The last time he whose name I will not mention was sworn in as president there was a surge in hate crimes and white supremacist and xenophobic violence and disregard of the humanity of marginalized peoples. As we approach his second term in office I don't expect any better. That's why books 📚 like Nadia Hashimi's Spilled Ink that speak the truth are precious gems and so timely.
Yalda, Hashimi's narrator, and Yusuf are 17-year-old twins. Their town has seen an influx of refugees of color. Many residents have gone out of their way to provide their new neighbors with shelter, food, and clothing and help them adapt to life in a strange new country while others have been not so nice.
Yusuf has his heart set on being a musician. He's really thrilled when his band gets it's
biggest gig ever. Unfortunately a member of another band makes uncalled for racist comments. When Yusuf tries to stand up against the hate speech tempers flare in person and online. People stop eating at the twins' family's restaurant.
One night Yusuf goes missing. His family finds his battered, unconscious body beneath a broken balcony. He either fell or was pushed.
In her author's note Hashimi tells readers: "Yalda and Yusuf are imagined characters who inhabit a fictional world. But buried in their story are the hard truths that inspired Spilled Ink--the reality that hate and fear cause immense harm to people, property, and communities."
On a purrrsonal note, last Thursday was the clothes swap that was my idea. It went really well. And I have the stats from the blood drive: 99 pints; 17 new donors; no one fainted.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in both events, especially 😀 🙌 👏 👍 our new donors.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
No comments:
Post a Comment