Be The Light (picture book)

     When I think back on the activists I esteemed most highly in my early adult years in the twentieth century they form a trinity: Angela Davis, Shirley Chisholm, and the Black Panthers. One of the greatest disappointments of my life to date has being being unable to vote for Shirley Chisholm the first year I was old enough to vote. So when I learned about Daria Peoples' Be The Light: How She Became Angela Davis I sent off for a copy by inter library loan, curious to see how she would be portrayed in a children's book. 

     I was quite pleased by both the text and the illustrations. The book begins with a rich description of her childhood and the tribulations she endured while quite young: living in a neighborhood called Dynamite Hill because of how often houses of Black families were bombed and being unable to go so many places,  even the public library,  because of segregation. And it shows how her mother cultivated in her the faith that a better future was possible. 

       Her knowledge that things were bad, her belief that they could get better, and her conviction that she could be part of the change making fueled the adult roles she took on. 

     The focus of the vivid illustrations is the emotions expressed by people's facial expressions and stances. In a picture where Angela is carrying a moving box the whites watching are in a state of virulent hatred. 

     If I had any grandchildren I'd run right out and buy copies of Be The Light for them.

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday I had a chance to decorate a tee shirt for the clothesline project. The shirt decorating happens every year. The tee shirts with messages related  to rape are displayed to support survivors and enlighten everyone. As a rape survivor, I find it very powerful. 

Then today I went to Amber's latest author's talk at the Old Town Public Library. Amber did really well and made me proud to be her mother. The library provided a lovely nutritious and delicious lunch with diet from hell compliant food--most notably salad veggies and beautiful blueberries. 

A great big shout out goes out to the people running the clothesline project and the Old Town Public Library librarians. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Road trip

This is my new denim jacket for the next decorating denim event on campus. I believe in being prepared. 

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Road trip

These are my new 2 lb weights. I'm adding lifting to my aerobics. No disrespecting on the size. I'm starting small and building up. As for aerobics I've done at least 1/2 hour a day without missing a day 197 days in a row. That's 210 minutes a week. 

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Road trip

These are the three shirts and the adorable Squishmallow Eugene bought me. I'm wearing one of the shirts today along with my Hello Kitty saddle shoes and (of course) my Hello Kitty tattoo. You might say I'm repping the fine feline!

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Fros, Fades, and Braids (picture book)

     Kids have a habit of noticing differences in people and asking questions, often to the chagrin of parents or adults. Their curiosity is perfectly natural. Sean Qualls' Fros, Fades, and Braids: A Brief History of Black Hair in America is perfect for curious young readers.

     "Why a book about Black hair, specifically Black hair in America, right now? Black people have a deep and complex relationship with their hair. In the United States alone, Black people spend billions of dollars on grooming and hair care products."

     The book goes back to the days when straight hair was considered good and curly or frizzy hair on Blacks bad. Blacks with straight hair were considered  better. Straightening tools and concoctions were popular, even if they contained dangerous chemicals. It goes on to the use of naturals and afros in the 60s to make statements like "Black is beautiful" and "Black Power" and on to the wonderful variety of styles Blacks rock today.

     Styles are described and illustrated. Major players are introduced. I see Fros, Fades, and Braids as affirming for Black children and illuminating for their white peers. 

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. After our delicious 😋 😊 breakfast at Governors Eugene and I went on a road trip all the way to Machias where he got us Subway subs and we had a picnic in the woods. On the way we stopped at thrift shops. Eugene bought me two pound weights,  3 shirts, a jeans jacket, and a beautiful big Squishmallow. At Goodwill in Belfast I was telling one of the workers who was stocking merch how the good organization and beautiful arrangement of the goods made shopping there so much fun for me. She told her supervisor what I'd said so she could share my words with all the workers. 

See something, say something is not only about reporting bad stuff. Complimenting people costs nothing and can really make them feel happy. 

A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful husband, Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Clean Sweep

I saved the best for last. I just got news I'd been praying for. CLEAN SWEEP IS ON AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2023. It couldn't be held in 2024 or 2025 because of renovations in the building in which it's held. It's a giant yard sale at UMaine of all the stuff--clothes, appliances, school supplies, electronics etc--students leave in the dorms. Imagine an ice hockey arena filled with quality merch. A lot of good stuff is diverted from landfills. The money goes to good causes like the campus food pantry. Stuff not sold is given to organizations that can use it like towels and bedding to the Humane Society. And for me volunteering for it is better than a magic kingdom vacation for other people. I get to do something I love doing with people I really like, especially my best friend, Lisa Morin. One of the for sure highlights of my year. The picture is of three fine cats I acquired in 2023. What am I hoping to find this year? Cat shirts, anything cat 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ related, cool writing materials, a working watch, books, drag clothes with pizzazz and sequins galore, stuff my family would like, and--I bet you guessed this--SQUISHMALLOWS!!

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Juice

There was another group doing an event on voting next door to the SWell event. When they were cleaning up I stopped by to see how it had gone. I saw that they had no sugar added juice. It's hard to find juice I can drink because most have as much sugar as soda. They very generously gave me 12 boxes. It means so much when so much of what I can eat is boring or yucky or both of the above. 

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Demin

Well yesterday was a purrrfect day for me. Three awesome things happened. The first was that SWell had a craft day. Of course I was paparazzi. And when I saw a brand new box of fabric paints I was inspired to paint my jeans. But I couldn't exactly paint them on me. Fortunately I hadn't yet donated the bags of clothes I'd brought in to Black Bear Exchange. So I had something to change into. This is my painted jeans. I really like them. They're a tribute to my best little cat in the world. I will surely look fine on denim day. 

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Meet the Newmans (adult fiction)

     Jennifer Niven's Meet the Newmans combines a lively and engaging plot with some real insight into the times in which the second wave of Feminism was getting started and ther patriarchy was doing its best to ignore its demands and keeping on with business as usual. 

     The Newmans are a family who plays a very sanitized version of themselves on a weekly TV show. Del plays the all knowing father who solves the minor troubles the boys get into. Dinah cooks, cleans, and entertains. Guy is the reliable older son while Shep is the musician and major heartthrob. 

     The family gets some really bad news when they meet with the CBS President. One of their two sponsors has ditched them. Their show is tanking in ratings. The Father Knows Best formula, so popular in the simpler '50s is becoming passe. They may be in their last TV season. To have a season 13 they must make some major changes...

     ...which are problematic, especially the mandate that Guy marry his television girlfriend in real life as on screen when Guy is gay and has a significant other and it's Shep who is in love with her although his ex girlfriend is pregnant with his child.

     Then Del, who had written and directed the show and made all decisions on and off screen is in a car accident. The doctor puts him into a medically induced coma. The family must cope with the real possibility of losing him while keeping his condition a secret from the public and the press. 

     If you like a gripping drama with characters coping with complex problems and insights into another time maybe it's time for you to meet the Newmans. 

On a purrrsonal note, if it was possible to be floating on air I would be. So many people have been complimenting me on my drag show performance! Of course I'm grateful for all the love and super grateful that I can perform on stage. As a stroke survivor with residual brain damage I don't take any abilities for granted or the fact that I'm still alive and conscious and able to enjoy life for granted. Community garden started up Tuesday. The stuff falling from the sky this week was not snow. I wore overalls and gold and silver sneakers for the first time yesterday and got so many compliments! Life is wonderful and precious. Please don't take it for granted! 

A great big shout out goes out to the family members including precious Tobago cat and friends who add so much to my life.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Precious Tobago

Yesterday morning I saw that Eugene had carefully tucked a blanket around Lady T before he went to work. They watch the very early morning news together. 

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Flowers

Here's a quite welcome sign of spring: my daffodils coming up like they have for about a decade. They were planted by a very kind woman about a decade ago. Every year there's been a snow storm when they're growing. Let's hope this year is different. 

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Flowers

This is the view from my kitchen sink. It makes the whole room feel like spring. I feel deeply privileged to have so many beautiful roses 🌹 in my home. They also remind me of my mother who used to grow beautiful roses. As a child I was constantly waging summer time war with Japanese beetles 🪲. Mom would give me a can of kerosene and promise me a penny for every beetle corpse. When candy bars and ice cream man treats cost a nickel and kids paid a quarter for the movies pennies still had purchasing power.

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Say Her Name (YA poetry)

     Now that's a genre you hardly ever see in this blog. Out of the nearly 3,000 books I've reviewed less than 20 fit in this category. Even though I write poetry I really don't like reading it. So you know that Zeta Elliott's Say Her Name: Poems To Empower gotta be something special. How do I love this book? This review in my attempt to count the ways.

     "This book is my way of bearing witness. I have not lost a loved one to police violence, but I have been changed by seeing my sisters and brothers shamed, shot, and slammed to the ground."

     Consistent with this mandate expressed in her introduction Elliott, writing directly to Black girls, is direct, passionate, nurturing, and affirming. She affirms their beauty, majesty, and strength. She urges dramatic action but also self care. She does not flinch from difficult subjects. Her haiku poems are especially hard hitting. 

"indictments are rare

like snow in the Sahara 

or cops behind bars"

and

"innocence belongs 

to other people's children 

ours are born condemned"

Her directness and eloquence and ability to direct her verses to her beloveds are the first reason. 

     The second reason is the wealth of information in her notes which are not the bland stuff we're usually given. For instance "The danger of 'driving while Black and woman' is a reference to Sandra Bland, who died in police custody after being pulled over in Texas for failing to signal a lane change."

     The third reason is the pairing of the poetry with Loveis Wise's vibrant illustrations: the founders of Black Lives Matter, standing strong and resolute beside their tribute poem, the graceful, powerful feline leaping through "Panther", the roses gracing "We Shall Overcome"...

     All I know is that this slender volume speaks truth to power directly and eloquently and is an important addition to public, school, and family libraries and a fine book club choice. 

On a purrrsonal note, the past few days have been pretty exciting. Sunday was the ride with Eugene and the new 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ 😺 🐱 😸 shirt. Monday was my beautiful new tattoo. I  also had two accomplishments. I presented my two fundraising ideas for fall semester at Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund--a fall foliage mountain climb and a banned book readathon--and they were well received. That night I posted the review of my 3,000th book!!! That is quite a milestone. Yesterday was the first Community Garden work day of 2026. The weather was purrrfect, sunny 🌞 ☀️ and warm. We found a bed of delicious overwintered spinach and I took a bag of it home. 

A great big shout out goes out to my awesome tattoo artist, my Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund crew, this year's gardeners, and, of course, the love of my life, Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Cat tat

Here's what I bet you really want to see: my 5th cat tattoo. My friend Catherine picked a real beauty. Don't you just love the touches of pink? It commemorates the first time I had boba after reading about it for years in YA fiction. It was even better than I imagined it would be. I had mango.

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Cat shirt

This is the super cute cat shirt Eugene bought for me when we went for a ride Sunday. 

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Flowers

These are the roses I was given at the drag show. Aren't they gorgeous? It was a very special first. It made me feel like a 🌟 !!!

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Lovely One: A Memoir Adapted For Young Adults

     "My own story is proof positive that we should not shrink from our most audacious dreams when we are young. Indeed, with determination, vision, and a willingness to work, we can achieve that which we are courageous enough to envision for ourselves."

     These sentences from the epilogue of the young adult adaptation of Ketanji Brown Jackson's Lovely One neatly summarize the gist of her journey from her birth to parents who gave her an African name which translates to Lovely One to her historic appointment to the Supreme Court. It is a fascinating and thought provoking journey, one that provides enlightenment about not only an individual, but the nation and times she inhabits.

     I think this fine book is excellent for the target demographic: teens faced with making the most consequential decisions of their young lives: whether to go on to further education or directly enter the workforce; if college, which one, and how to achieve admission and finance it; if work, what job is a best fit and how far to travel to be hired; are marriage and/or parenting attainable or desirable... And all this at the tail end of a period of rapid physical, psychological, cognitive, spiritual, and social development. Jackson is candid about her thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears, anxieties, and decision making during this tumultuous time, spinning a narrative many young adults will be able to relate to. 

     But the same relatability makes me recommend it way beyond that age group. One of the major challenges of her adult life has been balancing highly (I think inhumanely)  demanding jobs while being married to another top level professional and raising two daughters, one who is neurodivergent. That's the plight of an awful lot of successful women in America today. Is it possible to achieve balance in all facets of life?

     Basically it's a beautifully narrated candid autobiography of a very consequential pioneer in one of our nation's highest offices. An excellent choice for the summer reading list.

On a purrrsonal note, OMG!!! The UMaine Drag Show Saturday night was magical and vibrant and enchanted and perfect. We had a very enthusiastic, appreciative audience and really excellent performers. I had two solo numbers. Before my first, He's So Shy, I talked about how the song perfectly describes my relationship to that guy who I knew was too good to let get by when I met him nearly four decades ago, who I'm still deeply in love with after nearly 37 years of marriage and child and cat raising. I dedicated my performance to "the love of my life, Eugene Warren Hathaway. My second was I'll Spread My Wings. People cheered enthusiastically and kept giving me money (which will in my tattoo fund). I was in the ensemble number at the end. Then so many people were telling me how well I did. I got a beautiful bouquet of pink and red 🌹s. I really was feeling like a 🌟 and people were telling me I was a 🌟. Heavenly! Intoxicating! I surely am living my best life. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the show: performers, crew, and audience. It takes all three to conjure up the magic that is drag.

Jules Hathaway aka Gotta Believe We're Magic 

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Bouquet 💐 making

Of course I was paparazzi for the event. But I couldn't resist the chance to create my own bouquet. 

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Bouquet making

These students were quite pleased with their creations. 

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Bouquet 💐 event

Friday SWell held a bouquet making event. It was quite with winter weary people eager to craft pieces of spring promise. Here's my friend, Bailey, ready to help them. 

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Mother Emanuel (adult nonfiction)

     "Dylann Roof extended his right arm, just as he had practiced in the backyard of his mother's boyfriend's house in Eastover, near Columbia. He watched the red sighting laser dance across Clementa Pinckney's suitcoat and fired. As the pastor reeled, Roof fired again and again and again and again, the barrel recoiling with each touch of the trigger."

     When Roof, a virulent white supremacist, seeking to start a race war, stopped shooting the beloved pastor of Mother Emanuel (Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church) and eight faithful church members lay dead and dying. They had been participating in a Bible study and had welcomed the stranger among them.

     When the news reached central Maine I was horrified. I imagine those of you old enough to remember it were too. I didn't, however, comprehend the extent of the tragedy until I read Kevin Sack's Mother Emanuel, a thoroughly researched masterpiece that took a decade to complete. 

     Sack provides readers with centuries of history going back to the arrival of captured Africans in what would become South Carolina and their cruel enslavement by whites. He tells how the Bible was perverted by white clergymen preaching very selectively to keep enslaved people from getting any ideas about running or rebellion and at the same time was used by the enslaved people as inspiration for self liberation. He discusses the complex role of the  church in the lives of emancipated but still oppressed Blacks after the Civil War. He illuminates the founding of Mother Emanuel and her evolution into the Twenty-first century. 

     He also explores the aftermath of the tragedy--how the church became the focus of international attention and curiosity even as they needed space to grieve and try to heal.

     I have never seen a tragedy so masterfully contextualized. I recommend Mother Emanuel to anyone who wants a deeper understanding than you'll find in today's news media. 

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday was a whirlwind for me. When I wasn't being paparazzi for the hugely popular SWell bouquet making event I was running around doing last minute publicity for the drag show. It was warm enough that I could advertise outside on the mall. So many people were flashing signs, telling me they'll be there. I believe we'll have a sizeable and enthusiastic audience. I'm charging my laptop to get in some last minute practice. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who will attend and participate in the magical Grand Finale of UMaine's Pride Week: the Drag Show. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Succulents

This was the one that I potted for myself.  (I also potted ones for two of my friends.) I'm so excited to watch it grow. 

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Succulents

Yesterday SWell had a succulent planting event--tiny adorable succulents in tiny pots. SO CUTE!!! SO MUCH FUN!!!

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Tobago

I finally was able to get a picture of precious Tobago nurturing a stuffed animal. She snuggles them and grooms the way she would a kitten. When I get a job and can afford it I'll get her a real kitten to care for.

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Hard Times: A Novel (adult fiction)

     If you're seeking a narrative that looks ripped out of today's headlines have I got a book for you! Jeff Boyd's Hard Times has all the ingredients for a hard hitting best seller--a cop shooting an unarmed teen, a very corrupt police department, a decades old unsolved mystery, a falling apart school system, racism, classism, in-law drama‐-all set in the gritty big city of Chicago. From the first chapter on to the end it's a page turner par excellence.

     But it's so much more. You really get to know the characters in depth: their personalities, their relations to each other, their hopes and fears, and the seemingly impossible decisions that they must make within the context of the narrative. 

     There's Buddy, a teacher working in a run down school that has nothing really to brag about except the football team. It's quite a contrast to the elite private school he formerly taught at. He finds himself increasingly discouraged and unmotivated. There are, though, a few students he really cares about. Meanwhile his wife, Chrissy, is on a fast track at her law firm and wanting children. 

     Curtis, Buddy's brother-in-law, is a piece of work by just about anybody's standards. He's a dirty cop, on the take. He and his partner don't play by the rules and are good at keeping their lies plausible. Despite that he's incredibly self righteous. And he has issues with anger management and alcohol consumption. He shoots Truth, an unarmed teen who is one of the students Buddy cares about. 

      Zeke, Truth's cousin, is the high school's great hope, the one who is going to take the football team all the way. He has far from an ideal home life. His mom is a drug addict, not capable of meeting his needs. Now she's disappeared, possibly kidnapped by a gangster.

     A lot of people are trying to get their hands on a bloody knife and a police badge that contain possible clues to a long ago cold case.

     That's by far not all the intrigue and drama going on. I hope I've whetted your appetite for a complex and engaging human drama masterpiece. 

On a purrrsonal note, this week is just flying by. The blood drive went really well. I don't have the numbers yet. But it was quite lively. Today and tomorrow I have events to be paparazzi for. And Saturday is the drag show. 

We're seeing signs of spring in central Maine. Grass is coming up. Tobago has migrating birds 🐦 🐦‍⬛ to keep track of. There are even signs of flowers. The campus will be gorgeous just in time for graduation. 

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

Jules Hathaway 

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Drag show

An undergrad friend bought this picture for me. She said it was totally me. I feel deeply honored. 

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Cosplay

This outfit is my today's one. I'm on my second day running canteen for the last UMaine Red Cross Blood Drive of the school year. Peeps are loving on my gorgeous outfit. 

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Cosplay

This was my Monday outfit for my week of cosplay to promote the drag show. People loved it. I love cosplay. I want the Collins Center to be packed Saturday night. 

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Stitch It, Don't Ditch It (adult nonfiction)

     This Easter I wore a very special dress to church. It's a classic princess cut: the color of coffee with lots of milk with red roses with green leaves. What makes it special, though, is that my younger daughter, Katie, and I shared it. Actually we shared a lot of clothes until she moved out...

     ...in 2014. Actually I have a lot of older garments: an unusual purple jumper printed with lighter purple wasps--a thrift shop find from 2012, sun dresses Amber bought me when she was still in high school...

     It has to do with my environmental concerns. I'm aware of the terrible toll fast fashion and fad following take on our one and only Earth. With the right care that sometimes involves mending a garment can have quite a long life. And decorating can take it to the next level--like my bedazzled denim jacket. 

     If you have favorite garments you don't want to throw out and/or a desire to be a better environmental steward have I got a book for you!

     Mary V. Morton and Jenna Wigger's Stitch It, Don't Ditch It is a comprehensive collection of mending methods. It starts with the absolute basics like threading a needle, unpicking, and pinning and tacking. It gives in depth information about fabrics and tools. It offers a decision template for strategies. It goes on to instructions for more complicated mends. It covers just about any kinds of damage you garments can incur. The plentiful illustrations are clear and easy to follow. 

     If you become good at mending and really enjoy it perhaps it could provide you with a way to earn a little cash, combining an income stream with environmental/sustainability values. 

On a purrrsonal note, it's the first day of the last blood drive of the school year. Of course I'm running canteen today and tomorrow. I have a fabulous cosplay outfit channeling disco era John Travolta.

A great big shout out goes out to all who will participate in the blood drive. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Bedazzled

...and one denim jacket. I bought it at Goodwill for $5 for just such an occasion and bedazzled it. I put it on and walked around the Union. People were like "OMG!!! Jules, WHERE did you get that?" Honestly it looks as good as the stuff they sell on Etsy. I am very proud of my creation!!!

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Bedazzled

...rubber duckies 🐤 ...

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Bedazzled

Friday SWell had a bedazzling event. People got very creative with they what they decorated: boxes, compacts, picture frames...

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The Underground Girls of Kabul (adult nonfiction)

     "If a daughter is born, it is not uncommon for a new mother to leave the delivery room in tears. She will return to the village, her head bowed in shame, where she may be derided by relatives and neighbors. She could be denied food for several days. She could be beaten and relegated to the outhouse to sleep with the animals as punishment for bringing the family another burden".

     Unbelievable, right? Yes, we're talking twenty-first century. No wonder the United Nations has designated Afghanistan the worst country to be born in and the most dangerous place in which to be a woman. In The Underground Girls of Kabul Jenny Nordberg introduces readers to a society in which the birth of even a healthy baby is considered a tragedy and a failure on the part of the mother. 

     It is a very patriarchal society in which men hold all the power and agency, one in which women's sole reason for being is to give birth to sons. A man may marry up to four wives to increase his chances in the genetic lottery. If a woman gives birth to only daughter not only she, but her extended family are considered cursed and lose status and opportunities. 

     But there are more serious consequences than loss of status. In a society in which a woman is not allowed to leave her house unaccompanied a son could chaperone his mother to shops and medical appointments. In a society where a woman is not allowed to work many jobs a son can be the provider for his family from a very early age.

     There is a way of getting around this. A family may declare at least one of their daughters to be a son, dressing her as a boy. For the child it can be a blessing or a curse. For some it can be a chance to experience the many opportunities and privileges not available to sisters. For others it can mean years of drudgery from which sisters are protected. 

     Nordberg, the reporter who broke the story of the bacha pash for the New York Times, takes readers into their complex roles in an ultra patriarchal society. I consider The Underground Girls of Kabul to be an important read for feminists and human rights advocates. 

On a purrrsonal note, my weekend has been mostly about my big goal: getting my summer clothes out of my shed and put up and collecting and stashing my winter clothes. I'm almost there. This morning I went to church for the first time since last Easter. It's hard to get there because I don't drive and there are no weekend busses. I'll be making Eugene a ham dinner. I hope it lasts him awhile because I have a really busy week coming up. 

A great big shout out goes out to my church family at Church of Universal Fellowship. 

Jules Hathaway 

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My Keychain

It has 10 exquisite tiny charms on it. Everyone agrees that it's beautiful. I'm proud of it because it was a real fine motor skills challenge. (Just wish my penmanship was showing as much improvement as my fiber arts and crafting are.) The whole event was the 🐈's pajamas, a sentiment with which the other attendees whole heartedly agreed.

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My first boba

This was a real milestone for me. For years I read about boba. The characters in YA books were always drinking it and loving the stuff. I could only imagine the experience and long to try it for real for real. Finally the day came. It was well worth the wait. To celebrate my next tattoo, which I'll get really soon, will be a boba drinking cat I saw on an event flyer Catherine put together. She picked that picture because she knew I'd adore it. Talk about purrrfect!!!

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Serving up boba

There's my friend Catherine mixing and serving at the boba and Keychain making event Thursday. If she doesn't get a job in her field right off she could get something temporary being a barrister at a fancy coffee place. I'd give her a recommendation. Anyway she and her crew did an awesome job planning, publicizing, and running the event. Lots of people showed up, had a really fun time, and crafted themselves unique, special, and useful souvenirs. 

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The Housemaid (adult chiller)

     Sometimes the most terrifying cruelty can take place under the most ordinary and intimate of circumstances. Freida McFadden's The Housemaid is proof positive of that.

     "I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband, Andrew, seems more broken every day."

     Every day it seems that there is more and more for Millie, the new live in maid for the wealthy Winchester family, to ignore. There's her tiny room on the third floor that has scratch marks on the door, as if someone had been trapped inside, struggling to escape, and a painted shut window and only locks from the outside. There's entitled only child Cecelia who makes life miserable for Millie by being disobedient, whiny, and demanding. There's her mother, Nina, who in addition to making messes tells dangerous lies and treats Millie with open hostility. Enzo, the handyman, has told Millie she's in danger. 

     But as enticing as the prospect of leaving is, it isn't an option for Millie. Convicted felons can't be choosy when it comes to work. And loosing her job could send her back to prison where she's spent a decade behind bars.

     The peril Millie is in is very real and as obnoxious as Nina is, there is somebody Millie doesn't suspect who is the true evil one.

     If you prefer your chillers to be focused on the evils that can lie in the human heart you can't do better than The Housemaid. 

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday and today have been purrrfect for me. There were the greatest events. Yesterday there was a boba tea and Keychain making event. I had finally had boba for the first time EVER! I'd read it in YA novels for years. It was every bit as good as I hoped. I also made a beautiful Keychain with little metal charms. (Pictures tomorrow). I found the picture for my next tattoo: a cat drinking boba. Eugene surprised me with a new Squishmallow. I got so many compliments on my outfit and 2 ILL books. Who could ask for more.

A great big shout out goes out to Catherine and her student workers for putting on such a wonderful event and Eugene for becoming an accomplished Squishmallow hunter.

Jules Hathaway 

     

     

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Grilled cheese

Which were really relished by all who showed up for the ultimate comfort food. There was also a raffle for really cool prizes donated by local merchants. 

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Grilled cheese

Yesterday in the commuter lounge Catherine and her crew were serving up gooey, buttery grilled cheese sandwiches...

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Margo's Got Money Troubles (adult fiction)

     Early in February on campus there was a blind date with a book event. I can resist a free book about as well as precious Tobago can resist a Fancy Feast entree. Rufi Thorpe's Margo's Got Money Troubles was an ideal blind book date for me, combining a truly engaging plot with a look at issues too many choose to ignore. 

     Margo was a very vulnerable first generation student trying to work her way through community college with nothing in the way of support from her separated parents. She was preyed on by a very married much older professor who kept her his dirty little secret. When he got her pregnant and she refused to have an abortion he shut her out.

     Now Bodhi is born and he and Margo are back at the apartment she calls home and in a world of trouble that goes way beyond the challenges of new parenting. She loses her job for lack of a reliable babysitter. Day care is out of the question for a night shift waitress. 

     "How was she supposed to make a living? She was willing to work hard, she was willing to never sleep, to wear an ugly uniform, to be mildly degraded day in and day out. She was willing to do whatever was required. But she needed to believe it was possible."

     Two of her roommates move out, raising her share of the rent. Unemployment won't come anywhere near to covering her living expenses. Her mother, married to a controlling fundamentalist minister, won't help her.

     In her darkest hour she learns about OnlyFans, a site dedicated to all shades and forms of pornography. Through trial and error she learns how to maintain an adequate cash flow while caring for her beloved son.

     Then the shit starts to hit the fan. The married with children professor who had previously wanted nothing to do with Bodhi, even going to the extent of requiring a non disclosure agreement, suddenly is determined to have full physical and legal custody. And he can afford the best legal talent money can buy. Additionally Margo finds herself being investigated by Department of Human Services because of allegations of being an unfit parent. 

     Margo desperately wants to keep Bodhi. But the odds are really stacked against her. It's hard not to root for her. She's far from perfect. But aren't we all?

     In addition to a truly engaging plot and relatable characters, Margo's Got Money Troubles touches on a trinity of social justice issues that should concern us.

First there's the precarious lives all too many single parents and their children live. We can thank Mr. William Jefferson Clinton for that. In the 90s when he was trying to out conservative the Republicans and be TOUGH on everything he transformed welfare from a life saving entitlement into a time limited hand out, tossing countless families to the wolves to be ruthlessly exploited by less than ethical companies with poor pay and minimal (if any) benefits.

Secondly, there's a child "welfare" system focused on removing children rather than providing material support that could keep families together and too often misreading poverty as neglect. There is often an unbridgrable gap between the privileged bourgeois social workers and their oppressed clients. And there are lots of rigid rules with little or no relationship to real child welfare. 

Thirdly there is the way we treat sex workers in America as somehow beyond contempt, as not fully human. Capitalism 100: the rule of supply and demand. But we prosecute workers and let their clients off scot free. What sex workers deserve is adequate pay, and benefits, safe working conditions, protection from abusive and dangerous clients, good health care, and human respect from the rest of us. 

On a purrrsonal note, now that I have enough stamina to work full time I've embarked on my official job hunt. I know it will take awhile. Unlike most of my classmates, I can't move to Illinois or New Jersey or any of the states that aren't Maine. I'm married. And the three higher educational institutions in Bangor are inaccessible because of the limited bus hours. But I've written a first draft of my resume. Career Center will help me fine tune it. Meanwhile I'm working on fine tuning how I'll get everything done when I have a job. I have exercise covered. Thanks to the exercise bike Adam gave me I can get in a half hour aerobic exercise first thing in the morning. I haven't missed a day in 25 weeks (175 days). So I guess that's set. Now I'm working on streamlining my morning and evening routines. Yesterday I was able to create a menu for a whole week. I was so proud!

Jules Hathaway 

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