Miles Morales: Suspended (YA fiction)

     Miles, protagonist of Jason Reynolds' Miles Morales Suspended, is significantly different from either the folx in his neighborhood or his peers in his ultra controlling boarding school. Since being bitten by a radioactive 🕷, he's gained mad super powers such as superhuman strength and the ability to send electricity through his fingers and shoot webs.

     This story takes place mostly in one school day. Miles is in a very regimented in school suspension room. He'd become so enraged by a racist history claiming slavery was benign that he broke his desk. When that teacher tried to make him sit on the floor instead of replacing the desk he refuses. "In a school like Brooklyn Visions Academy, desks are easily replaceable. Dignity is not."

     As the day progresses Miles is the only one to see increasingly creepy omens. Before the final bell 🔔 he's locked in mortal combat with a hideous and powerful nemesis. 

     The many kids who love graphic novels and super heroes will gravitate to this action packed narrative. 

On a purrrsonal note, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's Maine Hello. It's when volunteers help first year students move into their dorms. I have a special role. I reassure anxious parents that their kids are in a good place. 

A great big shout out goes out to those families that are making their way to campus.

Jules Hathaway 

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Plan A (YA fiction)

     "...Faith's words are on the screen, though, and  there's no way to avoid them.

     I'm sorry, but I can't accept the decision you're making.

     And then:

    Jesus asks us to hate the sin but love the sinner, but I'm struggling to find forgiveness in my heart. 

     And then:

     Abortion is murder, Ivy."

    In her Plan A Deb Caletti doesn't mince words or inconvenient truths. Ivy, a high school junior in a conservative small Texas she loves, the only one she's lived in, discovers that she's pregnant. For more reasons than one she can't carry the pregnancy to term. Abortion is the only solution...

     ...but it's illegal where she lives. 

     She does her best to keep her pregnancy a secret while she's trying to decide what to do. But a classmate finds out and the word spreads like wildfire. To her peers she's a joke, to the adults a cautionary tale.

     Her community expects her to do the "right" thing: drop out, marry the father, and fade out of sight. When she doesn't she's not only a loose woman but a murderer. 

     But she has some really important allies. There's her family who is one hundred percent behind her. There's Lorenzo, her boyfriend who is willing to take her to a state where the procedure is legal and let people think he's the father even though he isn't. And there are the women she meets who have had abortions for a variety of reasons who share their stories with her.

     Ivy is a candid, vulnerable, and believable narrator. With the religious right crowd having a dangerous impact on legislation a lot more people are going to be in similar plights. That's why Plan A is such an important book for people of all gender identities, both YA and adult, to have access  to. 

On a purrrsonal note, a pregnant woman I knew was given the news that her fetus had a brutal genetic defect. It would never have a moment of consciousness and would die in infancy. Her church which was basically her community and chosen family said they would kick her out forever if she aborted the doomed fetus. Can you even imagine?

A great big shout out goes out to the people who are, at personal risk, helping pregnant people have access to medical care. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Very Bad People

     Evil and virtue aren't always clear cut. Legal and ethical don't always mesh. People can do awful things for perfectly good reasons. The world is a lot more complex and random than we'd often like it to be. Those are the themes running through Kit Frick's roller coaster ride of a chiller: Very Bad People. If you like thrillers set in private boarding schools you'll find the book as delicious 😋 😉 as sea salt caramel ice cream 🍦. 

     When Calliope was only ten her family minivan went off a road and into a lake. Miraculously she and her sisters--Lorelei (9) and Serefina (14 months)--escaped the sinking vehicle and made it to shore. Their mother drowned. No other vehicles were involved. There was no evidence of alcohol or drugs. Possible causes of the accident range from mechanical failure and distracted driving to murder/suicide. 

     "Dad says that sometimes, bad things happen to good people. Six years later, the cause of the accident is officially 'inconclusive'. Dad says that it was a terrible tragedy, and maybe that's all we'll ever get to."

     It isn't enough for Calliope. She's transferring to Tipton Academy, her mother's boarding school, hoping to get insights into the defining event of her life that could help her learn what really happened. 

     In her first week of classes Calliope gets an invitation to join the Haunt and Rail Society an ultra secret society with a plethora of security measures. 

     At first she sees membership as a good thing. Their mission is to expose "injustices, inequities, and bad actors" at the school. In their decades they've been the driving force behind some really important changes. 

     Not to mention her mother was a ghost. 

     But it isn't long until she realizes that she isn't comfortable with all the group's decisions and actions that seem at least borderline unethical at first and continue to go downhill. A vandalized yearbook leads her to information about a decades old tragedy: a student whose beliefs repulsed the then ghosts--a boy who may have fallen to his death...

     ...or been pushed.

     If you're seeking a solid page turner roller coaster ride of a chiller you owe it to yourself to get your hands on Very Bad People. I intend to check out Frick's earlier works when inter library loans are on again. 

On a purrrsonal note, these nights 🌙 are perfect for outdoor reading next to our (my and Eugene's) beautiful garden. It's a little bit of Heaven on Earth.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Other Side Of The Tracks (YA fiction)

.      Charity Alyse's The Other Side Of The Tracks is a tale of two towns physically separated by train tracks. After the Civil War freed Blacks had sought refuge in Bayside. Rather than accommodate the newcomers the white Bayside residents gave them their own town, Hamilton, and help developing it. 

     "Even after the train tracks stopped being ridden upon and the station was nothing but an abandoned wooden square, Bayside never offered to join the two towns together. A resident could be born in these towns, attend school, get married, raise children, and die in their respective graveyards, separated from one another and the outside world. In fact, almost everyone did, and for a long time nothing changed. 

     Until..."

     Until three teens started shaking things up.

     Capri and Justin are orphaned Black siblings being raised by their grandparents since the death of their mother, a talented professional dancer. Their grandparents plan for them to take the usual route of spending their lives in Hamilton...

     ...But they have other plans. Capri adores her mother and is determined to follow in her footsteps. She yearns to audition for a dance camp with the potential to jump start her career. No way would the grandparents go for that! Justin wants to get the hell out too. An extremely talented basketball player, he sees a full ride college scholarship as his ticket out. But he's gotten his girlfriend pregnant in a town that will expect him to forgo his dreams and man up. 

    Zach and his father have just moved into his great-grandmother's mansion where his dad grew up. He is not a happy camper. He despises his rich, snobby neighbors and their obnoxious, privileged children. His stodgy lawyer father feels that he has only one year to get him past his musician ambitions and taking pride in his Whitman ancestry. 

     You see there's been enmity and violence between the two towns involving the three teens' ancestors. For awhile it's been simmering in the background...

     ...Until an incident makes it flare up, endangering both towns.

     Narrated from the alternating points of view of the three protagonists, Other Side Of The Tracks draws you into their world and lets you see it through their eyes. It's an engaging, thought provoking roller coaster ride, one very worth taking. 

On a purrrsonal note, Eugene and I just had a wonderful weekend. We spent it at camp. Of course we stopped at every yard sale we saw and had some great finds. My favorite part was when we saw a group of beautiful deer 🦌 including fawns grazing on the grass in Machias. 

A great big shout out goes out to the deer and Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Ariel Crashes A Train (YA fiction)

     Many people tend to think of OCD as a disorder characterized by compulsive ritual following and fastidious cleaning. Olivia A. Cole's Ariel Crashes A Train introduces a far more terrifying dimension of this disorder. 

     Ariel feels that she must count the kitchen knives the exact correct way six times every time she leaves or enters her house "in order to stop myself from driving one of them into my father's chest." Most of the time she is plagued by intrusive visions and thoughts. For instance, seeing an older woman waiting for a bus she envisions herself pushing the woman in front of it...

     ...and she fears that someday she'll give in to those visions and carry out the acts of violence. The rituals are a desperate attempt to keep that from happening. 

     Ariel sees herself as a monster. She feels a strong need to distance  herself from others to protect them. But at her summer job two new friends won't let her push them away. 

     Ariel's parents aren't any help. Her father basically ignores her. She can never be small and feminine enough to please her mother. They see no need for professional help.

     A really good narrative can help readers see life through a character's eyes. Ariel Crashes A Train certainly accomplishes that. 

    On Christmas of 2020 Cole herself went to the hospital with what she thought was a heart attack. Fortunately a physician's assistant recognized her OCD symptoms. Two months later she had found a therapist. 

On a purrrsonal note, it really bothers me how some people trivialize OCD with casual remarks like saying "Oh, you're so OCD" if someone is super organized. That's just plain wrong. I hope the people who read this book will know better. 

A great big shout out goes out to you with hopes you're enjoying our beautiful late summer ☀️. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Ice Cream Man (picture book)

     The summers when I was a child and when my kids were children the sweetest sounds were the tunes announcing the arrival of the ice cream 🍦 man or woman. To be honest if I heard that music now I'd run 🏃‍♀️ for my money so fast it would make your head spin. So of course when I laid eyes on Glenda Armand's Ice Cream Man I knew I was in for a treat. 

     The man in question was Augustus Jackson who was born in Pennsylvania where fortunately for us all slavery was against the law in 1808. When he was only twelve he set off to Washington DC to become cook at the White House. He become an expert at making ice cream 🍦.

     It really bothered Jackson that only rich people had access to ice cream. Returning to his home town, he opened an ice cream 🍦parlor and created an ice cream cart that would pave the way for the trucks we ❤️. 

     I especially like Keith Mallett's illustrations. His faces are something special, especially those of children anticipating or enjoying a sweet treat. And the pictures of the ice cream...

     Let's say it's a mighty good thing I have a pint of sea salt caramel chilling in my freezer. 

On a purrrsonal note, I want to tell you about a very special summer. You see most ice cream 🍦 trucks stuck with the more profitable routes, definitely not the trailer park. But that summer the guys who ran one truck spent their days selling and their evenings in the park giving ice cream 🍦 out for free because they remembered seeing other kids eating the ice cream 🍦 their parents couldn't afford. I think Jackson would really have approved. 

A great big shout out goes out to the folks who run the Darlings ice cream truck, raising money for good causes while providing us 😋 😀 all with affordable goodies. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Go Forth And Tell (picture book)

     In the bad old days which weren't all that long ago children and teen books in libraries were nearly all featuring white characters, written by white authors, and lent out by white librarians. Breanna J. McDaniel's Go Forth And Tell introduces younger readers to a shero who decided to do something about that. 

     Augusta Braxton Baker grew up listening to and enthralled by her grandmother's stories. In college she discovered a passion for introducing folk tales to a larger audience. When she became a children's librarian in New York she realized that although many of the kids she served were Black few of the books in stock had Black characters and the ones that did had very negative portrayals. She began to search for and write the kind of stories she wanted to share with them. "She wanted Black children to have heroes that rose up and looked, talked, and shined bright...just like them."

     And that was just the beginning. 

On a purrrsonal note, when I made my weekly visits to the Beverly (Massachusetts) Public Library and tore through the children's section I noticed the lack of diverse characters in the books I checked out. In more recent years I have been thrilled to see diversity of all kinds flourishing. I hate that so many people are trying to ban the books that make all our children feel valued and seen. That's what this blog is all about--fighting for diversity and inclusion and the asking of inconvenient questions in the books we all, but especially kids and teens have access to.

A great big shout out goes out to the authors of these books and the very brave librarians who fight for children to have access to them.

Jules Hathaway 

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Contenders (picture book)

     The saying that baseball is America's sport carries an unintended truth. This country has a long and not glorious history of excluding and mistreating even really talented athletes of color. Younger readers will get a sense of this in Traci Sorell's Contenders: Two Native Baseball ⚾️ Players, One World Series.

     Charles Bender spent much of his youth at a year round boarding school. He learned baseball from the older boys. John Meyers lost his father when he was seven. Having to work kept him from finishing school. He started playing baseball on his reservation.

     In 1911 they had made it to the pros and were facing off in the World Series, Bender pitching for the Philadelphia Athletes and Meyers catching for the New York Giants. On and off the field they were total professionals...

      ...Which can not be said about many of the managers, sportswriters, other players, and fans they encountered. Contenders combines a fast paced sports narrative with some hard truths which todays kids deserve to know...

     ...because over a century later not all that much has changed. 

On a purrrsonal note I can't believe I've only read 122 books this year. With school starting up so soon I may not even make 200.

A great shout out goes out to Indigenous athletes who persevere. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Call Me Iggy (YA graphic novel)

     Iggy, protagonist of Jorge Aguirre's Call Me Iggy, has a less than glorious first day of high school. He embarrasses his popular older brother. A photograph of him turns into cringe worthy memes that spread like wildfire. And he comes home to clueless parents.

     His life is about to get more complicated. His Columbian abuelito's ashes are stored in the basement. Spilling them unleashes his grandfather's ghost who goes everywhere with him, sharing very poor advice on romance and unfiltered opinions on everything. 

    The story is set in 2016 and the election is embedded in the narrative. Brother Billy admires Trump for being rich. His father admonishes Iggy not to ruin "a perfectly nice day" by talking about politics. But for Marisol, a friend Iggy has become quite close to the effects of electing Trump could be nothing less than catastrophic. 

On a purrrsonal note, the inter library loan shut down has been going on for almost three months now. Not even the librarians know when it will end. I have a huge and growing list of books I need to send away for, books you deserve to know about.

A great big shout out goes out to you with best wishes for great end of summer reading. 

Jules Hathaway 

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The Moonlit Vine (YA truth based fiction)

     Elizabeth Santiago's The Moonlit Vine is a book to fall in love with--a work of fiction that has its roots in long buried truths--in the stories of a conquered and supposedly extinct people who had had to blend in with the colonizers to survive. 

     Taina is a current day high school student whose life seems to be falling apart. Although not divorced, her parents live separately. And now after her big brother, Alex, got suspended for getting into a fight her mother has kicked him out and sent him to live with his father. 

     School is a major problem. Taina herself has gotten sent to the principal for sticking up for as classmate. In her words:

     "If you're Black, Brown, or speak with an accent, or are poor, you have to be perfect all of the time. There's no room for anything else. We can't be mad, we can't grieve,we can't be emotional, we can't share frustration, because if we do, we are told we are not being respectful or we're acting out."

     Gang violence is another major problem. The fight has gotten Alex on the bad side of the Night Crawlers. They're demanding he return to the neighborhood to settle up. If he doesn't...they have ways of getting revenge. 

     When her beloved grandmother dies Taina feels that her problems are more than she can handle. But in passing her grandmother has given her a treasure: relics that have been handed down over hundreds of years by woman ancestors and that may make all the difference. 

     The story behind the book is also fascinating. Santiago grew up intrigued by but knowing little about her Taino ancestry. In fact "experts" believed them to be extinct. It wasn't until 2018 that DNA evidence proved them wrong. 

     "Something reawakened inside me--a need to honor my ancestors by digging deeper and learning more about how they had ensured their survival...And I felt strongly that my Taino ancestors had instilled in me, my family, and other people of Taino descent a deep-seated sense of survival based on love for one's family, land, and culture, and a profound respect for nature."

     The Moonlit Vine is a powerful and engaging narrative and so much more. Reading it can be a truly transformative experience. 

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday, even though it pretty much drizzled all day Eugene and I went on a road trip. The highlight for me was shopping at the Goodwills in Augusta and Bangor. I found great clothes including two cat shirts. 

A great big shout out goes out to Elizabeth Santiago for all that she shared in her book. I very much hope to see more of her work in the near future. 

Jules Hathaway 

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The Black Girl Survives In This One

     Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennel, editors of The Black Girl Survives In This One, are long term lovers of horror stories. As teens they collected volumes ranging from 

Goosebumps to the works of Stephen King and finished their homework in time to watch shows like The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But in all the stories they devoured there was never one that had a Black girl as the protagonist. 

     "As horror expands, as it becomes more imaginative, now is the time to ask: Who gets to tell scary stories? Who gets to be the hero, the monster, the villain, and the savior in these stories? Where are the Black Final Girls? This anthology is our attempt to answer that question by bringing together an amazing array of Black women and Black nonbinary writers to craft new and exciting horror stories for young adults. The kind of stories we always wanted as teen horror fans."

     Oh, did they ever! In all kinds of settings and situations feisty Black girls prevail over monsters. 

*In Cemetery Dance Party the senior class president of a high school learns that a Cemetery might have been a poor choice of a party location when the dead are aroused and they're hungry. 

*In The Black Strings a band contest starts going seriously wrong when the contestants start dying violently and mysteriously. 

*Welcome Back To The Cosmos is set in outer space in a truly dystopian future. 

*In Foxhunt a newcomer to town becomes prey in a bizarre high school ritual. 

And there are eleven more chilling tales, all nicely crafted. It's a feast for all true horror story affecianados.

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday Amber and Brian threw a fine family cook out. Brian's shish ka bobs could have made Good Housekeeping.Spending time with all my kids was so precious beyond measure.

A great big shout out goes out to Amber and Brian who create special events that bring the family together. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Someone Is Always Watching

     They are teens who have been a close knit friendship group since they all enrolled at a new school run by the company that their parents work at. Blythe, who narrates most of book, is seen as the consummate good girl rule follower. Tucker, in contrast, is perceived as bad to the bone by the adults. Even his father seems to fear him. Tanya is Tucker's younger sister whom everyone thinks is his twin. And Gabrielle is Blythe's best friend. Devon had moved away awhile and returned wanting nothing to do with his former friends.

     Their world is shaken very badly one day. Gabrielle storms into biology lab ranting about the security cameras always watching. She's sent to the vice principal's office. When Blythe checks after class she sees Gabrielle covered in blood and the VP dead with his face bashed in. Then Gabrielle is flying at her wielding a bloody bronze trophy. 

     Except in the next chapter we learn that Blythe really fell in the bathroom and a concussion. The VP shot himself in the head. That day has become a blur in Blythe's mind. 

     The next week in the cafeteria Gabrielle is on a ladder. She's disabled a security camera and is holding a box cutter to her throat. This time she's placed in a private psychiatric hospital owned by the company. 

     Blythe and the siblings try to rescue Gabrielle who manages to escape without their help and attack Sydney, Blythe's little sister, before vanishing into thin air. 

     As things become ever more convoluted the friends struggle to find Gabrielle and learn the truth. But it may be darker and more dystopian than they imagine. Remember the company that employs their parents and owns the school? They conduct experiments on people's brains. And some of their experiments may be going sideways. 

     Kelly Armstrong's Someone Is Always Watching is in my mind the strongest dystopia of the decade so far. If you favor that genre you're in for a real treat.

On a purrrsonal note, UMaine's Black Bear Exchange recently had a huge clothes sale. Our customers were delighted with the bargains. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the event. 

Jules Hathaway 

 

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The Reappearance of Rachel Price

     If you're a hard core fan of Holly Jackson's chillers then getting your hands on her latest is a for sure thrill. And she gets better with each book. The Reappearance of Rachel Price is sure not to disappoint.

     "It was easy to push people away when you knew how. Bel had a clean record; she was very, very good at it. Making people leave her before they chose to away anyway."

     It's easy to see why Bel would feel that way. Before her second birthday her mother, Rachel, had taken off, leaving her strapped in her car seat. It was a mystery that had captured media attention big time and then faded away...

     ...Until a British media company had learned about it sixteen years later and made Bel's father, Charlie, an offer he couldn't refuse to involve the family in a true-crime documentary. Bel is fed up with this on camera intrusion into their life. She can't wait for it to be over.

     But something quite unexpected happens before then. Rachel stumbles into town, claiming to have been kidnapped and been held captive by a man she can't identify, changing the focus of the documentary. 

     Bel sees inconsistencies in Rachel's story. She is afraid of her returned mother,  determined to expose her before she endangers her family. The rest of the clan doesn't share her suspicion. But there isn't a feel good Hallmark reunion. Secrets and animosities start coming to light. An extended family dinner arranged and filmed for the documentary turns into something resembling a Jerry Springer episode. Charlie seems to be unable to be at home with Rachel...

     ...until he disappears without a trace. 

     If you can't get enough of roller coaster narratives, ones where every seeming resolution is followed by destabilizing revelation get down to your favorite book store or library. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had a carefully planned to do list for today. Only I woke up this morning just having to read the last over a hundred pages. Now with daylight burning I'm still at home in my pajamas...no regrets whatsoever. 

A great big shout out goes out to Holly Jackson. Whatever she comes up with next, I can't wait to share it with you.

Jules Hathaway 

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I Am Not Alone

"One of the things that happens when we meet someone who is manifesting symptoms of mental illness is that we lose sight of the person behind the symptoms. The person hearing voices becomes a potential menace to avoid or a set of unpleasant behaviors that need to be modified. The result is that, not seeing themselves valued in the others, the mentally ill can lose their sense of self-worth and, indeed, their very self."
The above quote comes from the author's note in Francisco X. Stork's I Am Not Alone. Stork himself experienced auditory hallucinations during manic episodes of bipolar disorder. Fortunately his family and friends gave him the support he needed to see himself as a "good, ordinary, unique person". Many people facing similar struggles are not as fortunate. In I Am Not Alone he creates a protagonist who is experiencing the insight of schizophrenia in a much less supportive environment.
For Alberto, that protagonist, family is everything. At only seventeen he is an immigrant in the United States with responsibilities on both sides of the border. He sends a large part of his earnings to his family members in Mexico, desperately hoping that it will enable his little sisters to stay in school and have good life opportunities. He helps his sister in America with her baby and struggles to find a way to get her away from her abusive, addiction enabling boyfriend. He has begun a frightening voice that tells him to do bad things. He is afraid that he won't be able to fight it off forever.
Grace, Stork's other protagonist, is a white honors student who has been accepted by her prestigious first choice college. Boyfriend Michael is the preppy privileged son of a lawyer who is very controlling in their relationship and has simplistic answers for all her concerns. She's devastated by her father abruptly divorcing her mother, wondering if Michael is just as self centered, and questioning everything in her life. She feels like she's acting in a play where someone else wrote the lines and directions.
The two meet when he cleans her windows. Sensing Grace's unhappiness, Alberto invites her to a studio where he creates poetry. She begins to feel a definite attraction. Which is definitely a good thing…
…because when a medically frail woman is killed at a home he and two coworkers are painting Alberto is accused of murdering her. Although he has no memories of doing so Alberto is not convinced of his innocence. Maybe he gave in to the voice.
"In writing about a young man struggling with the onset of schizophrenia, I wanted to show his inner struggle to remain whole and, at the same time, portray someone who is much more than his symptoms. I wanted to write a story about how mental illness erodes the sense of our own worth and how we recover when someone has faith in us. My hope is that Grace's growing appreciation of Alberto and her willingness to help him will encourage us all to see the person behind the mental illness and to respond to the call for our involvement when it comes."
On a purrrsonal note today was a bittersweet day for me. It was the fifth anniversary of the day I lost precious Joey, my beloved cat companion of sixteen years. Although he was medically frail, he enjoyed life and home and his family more robustly than just about any other creature I've met. He was a snuggly lap cat, a playful companion, an ultra loyal friend. I cherish all the precious memories of our time together. But days like today I feel like my heart is being torn open.
A great big shout out goes out to precious Joey who I hope is in heaven or reincarnated into a healthy cat body and well provided for and cherished.
Jules Hathaway

Roof Over Our Heads

     Could you live like you were in the Victorian era for weeks? What would you miss the most? Your electronics? Comfortable clothes? Snack foods? Appliances more up to date than wood burning stoves? For me it would be 21st century YA fiction and being out of the closet about being nonbinary and air conditioning and not having to wear a corset.

     It's no walk in the park for Finn, protagonist of Nicole Kronzer's Roof Over Our Heads. His family is all about live theater. They all direct or act. Finn is determined to follow in the family footsteps even though he has serious trouble memorizing lines. 

     The family lives in a huge historic mansion owned by a regional theater. Herein the problem lies. In the way of older buildings the mansion is becoming high maintenance. The theater high ups want to cut their losses by selling it. The family is equally determined to hold on to their home which they can can't unless they can prove it to be profitable...

     ...which they plan to do by creating a very unique immersive theater experience. The weeks of rehearsal and performance the cast and crew must live like it's the 1890s including following all the Victorian rules and customs. Instead of being performed on a stage the different acts take place in different rooms, several at the same time. That's going to be be extremely difficult to pull off even under ideal circumstances...

     ...but what if everything that can go wrong does? This coming of age narrative combines lively comedy with genuine insight. Theater kids past and present (like yours truly) will especially enjoy it.

On a purrrsonal note, one of my favorite acting experiences was when I spent a summer at a haunted summer stock theater in New Hampshire. It was a lot of fun even though rehearsing during the day and performing 🎭 at night, a new show every week, was tiring. We were like one wild and spontaneous family. 

A great big shout out to all who think for at least part of their lives that there's no biz like show biz.

Jules Hathaway 

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Grizzly: A Charity Anthology

     Have I got a deal for you!!! If you buy Grizzly: A Charity Anthology you not only will get your hands on a collection of rich and diverse narratives (particularly appealing to horror affecianados) but you'll help a really important organization. All proceeds from its sales go to Take Back the Night, a group whose mission is ending worldwide sexual violence. 

     There's supernatural horror in this collection. But there is also the far more commonplace violence inflicted on women and girls (and nonbinaries) that is all too often compounded by accusations that they brought it on themselves or that they could have prevented it even when children are molested by adults. The book validates survivors as it uncovers the challenges that they encounter after the attack and enlightens all of us on the harmful forms of misogyny rampart in this world.

     If you're like me you'll be intrigued by the title. When a lot of women were asked if they'd rather encounter an unknown bear or an unknown man in the woods many chose the bear.  Each chapter starts with one reason why such as "The bear won't tell you he'll harm your loved ones if you tell anyone what he did to you." and "You won't have to face the bear in court and describe what he did to you to complete strangers."  And there's a bear somewhere in every story. 

     So by buying this anthology you'll not only be treating yourself to a fine short story collection but helping make the world safer for girls and women (and nonbinaries). You can order it through Amazon. Just don't wait too long. It's only available until September 10.

On a purrrsonal note, when I was a lot younger I was raped by a knife wielding friend of my mother, a married man with children. It was premeditated. He admitted to stalking me. He warned me that if I told anyone my mother would die of a heart attack. "And then who will take care of poor little Harriet?" (My severely brain damaged sister). We both knew it would be me. And I wasn't about to give up on marriage and children, college, a career--basically any kind of future. My period was very late so for weeks I didn't know if I was pregnant--an impossibility in a bear attack. 

A great big shout out goes to the ultra talented contributeters including my daughter, Amber, and all who buy Grizzly. 

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Rez Ball

     Although baseball ⚾️ is called America's sport, basketball 🏀 sure has its share of fans. If you doubt me come to Maine during March madness when high school battle for dominance. Byron Graves combines a riveting sports narrative with insights into the challenging realities of being a Native high school athlete. 

     Tre lives in the shadow of his recently deceased older brother, Jaxon, a stellar basketball player for whom his family, school, and reservation had sky high hopes. His home feels like a shrine to Jaxon. His parents seem to swing between reliving his triumphs and torturing themselves about what they should have done to not lose him. 

     The summer before his sophomore year of high school Tre follows a rigorous training schedule. When he makes junior varsity instead of varsity basketball 🏀 he's embarrassed and disappointed.

     "And especially since my dad and Jaxon became starters on varsity in eighth grade. The only two guys to ever get called up to play on the varsity team before they were even in high school."

     Then Tre gets his chance to prove himself when two varsity players get caught drinking. The pressure feels intense. They're playing against much better resourced white teams who bring their biases to the game. So his team is carrying the hopes not only of his family and school, but of his reservation that they'll be the one to finally make it to States.

     And there's also the peer pressure factor. Tre knows attending parties is risky but wants to be accepted by his teammates. 

     Graves, like his protagonist, was a Red Lakes Warrior in high school. He faced the same challenges. Many of his peers, like Tre, had to deal with the loss of a loved one on top of school and sports pressures. 

     "So, again, Rez Ball was my attempt at showing the divide and the unique challenges kids from my rez face while trying to keep up with nearby white student athletes."

On a purrrsonal note, Eugene and I just celebrated 🥳 🎉 🎊 🍾 ❤️ our 35th wedding anniversary. It was wonderful. We were so grateful to still be together. 

A great big shout out goes out to the love of my life, Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone

Breathing Underwater (YA fiction)

"Sometimes people with epilepsy have to readjust their goals, Dr. Cappalano had said. But there isn't any as-good-as situation here. I don't want almost-but. I squeeze my eyes closed, pressing my fingers into the lids until stars ignite the darkness."
Tess, protagonist of Abbey Lee Nash's Breathing Underwater, has her summer and future all planned out. An elite swimmer, she'll spend the vacation life guarding and practicing intensively to prepare for Nationals. Doing well in that intense competition will pave the way to a scholarship to a college with a highly ranked team. Swimming is an integral part of her—it's where she feels most truly alive.
Then one night in a teammate's pool everything goes black. Tess wakes up to a nightmarish scene. An EMT tells her she's had a seizure. Her EEG results are inconclusive. Until the doctors really know what's going on she has to stay out of places where losing consciousness would be especially dangerous…like swimming pools.
Her parents are deeply divided on what she should do. Her mother thinks she should take every precaution recommended. Her father, who works a second job to cover her swimming expenses, thinks she shouldn't wait for a doctor's permission to get back in the water.
And Tess's best friend seems to be ditching her to hang out with other friends.
Nash herself was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was in her thirties, giving her narrative a very strong ring of authenticity. It's an especially good read for people who's lives are knocked at least temporarily sidewise by a newly diagnosed disability.
On a purrrsonal note, readjusting goals was something I had to do after the stroke. I had been determined to get my masters in higher education the year that my son, Adam, got his master's in business administration. I was determined to do so even after the stroke until I had to wake up and smell the coffee. Trying to finish my degree in one semester would be a recipe for disaster. Although I was sad not to graduate with Adam, adding another year was necessary for me to graduate at all.
A great big shout out to all who have had to struggle with unexpected medical detours in life.
Jules Hathaway

Those Pink Mountain Nights (YA fiction)

     On the surface Jen Ferguson's Those Pink Mountain Nights would seem simple and straightforward, a story told over a five day stretch by three teens who work in a small, quirky pizza parlor.

     But dig below and it's anything but. The characters really come to life vividly, flaws, inconsistencies and all.

     Cam has dropped out of a school that never really made him feel that he was welcomed, never gave him accommodations to help with his learning disabilities. But he's plenty busy working full-time and caring for his three little sisters and their home while their mother is away at college. His beloved cousin, Kiki, has disappeared and the police have given up more quickly than they would have if she were white.

     Berlin is a high achieving rule follower whom some of her peers see as a tool. She has her future planned out in great detail. She does a great job of hiding her depression. She's distraught because her best friend has ditched her abruptly without telling her why.

     Jessie is considered to be a mindless rich girl. Her father is enmeshed in a far from ethical business partnerships. He'd like to marry her off to a partner who would trap her in a traditional marriage, preferably in a match he'd benefit financially from. But she has dreams. She wants to go to trade school to become a welder. 

     It comes as shock to the trio when their boss announces that he is going to sell his restaurant to a big corporation that will turn it into a bland profit obsessed chain. Berlin starts a social media to pressure him into changing his mind. Cam wonders if that's bullying. Jessie fears losing her new friends--it's her dad's corporation buying the place.

     Those Pink Mountain Nights not only combines a highly engaging plot with nuanced and complex characters, but introduces timely topics--missing and murdered indigenous women, the evils of capitalism, anti-Blackness, and depression--without becoming didactic.

     Bottom Line: Those Pink Mountain Nights is one of the best books I've read all summer. And you know what a binge reader I am.

On a purrrsonal note, I've seen the takeover of the chains here in Maine. Most towns and cities have the Dunkin, McDonalds, Subway etc.

A great big shout out goes out to the people who keep the distinct stores that convey a sense of place alive.

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone