Jasmine who is one of the kindest and most delightful people I have ever met.

Super Zoe

My Upward Bound BFF, Marissa

We hit it off the first day and were inseparable for the program.  Luckily we had many of the same assignments.  We just have so much in common.  In Marissa's words we're two peas in a pod.  Marissa gave me rides to and from campus.  Not only was car pooling a lot more fun than the bus, but a lot of nights I was on campus well beyond the bus hours.  I really hope that we work together again at Upward Bound next summer!!!

This is me at staff orientation.

The Ground Breaking

Adult Nonfiction 

     "Over the years, however, other names have surfaced as well.  Some refer to the tragic happenings as a race war.  Others call it a disaster, the Tulsa event, or a pogrom...Today, the term of choice is massacre, as in the Tulsa race massacre."

     We generally think of cover ups as deceits organized by people in power who benefit greatly from collective amnesia.  Watergate is a classic example.  But what if, following a truly horrific event, the population of a city acts in such a way that mere decades later there is little memory or evidence left? That's the story Scott Ellsworth brings to life for readers in The Ground Breaking: An American City and Its Search For Justice.  

     In Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921 the Greenwood district was the scene of the kind of mob violence usually associated with coups in far away countries.  Invading whites killed Black residents and burned their homes and businesses after stealing everything of value.  There were even bombs dropped from planes.  The whole prosperous neighborhood that had been dubbed Black Wall Street was destroyed.

     Not surprisingly in a time when the KKK was going mainstream and enjoying renewed popularity, buoyed by the success of the racist film Birth Of A Nation, no whites were ever punished for this murder, arson, and looting spree.  In fact a grand jury blamed everything on the Blacks.

     It didn't take long for white civic and business leaders and boosters to realize that the massacre was detrimental to the image of Tulsa they were trying to present to the world.  Pictures and official records disappeared.  Newspapers steered clear of the subject.  People were discouraged from talking about the taboo topic.  

     But some secrets can't stay hidden forever, no matter how hard people try to suppress them.

     "In the Tulsa I grew up in, the riot was not discussed in the newspapers or on television, there were no books about it that you could check out of the library or purchase at a bookstore, and the ministers and Sunday school teachers at First Presbyterian Church never mentioned it, nor did the neighbors or Little League coaches or Boy Scout leaders.  Even so, by age twelve I had already caught wind that something had happened years earlier..."

     By college Ellsworth had learned about the massacre.  He made it the topic of his senior thesis.  His adviser told him there was a book in it.  His Death in a Promised Land: The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 came out in 1982.

     The Ground Breaking is its very worthwhile sequel.  It goes in depth into the decades long cover up and the struggle to bring the truth to light.  It's a highly engaging narrative that at times, especially when people are searching for mass graves, reads like a mystery.

     I think we should all read this book because Tulsa is not the only place that has suppressed racist history.

On a purrrsonal note, Upward Bound is a federal program to help first generation and low income teens become enrolled and succeed in higher education.  One of its highlights is a summer residential program on college and university campuses for promising high school students.  I am interning with the UMaine one.  This year, for the first time since the pandemic began, it's mostly in person.  Of course the academic component is very important with morning classes and afternoon labs and field trips.  I was able to sit in on morning classes.  I was super impressed with the students' engagement and insights. (Jules)

This heat wave is going on much too long.  Lucky for me Eugene went out and bought a really big air conditioner.  I guess the heat was getting to him too.  It really cools down our home. (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to Upward Bound students and teachers nation wide.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

<> Semrush Links <>

Hi!

Get top Ranks with this never seen before SEO plan:
https://www.creative-digital.co/product/semrush-backlinks/



Regards
Creative Digital Team







Unsubscribe:
https://mgdots.co/unsubscribe/

Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl

YA fiction 

"It never fails.  Daddy always finds a way to make morning service extend well into the afternoon, even after he promised he'd keep it short.  Today, during his sermon, he took twenty minutes to really drive home the point that Jesus helps those who help themselves." 

     As you may have guessed by now, Monique, protagonist of Joya Goffney's Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl, is a preacher's kid.  There's a lot of pressure, especially from her strict mother, to be the perfect teen personified by "committed to Christ" Sasha.

     "You don't see Sasha wrapped up in some boy.  She always pays attention, she always sings along to every song, she never forgets her Bible at home...A stranger might think she was the pastor's daughter."

     The boy Monique is "wrapped up in" is her  boyfriend, Dom.  Her father considers Dom to be " the perfect gentleman," the only boy he'd trust to date her.  What preacher Daddy doesn't know is that not so perfect Dom is focused on premarital sex, a total taboo in their church.  He and Monique have tried unsuccessfully twenty-nine times.  If she can't be penetrated he's going to ditch her.

     Monique feels desperate and alone.  She can't talk to her parents.  She'd be admitting to doing something they consider a cardinal sin.  Rebellious older sister, Myracle, no longer living home, isn't mentioned by her family.  It's like she never existed.  When Monique started dating Dom she got out of touch with her other friends.  And, of course, the congregation assumes she's waiting for marriage.

     But all may not be lost.  With the help of unlikely allies Monique may learn how to take ownership not only of a medical condition, but of her body and her life.

On a purrrsonal note, I'm in the fifth (of six) weeks doing my internship with Upward Bound.  At first I was just expecting to fulfill a requirement of my program.  If I didn't screw up too much.  Imagine how surprised I was when it became one of the most transformative experiences of my life.  And you'll learn more about that in my next posts.  (Jules)

It's getting into the high eighties every day.  It's weather not fit for human nor beast.  Especially us fine furry felines.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the Upward Bound '22 family.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Tobago sends her regards.  She's managing to stay cool in the summer heat.

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

And an author's autograph.  How cool is that?

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

This is the book.

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Beyond The Starlit Skies

YA science fiction 

     Bethany Thompson's Beyond The Starlit Skies is a lucky find I never would have chosen on my own.  It was an Upward Bound internship read, a book I'd be helping lead a discussion of.  My gut reaction was, "Oh, crap!  Outer space." I have a strong bias toward my fiction being set solidly on Earth.

     So imagine my surprise when a few chapters in I found myself really engaged in and enjoying the narrative.  Thompson's suspenseful plot and believable characters accomplished a minor miracle.

     The setting is a future in which Earth is basically dying, people live in space stations and bio domes, and there's a desperate race to find Earth like inhabitable planets.  

     Zadie lives in a space station.  When we meet her she's graduating high school.  She and her peers are getting their first adult work assignments.  Much to her surprise she's offered one involving space exploration.  Yes, it's for five years.  Yes, she'll be heading into unknown, potentially dangerous territory.

     "Even with the risks involved, this option makes me feel more alive than I've ever felt before.  This is the position that makes me the most excited.  If I don't put this position as my first choice, I know I will always wonder...would I have gotten it?  How might my life be different?"

     Despite the excitement of the work and the great friends, one of whom may have the potential to be more than a friend, Zadie's position is not all she'd hoped for.  Her immediate supervisor seems hostile.  And the highest in command may not be following ethical guidelines or acting in the best interests of the crew.  The biggest danger may lie not in the uncharted parts of the universe, but inside the vessel being used to explore it.

     I'd highly recommend Beyond The Starlit Skies to YA readers, especially those nearing high school graduation.  Next step decisions often involve options that speak to the heart vs those that seem safer and/or appeal to parents.  It also has great potential for teen/parent book clubs.

     But it also is a good read for the many adult adults who have discovered that much of today's best literature is categorized as YA.  Next step decisions don't always stop after high school or even college.  The paragraph I quoted above really spoke to me because it evoked memories of when I was deciding whether to apply for the highly competitive grad school program of my dreams or settle for a boring job in fast food or retail in my sixties.  And people at any stage of life can have to decide what to do when discovering corruption, malfeasance, or just poor decision making on the part of supervisors, managers, or entire corporate leaderships.

On a purrrsonal note, the night Bethany visited Upward Bound she gave a fascinating talk.  I was so proud of our UB students who were highly engaged and asked lots of really superb questions.  Then we split up into watch groups for discussions as she went from group to group answering questions and signing books.  I know this was one of the most special nights of my internship.  In fact it was the night I discovered...

...you'll have to read my next review to discover my epiphany.

A great big shout out goes out to Bethany a night to remember for both students and summer staff.

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Apologies

I am so sorry for posting such little content this summer.  It has been a strange summer for me.  First there was my unexpected stay in the hospital.  That darn kidney stone!  Then my 12-year-old ipod touch stopped sending and receiving while I was getting ready for an intense summer internship which I am in the middle of.  I think I've figured out how to post from my smartphone.  If you read this I will have succeeded.

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone