't follow his line of thought when we talk on the
phone. He would never hurt anyone. But a police officer might
encounter a very large person behaving strangely and feel threatened.
As Alisa Roth (quoted above) points out in Insane: America's Criminal
Treatment of Mental Illness, out of every four police victims, one
suffers from mental illness.
Roth gives readers a candid look at the very harmful place that
ends up housing too many of our most vulnerable citizens. There are
far too few treatment units. For many prisoners sent out to mental
hospitals for treatment, the game plan is not health restoration, but
competency (to appear in court) attainment. They must be able to
state, for example, where the judge sits and what (s)he does.
Medications are often used not for health, but for maintaining law and
order. Solitary is much too often seen as a solution, even though it
exacerbates psychological problems. Ironically it is used as
punishment for self harm and suicide attempts.
Underlying all the other problems of jails and prisons housing
people with mental illness is the incompatible missions of corrections
and therapy. These institutions, housing large numbers of people,
many of them quite dangerous, must be about control and
micromanagement. Therapy must nurture connection in an atmosphere of
trust.
If you have a loved one with mental illness and the potential to
get caught up in the correctional system or care about the fate of
some of America's most vulnerable citizens, you'll find Insane to be a
must read.
On a personal note, Artsapalooza is this coming Saturday. I'm working
on getting forty minutes of original poetry ready. I hope I get a few
people. One of the most popular events of the night is at the same
time at a different locale. Yikes!
A great big shout out goes out to all who are doing the behind the
scenes work that enables Artsapalooza to happen every year.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"It is important to acknowledge how often race, poverty, and
mental illness overlap in the criminal justice system, creating a
mutually reinforcing downward spiral. But of all the gross imbalances
of our current approach to criminal justice, perhaps no group has been
hurt as much as people with mental illness. Once they are caught in
the criminal justice system, they are far less able to cope with its
demands and are at much higher risk for exploitation and abuse. This
book seeks to understand why we are shunting some of the most
vulnerable people in America into jails and prisons--and why they have
been so mistreated when they get there."
I worry about my trans sibling, Harte, who has the double burden
of severe brain damage and mental illness. I've known him all his
life, but I often can't follow his line of thought when we talk on the
phone. He would never hurt anyone. But a police officer might
encounter a very large person behaving strangely and feel threatened.
As Alisa Roth (quoted above) points out in Insane: America's Criminal
Treatment of Mental Illness, out of every four police victims, one
suffers from mental illness.
Roth gives readers a candid look at the very harmful place that
ends up housing too many of our most vulnerable citizens. There are
far too few treatment units. For many prisoners sent out to mental
hospitals for treatment, the game plan is not health restoration, but
competency (to appear in court) attainment. They must be able to
state, for example, where the judge sits and what (s)he does.
Medications are often used not for health, but for maintaining law and
order. Solitary is much too often seen as a solution, even though it
exacerbates psychological problems. Ironically it is used as
punishment for self harm and suicide attempts.
Underlying all the other problems of jails and prisons housing
people with mental illness is the incompatible missions of corrections
and therapy. These institutions, housing large numbers of people,
many of them quite dangerous, must be about control and
micromanagement. Therapy must nurture connection in an atmosphere of
trust.
If you have a loved one with mental illness and the potential to
get caught up in the correctional system or care about the fate of
some of America's most vulnerable citizens, you'll find Insane to be a
must read.
On a personal note, Artsapalooza is this coming Saturday. I'm working
on getting forty minutes of original poetry ready. I hope I get a few
people. One of the most popular events of the night is at the same
time at a different locale. Yikes!
A great big shout out goes out to all who are doing the behind the
scenes work that enables Artsapalooza to happen every year.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
We Say #Never Again
We Say #Never Again
YA/adult nonfiction
"I do another phone interview. In the background I can hear the
anchor. They update the story--seventeen dead. I had no idea. In my
mind, there were three. Seventeen is an unfathomable number. I
finish the interview and collapse on my front porch in tears. It's
been twelve hours since I left my house for work, and in that time my
whole world has been shattered."
It should have been a Valentines Day like any other for the
students at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School--nothing
beyond cards, stuffed animals, candy, dates, clubs, sports, and
homework. But we all know that in 2018 that wasn't to be. Shortly
before closing time the school went on red alert. A gunman rampaged
through the halls, killing seventeen students and teachers and
injuring others. Other students and family and community members lost
friends, siblings, sons, daughters, students--and a sense of the
school and world as a safe place to be.
Can you imagine being one of the students? You huddle with
classmates, hearing gun shots and screams. Maybe your room will be
the next target. You text friends, frantically trying to see if
they're safe. You text your parents to say you love them in case
you'll never again get to tell them in person. When you finally reach
safety reporters are in your face trying to get the details and quotes
that will help their coverage trump that of other media outlets. Then
two weeks later you return to the place you saw splattered with the
life blood of friends, maybe close ones.
Under those circumstances can you imagine being called on to
objectively report on the tragedy and its aftermath? That's exactly
what the student journalists of the Eagle Eye were called on to do.
This wasn't a one night or week media stand for them. This was their
real life which they understood better than anyone else. The third
issue of their paper was a memorial one, devoted to the profiles of
the lives that were lost and what they meant to loved ones. The final
issue of the school year, Taking A Stand, focussed on gun violence and
activism. The book We Say #Never Again, edited by teachers Melissa
Falkowski (quoted above) and Eric Garner, lets us all read essays by
many of these student journalists. Among those you'll encounter are:
*Carly Novell's Dos and Don'ts for Journalists Covering Tragedies that
contains this advice:
"DON'T forget Parkland or any other community forever changed by
gun violence. We are more significant than a passing news headline.
We are grieving, and our lives will never be the same...Just because
gun violence and shootings are common doesn't mean each event is any
less significant than the last.";
*Christy Ma's thoughts on covering the walkout where she had to
provide content up to journalistic standards while she was feeling the
same emotions of her classmates:
"Reporting on something that held such emotional value and
weight for me was difficult, and would have been difficult for any
journalist, but I'm proud that my friends have been able to pull
through together in order to give the world an example of a school
that won't back down in the midst of tragedy, and will keep pushing
forward to a future of hope.";
and *Sam Grizelj's experiences of the Parkland March For Our Lives
which concludes with:
"The March For Our Lives was an event filled with passion and
determination to finally set things right. It allowed us to speak our
minds on issues that need to be resolved once and for all, and even
though it is now over, the fight for our safety isn't...After all,
this is a fight for our lives, and a search for justice."
Honestly the pieces were all so poignant and powerful that I had
to choose the ones I quoted entirely randomly. If you care about
ending violence in one of the places people most deserve to feel safe
you owe it to yourself to read the book and join in the activism.
On a personal note, Church of Universal Fellowship was one of the the
remote groups that had a march. We gathered together in the church
basement to organize and listen to speeches by our very smart and
articulate middle and high schoolers, walked, carrying signs, to the
UMaine campus, and joined with others to hear speeches in front of
Fogler Library. There were feelings of fear, determination, and
solidarity. It was an amazing experience to be part of.
A great big shout out goes out to all who contributed so generously to
this fine book.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult nonfiction
"I do another phone interview. In the background I can hear the
anchor. They update the story--seventeen dead. I had no idea. In my
mind, there were three. Seventeen is an unfathomable number. I
finish the interview and collapse on my front porch in tears. It's
been twelve hours since I left my house for work, and in that time my
whole world has been shattered."
It should have been a Valentines Day like any other for the
students at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School--nothing
beyond cards, stuffed animals, candy, dates, clubs, sports, and
homework. But we all know that in 2018 that wasn't to be. Shortly
before closing time the school went on red alert. A gunman rampaged
through the halls, killing seventeen students and teachers and
injuring others. Other students and family and community members lost
friends, siblings, sons, daughters, students--and a sense of the
school and world as a safe place to be.
Can you imagine being one of the students? You huddle with
classmates, hearing gun shots and screams. Maybe your room will be
the next target. You text friends, frantically trying to see if
they're safe. You text your parents to say you love them in case
you'll never again get to tell them in person. When you finally reach
safety reporters are in your face trying to get the details and quotes
that will help their coverage trump that of other media outlets. Then
two weeks later you return to the place you saw splattered with the
life blood of friends, maybe close ones.
Under those circumstances can you imagine being called on to
objectively report on the tragedy and its aftermath? That's exactly
what the student journalists of the Eagle Eye were called on to do.
This wasn't a one night or week media stand for them. This was their
real life which they understood better than anyone else. The third
issue of their paper was a memorial one, devoted to the profiles of
the lives that were lost and what they meant to loved ones. The final
issue of the school year, Taking A Stand, focussed on gun violence and
activism. The book We Say #Never Again, edited by teachers Melissa
Falkowski (quoted above) and Eric Garner, lets us all read essays by
many of these student journalists. Among those you'll encounter are:
*Carly Novell's Dos and Don'ts for Journalists Covering Tragedies that
contains this advice:
"DON'T forget Parkland or any other community forever changed by
gun violence. We are more significant than a passing news headline.
We are grieving, and our lives will never be the same...Just because
gun violence and shootings are common doesn't mean each event is any
less significant than the last.";
*Christy Ma's thoughts on covering the walkout where she had to
provide content up to journalistic standards while she was feeling the
same emotions of her classmates:
"Reporting on something that held such emotional value and
weight for me was difficult, and would have been difficult for any
journalist, but I'm proud that my friends have been able to pull
through together in order to give the world an example of a school
that won't back down in the midst of tragedy, and will keep pushing
forward to a future of hope.";
and *Sam Grizelj's experiences of the Parkland March For Our Lives
which concludes with:
"The March For Our Lives was an event filled with passion and
determination to finally set things right. It allowed us to speak our
minds on issues that need to be resolved once and for all, and even
though it is now over, the fight for our safety isn't...After all,
this is a fight for our lives, and a search for justice."
Honestly the pieces were all so poignant and powerful that I had
to choose the ones I quoted entirely randomly. If you care about
ending violence in one of the places people most deserve to feel safe
you owe it to yourself to read the book and join in the activism.
On a personal note, Church of Universal Fellowship was one of the the
remote groups that had a march. We gathered together in the church
basement to organize and listen to speeches by our very smart and
articulate middle and high schoolers, walked, carrying signs, to the
UMaine campus, and joined with others to hear speeches in front of
Fogler Library. There were feelings of fear, determination, and
solidarity. It was an amazing experience to be part of.
A great big shout out goes out to all who contributed so generously to
this fine book.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Elevation
Elevation
Adult fiction
"In order to allow for the boots and the coat, Bob ran the
counterweight all the way to 250, then worked backward, first sliding
the weight, then nudging it along. The needle of the balance bar
remained grounded at 240, and 230, and 220, which Doctor Bob would
have thought impossible. Never mind the coat and boots; Scott Carey
simple looked heavier than that. He could have been off in his
estimate by a few pounds, but he had weighed too many overweight men
and women to be this far off."
Scott Carey, protagonist of Stephen King's Elevation, has a
major problem. He's losing weight without losing girth. By the time
he visits his retired doctor friend he's dropped 28 pounds. Even
eating like a horse does nothing to change the situation. Neither
does putting on a coat weighed down with pockets full of quarters.
He's terrified of what will happen when the numbers get too small.
But he knows that presenting officially to a doctor will result in his
being poked, prodded, and tested extensively and reduced from sentient
being to case study.
Scott's next door neighbors are married lesbians. This is a bit
too much for many of the inhabitants of their small town. This means
that they may not be able to stay. The restaurant they have staked
everything in starting will go under after the tourist season unless
the year round residents provide them with business.
So what do these two crises have to do with each other? You'll
just have to read the book and see.
Although King is known best for horror and associated with
vampires, haunted hotels, killer cars, and other spine chilling
entities, he is also possessed with a deep understanding of the human
heart and soul. This comes out loud and clear in novels such as Stand
By Me and Delores Claiborne. It is this same powerful quality that
gives such a lift to Elevation.
On a purrrsonal note, precious Joey turned sweet 16 (but don't believe
he's never been kissed!) Saturday. The parts of his fur that used to
be pure black are sporting silver strands. He is going strong and
enjoying life, very much in the game. I hope and pray that he will
have as much time in which to enjoy our world as possible.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"In order to allow for the boots and the coat, Bob ran the
counterweight all the way to 250, then worked backward, first sliding
the weight, then nudging it along. The needle of the balance bar
remained grounded at 240, and 230, and 220, which Doctor Bob would
have thought impossible. Never mind the coat and boots; Scott Carey
simple looked heavier than that. He could have been off in his
estimate by a few pounds, but he had weighed too many overweight men
and women to be this far off."
Scott Carey, protagonist of Stephen King's Elevation, has a
major problem. He's losing weight without losing girth. By the time
he visits his retired doctor friend he's dropped 28 pounds. Even
eating like a horse does nothing to change the situation. Neither
does putting on a coat weighed down with pockets full of quarters.
He's terrified of what will happen when the numbers get too small.
But he knows that presenting officially to a doctor will result in his
being poked, prodded, and tested extensively and reduced from sentient
being to case study.
Scott's next door neighbors are married lesbians. This is a bit
too much for many of the inhabitants of their small town. This means
that they may not be able to stay. The restaurant they have staked
everything in starting will go under after the tourist season unless
the year round residents provide them with business.
So what do these two crises have to do with each other? You'll
just have to read the book and see.
Although King is known best for horror and associated with
vampires, haunted hotels, killer cars, and other spine chilling
entities, he is also possessed with a deep understanding of the human
heart and soul. This comes out loud and clear in novels such as Stand
By Me and Delores Claiborne. It is this same powerful quality that
gives such a lift to Elevation.
On a purrrsonal note, precious Joey turned sweet 16 (but don't believe
he's never been kissed!) Saturday. The parts of his fur that used to
be pure black are sporting silver strands. He is going strong and
enjoying life, very much in the game. I hope and pray that he will
have as much time in which to enjoy our world as possible.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Heartland
Heartland
"America didn't talk about class when I was growing up. I had
no idea why my life looked the way it did, why my parents' young
bodies ached, why some opportunities were closed off to me. I suppose
we never completely do, not even with hindsight. But the hard
economies of a family, a town, a region, a country, a world were
shaping my relationship to creation--to my womb, yes, but also to what
I wouldn't have a chance to make of myself."
Many who grow up under conditions of poverty and privation and
go on to achieve success understandably leave the past in the past.
Sadly, a few, notably a certain ex governor of the State of Maine,
despise, demonize, and make things harder for those still in dire
distress. Then there are the beautiful few who let early hardships
spur them to make a difference. Sarah Smarsh is certainly one of
them. Her Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the
Richest Country on Earth seamlessly combines her child and teen
experiences and the trajectories of family members with a hard hitting
analysis of the ways this country's negligence and cruelty trap so
many people at the bottom rung of the socioeconomic system.
One of the most telling aspects of this book is its unusual
format. Smarsh writes the book as a long letter to August, the never
born child she was expected to give birth to in her teen years as
generations of women in her family had done. She explains quite
frankly the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and
deprivations August would have experienced if she had come into the
world Smarsh inhabited. Ultimately August's never being born served
to save two generations.
"My family's labor was undervalued to such an extent that, while
we never starved or went without shelter in a chronic way, we all knew
what it felt like to need something essential--food, shoes, a safe
place to live, a rent payment, a trip to the doctor--and go without it
for lack of money. That's the sort of mess I wanted out of. That's
the sort of mess I never wanted you to experience."
Many people see the poor as lazy and unambitious. If they only
tried, they could make it. Smarsh inculcated respect for the
struggles they must wage just to achieve basics the rest of us can
take for granted. If you suspect that they have become collateral
damage to our nation's huge wealth gap and that something needs to be
done to create a fairer, more just playing field, you'll find
Heartland to be a must read.
This amazing and quite polished book is Smarsh's debut. I can't
wait to see what she serves up next.
On a personal note, over the weekend UMaine hosted Special Olympics.
It's an event dining services looks forward to. The participants and
their entourages are so excited and proud. They take nothing for
granted. Their happiness is contagious and their appreciation
gratifying. We love being able to contribute to their experience.
A great big shout out goes out to our Special Olympians and their
families and coaches.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
"America didn't talk about class when I was growing up. I had
no idea why my life looked the way it did, why my parents' young
bodies ached, why some opportunities were closed off to me. I suppose
we never completely do, not even with hindsight. But the hard
economies of a family, a town, a region, a country, a world were
shaping my relationship to creation--to my womb, yes, but also to what
I wouldn't have a chance to make of myself."
Many who grow up under conditions of poverty and privation and
go on to achieve success understandably leave the past in the past.
Sadly, a few, notably a certain ex governor of the State of Maine,
despise, demonize, and make things harder for those still in dire
distress. Then there are the beautiful few who let early hardships
spur them to make a difference. Sarah Smarsh is certainly one of
them. Her Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the
Richest Country on Earth seamlessly combines her child and teen
experiences and the trajectories of family members with a hard hitting
analysis of the ways this country's negligence and cruelty trap so
many people at the bottom rung of the socioeconomic system.
One of the most telling aspects of this book is its unusual
format. Smarsh writes the book as a long letter to August, the never
born child she was expected to give birth to in her teen years as
generations of women in her family had done. She explains quite
frankly the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and
deprivations August would have experienced if she had come into the
world Smarsh inhabited. Ultimately August's never being born served
to save two generations.
"My family's labor was undervalued to such an extent that, while
we never starved or went without shelter in a chronic way, we all knew
what it felt like to need something essential--food, shoes, a safe
place to live, a rent payment, a trip to the doctor--and go without it
for lack of money. That's the sort of mess I wanted out of. That's
the sort of mess I never wanted you to experience."
Many people see the poor as lazy and unambitious. If they only
tried, they could make it. Smarsh inculcated respect for the
struggles they must wage just to achieve basics the rest of us can
take for granted. If you suspect that they have become collateral
damage to our nation's huge wealth gap and that something needs to be
done to create a fairer, more just playing field, you'll find
Heartland to be a must read.
This amazing and quite polished book is Smarsh's debut. I can't
wait to see what she serves up next.
On a personal note, over the weekend UMaine hosted Special Olympics.
It's an event dining services looks forward to. The participants and
their entourages are so excited and proud. They take nothing for
granted. Their happiness is contagious and their appreciation
gratifying. We love being able to contribute to their experience.
A great big shout out goes out to our Special Olympians and their
families and coaches.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, June 10, 2019
The Fuzzy And The Techie
The Fuzzy And The Techie
Adult nonfiction
"This book seeks to reframe the debate about the value of a
liberal arts versus a STEM education. While taking into account the
very real need for more so-called STEM majors, this book seeks to
highlight that the debate has turned on a faux opposition between STEM
education and the liberal arts. Indeed, as we evolve our technology
to make it ever more accessible and democratic, and as it becomes ever
more ubiquitous, the timely questions of the liberal arts, and their
insights into human and desires, have become essential requirements in
the development of our technological instruments."
People have been writing an obituary for a liberal arts
education for quite awhile now. It's irrelevant to study those dead
writers. We can find anything we need to know on Google. It won't
get you a good job in today's technology oriented world. Scott
Hartley, author of The Fuzzy And The Techie, begs to disagree.
Hartley believes that the future will be built on fuzzy/techie
partnerships for a number of reasons. The tools of technology are
becoming increasingly democratized, accessible to a wider range of non
techie people. And liberal arts majors possess a number of skills
that can contribute to the development of tech based services and
products. On a personal level they possess a number of thinking and
communication skills. Additionally, many study the nature of humans
and community.
"The greatest opportunities for innovation in the emerging era
are in applying technological capabilities to finding better ways to
solve human problems like social dysfunction and political corruption;
finding ways to better educate children; helping people live healthier
and happier lives by altering harmful behaviors; improving our working
conditions; discovering better ways to tackle poverty; improving
health care and making it more affordable; making our governments more
accountable, from the local level to that of global affairs; and
finding optimal ways to incorporate intelligent, nimble machines into
our work lives so that we are empowered to do more of the work that we
do best, and to let the machines do the rest. Workers with a strong
liberal arts education have a strong foundation to build on in
pursuing those goals.
If you're a higher ed professional or someone who wants to
understand how fuzzys and techies can unite to create a better world
for us all, The Fuzzie And The Techie is a must read.
On a personal note, I am instituting a new tradition for this blog,
the yearly tick talk. We're getting into the lovely weather stretch
where you're more likely to enjoy mother nature's turf. Just remember
this. Some ticks are carriers of pestilences including Lyme disease
and worse. Wear long sleeves and long pants and tuck pants legs into
socks. Ticks love bare legs. Use an insect spray like deep woods
off. When you get home throw your clothes into a dryer on high heat
and take a hot shower including a hair wash. If you have dogs or
outside cats examine their fur carefully on a regular basis. Tick
borne pathogens are a good illustration of the adage: an ounce of
prevention beats a pound of cure.
A great big shout out goes out to all the scientists who are
(hopefully) working on ways to protect people and animals from ticks
and the pestilences they pack.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"This book seeks to reframe the debate about the value of a
liberal arts versus a STEM education. While taking into account the
very real need for more so-called STEM majors, this book seeks to
highlight that the debate has turned on a faux opposition between STEM
education and the liberal arts. Indeed, as we evolve our technology
to make it ever more accessible and democratic, and as it becomes ever
more ubiquitous, the timely questions of the liberal arts, and their
insights into human and desires, have become essential requirements in
the development of our technological instruments."
People have been writing an obituary for a liberal arts
education for quite awhile now. It's irrelevant to study those dead
writers. We can find anything we need to know on Google. It won't
get you a good job in today's technology oriented world. Scott
Hartley, author of The Fuzzy And The Techie, begs to disagree.
Hartley believes that the future will be built on fuzzy/techie
partnerships for a number of reasons. The tools of technology are
becoming increasingly democratized, accessible to a wider range of non
techie people. And liberal arts majors possess a number of skills
that can contribute to the development of tech based services and
products. On a personal level they possess a number of thinking and
communication skills. Additionally, many study the nature of humans
and community.
"The greatest opportunities for innovation in the emerging era
are in applying technological capabilities to finding better ways to
solve human problems like social dysfunction and political corruption;
finding ways to better educate children; helping people live healthier
and happier lives by altering harmful behaviors; improving our working
conditions; discovering better ways to tackle poverty; improving
health care and making it more affordable; making our governments more
accountable, from the local level to that of global affairs; and
finding optimal ways to incorporate intelligent, nimble machines into
our work lives so that we are empowered to do more of the work that we
do best, and to let the machines do the rest. Workers with a strong
liberal arts education have a strong foundation to build on in
pursuing those goals.
If you're a higher ed professional or someone who wants to
understand how fuzzys and techies can unite to create a better world
for us all, The Fuzzie And The Techie is a must read.
On a personal note, I am instituting a new tradition for this blog,
the yearly tick talk. We're getting into the lovely weather stretch
where you're more likely to enjoy mother nature's turf. Just remember
this. Some ticks are carriers of pestilences including Lyme disease
and worse. Wear long sleeves and long pants and tuck pants legs into
socks. Ticks love bare legs. Use an insect spray like deep woods
off. When you get home throw your clothes into a dryer on high heat
and take a hot shower including a hair wash. If you have dogs or
outside cats examine their fur carefully on a regular basis. Tick
borne pathogens are a good illustration of the adage: an ounce of
prevention beats a pound of cure.
A great big shout out goes out to all the scientists who are
(hopefully) working on ways to protect people and animals from ticks
and the pestilences they pack.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Amity And Prosperity
Amity And Prosperity
Adult nonfiction
"Stacey and her kids lost their land and a good part of their
lives waging a battle against the oil and gas industry. For the past
seven years, amid an ugly public fight, they allowed me to follow
their family's intimate challenges--the loss of animals, the nights
spent on the bathroom floor, and the travails of a sick kid who
doesn't want to leave his basement room. They are among those paying
the human cost of American energy."
In 2007, Eliza Griswold, author of Amity And Prosperity, was in
Nigeria. A bridge had just fallen into a river half way around the
world in Minneapolis. She thought of how the resource curse now
plagues America as well as Africa. Some of the world's most
desperately poor poor people live on resource rich land ripe for
exploration by ruthless companies. She wanted to see how this played
out in the new gas rush striking Appalachia--who was getting used and
experiencing subsequent poverty and alienation.
Stacey Haney's routs ran deep in small town Pennsylvania.
Working as a nurse, raising two children as a single parent, and
tending to the family's animals kept her busy. She wanted to replace
her barn. But on her salary that remained a dream.
Then a Texas-based firm, Range Resources, came into town, eager
to frack. Schmoozing residents at places like the County Fair, they
offered to pay them much needed money for leases. Maybe Stacey could
afford that barn. Also she wanted to boost America's energy
independence so soldiers wouldn't have to risk their lives in wars for
oil.
Range resources had assured Stacey and her neighbors that their
operations would be perfectly safe. Their lived experiences, however,
became more like a narrative penned by Stephen King. An endless
parade of trucks destroyed roads and bridges. Animals began to die.
Stacey's son became too ill to attend middle school. He was tested
for illnesses ranging from Crohn's disease to Rocky Mountain spotted
fever. All tests came back negative. The air became impregnated with
a fetid stench. A water filter became coated with black sludge.
Eventually Stacey and her children were enduring batteries of
tests for carcinogens and other nasty chemicals. They were homeless,
unable to return to a beloved home rendered lethal and unfit for human
habitation. They were ostracized by many long time friends who didn't
want the windfall to end...
...while Range Resources and their legions of lawyers kept
insisting that they were doing no harm.
Amity And Prosperity will break your heart and/or make you mad
as Hell. Stacey's family's story is is seamlessly interwoven with the
science and politics behind the costs of America's addiction to fossil
fuels. But you don't have to take my word that the book is a must
read. Arlie Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land, tells
us, "...In this exquisitely crafted and gripping account, Griswold
takes us through Stacey's fight for justice and our nation's faltering
struggle to balance the need for energy with a compelling call for a
clean planet. Slow journalism at its best."
On a personal note, I had challenged myself to do 100 volunteer hours
this year. I'd kept track in my head. Between library, Tunnel of
Oppression, and clothes swap I'd gotten up to a pathetic 37.
Wednesday, cuddling with Joey, I'd decided to start a volunteering
journal in which I could keep written track and be able to show other
people and maybe inspire them. When I looked through my journal a
perfect little attitude journal. It even has cool quotes and
gratitude exercises. Anyway I chronicled my 2019 volunteering hours
along the relevant exercises. Then I adorned the pages I'd done with
Lisa Frank stickers and felt proud of this new endeavor.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people I volunteer with.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"Stacey and her kids lost their land and a good part of their
lives waging a battle against the oil and gas industry. For the past
seven years, amid an ugly public fight, they allowed me to follow
their family's intimate challenges--the loss of animals, the nights
spent on the bathroom floor, and the travails of a sick kid who
doesn't want to leave his basement room. They are among those paying
the human cost of American energy."
In 2007, Eliza Griswold, author of Amity And Prosperity, was in
Nigeria. A bridge had just fallen into a river half way around the
world in Minneapolis. She thought of how the resource curse now
plagues America as well as Africa. Some of the world's most
desperately poor poor people live on resource rich land ripe for
exploration by ruthless companies. She wanted to see how this played
out in the new gas rush striking Appalachia--who was getting used and
experiencing subsequent poverty and alienation.
Stacey Haney's routs ran deep in small town Pennsylvania.
Working as a nurse, raising two children as a single parent, and
tending to the family's animals kept her busy. She wanted to replace
her barn. But on her salary that remained a dream.
Then a Texas-based firm, Range Resources, came into town, eager
to frack. Schmoozing residents at places like the County Fair, they
offered to pay them much needed money for leases. Maybe Stacey could
afford that barn. Also she wanted to boost America's energy
independence so soldiers wouldn't have to risk their lives in wars for
oil.
Range resources had assured Stacey and her neighbors that their
operations would be perfectly safe. Their lived experiences, however,
became more like a narrative penned by Stephen King. An endless
parade of trucks destroyed roads and bridges. Animals began to die.
Stacey's son became too ill to attend middle school. He was tested
for illnesses ranging from Crohn's disease to Rocky Mountain spotted
fever. All tests came back negative. The air became impregnated with
a fetid stench. A water filter became coated with black sludge.
Eventually Stacey and her children were enduring batteries of
tests for carcinogens and other nasty chemicals. They were homeless,
unable to return to a beloved home rendered lethal and unfit for human
habitation. They were ostracized by many long time friends who didn't
want the windfall to end...
...while Range Resources and their legions of lawyers kept
insisting that they were doing no harm.
Amity And Prosperity will break your heart and/or make you mad
as Hell. Stacey's family's story is is seamlessly interwoven with the
science and politics behind the costs of America's addiction to fossil
fuels. But you don't have to take my word that the book is a must
read. Arlie Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land, tells
us, "...In this exquisitely crafted and gripping account, Griswold
takes us through Stacey's fight for justice and our nation's faltering
struggle to balance the need for energy with a compelling call for a
clean planet. Slow journalism at its best."
On a personal note, I had challenged myself to do 100 volunteer hours
this year. I'd kept track in my head. Between library, Tunnel of
Oppression, and clothes swap I'd gotten up to a pathetic 37.
Wednesday, cuddling with Joey, I'd decided to start a volunteering
journal in which I could keep written track and be able to show other
people and maybe inspire them. When I looked through my journal a
perfect little attitude journal. It even has cool quotes and
gratitude exercises. Anyway I chronicled my 2019 volunteering hours
along the relevant exercises. Then I adorned the pages I'd done with
Lisa Frank stickers and felt proud of this new endeavor.
A great big shout out goes out to all the people I volunteer with.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, June 7, 2019
Write To Me
Write To Me
Picture book
"Katherine Tasaki returned a stack of library books and turned
in her library card. 'We've got to move soon,' she said. 'All
Japanese, you know.'"
Imagine you're a child like Katherine. Because of your national
origin you have to leave your home, your school, your
neighborhood...all you've ever known. You don't know if you'll ever
return. You can only take with you what you can carry. You and your
family must go to a prison camp surrounded by barbed wire with guards
required to shoot on sight anyone who tries to escape. You're all
crammed inti one small room. Food and all essentials are in short
supply.
One woman, Clara Breed, children's librarian of a San Diego
library, did her best to stay in contact with her lost children. Her
steadfast caring and generosity are the subject if Cynthia Grady's
Write To Me.
Miss Breed gave the children penny postcards. When they wrote
back she was able to send them books and gifts and more postcards.
They were able to share their experiences with someone who really cared.
Many years later, getting ready to move, Miss Breed found a box
of over 250 postcards and letters she'd received from the children. A
number of them form the text of this poignant and thought provoking
book.
On a personal note, my partner has this fenced in garden beside our
front porch. He doesn't eat tomatoes. He picks them out of
sandwiches and burgers. But he knows I love them. Every year he
plants tomatoes and pollinator attracting flowers. He tries different
varieties. One year we had brown ones that tasted faintly like
chocolate. Well Wednesday when I went outside I saw the garden weeded
and planted. My heart was flooded with a surge of tenderness.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. I surely won the partner
lottery.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
"Katherine Tasaki returned a stack of library books and turned
in her library card. 'We've got to move soon,' she said. 'All
Japanese, you know.'"
Imagine you're a child like Katherine. Because of your national
origin you have to leave your home, your school, your
neighborhood...all you've ever known. You don't know if you'll ever
return. You can only take with you what you can carry. You and your
family must go to a prison camp surrounded by barbed wire with guards
required to shoot on sight anyone who tries to escape. You're all
crammed inti one small room. Food and all essentials are in short
supply.
One woman, Clara Breed, children's librarian of a San Diego
library, did her best to stay in contact with her lost children. Her
steadfast caring and generosity are the subject if Cynthia Grady's
Write To Me.
Miss Breed gave the children penny postcards. When they wrote
back she was able to send them books and gifts and more postcards.
They were able to share their experiences with someone who really cared.
Many years later, getting ready to move, Miss Breed found a box
of over 250 postcards and letters she'd received from the children. A
number of them form the text of this poignant and thought provoking
book.
On a personal note, my partner has this fenced in garden beside our
front porch. He doesn't eat tomatoes. He picks them out of
sandwiches and burgers. But he knows I love them. Every year he
plants tomatoes and pollinator attracting flowers. He tries different
varieties. One year we had brown ones that tasted faintly like
chocolate. Well Wednesday when I went outside I saw the garden weeded
and planted. My heart was flooded with a surge of tenderness.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. I surely won the partner
lottery.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story
Sissy: A Coming-Of-Gender Story
Adult nonfiction
"I never really got to have a childhood. Or perhaps a better
way to put it is that, as a feminine boy, my childhood was never
really mine. My natural connection to my body, my comfort in my
identity, my sense of security and safety were all taken from me
before my earliest memories were formed. They were pried from my
hands, sometimes gently, occasionally violently: coaxed out of me
through a combination of punishing isolation, public humiliation, and,
when I managed to get things 'right,' acidic reward."
Jacob Tobia was born gender fluid in a binary world. In
addition to their more typically masculine interests, they loved
playing with dolls, dancing, arts and crafts, and wearing dresses and
make up. Their first gender identity word was sissy, an epitaph
bestowed by their older brother and his neighborhood friends. With
time the bullying became more and more cruel. At one point the boys
mangled Jacob's one and only Barbie. At eight Jacob often
contemplated suicide, not seeing anyway of surviving the pushed toward
stereotyped manhood.
In Sissy, his memoir, Jacob shares their journey from grammar
school to college graduation, from lonliness and gender agony to self
celebration. It's a messy, convoluted quest that does not follow the
linear path of a traditional coming out story. Coming out to their
parents was a series of conversations, not a once and for all talk.
Church was a source of both acceptance and rejection.
Even college was a mixed experience. Jacob vaccilated between
thinking of his experience as hell and possibly going to be all
right. Athletics ruled. The fraternity/sorority system seemed intent
on perpetuating an extreme two gender society, "the binary fortified
in stone.". But there was also affirmation for tentative steps they
took toward matching their outward presentation with their inner soul.
Sissy is a must read for all of us who are not firmly situated
at one end or another of an imaginary binary. It's also a damn good
choice for those who love us. Finally it's an eye opener for all
professionals who work with growing people from prek teachers through
guidance counselors to college professors and student affairs personnel.
On a personal note, I had a much easier childhood. People born into
girl bodies tend to be allowed a tomboy phase. The pressure to be
more feminine didn't start until I was supposed to become interested
in hair, make up, and dating the booger brained boys who ran around
snapping bras and acting like the missing link. When I learned about
trans I didn't relate. I'd loved pregnancy and still adored being a
mom. I didn't want to transform my body. The first time I did drag
was a revelation. People told me I did a great job acting like a
guy. I wasn't acting. I realized I walk, sit, and stand in an
assertive, typically masculine was rather than mincing or sitting
demurely. What I realized that rather than being all woman or
aspiring to be all man I was a complex blend of both. When I later
learned that there were names for people like me and there actually
were people like me I was beside myself with joy. Guess I'd better
pick up the pace on my own memoir!
A great big shout goes out to my fellow they/thems.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult nonfiction
"I never really got to have a childhood. Or perhaps a better
way to put it is that, as a feminine boy, my childhood was never
really mine. My natural connection to my body, my comfort in my
identity, my sense of security and safety were all taken from me
before my earliest memories were formed. They were pried from my
hands, sometimes gently, occasionally violently: coaxed out of me
through a combination of punishing isolation, public humiliation, and,
when I managed to get things 'right,' acidic reward."
Jacob Tobia was born gender fluid in a binary world. In
addition to their more typically masculine interests, they loved
playing with dolls, dancing, arts and crafts, and wearing dresses and
make up. Their first gender identity word was sissy, an epitaph
bestowed by their older brother and his neighborhood friends. With
time the bullying became more and more cruel. At one point the boys
mangled Jacob's one and only Barbie. At eight Jacob often
contemplated suicide, not seeing anyway of surviving the pushed toward
stereotyped manhood.
In Sissy, his memoir, Jacob shares their journey from grammar
school to college graduation, from lonliness and gender agony to self
celebration. It's a messy, convoluted quest that does not follow the
linear path of a traditional coming out story. Coming out to their
parents was a series of conversations, not a once and for all talk.
Church was a source of both acceptance and rejection.
Even college was a mixed experience. Jacob vaccilated between
thinking of his experience as hell and possibly going to be all
right. Athletics ruled. The fraternity/sorority system seemed intent
on perpetuating an extreme two gender society, "the binary fortified
in stone.". But there was also affirmation for tentative steps they
took toward matching their outward presentation with their inner soul.
Sissy is a must read for all of us who are not firmly situated
at one end or another of an imaginary binary. It's also a damn good
choice for those who love us. Finally it's an eye opener for all
professionals who work with growing people from prek teachers through
guidance counselors to college professors and student affairs personnel.
On a personal note, I had a much easier childhood. People born into
girl bodies tend to be allowed a tomboy phase. The pressure to be
more feminine didn't start until I was supposed to become interested
in hair, make up, and dating the booger brained boys who ran around
snapping bras and acting like the missing link. When I learned about
trans I didn't relate. I'd loved pregnancy and still adored being a
mom. I didn't want to transform my body. The first time I did drag
was a revelation. People told me I did a great job acting like a
guy. I wasn't acting. I realized I walk, sit, and stand in an
assertive, typically masculine was rather than mincing or sitting
demurely. What I realized that rather than being all woman or
aspiring to be all man I was a complex blend of both. When I later
learned that there were names for people like me and there actually
were people like me I was beside myself with joy. Guess I'd better
pick up the pace on my own memoir!
A great big shout goes out to my fellow they/thems.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, June 6, 2019
The Door To January
The Door To January
YA/adult fiction
"The house was a sad thing in the daylight. It sat on a
hilltop, a sagging pile of weathered clapboards and crumbling brick,
the gutters stuffed with the refuse of many seasons. It had been
grand once, a two-and-a-half-story Colonial built facing the harbor; a
huge swaybacked barn sat on the property in its own private ruin."
Can a house haunt a person and somehow summon her to accomplish
the undone work of its past? That's the chilling premise Gillian
French explores in her The Door To January. Yes, folks, we have
discovered a third book by my new favorite author which lives up to
the promise of the other two: Grit and The Lies They Tell.
Natalie and her family had moved abruptly from the small town of
Bernier when she was in middle school. Her cousin, Teddy, a geek, had
been tormented by a group of bullies. One day the gang had showed up
at a place Teddy and Natalie had thought was safe. The ringleader had
produced a gun. One of his friends had died.
Fast forward a few years. Natalie (16) has overcome her
parents' objections and returned to Bernier to spend a summer
waitressing at her Aunt Cilla's restaurant and trying to find out how
to stop a nightmare that has tormented her since the move. It has
centered on the house. Perhaps by exploring it she can find a clue.
She's even brought a tape recorder to catch the utterances of ghosts.
Demons from the long ago past, however, aren't the only threats
to Natalie and Teddy's safety. Someone from her own past resents her
being back in town. He feels that she and Teddy are the reason he
spent time in juvie. He's willing to do what it takes to get revenge.
If a spellbinding mystery that deftly interweaves past and
present is your cup of tea, you won't want to miss out on The Door To
January.
On a personal note, Tuesday I volunteered at Orono Public Library and
Orono Community Garden. My emotions were on a roller coaster. When I
was at the library, beyond work related conversation, I wanted people
to leave me alone. The few conversations I has left me exhausted, as
if I'd run a marathon. So at the garden I started out weeding away
from everyone else. Only then I needed to join the group. I was as
talkative as usual and even managed to talk about Joey. I'm like
UMaine's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde without the sociopath part.
A great big shout goes out to DJ for keeping community garden going in
John and Shelley's absence and for bringing blueberries for snack.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult fiction
"The house was a sad thing in the daylight. It sat on a
hilltop, a sagging pile of weathered clapboards and crumbling brick,
the gutters stuffed with the refuse of many seasons. It had been
grand once, a two-and-a-half-story Colonial built facing the harbor; a
huge swaybacked barn sat on the property in its own private ruin."
Can a house haunt a person and somehow summon her to accomplish
the undone work of its past? That's the chilling premise Gillian
French explores in her The Door To January. Yes, folks, we have
discovered a third book by my new favorite author which lives up to
the promise of the other two: Grit and The Lies They Tell.
Natalie and her family had moved abruptly from the small town of
Bernier when she was in middle school. Her cousin, Teddy, a geek, had
been tormented by a group of bullies. One day the gang had showed up
at a place Teddy and Natalie had thought was safe. The ringleader had
produced a gun. One of his friends had died.
Fast forward a few years. Natalie (16) has overcome her
parents' objections and returned to Bernier to spend a summer
waitressing at her Aunt Cilla's restaurant and trying to find out how
to stop a nightmare that has tormented her since the move. It has
centered on the house. Perhaps by exploring it she can find a clue.
She's even brought a tape recorder to catch the utterances of ghosts.
Demons from the long ago past, however, aren't the only threats
to Natalie and Teddy's safety. Someone from her own past resents her
being back in town. He feels that she and Teddy are the reason he
spent time in juvie. He's willing to do what it takes to get revenge.
If a spellbinding mystery that deftly interweaves past and
present is your cup of tea, you won't want to miss out on The Door To
January.
On a personal note, Tuesday I volunteered at Orono Public Library and
Orono Community Garden. My emotions were on a roller coaster. When I
was at the library, beyond work related conversation, I wanted people
to leave me alone. The few conversations I has left me exhausted, as
if I'd run a marathon. So at the garden I started out weeding away
from everyone else. Only then I needed to join the group. I was as
talkative as usual and even managed to talk about Joey. I'm like
UMaine's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde without the sociopath part.
A great big shout goes out to DJ for keeping community garden going in
John and Shelley's absence and for bringing blueberries for snack.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Around The World Right Now
Around The World Right Now
Juvenile nonfiction
Ever get stumped by the time zones? Maybe you're planning a
trip. Maybe you need to figure out when to call someone in another
state or country.
Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard's Around The World
Right Now introduces children (and read alouding parents) to the
concept that somewhere in the world at any given time every hour is
represented. You drop in on places like:
*Nova Scotia, where people are going out in boats to fish or whale
watch (10:00 a.m.);
*London, where children on a class trip are feeding pelicans in St.
James Park (2:00 p.m.);
*Thailand, where an audience at the Royal Theater is being entertained
with traditional dances (9:00 p.m.);
and *Antarctica, where scientists are doing research at the South Pole
Station (2:00 a.m.) My personal favorites are the humpback born in the
Pacific Ocean (3:00 a.m.) and the lonely moose walking along a dark
street in Anchorage (5:00 a.m.)
Around The World Right Now is a delightful way to introduce
younger readers and listeners to geography and cultural diversity.
It's a great acquisition for school and public libraries and parents
planning family travel.
On a personal note, these past four weeks since Joey's diagnosis I've
been living mindfully in the moment even more than my usual,
cherishing my precious time with the best little cat in the world.
Binge reading, cat cuddling, and candy eating have centered my days.
Basically screw a future that probably won't include my best little
buddy. I don't want to look too far ahead. Today I decided to laugh
at the summer plans list I had put together so confidently just hours
before that vet trip. Much to my amazement, I'm on track for almost
everything: work, volunteering, blog, shed and house organizing. I'm
really acing more time with Joey. There's only a few things I've not
embarked on, and it's no big deal. That's an indication that my old
normal was not as pressured as I thought.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world who
is curled up on my legs napping.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
Ever get stumped by the time zones? Maybe you're planning a
trip. Maybe you need to figure out when to call someone in another
state or country.
Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard's Around The World
Right Now introduces children (and read alouding parents) to the
concept that somewhere in the world at any given time every hour is
represented. You drop in on places like:
*Nova Scotia, where people are going out in boats to fish or whale
watch (10:00 a.m.);
*London, where children on a class trip are feeding pelicans in St.
James Park (2:00 p.m.);
*Thailand, where an audience at the Royal Theater is being entertained
with traditional dances (9:00 p.m.);
and *Antarctica, where scientists are doing research at the South Pole
Station (2:00 a.m.) My personal favorites are the humpback born in the
Pacific Ocean (3:00 a.m.) and the lonely moose walking along a dark
street in Anchorage (5:00 a.m.)
Around The World Right Now is a delightful way to introduce
younger readers and listeners to geography and cultural diversity.
It's a great acquisition for school and public libraries and parents
planning family travel.
On a personal note, these past four weeks since Joey's diagnosis I've
been living mindfully in the moment even more than my usual,
cherishing my precious time with the best little cat in the world.
Binge reading, cat cuddling, and candy eating have centered my days.
Basically screw a future that probably won't include my best little
buddy. I don't want to look too far ahead. Today I decided to laugh
at the summer plans list I had put together so confidently just hours
before that vet trip. Much to my amazement, I'm on track for almost
everything: work, volunteering, blog, shed and house organizing. I'm
really acing more time with Joey. There's only a few things I've not
embarked on, and it's no big deal. That's an indication that my old
normal was not as pressured as I thought.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world who
is curled up on my legs napping.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Calling All Minds
Calling All Minds
Temple Grandin would like kids and teens to shut off their
electronic devices and engage in the real world.
"The future holds many critical challenges, such as
understanding the impact of climate change, curing diseases, and
ending hunger. We need all kinds of minds if we are going to figure
out how to adapt. If we lose the ability to make things, we lose a
whole lot more. We need people who can cast iron and chemists who can
create new materials that are lighter and stronger than metal. We
need storytellers, filmmakers, musicians, and artists. We need new
technologies to explore the future, including a deeper and more
complex understanding of the earth and the ocean and the galaxies."
In her Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an
Inventor Grandin provides future innovators with a good start on a
path to hands on discovery and creativity. At the heart of the book
are instructions for 25 family friendly projects such as a
kaleidescope, a water bomb, a helicoptor, kites, and stilts. There's
also background on why these devices work, stories from her own life,
and narratives of the way inventions and discoveries ranging from
antibiotics to Velcro took place.
I think this book is particularly important for the hands on
learners who have plenty of STEM potential but are too often written
off in favor of more book and test savvy peers. As Grandin says, we
need all kinds of minds.
On a personal note, my partner is one of these really smart hands on
people. I don't know how to convince him that he rocks intelligence.
He built a camp with a porch and sleeping loft that combines aesthetic
lines with the sturdiness to withstand all Maine winters have to dish
out without even a blueprint. It was all in his head. He says anyone
can. Ummm no. I have a hypothesis that if he and 6 PhDs were
parachuted into the aboriginal forests, a plane returning six months
later would pick up him and six cadavers. I'm one of the book smart
people and I know there are areas in which he's way ahead of me.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and all the other hands on
smart people society has yet to develop to rock and take pride in
their beautiful potential.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Temple Grandin would like kids and teens to shut off their
electronic devices and engage in the real world.
"The future holds many critical challenges, such as
understanding the impact of climate change, curing diseases, and
ending hunger. We need all kinds of minds if we are going to figure
out how to adapt. If we lose the ability to make things, we lose a
whole lot more. We need people who can cast iron and chemists who can
create new materials that are lighter and stronger than metal. We
need storytellers, filmmakers, musicians, and artists. We need new
technologies to explore the future, including a deeper and more
complex understanding of the earth and the ocean and the galaxies."
In her Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an
Inventor Grandin provides future innovators with a good start on a
path to hands on discovery and creativity. At the heart of the book
are instructions for 25 family friendly projects such as a
kaleidescope, a water bomb, a helicoptor, kites, and stilts. There's
also background on why these devices work, stories from her own life,
and narratives of the way inventions and discoveries ranging from
antibiotics to Velcro took place.
I think this book is particularly important for the hands on
learners who have plenty of STEM potential but are too often written
off in favor of more book and test savvy peers. As Grandin says, we
need all kinds of minds.
On a personal note, my partner is one of these really smart hands on
people. I don't know how to convince him that he rocks intelligence.
He built a camp with a porch and sleeping loft that combines aesthetic
lines with the sturdiness to withstand all Maine winters have to dish
out without even a blueprint. It was all in his head. He says anyone
can. Ummm no. I have a hypothesis that if he and 6 PhDs were
parachuted into the aboriginal forests, a plane returning six months
later would pick up him and six cadavers. I'm one of the book smart
people and I know there are areas in which he's way ahead of me.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and all the other hands on
smart people society has yet to develop to rock and take pride in
their beautiful potential.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
97 Ways to Make a Cat Like You
97 Ways to Make a Cat Like You
Cat parenting
I saw this book in the for sale books Friends of the Orono
Public Library collect for fund raising. I thought it might contain a
few ideas for making Joey's time left on the earth even more
purrrfect. (I can't bear to think of the inevitable adoption of
another cat. It will be like dating again after the end of a 16 year
marriage. I can't imagine...)
"If you're responsible for an animal's life, I think it's worth
knowing a bit about how your charge sees the world. Understanding
your pet's perspective will help you provide opportunities for your
feline to flourish--and give her reasons to like you, even love you.
(The latest research suggests that, yes, cats do experience emotions.)
Learning to understand how cats see their owners involves knowing how
they've evolved--or haven't--to coexist, adapt, or even thrive side by
side with human beings."
Not all cat/human pairings are made in heaven. A lot go South
or end when a person/people fails to see how much of a wild at heart
creature felis donesticus really is. Why does my cat insist on
killing all those poor mice/birds/chipmunks? We give her all the
Fancy Feast/Nine Lives she can eat. Kitty isn't a sadist. She's
wired to be a predator. I bought her this fancy cat bed. She just
wants to sleep in a box. Maybe the box feels safer. Cats are also
wired to elude larger predators. And how about all the poor creatures
who get maimed (declawed) for following their mandate to keep their
claws sharp?
Carol Kaufman's 97 Ways To Make a Cat Like you gives a wide
range of ways to ways to understand your family feline, keep her
happy, and build strong love bonds. Each one succinctly presents an
idea and the reasoning behind it. Three you will read about are:
*Don't wash you cat's bedding all the time unless fleas or true
grossness are involved. Cats find their odor on familiar objects
highly reassuring.
*Teach cats with pawsivite reinforcement instead of punishment. The
only thing they learn from scolding, swats, or that often recommended
water squirt bottle is that you can be mean.
and *watch your cat carefully and take her to the vet if you see red
flags such as loss of appetite and litter box avoidance. Cats are
wired to not convey signs of illness or injury because that would cue
predators in on easy prey status. In the home, however, the bigger
danger is that something life threatening like urinary tract problems
will be overlooked until too late.
I love this little book. It's paperback reasonable cost wise. Ideas
are feasible even in homes where money or space or in short supply.
Children can implement many of them. And all those cat photos are
totally awww worthy. Whether your cat is a barely weaned kitten, in
double digits age wise, or somewhere in between; purebred or random
mix; only or littermate you'll find this book to be a good
investment. As Kaufman says,
"No one suggestion or trick will work for every cat--each animal
is as individual as her owner. But out of these ninety-seven
suggestions based on recent science, research, and the advice of cat
professionals--along with generous doses of my own trials and errors--
I'm betting you'll find some delightful pathways into your cat's heart."
If that isn't good reason to buy the book, I don't know what is!
On a purrrsonal note, I've been a cat person since I was five. I was
sort of clueless then. Mom had to explain stuff like the
inadvisibility of dressing Mippi in baby clothed and pushing her
around the neighborhood in a baby carriage. But I've learned lots
over the years. I adored the cats my children grew up with. Our
third, though, Joey, stirred in me a depth of love I'd never thought
felinely possible. First, he was more adapted to my disposition. He
was my first real lap cat, always ready for cuddles and affection. As
an avid reader and a tactile person, I found my new cat assistant to
be purrrfect. In fact Joey and I together developed that addictive
delight known as cat assisted reading. I have especially fond
memories of us reading near our lovely Christmas trees with plenty of
candy. Then when Joey was three he got very sick. An operation saved
his life. Only the vet explained that he was a special needs cat who
would always need careful supervision. Well that made him even
dearer. There were plenty more health incidents including another
life or death operation. Joey valiently fought his way back to health
each time and impressed everyone at Veazie Vet with his strong will to
live and his loving spirit. As I did my part in keeping him healthy I
fell more deeply in love with the best little cat in the world. Now
he's fighting the cruelest opponent of all: cancer.
Every good day he has is a miracle.
Some people say they would never want a special needs cat. They
just don't know. Joey has taught me the beautiful perfection of
imperfection.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world and
the Veazie Vet crew who have helped us have so many beautiful years
together.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Cat parenting
I saw this book in the for sale books Friends of the Orono
Public Library collect for fund raising. I thought it might contain a
few ideas for making Joey's time left on the earth even more
purrrfect. (I can't bear to think of the inevitable adoption of
another cat. It will be like dating again after the end of a 16 year
marriage. I can't imagine...)
"If you're responsible for an animal's life, I think it's worth
knowing a bit about how your charge sees the world. Understanding
your pet's perspective will help you provide opportunities for your
feline to flourish--and give her reasons to like you, even love you.
(The latest research suggests that, yes, cats do experience emotions.)
Learning to understand how cats see their owners involves knowing how
they've evolved--or haven't--to coexist, adapt, or even thrive side by
side with human beings."
Not all cat/human pairings are made in heaven. A lot go South
or end when a person/people fails to see how much of a wild at heart
creature felis donesticus really is. Why does my cat insist on
killing all those poor mice/birds/chipmunks? We give her all the
Fancy Feast/Nine Lives she can eat. Kitty isn't a sadist. She's
wired to be a predator. I bought her this fancy cat bed. She just
wants to sleep in a box. Maybe the box feels safer. Cats are also
wired to elude larger predators. And how about all the poor creatures
who get maimed (declawed) for following their mandate to keep their
claws sharp?
Carol Kaufman's 97 Ways To Make a Cat Like you gives a wide
range of ways to ways to understand your family feline, keep her
happy, and build strong love bonds. Each one succinctly presents an
idea and the reasoning behind it. Three you will read about are:
*Don't wash you cat's bedding all the time unless fleas or true
grossness are involved. Cats find their odor on familiar objects
highly reassuring.
*Teach cats with pawsivite reinforcement instead of punishment. The
only thing they learn from scolding, swats, or that often recommended
water squirt bottle is that you can be mean.
and *watch your cat carefully and take her to the vet if you see red
flags such as loss of appetite and litter box avoidance. Cats are
wired to not convey signs of illness or injury because that would cue
predators in on easy prey status. In the home, however, the bigger
danger is that something life threatening like urinary tract problems
will be overlooked until too late.
I love this little book. It's paperback reasonable cost wise. Ideas
are feasible even in homes where money or space or in short supply.
Children can implement many of them. And all those cat photos are
totally awww worthy. Whether your cat is a barely weaned kitten, in
double digits age wise, or somewhere in between; purebred or random
mix; only or littermate you'll find this book to be a good
investment. As Kaufman says,
"No one suggestion or trick will work for every cat--each animal
is as individual as her owner. But out of these ninety-seven
suggestions based on recent science, research, and the advice of cat
professionals--along with generous doses of my own trials and errors--
I'm betting you'll find some delightful pathways into your cat's heart."
If that isn't good reason to buy the book, I don't know what is!
On a purrrsonal note, I've been a cat person since I was five. I was
sort of clueless then. Mom had to explain stuff like the
inadvisibility of dressing Mippi in baby clothed and pushing her
around the neighborhood in a baby carriage. But I've learned lots
over the years. I adored the cats my children grew up with. Our
third, though, Joey, stirred in me a depth of love I'd never thought
felinely possible. First, he was more adapted to my disposition. He
was my first real lap cat, always ready for cuddles and affection. As
an avid reader and a tactile person, I found my new cat assistant to
be purrrfect. In fact Joey and I together developed that addictive
delight known as cat assisted reading. I have especially fond
memories of us reading near our lovely Christmas trees with plenty of
candy. Then when Joey was three he got very sick. An operation saved
his life. Only the vet explained that he was a special needs cat who
would always need careful supervision. Well that made him even
dearer. There were plenty more health incidents including another
life or death operation. Joey valiently fought his way back to health
each time and impressed everyone at Veazie Vet with his strong will to
live and his loving spirit. As I did my part in keeping him healthy I
fell more deeply in love with the best little cat in the world. Now
he's fighting the cruelest opponent of all: cancer.
Every good day he has is a miracle.
Some people say they would never want a special needs cat. They
just don't know. Joey has taught me the beautiful perfection of
imperfection.
A great big shout out goes out to the best little cat in the world and
the Veazie Vet crew who have helped us have so many beautiful years
together.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Just Under The Clouds
Just Under The Clouds
Juvenile fiction
"For six years since Daddy died, we've been making homes where
we can get them, from place to place. Sometimes we cuddle up on Mom's
artist friends' couches. Once we rode back and forth on the 4 train
all night long, looking at the flourescent lights like they were stars.
Cora, narrator of Melissa Sarno's Just Under The Clouds, is in
middle school. Her mom struggles to support her little family on a
low paying retail job. Little sister Adare is an impulsive child who
thinks and acts differently from her peers, goes to special classes,
and needs close supervision. Cora is in charge when the girls are out
of school and their mother is still at work.
School is a lonely place for Cora. Before she'd made an effort
to talk to classmates. But now she's given up. Why make friends
you'll only lose the next time you get uprooted?
One night Cora and Adare aren't picked up at the park their
mother usually meets them at. They return home to find their room at
a homeless shelter has been broken into and trashed. That night the
family goes to crash at the home of Willa, Cora's mom's childhood
friend.
It's a beautiful apartment. There's always lots of food. Willa
really wants them to stay. Could this be the permanent home Cora's
been yearning for? Or will her mom do something to make yet one more
place temporary?
On a personal note, recall we recently discussed the upcoming 8th
anniversary of this blog? That's not the only special birthday this
year. In September Orono Public Library will have been open at its
current location 10 years. (I've volunteered since they opened the
doors.) It's a beautiful building that serves as home away from home
for a wide array of community members. More recently the haphazard
vegetation behind the library has been replaced with a village green
including a natural ampitheater. Now the summer concerts are held
there the same nights community gardeners harvest and snack. Talk
about a feast for all senses!
A great big shout out goes out to all who helped make the library what
it is today. I can't imagine all we will achieve in the next ten years!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
"For six years since Daddy died, we've been making homes where
we can get them, from place to place. Sometimes we cuddle up on Mom's
artist friends' couches. Once we rode back and forth on the 4 train
all night long, looking at the flourescent lights like they were stars.
Cora, narrator of Melissa Sarno's Just Under The Clouds, is in
middle school. Her mom struggles to support her little family on a
low paying retail job. Little sister Adare is an impulsive child who
thinks and acts differently from her peers, goes to special classes,
and needs close supervision. Cora is in charge when the girls are out
of school and their mother is still at work.
School is a lonely place for Cora. Before she'd made an effort
to talk to classmates. But now she's given up. Why make friends
you'll only lose the next time you get uprooted?
One night Cora and Adare aren't picked up at the park their
mother usually meets them at. They return home to find their room at
a homeless shelter has been broken into and trashed. That night the
family goes to crash at the home of Willa, Cora's mom's childhood
friend.
It's a beautiful apartment. There's always lots of food. Willa
really wants them to stay. Could this be the permanent home Cora's
been yearning for? Or will her mom do something to make yet one more
place temporary?
On a personal note, recall we recently discussed the upcoming 8th
anniversary of this blog? That's not the only special birthday this
year. In September Orono Public Library will have been open at its
current location 10 years. (I've volunteered since they opened the
doors.) It's a beautiful building that serves as home away from home
for a wide array of community members. More recently the haphazard
vegetation behind the library has been replaced with a village green
including a natural ampitheater. Now the summer concerts are held
there the same nights community gardeners harvest and snack. Talk
about a feast for all senses!
A great big shout out goes out to all who helped make the library what
it is today. I can't imagine all we will achieve in the next ten years!
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls
Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls
Juvenile nonfiction
There's something about bedtime stories--a moment of parent-
child tenderness in the dusk transition from busy day to dream filled
night. I remember a period when my mother sought out stories from
around the world. We marked our literary travels on a world map with
tacks marking the nations we'd "visited". Needless to say, when I
became a mom this was one of the traditions I actually carried out.
(Don't ask me about cookie baking.)
I've discovered an amazing addition to this genre: Elena Favilli
and Francesca Cavella's Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls. It
contains one hundred page long biographies of amazing women, each
accompanied by a portrait. There are women from all over the world:
*Ada Lovelace (United Kingdom) wrote the first ever computer program.
*Cora Coralina (Brazil) published her first book at the age of 75.
(There's hope for me yet!)
*Zaha Hadid (Iraq) designed innovative buildings.
A wide range of eras is covered. There is also a wide range of
careers presented: mathematician, cyclist, aviator, naturalist, poet,
race car driver, painter, mountaineer, spy...
If you or your child find a particular woman especially
inspiring, look up more information about her.
Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls belongs in public and school
libraries and homes of rebel girls and women.
On a personal note, I go back to dining services this Friday. I don't
mind. I actually miss coworkers and even supers. I just wish I could
pass on the special olympics. My moods are so damn volatile I don't
know how I'll feel from one minute to the next. Finding the energy to
be perpetually cheerful for hours at a time seems like a formidable
challenge.
A great big shout out goes out to special olympics participants,
coaches, and supporters.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
There's something about bedtime stories--a moment of parent-
child tenderness in the dusk transition from busy day to dream filled
night. I remember a period when my mother sought out stories from
around the world. We marked our literary travels on a world map with
tacks marking the nations we'd "visited". Needless to say, when I
became a mom this was one of the traditions I actually carried out.
(Don't ask me about cookie baking.)
I've discovered an amazing addition to this genre: Elena Favilli
and Francesca Cavella's Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls. It
contains one hundred page long biographies of amazing women, each
accompanied by a portrait. There are women from all over the world:
*Ada Lovelace (United Kingdom) wrote the first ever computer program.
*Cora Coralina (Brazil) published her first book at the age of 75.
(There's hope for me yet!)
*Zaha Hadid (Iraq) designed innovative buildings.
A wide range of eras is covered. There is also a wide range of
careers presented: mathematician, cyclist, aviator, naturalist, poet,
race car driver, painter, mountaineer, spy...
If you or your child find a particular woman especially
inspiring, look up more information about her.
Goodnight Stories For Rebel Girls belongs in public and school
libraries and homes of rebel girls and women.
On a personal note, I go back to dining services this Friday. I don't
mind. I actually miss coworkers and even supers. I just wish I could
pass on the special olympics. My moods are so damn volatile I don't
know how I'll feel from one minute to the next. Finding the energy to
be perpetually cheerful for hours at a time seems like a formidable
challenge.
A great big shout out goes out to special olympics participants,
coaches, and supporters.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Breakout
Breakout
Juvenile fiction
"Dear Future Wolf Creek Residents,
BREAKING NEWS: TWO INMATES BROKE OUT OF DAD'S PRISON OVERNIGHT!!!
Seriously! Lizzie and I were working on our newspaper last night, and
we went to bed at around ten. Then at eight this morning, the
doorbell rang, and it was a state trooper who told mom about the
breakout. Mom already knew, though, because I guess Dad got a phone
call at five this morning, when they were discovered missing, so he
had to go to work then."
In early June Wolf Creek is a sleepy little town where a red hot
controversy is which brand of hot dogs should be grilled at the 4th of
July cookout. School is winding down. Students, including chums Nora
and Lizzie, are eagerly awaiting the middle school field day. The
winners of the mad mile race will get to throw water balloons at the
principal.
The escape of the two dangerous convicts is a game changer.
Suddenly police are everywhere. Doors are locked. Cars are routinely
searched. Frightened parents keep kids inside when they aren't in
school where there are police officers to protect them. Helicoptors
are heard overhead. Reporters from major media outlets fly into town.
Can life ever go back to normal?
Kate Messner, author of Breakout, explains that, although the
story is fictional, it was based on a real life experience. In June
2015 her small town was caught up in a hunt for two escaped
criminals. For three weeks there were over a thousand law enforcement
people searching. Helicoptors flew overhead. Road blocks stopped
cars for inspection. Recreation trips were cancelled. People felt
less safe.
Although she was frightened herself, Messner was also curious.
For a week she interviewed people. "...We all react differently to
fear, so situations like this can bring out the best and the worst in
people. They can make us turn to one another, or turn against one
another. When we truly listen, we learn that no two people see any
situation in exactly the same way, and yet we can almost always find
common ground. These were the ideas I wanted to explore in Breakout."
Race enters the picture through the character of Elidee, a new
black middle school student. She and her mother have moved from New
York to be closer to her brother who is in prison. Through her eyes
readers see a whole different side to an insular "nice" small town.
At the end of the book there is an extensive list of books about race
in America ranging from picture to YA.
The format of Breakout is particularly appealing. A compilation
of documents gathered by Nora for a town time capsule, it contains
letters, text conversations, photographs, recipes, poetry, posters,
cartoons...just about anything you can imagine. It will be especially
appealing to people who are intimidated by text alone reads.
On a personal note, well, we're coming up on an anniversary soon.
This blog will be eight years old July 10. July 10, 2011 I started
off with an introduction. The first actual book I reviewed was
Cinderella Ate My Daughter. My silent partner in this enterprise has
been my faithful reading buddy, Joey cat.
Great big shouts go out to you, my readers, and the best little cat in
the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
"Dear Future Wolf Creek Residents,
BREAKING NEWS: TWO INMATES BROKE OUT OF DAD'S PRISON OVERNIGHT!!!
Seriously! Lizzie and I were working on our newspaper last night, and
we went to bed at around ten. Then at eight this morning, the
doorbell rang, and it was a state trooper who told mom about the
breakout. Mom already knew, though, because I guess Dad got a phone
call at five this morning, when they were discovered missing, so he
had to go to work then."
In early June Wolf Creek is a sleepy little town where a red hot
controversy is which brand of hot dogs should be grilled at the 4th of
July cookout. School is winding down. Students, including chums Nora
and Lizzie, are eagerly awaiting the middle school field day. The
winners of the mad mile race will get to throw water balloons at the
principal.
The escape of the two dangerous convicts is a game changer.
Suddenly police are everywhere. Doors are locked. Cars are routinely
searched. Frightened parents keep kids inside when they aren't in
school where there are police officers to protect them. Helicoptors
are heard overhead. Reporters from major media outlets fly into town.
Can life ever go back to normal?
Kate Messner, author of Breakout, explains that, although the
story is fictional, it was based on a real life experience. In June
2015 her small town was caught up in a hunt for two escaped
criminals. For three weeks there were over a thousand law enforcement
people searching. Helicoptors flew overhead. Road blocks stopped
cars for inspection. Recreation trips were cancelled. People felt
less safe.
Although she was frightened herself, Messner was also curious.
For a week she interviewed people. "...We all react differently to
fear, so situations like this can bring out the best and the worst in
people. They can make us turn to one another, or turn against one
another. When we truly listen, we learn that no two people see any
situation in exactly the same way, and yet we can almost always find
common ground. These were the ideas I wanted to explore in Breakout."
Race enters the picture through the character of Elidee, a new
black middle school student. She and her mother have moved from New
York to be closer to her brother who is in prison. Through her eyes
readers see a whole different side to an insular "nice" small town.
At the end of the book there is an extensive list of books about race
in America ranging from picture to YA.
The format of Breakout is particularly appealing. A compilation
of documents gathered by Nora for a town time capsule, it contains
letters, text conversations, photographs, recipes, poetry, posters,
cartoons...just about anything you can imagine. It will be especially
appealing to people who are intimidated by text alone reads.
On a personal note, well, we're coming up on an anniversary soon.
This blog will be eight years old July 10. July 10, 2011 I started
off with an introduction. The first actual book I reviewed was
Cinderella Ate My Daughter. My silent partner in this enterprise has
been my faithful reading buddy, Joey cat.
Great big shouts go out to you, my readers, and the best little cat in
the world.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, June 3, 2019
Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You
Adult fiction
"Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet. 1977, six thirty
in the morning, no one knows anything but this innocuous fact: Lydia
is late for breakfast. As always, next to her cereal bowl, her mother
has placed a sharpened pencil and Lydia's physics homework, six
problems flagged with small ticks..."
Let's put it this way. Lydia is not going to redo the physics
homework. As her absence draws on, the police are contacted.
Eventually her body is found when the police drag the lake.
Lydia has been the sun around which her parents have revolved.
Her white mother, Marilyn, who had harbored ambitions to become a
doctor until becoming unexpectedly pregnant for a third time, was
grooming her to go where she couldn't. All quality time and gifts
were science related. Her father, James, had gone through his
precollege years socially ostracized as the only Oriental student.
College hadn't improved matters much. He'd been sure that Lydia, with
her mixed appearance, could fit in and be popular in a way he never
could. Older brother, Nath, and little sister, Hannah, were
relatively neglected.
With Lydia dead, the family implodes. James pursues an ill
advised affair with his graduate assistant. Marilyn becomes obsessed
with discovering who killed her brilliant daughter. Will the
remaining family members ever be able to come together again--
especially where Nath, eager to leave home and start his real life, is
about to start his freshperson year at Harvard?
Read the book and see. It's impossible to put down once you get
caught up in the plot. Race issues tie in with the deep secrets of a
family to create a complex and fascinating narrative.
One line really struck me. In a flashback Marilyn has just left
the house of her deceased mother, a home economics teacher who
idolized everything Betty Crocker and, in a cruel twist of fate, was
forced to single parent in a manless house. She had promised herself,
"I will never end up like that." Years ago when the kids were grown
and I was having no luck finding a decent job the family started
suggesting retail. I vividly recall accompanying my partner to
WalMart (where I'd never go on my own), watching the overworked,
underpaid associates, and declaring to myself, "I will never end up
like that!". That's partly what grad school means to me.
On a purrrsonal note, my turkey and all the fixings dinner came out
purrrfect. Joey highly approved my work.
A great big shout out goes out to my turkey loving feline friend.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
"Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet. 1977, six thirty
in the morning, no one knows anything but this innocuous fact: Lydia
is late for breakfast. As always, next to her cereal bowl, her mother
has placed a sharpened pencil and Lydia's physics homework, six
problems flagged with small ticks..."
Let's put it this way. Lydia is not going to redo the physics
homework. As her absence draws on, the police are contacted.
Eventually her body is found when the police drag the lake.
Lydia has been the sun around which her parents have revolved.
Her white mother, Marilyn, who had harbored ambitions to become a
doctor until becoming unexpectedly pregnant for a third time, was
grooming her to go where she couldn't. All quality time and gifts
were science related. Her father, James, had gone through his
precollege years socially ostracized as the only Oriental student.
College hadn't improved matters much. He'd been sure that Lydia, with
her mixed appearance, could fit in and be popular in a way he never
could. Older brother, Nath, and little sister, Hannah, were
relatively neglected.
With Lydia dead, the family implodes. James pursues an ill
advised affair with his graduate assistant. Marilyn becomes obsessed
with discovering who killed her brilliant daughter. Will the
remaining family members ever be able to come together again--
especially where Nath, eager to leave home and start his real life, is
about to start his freshperson year at Harvard?
Read the book and see. It's impossible to put down once you get
caught up in the plot. Race issues tie in with the deep secrets of a
family to create a complex and fascinating narrative.
One line really struck me. In a flashback Marilyn has just left
the house of her deceased mother, a home economics teacher who
idolized everything Betty Crocker and, in a cruel twist of fate, was
forced to single parent in a manless house. She had promised herself,
"I will never end up like that." Years ago when the kids were grown
and I was having no luck finding a decent job the family started
suggesting retail. I vividly recall accompanying my partner to
WalMart (where I'd never go on my own), watching the overworked,
underpaid associates, and declaring to myself, "I will never end up
like that!". That's partly what grad school means to me.
On a purrrsonal note, my turkey and all the fixings dinner came out
purrrfect. Joey highly approved my work.
A great big shout out goes out to my turkey loving feline friend.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Dear Martin
Dear Martin
YA/adult fiction
"Jus swallows, head spinning, unable to get his bearings. The
sting of cold metal around his wrists pulls him back to reality.
Handcuffs.
It hits him. Melo's drunk beyond belief in the back seat of a
car she fully intended to drive, yet Jus is the one in handcuffs."
Jus (Justyce), protagonist of Nic Stone's Dear Martin, is not
having a good night. At three in the morning he gets a call that his
on and off girlfriend is in need of rescue. She's too drunk to stand
on her own two feet, but adamant about driving herself home, fighting
his attempts to take care of her. Suddenly he's being arrested by a
police officer who won't listen to reason.
"'You keep your mouth shut.' The cop squats and gets right in
Justyce's face. 'I know your kind: punks like you wander the streets
of nice neighborhoods searching for prey. Just couldn't resist the
pretty white girl who'd locked her keys in her car, could you?'"
Although he grew up in a tough neighborhood, Justyce is a full
scholarship student at a prep school, fourth in his class. He's aced
SATs and ACTs. He's Ivy League bound...
...Only the cop who busts him and beats him up sees nothing
beyond skin color. Suddenly Justyce is chillingly aware of the racism
at his school and his best friend, Manny's seeming acceptance of it
all in order to fit in with white peers. He starts a journal
formatted as letters to Martin Luther King Jr. In his first entry he
includes the following paragraph:
"Last night changed me. I don't wanna walk around all pissed
off and looking for problems, but I know I can't pretend nothing's
wrong. Yeah, there are no more 'colored' water fountains, and it's
supposed to be illegal to discriminate, but if I can be forced to sit
on the concrete in too-tight cuffs when I've done nothing wrong, it's
clear there's an issue. That things aren't as equal as folks say they
are."
At that point Justyce has no clue that another close encounter
of the pissed off white cop kind will change his life drastically and
tragically.
In her debut novel Stone has all the bases covered. Her plot is
spellbinding and thought provoking. Her voice and characters are
authentic. Her format is killer. In addition to the interspersing of
action and reflection, there are chapters done entirely in dialogue at
just the right places.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm spending a lot more time than usual in my
cat assisted reading. True Joey and I did plenty other stuff like
playing with his toys and stuff he decided was toys. He loved to help
me with stuff like laundry and decorating the Christmas tree. But the
reading was special. We developed cat assisted reading. We engaged
in at least some nearly every day. Some days like those right before
Christmas we binged.
Reading will never be quite the same.
A great big shout out goes out to my purrrfect little reading buddy.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/adult fiction
"Jus swallows, head spinning, unable to get his bearings. The
sting of cold metal around his wrists pulls him back to reality.
Handcuffs.
It hits him. Melo's drunk beyond belief in the back seat of a
car she fully intended to drive, yet Jus is the one in handcuffs."
Jus (Justyce), protagonist of Nic Stone's Dear Martin, is not
having a good night. At three in the morning he gets a call that his
on and off girlfriend is in need of rescue. She's too drunk to stand
on her own two feet, but adamant about driving herself home, fighting
his attempts to take care of her. Suddenly he's being arrested by a
police officer who won't listen to reason.
"'You keep your mouth shut.' The cop squats and gets right in
Justyce's face. 'I know your kind: punks like you wander the streets
of nice neighborhoods searching for prey. Just couldn't resist the
pretty white girl who'd locked her keys in her car, could you?'"
Although he grew up in a tough neighborhood, Justyce is a full
scholarship student at a prep school, fourth in his class. He's aced
SATs and ACTs. He's Ivy League bound...
...Only the cop who busts him and beats him up sees nothing
beyond skin color. Suddenly Justyce is chillingly aware of the racism
at his school and his best friend, Manny's seeming acceptance of it
all in order to fit in with white peers. He starts a journal
formatted as letters to Martin Luther King Jr. In his first entry he
includes the following paragraph:
"Last night changed me. I don't wanna walk around all pissed
off and looking for problems, but I know I can't pretend nothing's
wrong. Yeah, there are no more 'colored' water fountains, and it's
supposed to be illegal to discriminate, but if I can be forced to sit
on the concrete in too-tight cuffs when I've done nothing wrong, it's
clear there's an issue. That things aren't as equal as folks say they
are."
At that point Justyce has no clue that another close encounter
of the pissed off white cop kind will change his life drastically and
tragically.
In her debut novel Stone has all the bases covered. Her plot is
spellbinding and thought provoking. Her voice and characters are
authentic. Her format is killer. In addition to the interspersing of
action and reflection, there are chapters done entirely in dialogue at
just the right places.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm spending a lot more time than usual in my
cat assisted reading. True Joey and I did plenty other stuff like
playing with his toys and stuff he decided was toys. He loved to help
me with stuff like laundry and decorating the Christmas tree. But the
reading was special. We developed cat assisted reading. We engaged
in at least some nearly every day. Some days like those right before
Christmas we binged.
Reading will never be quite the same.
A great big shout out goes out to my purrrfect little reading buddy.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Hope Nation
Hope Nation
YA short stories
Some days you might sink your mind into a novel or your teeth
into a big old candy bar. Other days a handful of miniatures or a
book of short stories might be what you're in the mood for. Hope
Nation brings together the creme de la creme of YA authors. According
to editor Rose Bock,
"Simply it's a collection of unique and personal experiences
shared by some of my favorite writers for teens. Stories of
resilience, resistance, hardship, loss, love, tenacity, and
acceptance--stories that prove that sometimes, hope can be found only
on the other side of adversity..."
These are truly amazing and inspiring stories. Some that
readers will encounter are:
*Before And After in which Libba Bray describes a near fatal car
accident and her adjustment to severe facial disfigurement.
"...I'm not pretty anymore. I will never be pretty. Never be
'normal.' I'm disfigured. A freak. And my freakish appearance makes
most people uncomfortable, as if, simply being in my presence, they
might catch the bad luck of me..."
*Always in which Nic Stone (whose Dear Martin is the next book I'll
review) discusses times in her life when race has felt like a very big
deal.
"...Like every time the name of an African American was preceded
by the '#' symbol on Twitstagrumblrbook (or social media, as we oldies
say) because another black person had been killed by police. Or every
time I heard a racial slur or 'joke' aimed at President Barack Obama."
and *Love in which Nicola Yoon discusses her very racially mixed
marriage.
"After we got engaged, his parents did disown him. This really
happened. It broke his heart and it broke mine. I'm certain it broke
his mother's as well. I don't think she wanted to do it, but she
somehow felt she had to. Imagine that she thought the loss of his
family would persuade him to do what she saw as the right thing."
Read this amazing book. I'm confident that at least one of the
narratives will resonate with you. Then go a step further. Think of
a time you pulled hope out of setback or challenge. Share it. It can
be the best gift you can give. I was inspired to write about the
obstacles I had to overcome to get into and afford grad school. Last
summer one of the coaches read my story out loud to the whole UMaine
Black Bear football team.
On a personal note, another category of items I'm seriously assessing
in this clean up round is the when I get around to it stuff. As in,
will I ever get around to it anywhere but in my imagination. If not,
ditch. If so, do. One item I'm ditching is my bread machine. I got
it when Amber was three and Katie was a baby. I was going to make
wholesome bread for my family. I actually made one loaf. It came out
more suitable for door stopper than human consumption. Then in the
busyness of mothering a preschooler and an infant, running a home
typing business catering to UMaine students, maintaining a home, and
being politically active I didn't get around to a second try. By the
time I had enough time to make bread the number of bread eaters had
dropped enough to make it a waste of time. 26 years? Who am I
kidding? However, Brian, who actually uses his bread machine, will
probably like the bread machine recipe books. The ice cream machine,
on the other hand, gets one summer for me to try it out. I suspect if
I make too much the neighborhood kids will help me out. And I do love
ice cream. And I am going to frame my cross stitch pictures and put
them up.
Do you ever get stuff with the best of intentions and have life get in
the way of really putting it to use?
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who has been in the above
described predicament.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA short stories
Some days you might sink your mind into a novel or your teeth
into a big old candy bar. Other days a handful of miniatures or a
book of short stories might be what you're in the mood for. Hope
Nation brings together the creme de la creme of YA authors. According
to editor Rose Bock,
"Simply it's a collection of unique and personal experiences
shared by some of my favorite writers for teens. Stories of
resilience, resistance, hardship, loss, love, tenacity, and
acceptance--stories that prove that sometimes, hope can be found only
on the other side of adversity..."
These are truly amazing and inspiring stories. Some that
readers will encounter are:
*Before And After in which Libba Bray describes a near fatal car
accident and her adjustment to severe facial disfigurement.
"...I'm not pretty anymore. I will never be pretty. Never be
'normal.' I'm disfigured. A freak. And my freakish appearance makes
most people uncomfortable, as if, simply being in my presence, they
might catch the bad luck of me..."
*Always in which Nic Stone (whose Dear Martin is the next book I'll
review) discusses times in her life when race has felt like a very big
deal.
"...Like every time the name of an African American was preceded
by the '#' symbol on Twitstagrumblrbook (or social media, as we oldies
say) because another black person had been killed by police. Or every
time I heard a racial slur or 'joke' aimed at President Barack Obama."
and *Love in which Nicola Yoon discusses her very racially mixed
marriage.
"After we got engaged, his parents did disown him. This really
happened. It broke his heart and it broke mine. I'm certain it broke
his mother's as well. I don't think she wanted to do it, but she
somehow felt she had to. Imagine that she thought the loss of his
family would persuade him to do what she saw as the right thing."
Read this amazing book. I'm confident that at least one of the
narratives will resonate with you. Then go a step further. Think of
a time you pulled hope out of setback or challenge. Share it. It can
be the best gift you can give. I was inspired to write about the
obstacles I had to overcome to get into and afford grad school. Last
summer one of the coaches read my story out loud to the whole UMaine
Black Bear football team.
On a personal note, another category of items I'm seriously assessing
in this clean up round is the when I get around to it stuff. As in,
will I ever get around to it anywhere but in my imagination. If not,
ditch. If so, do. One item I'm ditching is my bread machine. I got
it when Amber was three and Katie was a baby. I was going to make
wholesome bread for my family. I actually made one loaf. It came out
more suitable for door stopper than human consumption. Then in the
busyness of mothering a preschooler and an infant, running a home
typing business catering to UMaine students, maintaining a home, and
being politically active I didn't get around to a second try. By the
time I had enough time to make bread the number of bread eaters had
dropped enough to make it a waste of time. 26 years? Who am I
kidding? However, Brian, who actually uses his bread machine, will
probably like the bread machine recipe books. The ice cream machine,
on the other hand, gets one summer for me to try it out. I suspect if
I make too much the neighborhood kids will help me out. And I do love
ice cream. And I am going to frame my cross stitch pictures and put
them up.
Do you ever get stuff with the best of intentions and have life get in
the way of really putting it to use?
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who has been in the above
described predicament.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Traffic
Traffic
YA/ adult fiction
You know what a big fan I am of Ellen Hopkins' edgy but poignant
novels in verse. Hopkins goes boldly where most other writers fail to
tiptoe, tackling topics like drug addiction head on and insightfully.
Traffic is no exception.
Hopkins had become concerned about domestic minor sex
trafficking when she learned how young the victims really were.
Research led to Tricks, a novel in which she alternated the narratives
of five teens whose life trajectories had reduced them to turning
tricks in Los Vegas. The book ended ambiguously. Traffic is the much
needed sequel.
*Cody, shot and left for dead, has survived with spinal cord
injuries. He has no feeling in or ability to move his legs.
Meanwhile his brother, Cory, is in juvenile lock up. His mother is
behind on bills, meaning the family may have to move to Kansas;
*Ginger had run away with her girlfriend. Now they're separated and
Ginger is in a group home until her grandmother can get custody and
come pick her up. Her mother is dying. She can't feel pity. Good
old mom stole her childhood by pimping her at a very early age;
*Seth's father had kicked him off the farm after he came out. His
mother was dead at that point. Now he's being kept by a rich and
powerful guy, yearning to fall in love with someone closer to his age
and doing covert escort services on the side. Drugs and alcohol are
part of his life style.
*Whitney is in rehab after a drug OD. Her former pimp had lured her
from home by promising to make her a model, only to put her in the
life and hook her on drugs. She's still in love with him. She's very
alienated from her parents and sister.
*Eden's fundamentalist parents had put her in Tears of Zion, a place
that isolated her and deprived her of the basics, for falling in
love. The staff member who helped her escape took his payment in
other than money. Now she's in a place for teens wanting to get out
of the life. She's claiming to be an orphan, not wanting to go back
to Mommy and Daddy.
Tricks and Traffic bring a crew of unforgettable teens faced
with nearly overwhelming challenges to life. Read both. You'll be
glad you did.
On a personal note, Joey is one excited cat. I have a turkey cooking
in the oven. Joey excitedly supervised my preparing it. Now he is
intoxicated by one of his favorite aromas. I see this a being a
really good day for him. :-)
A great big shout out goes out to my turkey loving companion.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA/ adult fiction
You know what a big fan I am of Ellen Hopkins' edgy but poignant
novels in verse. Hopkins goes boldly where most other writers fail to
tiptoe, tackling topics like drug addiction head on and insightfully.
Traffic is no exception.
Hopkins had become concerned about domestic minor sex
trafficking when she learned how young the victims really were.
Research led to Tricks, a novel in which she alternated the narratives
of five teens whose life trajectories had reduced them to turning
tricks in Los Vegas. The book ended ambiguously. Traffic is the much
needed sequel.
*Cody, shot and left for dead, has survived with spinal cord
injuries. He has no feeling in or ability to move his legs.
Meanwhile his brother, Cory, is in juvenile lock up. His mother is
behind on bills, meaning the family may have to move to Kansas;
*Ginger had run away with her girlfriend. Now they're separated and
Ginger is in a group home until her grandmother can get custody and
come pick her up. Her mother is dying. She can't feel pity. Good
old mom stole her childhood by pimping her at a very early age;
*Seth's father had kicked him off the farm after he came out. His
mother was dead at that point. Now he's being kept by a rich and
powerful guy, yearning to fall in love with someone closer to his age
and doing covert escort services on the side. Drugs and alcohol are
part of his life style.
*Whitney is in rehab after a drug OD. Her former pimp had lured her
from home by promising to make her a model, only to put her in the
life and hook her on drugs. She's still in love with him. She's very
alienated from her parents and sister.
*Eden's fundamentalist parents had put her in Tears of Zion, a place
that isolated her and deprived her of the basics, for falling in
love. The staff member who helped her escape took his payment in
other than money. Now she's in a place for teens wanting to get out
of the life. She's claiming to be an orphan, not wanting to go back
to Mommy and Daddy.
Tricks and Traffic bring a crew of unforgettable teens faced
with nearly overwhelming challenges to life. Read both. You'll be
glad you did.
On a personal note, Joey is one excited cat. I have a turkey cooking
in the oven. Joey excitedly supervised my preparing it. Now he is
intoxicated by one of his favorite aromas. I see this a being a
really good day for him. :-)
A great big shout out goes out to my turkey loving companion.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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