My daughters, Amber and Katie, and I share a fondness for scary stories. I have to admit I'm the wimp of the trio. I left the room fifteen minutes after we started watching Jeepers Creepers. And as for books, I nearly didn't make it through Kelley Armstrong's Hemlock Island.
The island in question and a house custom built on it are a wedding gift Laney received as a wedding gift from her ex husband, Kit. Only she can't afford to keep it unless she rents it out for much of the year. Only that's not going too well.j. Recent guests have found evidence of satanic rituals.
One early morning she's woken up by a call from a hysterical guest claiming that there's blood in her closet. She and her teen niece, Madison, who she's been guardian for since her sister's death, decide to investigate. At the boat launch they run into Kit, who has been informed of the situation, and Jayla, his lawyer sister. Shortly after they've arrived at the island a really unexpected duo shows up dropped off by boat: Sadie, whose friendship with Laney had ended badly and her cop brother, Garrett.
"This is a nightmare. Oh, I don't mind the ritual staging shit. That I can deal with. It's the company that makes me want to run, screaming, with Madison in tow."
Only it's too late for a return to the mainland so she start making beds.
Bad move. Investigating a noise Madison heard Laney finds a severed human hand. Kit sensibly decides to get the fuck out. But Sadie's gone missing and the only boat is gone. So they have to stick it out at least until on the mainland discovers that they're missing and sends a search party. Searching for Sadie they discover a lot of gruesome stuff, including phenomena science has no explanation for.
If you're a real hard core thriller lover you won't want to miss out on Hemlock Island. It has a strong Ray Bradbury aesthetic.
On a purrrsonal note, yesterday I missed the Orono bus and, being too stubborn to wait for the next one or abandon the mission (community garden) I started waking. Luckily I caught a ride. I'm not yet ready for 4+ miles.
A great big shout out goes out to the garden crew and our new fearless leader, Diana.
Jules Hathaway
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Code Red (juvenile)
When I was a teen menstruation was a taboo topic. A lot of parents would probably have had less trouble describing satanic rituals than this perfectly normal bodily function. We'd tell each other good old Aunt Flo had come for a visit. An allusion to cramps got us out of gym class, no questions asked. Boys being snarky would ask us if we were on the rag. These days we've come a long way when it comes to menstrual talk. But we still have away to go. That's why books like Joy McCullough's Code Red are so refreshing and needed.
Eden, McCullough's protagonist, is mortified when her mother comes to her middle school to speak at Career Day. Her mom runs a company that makes period products. Sure enough some of her peers act quite immaturely. One boy, Graham, is quite persistent. When he gets in her face at the end of the day she pushes him to get by…
…at the same time another girl coming to her defense pulls him. When Maribel's mother shows up the principal accuses them of assaulting Graham who's been rushed off to urgent care. The principal suspends the girls for the rest of the week. Eden's mother doesn't show up. Silvia, Maribel's mother, takes the girls to the food pantry she runs, Casa Esperanza.
Eden was an Olympics bound elite gymnast until the combination of a growth spurt and a shoulder injury grounded her. Without the regimen that filled every moment of her life she feels lost.
"But gymnastics was my life for as long as I can remember, and now I have no idea what my life is."
Eden is irresistibly attracted to Maribel's lively family and Casa Esperanza which is far more than a food pantry. Unfortunately her mother decides they're a bad influence on her and forbids her to see them. But she's not about to give up such an important source of joy and meaning in her life.
With an engaging plot and characters and an introduction to the concept of period poverty Code Red will be quite an inspiration for younger social justice warriors.
On a purrrsonal note, I guess I could share two stories. The first comes from my teen years. I was on my way home wearing white pants when I unexpectedly got my period. I was, as you can probably imagine, mortified. A stranger invited me into her home. Her daughter lent me a pair of jeans to wear while she washed and dried my jeans and underwear. It was such a relief when I left their home spotless. The second comes from the Methodist phase of my adult life. The church was going to make care packages for homeless folx. We were discussing what to include. People were shocked when I suggested period products.
A great big shout out goes out to the folx who are working to end period poverty and to create products that aren't as bad for the environment as disposable pads and tampons.
Jules Hathaway
Eden, McCullough's protagonist, is mortified when her mother comes to her middle school to speak at Career Day. Her mom runs a company that makes period products. Sure enough some of her peers act quite immaturely. One boy, Graham, is quite persistent. When he gets in her face at the end of the day she pushes him to get by…
…at the same time another girl coming to her defense pulls him. When Maribel's mother shows up the principal accuses them of assaulting Graham who's been rushed off to urgent care. The principal suspends the girls for the rest of the week. Eden's mother doesn't show up. Silvia, Maribel's mother, takes the girls to the food pantry she runs, Casa Esperanza.
Eden was an Olympics bound elite gymnast until the combination of a growth spurt and a shoulder injury grounded her. Without the regimen that filled every moment of her life she feels lost.
"But gymnastics was my life for as long as I can remember, and now I have no idea what my life is."
Eden is irresistibly attracted to Maribel's lively family and Casa Esperanza which is far more than a food pantry. Unfortunately her mother decides they're a bad influence on her and forbids her to see them. But she's not about to give up such an important source of joy and meaning in her life.
With an engaging plot and characters and an introduction to the concept of period poverty Code Red will be quite an inspiration for younger social justice warriors.
On a purrrsonal note, I guess I could share two stories. The first comes from my teen years. I was on my way home wearing white pants when I unexpectedly got my period. I was, as you can probably imagine, mortified. A stranger invited me into her home. Her daughter lent me a pair of jeans to wear while she washed and dried my jeans and underwear. It was such a relief when I left their home spotless. The second comes from the Methodist phase of my adult life. The church was going to make care packages for homeless folx. We were discussing what to include. People were shocked when I suggested period products.
A great big shout out goes out to the folx who are working to end period poverty and to create products that aren't as bad for the environment as disposable pads and tampons.
Jules Hathaway
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Warrior on the Mound
"In a few hours, me and my boys, the Pender County Rangers, Are gonna do something we ought not to.
We'll skip school, sneak over the county line, and take a look at the new baseball field they built for the white boys in New Hanover County. If we stick on the back fields, no one will ever know what we're up to."
Baseball season is the perfect time to introduce younger sports fans to Sandra W. Headen's Warrior on the Mound. It makes the Jim Crow era come alive within the context of a truly engaging sports narrative.
Cato, 12, is Headen's narrator. His now deceased father, Daddy Mo, pitched for a Negro American League, the Kansas City Monarchs. He's determined to follow in his footsteps . His big brother, Isaac, is a member of the team.
When Cato and his crew see the field they are astounded. It looks like a professional diamond. After they split into two teams and play for awhile Cato sweeps the bases clean. But they have been seen trespassing. Luke, owner of the field, drops by the next morning to tell Papa V, Cato's grandfather, that the boys not only trespassed on, but vandalized the field. He demands that Cato and his best friend, Mason spend a morning working in his general store.
Luke says the two teams can have a practice together. But it quickly goes sidewise, devolving into a brawl. And it's only downhill from there as the larger community becomes involved in violence to which law enforcement turns a blind eye.
Young baseball fans will find themselves rooting for Cato and his teammates. If the book is especially effective they'll have lots of questions for the adults in their life. Headen gives not only back story, but a reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, although I don't have the patience to watch a game unless one of my kids is involved, I enjoy playing. Catcher. My best season was one in which I was the only one drinking or smoking pot. I was even hitting home runs. Even though I never attended MIT I played on one of their summer intramural teams. I biked over, eyeballed the teams, and chose one my speed. I started hanging out, commending the players on all their good moves. In a couple of innings I was on the field. I don't intend to play again. Getting hit in the head is so not a good idea and my reaction time sucks.
A great big shout out goes out to the kids playing ball this season.
Jules Hathaway
We'll skip school, sneak over the county line, and take a look at the new baseball field they built for the white boys in New Hanover County. If we stick on the back fields, no one will ever know what we're up to."
Baseball season is the perfect time to introduce younger sports fans to Sandra W. Headen's Warrior on the Mound. It makes the Jim Crow era come alive within the context of a truly engaging sports narrative.
Cato, 12, is Headen's narrator. His now deceased father, Daddy Mo, pitched for a Negro American League, the Kansas City Monarchs. He's determined to follow in his footsteps . His big brother, Isaac, is a member of the team.
When Cato and his crew see the field they are astounded. It looks like a professional diamond. After they split into two teams and play for awhile Cato sweeps the bases clean. But they have been seen trespassing. Luke, owner of the field, drops by the next morning to tell Papa V, Cato's grandfather, that the boys not only trespassed on, but vandalized the field. He demands that Cato and his best friend, Mason spend a morning working in his general store.
Luke says the two teams can have a practice together. But it quickly goes sidewise, devolving into a brawl. And it's only downhill from there as the larger community becomes involved in violence to which law enforcement turns a blind eye.
Young baseball fans will find themselves rooting for Cato and his teammates. If the book is especially effective they'll have lots of questions for the adults in their life. Headen gives not only back story, but a reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, although I don't have the patience to watch a game unless one of my kids is involved, I enjoy playing. Catcher. My best season was one in which I was the only one drinking or smoking pot. I was even hitting home runs. Even though I never attended MIT I played on one of their summer intramural teams. I biked over, eyeballed the teams, and chose one my speed. I started hanging out, commending the players on all their good moves. In a couple of innings I was on the field. I don't intend to play again. Getting hit in the head is so not a good idea and my reaction time sucks.
A great big shout out goes out to the kids playing ball this season.
Jules Hathaway
Mid-Air
I'd gotten in the habit of ordering my books through inter library loan. But last Tuesday I came in to find only four volumes waiting for me. And I sort of panicked because that wasn't enough for a whole week, especially one with a 3 day weekend that Eugene and I would spend at camp. He won't let me help with his projects. So reading is what I do there. Fortunately when I checked my own library's juvenile wing I found some really enticing volumes. Alicia D. Williams' juvenile novel in verse, Mid-Air, is one of them.
I think we can agree that the death of a best friend is one of the hardest experiences you can have at any life stage. Especially if you're there when it happens. Especially if you're left with regrets and what ifs, if you wonder if something you failed to do could have saved his life. That's the plight of Isaiah, Williams' protagonist, as he's about to finish eighth grade and make the big transition to high school.
Darius, Drew, and Isaiah were a set, spending their free time together. One day they're in a ritzy neighborhood riding bikes. Darius is about to make the first run. Drew is going to time him.
"Isaiah, you my eyes, Darius says.
No doubt. We
front hand slap, back hand slap, dap, dap, palm clasp.
And, yo, be like water, I tell him.
Always, he says."
At first everything's fine.
"And dude is going. Going! Going! GOING!"
But then a man comes out and starts yelling. Drew yells back. The man's neighbors are joining him, creating a mob scene, one from which Isaiah can't extricate himself from in time to warn Darius of the oncoming car in time.
Drew becomes withdrawn and distant. A field trip to the "monstrously huge" high school adds another source of anxiety.
"Come September,
we'll be guppies surrounded by sharks."
But that's not all that's going on in Isaiah's life. Years ago his father had caught him dancing with his mother, wearing her high heel shoes. Since then he's been trying to toughen him up. Isaiah knows he's not like the other boys. But can't people accept him for who he really is?
This engaging narrative is pitch perfect for its target audience—especially the many kids facing similar challenges.
Jules Hathaway
I think we can agree that the death of a best friend is one of the hardest experiences you can have at any life stage. Especially if you're there when it happens. Especially if you're left with regrets and what ifs, if you wonder if something you failed to do could have saved his life. That's the plight of Isaiah, Williams' protagonist, as he's about to finish eighth grade and make the big transition to high school.
Darius, Drew, and Isaiah were a set, spending their free time together. One day they're in a ritzy neighborhood riding bikes. Darius is about to make the first run. Drew is going to time him.
"Isaiah, you my eyes, Darius says.
No doubt. We
front hand slap, back hand slap, dap, dap, palm clasp.
And, yo, be like water, I tell him.
Always, he says."
At first everything's fine.
"And dude is going. Going! Going! GOING!"
But then a man comes out and starts yelling. Drew yells back. The man's neighbors are joining him, creating a mob scene, one from which Isaiah can't extricate himself from in time to warn Darius of the oncoming car in time.
Drew becomes withdrawn and distant. A field trip to the "monstrously huge" high school adds another source of anxiety.
"Come September,
we'll be guppies surrounded by sharks."
But that's not all that's going on in Isaiah's life. Years ago his father had caught him dancing with his mother, wearing her high heel shoes. Since then he's been trying to toughen him up. Isaiah knows he's not like the other boys. But can't people accept him for who he really is?
This engaging narrative is pitch perfect for its target audience—especially the many kids facing similar challenges.
Jules Hathaway
Monday, May 27, 2024
Punished For Dreaming
Well, fam, I hope you're having a super three day weekend. I just got back from camp where Eugene did all the work, leaving me free to sit on the porch in a rocking chair and read. It as a good thing I packed plenty of books because I read almost all of them. They were all winners. And now that I'm back to my on the grid home I can share them with you.
I was a parent and a school board member when no child was left behind while we were racing to the top. I was no fan of the presidentially mandated school deforms. And no, that was not a misspelling. It was a total nightmare. The schools were spending way too much time teaching to the standardized tests. Governor LePage was ranking, rewarding, and punishing schools based on the scores, conveniently forgetting (if he ever grasped the concept) that they correlate with student socioeconomic status rather teaching efficacy. Some school administrators and teachers were crossing ethical and legal lines by fixing student scores. And my peers seemed blind to the elephant in the room, the total wrongness of what was going down, as long as we were safely far enough from the bottom to not get penalized.
But even I did not realize the true depths of the evil going on until I read Dr. Bettina L. Love's Punished For Dreaming. Dr. Love is a Columbia University professor and the author of We Want To Do More Than Survive (which is now on my inter library loan borrowing list). She was named one of the Next 50 leaders who are making the world more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate in 2022 by the Kennedy Center. But before all that success she was a Black teen who was routed into shop classes and told that she was not college material when she tried to get help preparing to take the SATs. And she succeeded despite, not because of the public education system. She's one of countless Black kids whose dreams and ambitions were considered acceptable sacrifices during four decades of educational "reform".
Dr. Love traces all that mess to blinding white rage kindled by Brown v. Board of education in which the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, a prior ruling that upheld the separate but equal idea. The schools were separate all right, but anything but equal. When the robed gang said enough already a lot of whites got to raging. (And not just in the South. I personally witnessed whites in Boston screaming, swearing, and throwing stones at terrified Black children.). Some found shutting the school system down preferable to having their children in classes with Black peers. And when the robed gang followed their school integration order with one to hurry up already those whites were up In arms.
"White supremacists did not simply resist school integration—they built a profitable educational enterprise rooted in the exploitation of Black people's pursuit of education that has led to 'skewed life chances, limited access to health and education, premature death, incarceration, and impoverishment' This is the afterlife of Brown putting Black children at risk."
Dr. Love vividly describes the many evil forms this afterlife takes place. If you stick with the book, you will learn a lot about subjects such as the school to prison pipeline; the undermining of public schools by charter schools, movements like Teach Across America, and entrepreneurs; the damage done by standardized tests; and why the currently popular diversity, equity, and inclusion may be a trap. You will also learn why reform reform will never be sufficient and nothing less than abolition (accompanied by reparations) will set things straight.
If you're an educator, a school administrator, or a concerned parent you'd do well to put Punished For Dreaming on your summer reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, if you're plagued with mosquitoes as Eugene and I were up at camp you might want to try the old fashioned remedy we tried—a citronella candle we bought at a hardware store. It cut down considerably on the winged blood suckers while smelling quite pleasant.
A great big shout out goes out to all the other campers who spent the weekend in the great outdoors.
I was a parent and a school board member when no child was left behind while we were racing to the top. I was no fan of the presidentially mandated school deforms. And no, that was not a misspelling. It was a total nightmare. The schools were spending way too much time teaching to the standardized tests. Governor LePage was ranking, rewarding, and punishing schools based on the scores, conveniently forgetting (if he ever grasped the concept) that they correlate with student socioeconomic status rather teaching efficacy. Some school administrators and teachers were crossing ethical and legal lines by fixing student scores. And my peers seemed blind to the elephant in the room, the total wrongness of what was going down, as long as we were safely far enough from the bottom to not get penalized.
But even I did not realize the true depths of the evil going on until I read Dr. Bettina L. Love's Punished For Dreaming. Dr. Love is a Columbia University professor and the author of We Want To Do More Than Survive (which is now on my inter library loan borrowing list). She was named one of the Next 50 leaders who are making the world more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate in 2022 by the Kennedy Center. But before all that success she was a Black teen who was routed into shop classes and told that she was not college material when she tried to get help preparing to take the SATs. And she succeeded despite, not because of the public education system. She's one of countless Black kids whose dreams and ambitions were considered acceptable sacrifices during four decades of educational "reform".
Dr. Love traces all that mess to blinding white rage kindled by Brown v. Board of education in which the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, a prior ruling that upheld the separate but equal idea. The schools were separate all right, but anything but equal. When the robed gang said enough already a lot of whites got to raging. (And not just in the South. I personally witnessed whites in Boston screaming, swearing, and throwing stones at terrified Black children.). Some found shutting the school system down preferable to having their children in classes with Black peers. And when the robed gang followed their school integration order with one to hurry up already those whites were up In arms.
"White supremacists did not simply resist school integration—they built a profitable educational enterprise rooted in the exploitation of Black people's pursuit of education that has led to 'skewed life chances, limited access to health and education, premature death, incarceration, and impoverishment' This is the afterlife of Brown putting Black children at risk."
Dr. Love vividly describes the many evil forms this afterlife takes place. If you stick with the book, you will learn a lot about subjects such as the school to prison pipeline; the undermining of public schools by charter schools, movements like Teach Across America, and entrepreneurs; the damage done by standardized tests; and why the currently popular diversity, equity, and inclusion may be a trap. You will also learn why reform reform will never be sufficient and nothing less than abolition (accompanied by reparations) will set things straight.
If you're an educator, a school administrator, or a concerned parent you'd do well to put Punished For Dreaming on your summer reading list.
On a purrrsonal note, if you're plagued with mosquitoes as Eugene and I were up at camp you might want to try the old fashioned remedy we tried—a citronella candle we bought at a hardware store. It cut down considerably on the winged blood suckers while smelling quite pleasant.
A great big shout out goes out to all the other campers who spent the weekend in the great outdoors.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
You Call This A Democracy? (YA)
In You Call This A Democracy? Elizabeth Rusch delivers the most succinct, engaging, and eye opening critique of America's political system. We're led to believe we have government for, of, and by the people. Don't believe that for a minute. Rusch describes eleven ways in which millions of people—particularly members of marginalized groups—are disenfranchised each and every year, for example:
*Since we have an electoral college a candidate can be elected despite losing the popular vote;
*Tactics such as closing polling places, restricting early voting, and requiring expensive and sometimes hard to procure documents as proof of identity make it impossible for a lot of people of color and poor people to vote;
and *Setting the voting age at eighteen excludes millions of people who collectively pay $700 million in taxes each year. (Wasn't taxation without representation why we divorced England in the first place?)
She enhances the engagingness of her text with vivid visuals. In her chapter on how felony convictions render over four million people unable to vote she adds a sense of perspective by showing how the United States has the highest incarceration rates in the whole world. (BTW felonies aren't limited to major stuff like murder. You can commit one by downloading a movie without paying or egging a mailbox on Halloween).
Although she deals in very inconvenient truths, Rusch does so from a perspective of optimism. She believes in the power of younger people to change what needs changing and help usher us into a space where liberty and justice for all isn't just something we rattle off when we recite the pledge of allegiance. Every chapter ends with a what you can do section. And there's a further reading listing of books and electronic sources.
I highly recommend You Call This A Democracy to its target demographics and way beyond. Rusch touches on a lot of stuff adults don't learn in high school and beyond. And it's going to take most of us to carry out the extensive reforms that need to be made.
On a purrrsonal note, I have one recommendation Rusch didn't make: run for local office like town council or school board. I served 11 years on school board that at one point was a three town consolidation and made quite a difference. School boards, BTW, could use younger members. Who would have a better grasp of a school system than someone who has experienced it from the inside?
A great big shout out goes out to the fox who are working to bring about these very necessary reforms.
Jules Hathaway
*Since we have an electoral college a candidate can be elected despite losing the popular vote;
*Tactics such as closing polling places, restricting early voting, and requiring expensive and sometimes hard to procure documents as proof of identity make it impossible for a lot of people of color and poor people to vote;
and *Setting the voting age at eighteen excludes millions of people who collectively pay $700 million in taxes each year. (Wasn't taxation without representation why we divorced England in the first place?)
She enhances the engagingness of her text with vivid visuals. In her chapter on how felony convictions render over four million people unable to vote she adds a sense of perspective by showing how the United States has the highest incarceration rates in the whole world. (BTW felonies aren't limited to major stuff like murder. You can commit one by downloading a movie without paying or egging a mailbox on Halloween).
Although she deals in very inconvenient truths, Rusch does so from a perspective of optimism. She believes in the power of younger people to change what needs changing and help usher us into a space where liberty and justice for all isn't just something we rattle off when we recite the pledge of allegiance. Every chapter ends with a what you can do section. And there's a further reading listing of books and electronic sources.
I highly recommend You Call This A Democracy to its target demographics and way beyond. Rusch touches on a lot of stuff adults don't learn in high school and beyond. And it's going to take most of us to carry out the extensive reforms that need to be made.
On a purrrsonal note, I have one recommendation Rusch didn't make: run for local office like town council or school board. I served 11 years on school board that at one point was a three town consolidation and made quite a difference. School boards, BTW, could use younger members. Who would have a better grasp of a school system than someone who has experienced it from the inside?
A great big shout out goes out to the fox who are working to bring about these very necessary reforms.
Jules Hathaway
A Great Country
It was supposed to be a relaxing evening for Priya and Ashok Shah. After immigrating to America and initially struggling to survive the have finally moved on up to an exclusive and pricey neighborhood. Older daughter, Deepa, a social activist, resents the move away from a neighborhood that gave her a sense of belonging and feels that her parents have abandoned it. Her younger sister, Maya, a high school freshman who has been befriended by a well off peer at summer sports camp is enjoying her new social world, hoping that her embarrassing family will stay out of it. Only son. Ajay, 12, immersed in robotics and attempting to build a drone, doesn't really care one way or another. Although he has never been diagnosed, he shows lots of signs of being on the autism spectrum. Priya and Ashok, confident that Deepa is taking care of her younger siblings, are at an adults only dinner at a friend's house.
They're still at the dinner when Priya gets a phone call telling her that Ajay is in police custody at the downtown county jail. He's been arrested at an airport, considerably roughed up a police officer who has him pegged as a terrorist, and thrown into the adult jail. "He destroyed the evidence and tried to run. Made furtive gestures. Resisted arrest. That's plenty guilty behavior for me." The initial charges are trespassing, arrest, and destroying evidence. But since Ajay had a drone near an airport more serious, even federal, charges may be forthcoming. His arraignment may be in two weeks.
In those two weeks the family must comply with police demands and avoid the press camped outside their door. This is made harder when an advocacy group takes on Ajay's arrest as a cause. This seriously bothers Priya who doesn't want her son and family lumped in with "those people"
Ashok and Priya have built their life around the belief that playing by the rules will protect them and assure them of success. Now that their faith has been shattered they must face a lot of difficult questions.
Meanwhile Deepa has been questioned by police about her involvement in a protest. And Maya, desperate to fit in with her new peer group, is making some decisions that could get her in deep trouble.
The characters and conflicts are well developed. Issues of racism and classism are interwoven into the narrative. Gratuitous violence and sex don't make an appearance. A Great Country is the rare adult novel as relevant and engaging as YA books. In fact, since the issues are so relevant and several of the protagonists are teenage or younger, I recommend to the YA set as well as their parents. In fact it would be a great two generation book club read.
On a purrrsonal note, it looks like Eugene and I will be up to camp this weekend. Since Eugene never lets me help with any of the work I guess I'll have to sit on the porch and read. I've made a trip to Orono Public Library to stock up.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with best wishes for a safe, fun, and relaxing three day weekend.
Jules Hathaway
They're still at the dinner when Priya gets a phone call telling her that Ajay is in police custody at the downtown county jail. He's been arrested at an airport, considerably roughed up a police officer who has him pegged as a terrorist, and thrown into the adult jail. "He destroyed the evidence and tried to run. Made furtive gestures. Resisted arrest. That's plenty guilty behavior for me." The initial charges are trespassing, arrest, and destroying evidence. But since Ajay had a drone near an airport more serious, even federal, charges may be forthcoming. His arraignment may be in two weeks.
In those two weeks the family must comply with police demands and avoid the press camped outside their door. This is made harder when an advocacy group takes on Ajay's arrest as a cause. This seriously bothers Priya who doesn't want her son and family lumped in with "those people"
Ashok and Priya have built their life around the belief that playing by the rules will protect them and assure them of success. Now that their faith has been shattered they must face a lot of difficult questions.
Meanwhile Deepa has been questioned by police about her involvement in a protest. And Maya, desperate to fit in with her new peer group, is making some decisions that could get her in deep trouble.
The characters and conflicts are well developed. Issues of racism and classism are interwoven into the narrative. Gratuitous violence and sex don't make an appearance. A Great Country is the rare adult novel as relevant and engaging as YA books. In fact, since the issues are so relevant and several of the protagonists are teenage or younger, I recommend to the YA set as well as their parents. In fact it would be a great two generation book club read.
On a purrrsonal note, it looks like Eugene and I will be up to camp this weekend. Since Eugene never lets me help with any of the work I guess I'll have to sit on the porch and read. I've made a trip to Orono Public Library to stock up.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with best wishes for a safe, fun, and relaxing three day weekend.
Jules Hathaway
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Torn Apart (adult nonfiction)
"There are many possible ways the government could support the welfare of children. The most successful approach would be to invest in the things that have been proven to promote children's well-being: a living wage and income supports for parents; high-quality housing, nutrition, child care, and health care; freedom from state and private violence; and a clean environment. The United States doesn't focus on providing these things to families. In fact, it ranks the worst among industrialized nations for guaranteeing resources children need to be healthy and happy. Instead, US welfare policy centers on protecting children from alleged parental maltreatment by investing primarily in tearing families apart."
I found that quote in Dorothy Roberts' Torn Apart. Roberts is amazing. She isn't afraid to call bullshit when she sees it. And she is persistent. Her Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare was published in 2001. It was about black families being disproportionately likely to be torn apart by children's "protective" services. She'd learned the statistics when doing the research for her Killing The Black Body that concerned the criminalization of a public health issue. Shattered Bonds was the first book to address the racism, implicit and systemic, prevalent in CPS in 29 years. Between then and now things got worse, necessitating the writing of Torn Apart. Her current book is centered on three realities: CPS is NOT benevolent or even harmless; its history is not the benign Hallmark story we've been taught; and aims at reforming it can never go far enough.
!) Don't let its title fool you. Roberts calls them a benevolent terror. They reflect all the biases of our society: racism, sexism, classism, ableism etc. In other words they target the most vulnerable families with the intent of breaking them up rather than actually helping them. They're very good at seeing poverty as neglect. An investigation can be triggered by an anonymous tip from a source who may have less than pure motives. A CPS worker, sometimes accompanied by a police escort, can show up unexpectedly and without a warrant. The home is searched and family members are interrogated separately. The love of the parents is weaponized against them. They're constantly being threatened with loss of their children if they don't submit every aspect of their life to scrutiny and fulfill ever demand made of them even ones inconsistent with holding down a job to provide for their children. And it gets worse, so much worse. Electronics and algorithms are now used in the inquisition. Remember the pandemic when the kids attended school remotely? Those little cameras can pick up a lot. And there are whole industries making a lot of money out of family dissolution. Don't believe me? Read the book.
2) We've been taught that CPS was brought about by people being concerned about the plight of poor children and finding a way to remove them from lives of squalor and criminality in the 19th century. It's roots run much deeper and darker. One strand goes as back as slavery days. Back then Black children on plantations could be sold away from their families or lose one or more parents to the auction block any time their owner needed quick cash, often never again to see them. After emancipation the Black Codes said that Black children could be "bound out" as apprentices to white planters if white judges felt that the placement would be better for them. "Apprenticeship is the historical bridge that connects state disruption of Black families under the antebellum slavery system with state disruption of Black families under the twentieth century foster care system." Another strand goes back to the Indian Wars when the government was striving to destabilize Indigenous tribes in order to steal their land and its natural resources. "Just after 'Custer's Last Stand,' as the battle came to be called, the federal government devised a new military strategy to destabilize its Native opponents. It began stealing Native children from tribal communities and placing them in white-controlled boarding schools, where they were violently stripped of their languages, clothing, and customs and compelled to work without compensation." We're talking over 100,000 children, many who died of untreated illness, malnutrition, and abuse,
3). People are now calling for abolition of the current criminal "justice" system because mere tweaks can never eradicate the systemic evils at its core. Roberts applies the same logic to CPS. In fact she shows that, rather than being two separate systems, they're two sides of the same vile coin, working hand in hand, for instance, in immigration cases where CPS is in bed with ICE.
If you already haven't become sufficiently earlier on wait til you hit the chapter that shows that multiple studies show that kids and teens in foster care are more likely to be neglected, harmed, molested, and killed and to have poorer adult outcomes on a wide measure of outcomes than peers who remained in their homes, especially when for profit organizations were involved.
Roberts spells out how we can transition from a nation that fractures families and damages children to one that supports families and communities and enables children to achieve their potentials. It'a a path we can't afford not to take. If it bothers you that this nation is worst in the industrialized nations for guaranteeing resources children need to be healthy and happy you owe it to yourself to read this powerful and persuasive book. Let's finally do something to address the problem. Let's not make it necessary for Roberts to issue another warning in the 2040s!!!
On a puuursonal note. Although I am white and experience privilege every day because of my skin color Eugene and I raised our children under the circumstances Roberts acknowledges under which other factors such as class determine who is targeted. The town we live in is super majority (about 98%) white with a stark contrast between rich and poor neighborhoods. The school that serves as the center of the community was top down classist. My family lived in the trailer park that was called Harlem North. Kids from other neighborhoods weren't allowed to go there for even peers' birthday parties. The principal had DHS on speed dial and weaponized it. Kids and parents lived in fear of their cars pulling up. I spent eleven years on school board as an advocate for the Graystone kids. I knew I was privileged in the park because Eugene had a very stable job that allowed me to be a stay at home mom. There were single moms faced with a heartbreaking decision with every child's illness and snow day: stay home and risk getting fired or go to work, leaving the kids home alone, risking getting reported. I opened my house for free to those kids. My house was called the breakfast club. On snow days I shepherded sizable groups on excursions. One child in a volatile home was over a lot of nights also. The school admin has changed for the better. I made sure to be on the principal search committee. A group of us worked with an organization to turn our trailer park into a self-running cooperative, a move I'm sure Roberts would have applauded.
A great big shout out to Roberts for her truth telling and the groups she talks about who are working hard to change things.
Jules Hathaway
I found that quote in Dorothy Roberts' Torn Apart. Roberts is amazing. She isn't afraid to call bullshit when she sees it. And she is persistent. Her Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare was published in 2001. It was about black families being disproportionately likely to be torn apart by children's "protective" services. She'd learned the statistics when doing the research for her Killing The Black Body that concerned the criminalization of a public health issue. Shattered Bonds was the first book to address the racism, implicit and systemic, prevalent in CPS in 29 years. Between then and now things got worse, necessitating the writing of Torn Apart. Her current book is centered on three realities: CPS is NOT benevolent or even harmless; its history is not the benign Hallmark story we've been taught; and aims at reforming it can never go far enough.
!) Don't let its title fool you. Roberts calls them a benevolent terror. They reflect all the biases of our society: racism, sexism, classism, ableism etc. In other words they target the most vulnerable families with the intent of breaking them up rather than actually helping them. They're very good at seeing poverty as neglect. An investigation can be triggered by an anonymous tip from a source who may have less than pure motives. A CPS worker, sometimes accompanied by a police escort, can show up unexpectedly and without a warrant. The home is searched and family members are interrogated separately. The love of the parents is weaponized against them. They're constantly being threatened with loss of their children if they don't submit every aspect of their life to scrutiny and fulfill ever demand made of them even ones inconsistent with holding down a job to provide for their children. And it gets worse, so much worse. Electronics and algorithms are now used in the inquisition. Remember the pandemic when the kids attended school remotely? Those little cameras can pick up a lot. And there are whole industries making a lot of money out of family dissolution. Don't believe me? Read the book.
2) We've been taught that CPS was brought about by people being concerned about the plight of poor children and finding a way to remove them from lives of squalor and criminality in the 19th century. It's roots run much deeper and darker. One strand goes as back as slavery days. Back then Black children on plantations could be sold away from their families or lose one or more parents to the auction block any time their owner needed quick cash, often never again to see them. After emancipation the Black Codes said that Black children could be "bound out" as apprentices to white planters if white judges felt that the placement would be better for them. "Apprenticeship is the historical bridge that connects state disruption of Black families under the antebellum slavery system with state disruption of Black families under the twentieth century foster care system." Another strand goes back to the Indian Wars when the government was striving to destabilize Indigenous tribes in order to steal their land and its natural resources. "Just after 'Custer's Last Stand,' as the battle came to be called, the federal government devised a new military strategy to destabilize its Native opponents. It began stealing Native children from tribal communities and placing them in white-controlled boarding schools, where they were violently stripped of their languages, clothing, and customs and compelled to work without compensation." We're talking over 100,000 children, many who died of untreated illness, malnutrition, and abuse,
3). People are now calling for abolition of the current criminal "justice" system because mere tweaks can never eradicate the systemic evils at its core. Roberts applies the same logic to CPS. In fact she shows that, rather than being two separate systems, they're two sides of the same vile coin, working hand in hand, for instance, in immigration cases where CPS is in bed with ICE.
If you already haven't become sufficiently earlier on wait til you hit the chapter that shows that multiple studies show that kids and teens in foster care are more likely to be neglected, harmed, molested, and killed and to have poorer adult outcomes on a wide measure of outcomes than peers who remained in their homes, especially when for profit organizations were involved.
Roberts spells out how we can transition from a nation that fractures families and damages children to one that supports families and communities and enables children to achieve their potentials. It'a a path we can't afford not to take. If it bothers you that this nation is worst in the industrialized nations for guaranteeing resources children need to be healthy and happy you owe it to yourself to read this powerful and persuasive book. Let's finally do something to address the problem. Let's not make it necessary for Roberts to issue another warning in the 2040s!!!
On a puuursonal note. Although I am white and experience privilege every day because of my skin color Eugene and I raised our children under the circumstances Roberts acknowledges under which other factors such as class determine who is targeted. The town we live in is super majority (about 98%) white with a stark contrast between rich and poor neighborhoods. The school that serves as the center of the community was top down classist. My family lived in the trailer park that was called Harlem North. Kids from other neighborhoods weren't allowed to go there for even peers' birthday parties. The principal had DHS on speed dial and weaponized it. Kids and parents lived in fear of their cars pulling up. I spent eleven years on school board as an advocate for the Graystone kids. I knew I was privileged in the park because Eugene had a very stable job that allowed me to be a stay at home mom. There were single moms faced with a heartbreaking decision with every child's illness and snow day: stay home and risk getting fired or go to work, leaving the kids home alone, risking getting reported. I opened my house for free to those kids. My house was called the breakfast club. On snow days I shepherded sizable groups on excursions. One child in a volatile home was over a lot of nights also. The school admin has changed for the better. I made sure to be on the principal search committee. A group of us worked with an organization to turn our trailer park into a self-running cooperative, a move I'm sure Roberts would have applauded.
A great big shout out to Roberts for her truth telling and the groups she talks about who are working hard to change things.
Jules Hathaway
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Talk to Me
Of course as a writer I'd read a book about "how to ask better questions, get better answers, and interview anyone like a pro". In his Talk to Me Dean Nelson shares a wealth of journalistic wisdom. But Nelson uses interview in a much broader sense: getting accurate information to inform decisions from sources that are sometimes reluctant and not always truth telling. If you've brought more than one child into the world or you're a member of a global peace keeping organization you use this skill on the regs. If you're a doctor the kind of questions you ask can be a matter of life or death. If you're hiring for your company and asking piss poor questions you could be hiring duds and missing gems.
Dean shatters one very harmful myth: great interviewers are born that way and great interviews come about through the luck of the draw. There is a whole skill set that can be learned, studied, and diligently practiced. One pretty obvious example is that before you go for an interview learn as much as you can about the person you're interviewing and the audience you're intending to enlighten. Like if I was interviewing Dr. Elizabeth Allan for the Maine Campus I would ask why she chose hazing as her research field and whether she's seen any change in the years she's conducted research. Because most readers are UMaine students who experienced the pandemic as students I'd ask her what was most challenging in teaching during a pandemic. He breaks the process into steps with plenty of advice for each one. He shares experiences from his 40+ years in the field and gives snippets of productive and anything but interviews. He touches on ethical dilemmas that may arise.And he does all this in a highly readable conversational tone.
I found a lot of useful information in the book. If you have to deal with other people in your work or life I bet you will too.
On a purrrsonal note I almost lost my life to a doctor who didn't know know enough to ask a question. It was two days after I had my first baby by emergency c section. I knew that I had an infection. The doctor on duty said it was my imagination. Fortunately I was savvy enough to ring a nurse for a second opinion because I had a HOSPITAL ACQUIRED infection that would have killed me if I'd believed him.
A great big shout out goes out to the few doctors who actually practice listening and asking good questions skills.
Jules Hathaway
Dean shatters one very harmful myth: great interviewers are born that way and great interviews come about through the luck of the draw. There is a whole skill set that can be learned, studied, and diligently practiced. One pretty obvious example is that before you go for an interview learn as much as you can about the person you're interviewing and the audience you're intending to enlighten. Like if I was interviewing Dr. Elizabeth Allan for the Maine Campus I would ask why she chose hazing as her research field and whether she's seen any change in the years she's conducted research. Because most readers are UMaine students who experienced the pandemic as students I'd ask her what was most challenging in teaching during a pandemic. He breaks the process into steps with plenty of advice for each one. He shares experiences from his 40+ years in the field and gives snippets of productive and anything but interviews. He touches on ethical dilemmas that may arise.And he does all this in a highly readable conversational tone.
I found a lot of useful information in the book. If you have to deal with other people in your work or life I bet you will too.
On a purrrsonal note I almost lost my life to a doctor who didn't know know enough to ask a question. It was two days after I had my first baby by emergency c section. I knew that I had an infection. The doctor on duty said it was my imagination. Fortunately I was savvy enough to ring a nurse for a second opinion because I had a HOSPITAL ACQUIRED infection that would have killed me if I'd believed him.
A great big shout out goes out to the few doctors who actually practice listening and asking good questions skills.
Jules Hathaway
Be That Way(YA)
"What's the cutoff date for New Year's resolutions? Do I still have time? Is there a point? I went back through my journals to see if I accomplished any of my resolutions from the last three years, and my success rate is zero. Also, now that I've reached the mature age of sixteen, it disturbs me that the main people invested in my self-improvement are Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, and whatever has-been actress is shilling for weight watchers this year."
Meet Christine, narrator of Hope Larson's Be That Way. Since her father is dead and her mother works long hours, she has a lot of care taker responsibility for her younger siblings, April and Brandon. This is probably why she can't understand why anyone has kids. "I like to think that when I'm Mom's age I'll be living in a garret in Paris, drinking espresso with my much younger lover, not frantically assembling cheese sandwiches."
She loves writing for her school newspaper, The Chronicle, and hanging out at their office. She's broken up with her first actual boyfriend. She plays the plain Jane sidekick to her shiny best friend, Landry, a girl who attracts the attention of almost all the guys, seems to be all that, behaves impulsively, and is clueless about boundaries. Christine yearns to be shiny but doubts that it will ever happen. Maybe if she can go away to college and reinvent herself. But her mother seems intent on her staying local and commuting.
In late April something happens at a party. Neither Landry nor long time friend and fellow Chronicle journalist, Paul, will have anything to do with Christine. She's grounded for a month for getting drunk. But when she regains her freedom it doesn't make much of a difference. It's not like she has places to go and people to see.
But summer might not be so bad. She scores a job at a video store and starts getting to know a cute neighbor.
Be That Way is a great summer YA read. Many a younger reader will identify with Christine's existential crises. The many illustrations are amazing and really help bring the the text to life.
On a purrrsonal note, I am so frustrated. It was the weekend that people with trucks go through the trailer park taking big stuff like furniture away for free. I wanted to contribute Adam's old bed which he got second hand. It takes up a huge amount of space that is at a premium in trailers. It's all beat up and lumpy. Not fit for human slumber. I couldn't get it out of his room. It would have to be taken apart and I didn't have the right tools. So all I could do was free up some room by turning it on its side. I'm just trying to organize the trailer so it doesn't look all cluttered.
Jules Hathaway
Meet Christine, narrator of Hope Larson's Be That Way. Since her father is dead and her mother works long hours, she has a lot of care taker responsibility for her younger siblings, April and Brandon. This is probably why she can't understand why anyone has kids. "I like to think that when I'm Mom's age I'll be living in a garret in Paris, drinking espresso with my much younger lover, not frantically assembling cheese sandwiches."
She loves writing for her school newspaper, The Chronicle, and hanging out at their office. She's broken up with her first actual boyfriend. She plays the plain Jane sidekick to her shiny best friend, Landry, a girl who attracts the attention of almost all the guys, seems to be all that, behaves impulsively, and is clueless about boundaries. Christine yearns to be shiny but doubts that it will ever happen. Maybe if she can go away to college and reinvent herself. But her mother seems intent on her staying local and commuting.
In late April something happens at a party. Neither Landry nor long time friend and fellow Chronicle journalist, Paul, will have anything to do with Christine. She's grounded for a month for getting drunk. But when she regains her freedom it doesn't make much of a difference. It's not like she has places to go and people to see.
But summer might not be so bad. She scores a job at a video store and starts getting to know a cute neighbor.
Be That Way is a great summer YA read. Many a younger reader will identify with Christine's existential crises. The many illustrations are amazing and really help bring the the text to life.
On a purrrsonal note, I am so frustrated. It was the weekend that people with trucks go through the trailer park taking big stuff like furniture away for free. I wanted to contribute Adam's old bed which he got second hand. It takes up a huge amount of space that is at a premium in trailers. It's all beat up and lumpy. Not fit for human slumber. I couldn't get it out of his room. It would have to be taken apart and I didn't have the right tools. So all I could do was free up some room by turning it on its side. I'm just trying to organize the trailer so it doesn't look all cluttered.
Jules Hathaway
Conditions of a Heart
"But she doesn't get it. After an entire childhood of pills and stitches, wobbling around in braces and slings, I know that once you're The Disabled Girl, you can't be anything else. People stop seeing you, but they never stop looking. Judging. Helping. Imposing."
Brynn, narrator of Bethany Mangle's Conditions of a Heart, has a genetic disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. It mostly involves connective tissues, but has associated cardiac symptoms. Ordinary motions can cause joint dislocation. Just getting out of bed sends her heart rate soaring. She went through the earlier grades marked as different by braces and slings.
So in high school she's gone out of her way to hide symptoms, wanting desperately to be seen by her peers as basic, ordinary, like everyone else. "I live for yoga pants and bath bombs and pumpkin spice lattes. I have a designated seat in detention and last year's junior prom crown on the doorknob of my closet." As class president she's deeply enmeshed in school activities. She's ditched her childhood friends and even her first boyfriend to maintain the illusion of wellness.
But she can't delude herself. Her father has the same syndrome, so she knows what's in store. College and career aspirations seem like exercises in futility. She just wants to have fun while she can and make beautiful memories for when that's all she has left.
But after an incident in which she's assaulted while trying to break up a fight she's suspended from school for five days and banned from all extracurricular activities for the rest of her senior year. She wonders what 's the point of trying.
Mangle writes from from the specific experience of having a subtype of Ehlers-Danlos during the pandemic and beyond. "This book considers what the world might have been after quarantine if COVID-19 were no longer a threat. I made this choice deliberately to show that even if COVID-19 is eventually eradicated, it doesn't means that life returns to normal for the disabled, chronically ill, or vulnerable people who were treated as expendable. We learned hard lessons about who society deems worthy."
Conditions of a Heart is a beautiful, highly engaging coming of age narrative that touches on really important issues. It's a wonderful read for its YA target demographic and way beyond. A great choice for teen and two generation reading groups.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm gonna check out Mangle's previous books with an eye toward reviewing them. I love that she says that this book is for "anyone who has ever fought themselves from the inside out." Ever since the stroke I've been doing this on a daily daily basis.
A great big shout goes out to all others who must fight themselves from the inside out.
Jules Hathaway
Brynn, narrator of Bethany Mangle's Conditions of a Heart, has a genetic disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. It mostly involves connective tissues, but has associated cardiac symptoms. Ordinary motions can cause joint dislocation. Just getting out of bed sends her heart rate soaring. She went through the earlier grades marked as different by braces and slings.
So in high school she's gone out of her way to hide symptoms, wanting desperately to be seen by her peers as basic, ordinary, like everyone else. "I live for yoga pants and bath bombs and pumpkin spice lattes. I have a designated seat in detention and last year's junior prom crown on the doorknob of my closet." As class president she's deeply enmeshed in school activities. She's ditched her childhood friends and even her first boyfriend to maintain the illusion of wellness.
But she can't delude herself. Her father has the same syndrome, so she knows what's in store. College and career aspirations seem like exercises in futility. She just wants to have fun while she can and make beautiful memories for when that's all she has left.
But after an incident in which she's assaulted while trying to break up a fight she's suspended from school for five days and banned from all extracurricular activities for the rest of her senior year. She wonders what 's the point of trying.
Mangle writes from from the specific experience of having a subtype of Ehlers-Danlos during the pandemic and beyond. "This book considers what the world might have been after quarantine if COVID-19 were no longer a threat. I made this choice deliberately to show that even if COVID-19 is eventually eradicated, it doesn't means that life returns to normal for the disabled, chronically ill, or vulnerable people who were treated as expendable. We learned hard lessons about who society deems worthy."
Conditions of a Heart is a beautiful, highly engaging coming of age narrative that touches on really important issues. It's a wonderful read for its YA target demographic and way beyond. A great choice for teen and two generation reading groups.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm gonna check out Mangle's previous books with an eye toward reviewing them. I love that she says that this book is for "anyone who has ever fought themselves from the inside out." Ever since the stroke I've been doing this on a daily daily basis.
A great big shout goes out to all others who must fight themselves from the inside out.
Jules Hathaway
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The Breakup Lists
Have you ever read a book in which there is something distinctly addictive about the narrator's voice? Adib Khorram's The Breakup Lists was one such book for me. You know those socially unacceptable thoughts that cross our minds from time to time that fortunately most of us don't say out loud? Jackson puts his in writing only crossed out and followed by something more socially appropriate. His censored thoughts range from amusing to insightful.
Jackson is very good at self censorship. Maybe too good. He often doesn't speak up for himself when it would be perfectly appropriate. He doesn't assert himself when he needs a teacher's help and she keeps blowing him off. And then there's his sister, Jasmine. In his first sentence he tells readers that although he's the theater kid she's the drama queen. Her specialty is short lived badly ended romances. So when she falls for gorgeous Liam it's par for the course…
…Except that Jackson also has fallen for Liam's considerable charms. At first he is afraid to say something because he has no idea if Liam is gay. And then there's the little matter of Jasmine getting into a relationship with him. So Jackson resigns himself to moving on…
…Which is pretty hard because he's the stage manager of his school's theater group and dreamy Liam has started snagging the male leads.
If you enjoy a good rom com, dive right in.
…Oh, yeah, you're probably wondering when I'm going to tell you what the mysterious lists are. How about never. Only one way you're gonna find out.
On a purrrsonal note, I was one of those theater kids well into adulthood. In my teens I was convinced that I was going to be a professional stage actress. I was really into method acting. But I was never lead material. I had one very strong flaw. Although I was very good at memorizing lines I found blocking to be a total nightmare. I have a real weakness when it comes to spatial locations. Actually I epitomized the saying that there are no small roles, only small actors, and not because most people are taller than me when they get out of middle school. No matter how small my role was, I would make up a complex back story and persona that I could totally become. When I had a limited number of lines that were all in Hindi in Jungle Book I practiced punctuation and inflection. Opening night two audience members for whom Hindi was a first language were greatly impressed. I was also the encourager and energy force for my fellow cast members. And Jackson would have loved me because I was very much open to crew work.
A great big shout out goes out to theater kids past, present, and future.
Jules Hathaway
Jackson is very good at self censorship. Maybe too good. He often doesn't speak up for himself when it would be perfectly appropriate. He doesn't assert himself when he needs a teacher's help and she keeps blowing him off. And then there's his sister, Jasmine. In his first sentence he tells readers that although he's the theater kid she's the drama queen. Her specialty is short lived badly ended romances. So when she falls for gorgeous Liam it's par for the course…
…Except that Jackson also has fallen for Liam's considerable charms. At first he is afraid to say something because he has no idea if Liam is gay. And then there's the little matter of Jasmine getting into a relationship with him. So Jackson resigns himself to moving on…
…Which is pretty hard because he's the stage manager of his school's theater group and dreamy Liam has started snagging the male leads.
If you enjoy a good rom com, dive right in.
…Oh, yeah, you're probably wondering when I'm going to tell you what the mysterious lists are. How about never. Only one way you're gonna find out.
On a purrrsonal note, I was one of those theater kids well into adulthood. In my teens I was convinced that I was going to be a professional stage actress. I was really into method acting. But I was never lead material. I had one very strong flaw. Although I was very good at memorizing lines I found blocking to be a total nightmare. I have a real weakness when it comes to spatial locations. Actually I epitomized the saying that there are no small roles, only small actors, and not because most people are taller than me when they get out of middle school. No matter how small my role was, I would make up a complex back story and persona that I could totally become. When I had a limited number of lines that were all in Hindi in Jungle Book I practiced punctuation and inflection. Opening night two audience members for whom Hindi was a first language were greatly impressed. I was also the encourager and energy force for my fellow cast members. And Jackson would have loved me because I was very much open to crew work.
A great big shout out goes out to theater kids past, present, and future.
Jules Hathaway
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Bad Like Us (YA)
It's the spring break of their senior year. Nine teens are gathered at a posh beach lodge for a couple of days of fun and surf. Sounds like a Hollister ad in real life, right?
Not exactly according to Gabriella Lepore, author of Bad Like Us. Not Everyone in the group gets along really well. For instance, there's a social media diva with a very poor sense of boundaries who annoyingly fits and posts everything. And one of the girls is there with her boyfriend and her ex. There are tensions simmering under the surface…
…that flare up when Piper gets an unsigned note that is believed to be from her ex indicating that he isn't over her yet. Javi, her current boyfriend, is hurt and confused. People are taking sides.
That might Eva ventures into a creepy nearby cave. She hears a scream. She thinks she hears running footsteps. She finds a smartphone with a cracked screen. The next morning Piper's body is found at the back of the cave. Police are interviewing everyone. Alliances are forming, breaking up, and reforming. Secrets are coming to light…
…the last thing they need is a big storm to sweep in killing the power and making it impossible to come or leave.
On a purrrsonal note, this is the 2,600th book I've reviewed on this blog. Guess I'd better set out some cat treats so Tobago can celebrate.
A great shout out goes out to the authors of those books, the librarians who hooked me up with them, and you, my fabulous readers.
Jules Hathaway
Not exactly according to Gabriella Lepore, author of Bad Like Us. Not Everyone in the group gets along really well. For instance, there's a social media diva with a very poor sense of boundaries who annoyingly fits and posts everything. And one of the girls is there with her boyfriend and her ex. There are tensions simmering under the surface…
…that flare up when Piper gets an unsigned note that is believed to be from her ex indicating that he isn't over her yet. Javi, her current boyfriend, is hurt and confused. People are taking sides.
That might Eva ventures into a creepy nearby cave. She hears a scream. She thinks she hears running footsteps. She finds a smartphone with a cracked screen. The next morning Piper's body is found at the back of the cave. Police are interviewing everyone. Alliances are forming, breaking up, and reforming. Secrets are coming to light…
…the last thing they need is a big storm to sweep in killing the power and making it impossible to come or leave.
On a purrrsonal note, this is the 2,600th book I've reviewed on this blog. Guess I'd better set out some cat treats so Tobago can celebrate.
A great shout out goes out to the authors of those books, the librarians who hooked me up with them, and you, my fabulous readers.
Jules Hathaway
Whiskey Tender
"In my mind, my parents were lying when they said that promising future was within my grasp. How could they deny that most kids in Farmington wouldn't get out? And what did "getting out" even mean? A honeymoon in Hawaii. A tract home in the suburbs. A plastic Christmas tree. I didn't want a white American life. I wanted a life that would make my ancestors proud."
Whiskey Tender, Deborah Jackson's Taffa's memoir is a rich and evocative narrative of searching for an identity while being being caught between two worlds. She sjupent her early years on a reservation. It wasn't a safe place in the 1970's. There was heart breaking poverty, alcoholism, and police brutality. But it was also a place steeped in tradition and strong family ties. Most indigenous families didn't move away. Those who did were considered traitors.
When Taffa's mother was pregnant with her older sister her father decided to take advantage of the Indian Relocation Act to go to trade school. Her mother didn't want to leave the reservation.
"Dad said he wanted to stay out of trouble, but it was hard. No one made a living wage on his side of the river, and he was surrounded by rowdy brothers and clan wars on the reservation. Didn't she want ti get ahead like everyone else?"
The town the family moved to was no bed of roses. The same interracial and intertribal tension was present with flare ups of violence. The children carried the family's hopes and dreams on their shoulders, pressured to be model minorities despite their school's micro aggressions. This was the setting in which Taffa struggled to discover her identity and the place where she would fit in.
On a purrrsonal note, there won't be a Clean Sweep this year. I am heart broken. So many good things will be consigned to the landfill. Black Bear Exchange will miss out on needed funds. And it was the only summer job I'd lined up with poor prospects for anything else due to my still subpar strength, stamina, and balance.
Jules Hathaway
Whiskey Tender, Deborah Jackson's Taffa's memoir is a rich and evocative narrative of searching for an identity while being being caught between two worlds. She sjupent her early years on a reservation. It wasn't a safe place in the 1970's. There was heart breaking poverty, alcoholism, and police brutality. But it was also a place steeped in tradition and strong family ties. Most indigenous families didn't move away. Those who did were considered traitors.
When Taffa's mother was pregnant with her older sister her father decided to take advantage of the Indian Relocation Act to go to trade school. Her mother didn't want to leave the reservation.
"Dad said he wanted to stay out of trouble, but it was hard. No one made a living wage on his side of the river, and he was surrounded by rowdy brothers and clan wars on the reservation. Didn't she want ti get ahead like everyone else?"
The town the family moved to was no bed of roses. The same interracial and intertribal tension was present with flare ups of violence. The children carried the family's hopes and dreams on their shoulders, pressured to be model minorities despite their school's micro aggressions. This was the setting in which Taffa struggled to discover her identity and the place where she would fit in.
On a purrrsonal note, there won't be a Clean Sweep this year. I am heart broken. So many good things will be consigned to the landfill. Black Bear Exchange will miss out on needed funds. And it was the only summer job I'd lined up with poor prospects for anything else due to my still subpar strength, stamina, and balance.
Jules Hathaway
Monday, May 13, 2024
Limitless Minds
When I found myself in the hospital after the stroke last fall I didn't waste time being depressed or angry. I accepted that I was in bad shape at the moment. Dr. Jo Boaler, author of Limitless Minds: Learn, Lead, and Live Without barriers, would have found at the moment to be the most important words in the above sentence. The concept that the book is based on and the fuel that drove my belief, engagement, and perseverance in recovery work are one and the same: neuroplasticity. If you haven't heard of it don't feel bad. It's a relatively new medical concept. It replaces the idea that our brains are set in stone if not genetically, definitely by adulthood with the idea that growth is possible at any stage in the life span. It is one of the most liberating concepts of our time.
The idea that abilities are set in stone is more dangerous that it initially appears because it is embraced by the majority of educators with harmful consequences. Children entering the school system are characterized as gifted or not. Not only are more resources lavished on the "gifted", but the children in both groups internalize the labels into their self concepts. Seeing themselves as not good at say math they opt out of more challenging courses in middle and high school, limiting their career options. And there's a high correlation between gifted and male, white, high socioeconomic status. This really pisses Boaler off. A professor of education and equity at Stanford University, she wrote Limitless Minds to call bullshit, to show how many of us and our children have been screwed by the very institutions mandated to nurture. She builds the book around six learning keys.
"LEARNING KEY #1 Every time we learn, our brains form, strengthen, or connect neural pathways. We need to replace the idea that learning ability is fixed, with the recognition that we are all on a growth journey." Can you imagine how much education would be transformed if practitioners really embraced that idea? If tracking was not an option they might have to develop different methods of presenting content to kids who learn best through different modalities.
The phrase growth journey really resonates with me. I was in my 60's when I learned about the UMaine Higher Education Student Services masters program and fell in love at first sight. A lot of people tried to talk me out of applying. Why did I want to be taking exams and doing papers with all those kids? Why would I risk rejection? I believed in myself. I'm so glad I didn't let myself get talked out of what gives my life purpose and meaning.
Boaler shows us how mistakes, struggle, and failure bring about the strongest learning. I bet you've experienced having something you really had to struggle to learn sticking with you. It goes against our society' worship of fast effortless learning that has people who have to put effort into learning needlessly shamed and discouraged.
And the chapter on LEARNING KEY #6 "Connecting with people and ideas enhances neural pathways and learning." Is Lit. Probably most have had desultory experiences with school group projects. In elementary school through undergrad college I was a favorite group member because of my willingness to do most of the work and not rat out the slackers. But when groups practice true collaboration (like we do in my grad school) it is incredibly inspiring and empowering.
I could talk about Limitless Minds and the concepts it brings to life a lot more. But I want you to stop reading my words and start reading Boaler's. If you are a teacher, a school administrator, a parent, or someone who wants to make changes in your own life get your hands on the book.
On a purrrsonal note, my faith in neuroplasticity drives my stroke recovery work. I was not only doing all the therapy work I was assigned I was thinking up other tasks. I surprised the speech therapist by incorporating breath control and fine motor skills with word production by singing stuff like The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Wheels On The Bus. When I got home I added crafts to my fine motor work. I was dancing when I still needed a walker. I have set some goals for this break between semesters. I want to get better at running, relearn shooting hoops and playing frisbee, relearn to ride a non stationary bike, and master jacks and hopscotch. I'll need a lot more strength and stamina the I get my degree and start looking for a full time higher education job.
A great big shout out goes out to my readers and your limitless minds.
Jules Hathaway
The idea that abilities are set in stone is more dangerous that it initially appears because it is embraced by the majority of educators with harmful consequences. Children entering the school system are characterized as gifted or not. Not only are more resources lavished on the "gifted", but the children in both groups internalize the labels into their self concepts. Seeing themselves as not good at say math they opt out of more challenging courses in middle and high school, limiting their career options. And there's a high correlation between gifted and male, white, high socioeconomic status. This really pisses Boaler off. A professor of education and equity at Stanford University, she wrote Limitless Minds to call bullshit, to show how many of us and our children have been screwed by the very institutions mandated to nurture. She builds the book around six learning keys.
"LEARNING KEY #1 Every time we learn, our brains form, strengthen, or connect neural pathways. We need to replace the idea that learning ability is fixed, with the recognition that we are all on a growth journey." Can you imagine how much education would be transformed if practitioners really embraced that idea? If tracking was not an option they might have to develop different methods of presenting content to kids who learn best through different modalities.
The phrase growth journey really resonates with me. I was in my 60's when I learned about the UMaine Higher Education Student Services masters program and fell in love at first sight. A lot of people tried to talk me out of applying. Why did I want to be taking exams and doing papers with all those kids? Why would I risk rejection? I believed in myself. I'm so glad I didn't let myself get talked out of what gives my life purpose and meaning.
Boaler shows us how mistakes, struggle, and failure bring about the strongest learning. I bet you've experienced having something you really had to struggle to learn sticking with you. It goes against our society' worship of fast effortless learning that has people who have to put effort into learning needlessly shamed and discouraged.
And the chapter on LEARNING KEY #6 "Connecting with people and ideas enhances neural pathways and learning." Is Lit. Probably most have had desultory experiences with school group projects. In elementary school through undergrad college I was a favorite group member because of my willingness to do most of the work and not rat out the slackers. But when groups practice true collaboration (like we do in my grad school) it is incredibly inspiring and empowering.
I could talk about Limitless Minds and the concepts it brings to life a lot more. But I want you to stop reading my words and start reading Boaler's. If you are a teacher, a school administrator, a parent, or someone who wants to make changes in your own life get your hands on the book.
On a purrrsonal note, my faith in neuroplasticity drives my stroke recovery work. I was not only doing all the therapy work I was assigned I was thinking up other tasks. I surprised the speech therapist by incorporating breath control and fine motor skills with word production by singing stuff like The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Wheels On The Bus. When I got home I added crafts to my fine motor work. I was dancing when I still needed a walker. I have set some goals for this break between semesters. I want to get better at running, relearn shooting hoops and playing frisbee, relearn to ride a non stationary bike, and master jacks and hopscotch. I'll need a lot more strength and stamina the I get my degree and start looking for a full time higher education job.
A great big shout out goes out to my readers and your limitless minds.
Jules Hathaway
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Where Sleeping Girls Lie
Finally! Ever since reading and reviewing Faridah Abike-Iyimide's most excellent debut novel, Ace of Spades, I've been eagerly awaiting her sophomore offering. Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a very worthy successor. It's a truly suspenseful narrative, set in a elite boarding school with equal amounts of tradition and creepiness that is populated by an ensemble cast of fascinating individuals. It also delves into subjects that are all too often swept under the rug by well meaning and not so well meaning adults.
Sade has seen a lot of tragedy in her childhood and teens. Her mother committed suicide when she was only ten. Her very controlling father kept the girls basically house bound and home schooled. Her twin drowned herself. With her father's death she's become an orphan well acquainted with regret, anxiety and depression.
Now Sade is starting her junior year, her first of not being home shooled, in a highly elite boarding school, Alfred Nobel Academy. Her arrival is disturbingly eventful. When her roommate is showing her their dorm they find a dead rat on the mat in front of their room. The next morning Sade wakes up to find out that Elizabeth has gone missing. Eventually the head of the school receives an email from Elizabeth's great-aunt saying that the girl is safely at her house and in need of a break from academics. Case closed.
Or is it? Elizabeth's aunt is dead.
Baz, Elizabeth's best friend, convinced that something bad has happened to Elizabeth and that the school is not making enough of an effort to find her, is taking matters into his own hands. Sade joins him in this mission. It starts off rather innocuously with a trip into town where they show people Elizabeth's picture and ask if they's seen her. But it's not long before they're learning some of ANA's dark secrets and putting themselves in peril.
Then at an off campus party a golden boy athlete is found murdered.
In an open letter the author the author tells readers: "Where Sleeping Girls Lie is about a lot of things. It's about the necessity of community and the importance and joy of platonic relationships. It's about the ghosts that haunt us and that we haunt back. It's about the many valid ways we respond to painful experiences.
More than anything, this book is about survival…"
I'm not entirely comfortable with the book's YA designation. It's not really middle school fare. But it's a really excellent read not only for high school students, but for the undergraduate crowd. I'd also include a trigger warning because it contains descriptions of suicide, homicide, and sexual violence.
On a purrrsonal note, my son, Adam, now has his masters in business administration. I was one proud mom at his graduation!
A great big shout out goes out to the UMaine class of '24 as they celebrate their achievement and embark on the next phase of their lives.
Jules Hathaway
Sade has seen a lot of tragedy in her childhood and teens. Her mother committed suicide when she was only ten. Her very controlling father kept the girls basically house bound and home schooled. Her twin drowned herself. With her father's death she's become an orphan well acquainted with regret, anxiety and depression.
Now Sade is starting her junior year, her first of not being home shooled, in a highly elite boarding school, Alfred Nobel Academy. Her arrival is disturbingly eventful. When her roommate is showing her their dorm they find a dead rat on the mat in front of their room. The next morning Sade wakes up to find out that Elizabeth has gone missing. Eventually the head of the school receives an email from Elizabeth's great-aunt saying that the girl is safely at her house and in need of a break from academics. Case closed.
Or is it? Elizabeth's aunt is dead.
Baz, Elizabeth's best friend, convinced that something bad has happened to Elizabeth and that the school is not making enough of an effort to find her, is taking matters into his own hands. Sade joins him in this mission. It starts off rather innocuously with a trip into town where they show people Elizabeth's picture and ask if they's seen her. But it's not long before they're learning some of ANA's dark secrets and putting themselves in peril.
Then at an off campus party a golden boy athlete is found murdered.
In an open letter the author the author tells readers: "Where Sleeping Girls Lie is about a lot of things. It's about the necessity of community and the importance and joy of platonic relationships. It's about the ghosts that haunt us and that we haunt back. It's about the many valid ways we respond to painful experiences.
More than anything, this book is about survival…"
I'm not entirely comfortable with the book's YA designation. It's not really middle school fare. But it's a really excellent read not only for high school students, but for the undergraduate crowd. I'd also include a trigger warning because it contains descriptions of suicide, homicide, and sexual violence.
On a purrrsonal note, my son, Adam, now has his masters in business administration. I was one proud mom at his graduation!
A great big shout out goes out to the UMaine class of '24 as they celebrate their achievement and embark on the next phase of their lives.
Jules Hathaway
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Reader Beware
One of my most precious memories from my children's childhood involves reading to my daughters, Amber and Katie, and their close friend, Destiny. We spent many afternoons and evenings in their room as I read aloud books of their choosing. The girls had a special appreciation for scary stories, especially when the weather added to the ambiance, for instance when the only illumination was flashlight because the blizzard howling around the trailer had knocked out the power. One of our favorite authors was R.L. Stine. True confession. Even though the girls are grown and flown I still read his writing.
If you're around my kids' age or younger Stine's narratives probably played a role in your wonder years. They were and remain hugely popular. Deservedly so. They are damn good roller coaster rides of stories. So the contributors to Briana Morgan and Roxie Voorhees' Reader Beware: A Fear Street Appreciation Anthology took on a daunting task: penning Stine worthy tales. And their creations perfectly capture the magic. Two qualities that they shared with the author who inspired them in particular come to mind.
Stine's narratives are so immersive! Whether reading or listening you're never safely distanced in your house. YOU ARE THERE! You're walking through the creepy neighborhood, encountering beings you shouldn't be seeing in the abandoned wreck of a house, running for your life through the woods you've been warned never to enter. The contributors to his tribute create a similar ambiance.
*In The Sleepover, through the perfectly chosen details, you're locked in the "shrouded in shadows" basement, the gloom punctuated by dark eerie shapes, the floor's chill seeping into your feet, waiting…. Upstairs you've seen the corpse of a friend. "A creak overhead sent Emily's heart racing. Now that Heather was gone, the killer would come for Emily then Jake. Trapped in the basement, they were sitting ducks,"
*We're all pretty much acquainted with the creepiness of basements. I as terrified of going into the basement of my childhood home at night even though it contained nothing more sinister than a washer and dryer. But a forbidden space in a former hospital turned boarding school is something few of us have a template for. The author of No Students Allowed On The Fifth Floor weaves something pretty much all of us have experienced, the fear of being caught somewhere we're not supposed to be, into her vividly described narrative. "The floor is stranger than I'd pictured, and my fingers itch to draw. Huge overhead beams crisscross the space like an old-timer bridge. The head clearance is low, and it feels like the weight of the floors above bear down on us." When I read the story I felt the weight pressing down on me.
*And when you read Road Hogs you're with the group of teens on a nightmarish road trip. "Two lumbering men in faded blue coveralls appear from behind the store, dragging baseball bats against the ground. Rubbery boar masks complete with tusked snouts and tufts of coarse hair sprouting from their scalps, obscure their faces. They move swiftly toward the Mustang, snorting and squealing."
Stine also pairs what would be horrific for anyone, say stumbling on a mangled corpse, with more mundane horrors, such as the helplessness of being a child or teen with your fate in the hands of more powerful beings, or even potentially benign experiences.
*The narrator of This Place Sucks arrives at the gruesome beach scene by a very ordinary route. "There was no way divorce did not suck. From the early days of bickering to the scratchy-suited courtroom appearances, and finally, to the big yellow truck waiting to carry everything you owned across the country to some piddling-ass town on the coast of nowhere stinking of old people and rotten fish."
*The murder that starts things rolling in Swimming Pool is committed by the narrator's little brother acting out of desperation when menaced by a powerful bully. "'Your uncle can't do shit.' He threw back his head and. "When I'm done with you, they won't even be able to identif—' THUNK."
*The setting for Wicker Baskets is an Easter egg hunt like the ones I took Amber and her siblings to—except that in this one the bunny has gone vengeful and homicidal. The opening paragraph is elegant in its simplicity, succinct yet laden with foreshadowing. "The egg. The cliff. The fall. The scream that stopped halfway down. The splash that never came."
Reader Beware contains thirteen Stine worthy gems. If you are a fan of the man or of narratives that have you checking your closet and under the bed before you turn out the lights you're in for a treat.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm so proud of my Amber for getting her fine narrative included in this really top notch thriller anthology. Since 2011 I've reviewed well over 2,500 books for this blog. Now I finally have a favorite. The two things I'm most looking forward to in 2025 are Amber's book, Little White Flowers, coming out and my stroke delayed graduation from my masters program.
A great big shout out goes out to the book's talented contributors, the editors who pulled the pieces together into a most excellent volume, and the masterful writer whose works inspired the anthology.
Jules Hathaway
If you're around my kids' age or younger Stine's narratives probably played a role in your wonder years. They were and remain hugely popular. Deservedly so. They are damn good roller coaster rides of stories. So the contributors to Briana Morgan and Roxie Voorhees' Reader Beware: A Fear Street Appreciation Anthology took on a daunting task: penning Stine worthy tales. And their creations perfectly capture the magic. Two qualities that they shared with the author who inspired them in particular come to mind.
Stine's narratives are so immersive! Whether reading or listening you're never safely distanced in your house. YOU ARE THERE! You're walking through the creepy neighborhood, encountering beings you shouldn't be seeing in the abandoned wreck of a house, running for your life through the woods you've been warned never to enter. The contributors to his tribute create a similar ambiance.
*In The Sleepover, through the perfectly chosen details, you're locked in the "shrouded in shadows" basement, the gloom punctuated by dark eerie shapes, the floor's chill seeping into your feet, waiting…. Upstairs you've seen the corpse of a friend. "A creak overhead sent Emily's heart racing. Now that Heather was gone, the killer would come for Emily then Jake. Trapped in the basement, they were sitting ducks,"
*We're all pretty much acquainted with the creepiness of basements. I as terrified of going into the basement of my childhood home at night even though it contained nothing more sinister than a washer and dryer. But a forbidden space in a former hospital turned boarding school is something few of us have a template for. The author of No Students Allowed On The Fifth Floor weaves something pretty much all of us have experienced, the fear of being caught somewhere we're not supposed to be, into her vividly described narrative. "The floor is stranger than I'd pictured, and my fingers itch to draw. Huge overhead beams crisscross the space like an old-timer bridge. The head clearance is low, and it feels like the weight of the floors above bear down on us." When I read the story I felt the weight pressing down on me.
*And when you read Road Hogs you're with the group of teens on a nightmarish road trip. "Two lumbering men in faded blue coveralls appear from behind the store, dragging baseball bats against the ground. Rubbery boar masks complete with tusked snouts and tufts of coarse hair sprouting from their scalps, obscure their faces. They move swiftly toward the Mustang, snorting and squealing."
Stine also pairs what would be horrific for anyone, say stumbling on a mangled corpse, with more mundane horrors, such as the helplessness of being a child or teen with your fate in the hands of more powerful beings, or even potentially benign experiences.
*The narrator of This Place Sucks arrives at the gruesome beach scene by a very ordinary route. "There was no way divorce did not suck. From the early days of bickering to the scratchy-suited courtroom appearances, and finally, to the big yellow truck waiting to carry everything you owned across the country to some piddling-ass town on the coast of nowhere stinking of old people and rotten fish."
*The murder that starts things rolling in Swimming Pool is committed by the narrator's little brother acting out of desperation when menaced by a powerful bully. "'Your uncle can't do shit.' He threw back his head and. "When I'm done with you, they won't even be able to identif—' THUNK."
*The setting for Wicker Baskets is an Easter egg hunt like the ones I took Amber and her siblings to—except that in this one the bunny has gone vengeful and homicidal. The opening paragraph is elegant in its simplicity, succinct yet laden with foreshadowing. "The egg. The cliff. The fall. The scream that stopped halfway down. The splash that never came."
Reader Beware contains thirteen Stine worthy gems. If you are a fan of the man or of narratives that have you checking your closet and under the bed before you turn out the lights you're in for a treat.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm so proud of my Amber for getting her fine narrative included in this really top notch thriller anthology. Since 2011 I've reviewed well over 2,500 books for this blog. Now I finally have a favorite. The two things I'm most looking forward to in 2025 are Amber's book, Little White Flowers, coming out and my stroke delayed graduation from my masters program.
A great big shout out goes out to the book's talented contributors, the editors who pulled the pieces together into a most excellent volume, and the masterful writer whose works inspired the anthology.
Jules Hathaway
Document shared with you: "Reader Beware"
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Sunday, May 5, 2024
The First State of Being
If you were alive in the last half of 1999 and are now old enough to have memories of it, you'll recall that it was for many people a time of immense anxiety. Y2K was supposed to kick in as computers were unable to process the numerical transition to 2000. Everything that relied on computers would instantly stop working. Planes, for instance, would fall out of the skies. The result would be like a Biblical magnitude apocalypse, only wrought by faulty technology rather than an angry God.
That's the mindset that Michael, one of the protagonists of Erin Entrada Kelly's The First State of Being. He lives with his single mother who has to juggle three jobs to make rent and buy food. She'd formerly been able to manage on the income from one job until he was fired which was somehow his fault. When we meet him on his 12th birthday he's shoplifting canned peaches (which his mother loves) to add to the stash of purloined supplies under his bed for in case the predicted dystopia happens.
When Michael is talking to (Mr.) Mosley, a maintenance worker in the apartment complex Michael lives in and family friend, a very strange looking teen approaches them. Ridge is dressed quite oddly. And he wants to know what year is is. Michael's anxious mind jumps to worst case scenarios: "Sociopathic teenager burns down apartment complex. Sociopathic teenager attacks innocent twelve-year-old shoplifter. Sociopathic teenager kidnaps beautiful sixteen-year-old babysitter who smells like strawberries and loves mystery novels." (Who Michael has a huge crush on).
The truth is even stranger than Michael's wildest imaginings. Ridge has transported himself from 200 years in the future by technology that is still in the experimental phase. Now Michael and Gibby, the babysitter, must shelter Ridge, keep their families and strangers (when he insists on a trip to the mall) from seeing that there is something really odd about him, and, in scenes reminiscent of the movie ET, figure out how to get him back to his own time when his technologies seem to be bombing.
Kelly manages to insert some existential questions into an engaging narrative pitch perfect for her target audience. I'd also recommend it for two generation book clubs.
On a purrrsonal note, Back then I thought Y2K was so much bullshit. My sister and her fellow fundamentalists spoiled Armageddon fears for me. Believing the earth to be totally evil, they looked forward to the Rapture. On a regular basis they'd do these countdowns which annoyingly involved trying to convert any family sinners (yours truly) to repent while there was still time. Waking up the next day still here with the sinners didn't trigger any cognitive dissonance whatsoever. They'd gotten the date wrong.
A great big shout goes out to Erin Entrada Kelly, juvenile author who certainly deserves her Newbery Awards.
Jules Hathaway
That's the mindset that Michael, one of the protagonists of Erin Entrada Kelly's The First State of Being. He lives with his single mother who has to juggle three jobs to make rent and buy food. She'd formerly been able to manage on the income from one job until he was fired which was somehow his fault. When we meet him on his 12th birthday he's shoplifting canned peaches (which his mother loves) to add to the stash of purloined supplies under his bed for in case the predicted dystopia happens.
When Michael is talking to (Mr.) Mosley, a maintenance worker in the apartment complex Michael lives in and family friend, a very strange looking teen approaches them. Ridge is dressed quite oddly. And he wants to know what year is is. Michael's anxious mind jumps to worst case scenarios: "Sociopathic teenager burns down apartment complex. Sociopathic teenager attacks innocent twelve-year-old shoplifter. Sociopathic teenager kidnaps beautiful sixteen-year-old babysitter who smells like strawberries and loves mystery novels." (Who Michael has a huge crush on).
The truth is even stranger than Michael's wildest imaginings. Ridge has transported himself from 200 years in the future by technology that is still in the experimental phase. Now Michael and Gibby, the babysitter, must shelter Ridge, keep their families and strangers (when he insists on a trip to the mall) from seeing that there is something really odd about him, and, in scenes reminiscent of the movie ET, figure out how to get him back to his own time when his technologies seem to be bombing.
Kelly manages to insert some existential questions into an engaging narrative pitch perfect for her target audience. I'd also recommend it for two generation book clubs.
On a purrrsonal note, Back then I thought Y2K was so much bullshit. My sister and her fellow fundamentalists spoiled Armageddon fears for me. Believing the earth to be totally evil, they looked forward to the Rapture. On a regular basis they'd do these countdowns which annoyingly involved trying to convert any family sinners (yours truly) to repent while there was still time. Waking up the next day still here with the sinners didn't trigger any cognitive dissonance whatsoever. They'd gotten the date wrong.
A great big shout goes out to Erin Entrada Kelly, juvenile author who certainly deserves her Newbery Awards.
Jules Hathaway
Friday, May 3, 2024
The Kaepernick Effect
"Me and Kaepernick, we both wake up Black. We probably experience shit down the road a little differently from each other, but we're still Black. We still look Black. We are still of Black descent. He walks out of his house and he's Black, every single day. People try to discredit anybody who tries to buck the normalcy of our country, and the normalcy is white supremacy."
Those are the words of Bruce Maxwell, a baseball pro who, like Colin Kaepernick, was blackballed after taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem. He's quoted in Dave Zirin's The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World. Recall that in 2016 after a run of high profile police shootings of unarmed Blacks Kaepernick chose a quiet dignified way to protest an ongoing evil. Remember The way out of proportion reactions people had to his assertion of not only outrage over acts of evil and so many people's acceptance and active defense of them but of his fully sentient humanity.
Zirin shows that Kaepernick served as an inspiration to not only the elite adult athletes we usually associate this activism with but for high school and college student athletes. Most of the book consists of his portraits of these people who had had to deal with Kaepernick's adult realizations during some of the most sensitive developmental periods of their lives. They come from all over the country, many from majority white communities and schools with an aversion to racism's inconvenient truths. Many were learning how to come out of an encounter with police alive at the same age as white peers were learning that Mr. Policeman is your friend. They were in middle or high school when unarmed Trayvon Martin was killed by a fully armed grown ass vigilante. Many had seen ugly incidents go down not only in the news but in their own neighborhoods. They faced threatened consequences that had the potential to derail their lives. They had to deal with IRL and cyber bullying. What they did took a lot of conviction and courage.
You don't have to be a sports fan to fully appreciate The Kaepernick Effect. If you are bothered by the racism so many people encounter in so many parts of their lives you'll get a lot out of it.
On a purrrsonal note, I've been thinking of the campus protests against Israel's war of aggression against Palestine. On a few campuses you see fully armed police breaking up student encampments. On most (including mine) nothing much. This probably has to do with the bandwidth finals, moving out of dorms, and, for some graduation are taking up. I bet a lot of admin are plenty happy about that. I've been assessing how far I'll go if it gets more serious at UMaine next semester. TBH I'm not really impressed with myself. I'd go to protests, speak out, and raise money. But the day Joan F-M (UMaine's President) is on the phone asking Orono Police to bust up a protest on the Mall I am so not there. After working so hard, especially after the stroke, to get a degree and a job working with undergrads I am not going anything to alienate the admin on the one campus I can get a job on within commuting distance.
A great big shout out goes to the students who are willing to risk more than I am.
Jules Hathaway
Those are the words of Bruce Maxwell, a baseball pro who, like Colin Kaepernick, was blackballed after taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem. He's quoted in Dave Zirin's The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World. Recall that in 2016 after a run of high profile police shootings of unarmed Blacks Kaepernick chose a quiet dignified way to protest an ongoing evil. Remember The way out of proportion reactions people had to his assertion of not only outrage over acts of evil and so many people's acceptance and active defense of them but of his fully sentient humanity.
Zirin shows that Kaepernick served as an inspiration to not only the elite adult athletes we usually associate this activism with but for high school and college student athletes. Most of the book consists of his portraits of these people who had had to deal with Kaepernick's adult realizations during some of the most sensitive developmental periods of their lives. They come from all over the country, many from majority white communities and schools with an aversion to racism's inconvenient truths. Many were learning how to come out of an encounter with police alive at the same age as white peers were learning that Mr. Policeman is your friend. They were in middle or high school when unarmed Trayvon Martin was killed by a fully armed grown ass vigilante. Many had seen ugly incidents go down not only in the news but in their own neighborhoods. They faced threatened consequences that had the potential to derail their lives. They had to deal with IRL and cyber bullying. What they did took a lot of conviction and courage.
You don't have to be a sports fan to fully appreciate The Kaepernick Effect. If you are bothered by the racism so many people encounter in so many parts of their lives you'll get a lot out of it.
On a purrrsonal note, I've been thinking of the campus protests against Israel's war of aggression against Palestine. On a few campuses you see fully armed police breaking up student encampments. On most (including mine) nothing much. This probably has to do with the bandwidth finals, moving out of dorms, and, for some graduation are taking up. I bet a lot of admin are plenty happy about that. I've been assessing how far I'll go if it gets more serious at UMaine next semester. TBH I'm not really impressed with myself. I'd go to protests, speak out, and raise money. But the day Joan F-M (UMaine's President) is on the phone asking Orono Police to bust up a protest on the Mall I am so not there. After working so hard, especially after the stroke, to get a degree and a job working with undergrads I am not going anything to alienate the admin on the one campus I can get a job on within commuting distance.
A great big shout out goes to the students who are willing to risk more than I am.
Jules Hathaway
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Promposal
Anyone who loves YA rom-coms as much as I do won't want to miss out on Raechell Garrett's Promposal.
High school senior Autumn has pinned all her college hopes on Mercer College's school of business. She knows that other schools have business schools. But none of them seem to compare to her dream school. "No other school in the state has an entrepreneurial studies program, let alone a senior capstone course that churns out actual viable businesses. No other school has as many students working for themselves within two years of graduation."
So you can imagine how she feels when she's wait listed. Especially when her boyfriend chooses that exact same day to dump her.
That night when she takes another look at the Mercer email she sees something she didn't see before: a request for her to submit any additional information that she thinks will strengthen her candidacy. Her guidance counsellor hooks her up with a group, Young Black Entrepreneurs, where members help each other create small businesses.
At her first meeting Autumn is put on the spot. The group advisor asks for her great ideas. She had helped a friend create a promposal that had gone over excellently. So she suggests creating a proposal business. The advisor approves. He tells her to get to know the group and find the best people to help her out…
…except so close to the end of the school year almost everyone in the group is too busy to take on another commitment. The only one with the time and desire to help is the last person she wants anything to do with.
But you know what they say? Beggars can't be choosers.
So how's Autumn gonna create a last minute Mercer worthy business while dealing with a relationship that went badly sidewise freshman year?
Garrett's debut novel is pitch perfect. I sure hope she's hard at work on her second.
On a purrrsonal note, this reminds me of my son Adam who will be getting his Masters in Business Administration tomorrow. My baby boy has been an entrepreneur practically from the beginning. He was in primary school (k-2) when he started bagging the used tennis balls people left at the municipal court and selling them to dog owners.
A great shout goes out to Adam and the other's with the creativity and drive to invest in their ideas and passions. They may come up with solutions to some of the crises humanity faces today.
Jules Hathaway
High school senior Autumn has pinned all her college hopes on Mercer College's school of business. She knows that other schools have business schools. But none of them seem to compare to her dream school. "No other school in the state has an entrepreneurial studies program, let alone a senior capstone course that churns out actual viable businesses. No other school has as many students working for themselves within two years of graduation."
So you can imagine how she feels when she's wait listed. Especially when her boyfriend chooses that exact same day to dump her.
That night when she takes another look at the Mercer email she sees something she didn't see before: a request for her to submit any additional information that she thinks will strengthen her candidacy. Her guidance counsellor hooks her up with a group, Young Black Entrepreneurs, where members help each other create small businesses.
At her first meeting Autumn is put on the spot. The group advisor asks for her great ideas. She had helped a friend create a promposal that had gone over excellently. So she suggests creating a proposal business. The advisor approves. He tells her to get to know the group and find the best people to help her out…
…except so close to the end of the school year almost everyone in the group is too busy to take on another commitment. The only one with the time and desire to help is the last person she wants anything to do with.
But you know what they say? Beggars can't be choosers.
So how's Autumn gonna create a last minute Mercer worthy business while dealing with a relationship that went badly sidewise freshman year?
Garrett's debut novel is pitch perfect. I sure hope she's hard at work on her second.
On a purrrsonal note, this reminds me of my son Adam who will be getting his Masters in Business Administration tomorrow. My baby boy has been an entrepreneur practically from the beginning. He was in primary school (k-2) when he started bagging the used tennis balls people left at the municipal court and selling them to dog owners.
A great shout goes out to Adam and the other's with the creativity and drive to invest in their ideas and passions. They may come up with solutions to some of the crises humanity faces today.
Jules Hathaway
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