Tucky Jo and Little Heart

Tucky Jo and Little Heart

Picture book
Patricia Polacco is a picture book writer with the rare ability
to combine image and word in a way that makes characters in complex
situations accessible (in fact, irrisistable) to child and parent
alike. The arrival of her newest offering at the Orono Public Library
children's wing (where I volunteer) always makes for a red letter
day. Tucky Jo and Little Heart is no exception.
When Polacco encountered a WWII reunion at a hotel in Virginia
she was invited to join the soldiers who were exchanging stories.
When she returned home she she had been so inspired and touched by
their accounts that she sought out veterans in her own village. Tucky
Jo and Little Heart is the narrative of a man named Johnnie Wallen.
Kentucky Jon grew up in rural Kentucky. As a young man he took
pride in his county fair prize winning sharp shooting and intended to
spark "...the sweetest little ol' gal, Freda Hall, from over
Prestonburg way."
Like many in his generation, he had his plans interrupted by
America's entrance into WWII. He enlisted underage and was eager to
go into battle. The unending combat and the killing and suffering he
saw changed his mind and made him mighty homesick to be back with his
family and eat his mom's good cooking.
"...To think that I wanted in on all this fightin'...Now I knew
there ain't no glory in war. But I was in the army and it was up to
me to take a stand and fight for my country."
One day, using a machete to cut down underbrush and vines to
clear land for an air strip, he was exhausted and covered with
stinging insect bites. A little native girl showed him how to use
plant sap to tame the bites. That was the beginning of a friendship
that grew to include his unit and her village. He was even able to
get her people evacuated before the jungle was bombed.
Kentucky Jon was sure he'd never see that little girl again.
Fate had other plans.
Although Tucky Jo and Little Heart is a picture book it can be
used with older kids with questions such as:
*Kentucky Jon's attitude toward war changes when he is personally
involved in battle. Do you think this still happens today to
servicepeople? What factors might lead to unrealistic expectations?
*Kentucky Jon and his unit see the civilians as people and develop a
relationship with them. Today's drone warfare takes away this element
of personal contact. What effect will it have on military people and
the civilians of their country and the nation they are fighting in?
On a personal note, I'm about to head in to UMaine to run errands and
go to the Wilson Center dinner and event. It would take more than a
little snow to make me miss out.
A great big shout out goes out to Sarah and her crew who every
Wednesday with lively programming and scrumptious food make the Wilson
Center (where I got married 26 1/2 years ago BTW) a mighty fine place
to occupy.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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First & Then

First & Then

YA fiction
As much as I love reading adult nonfiction, sometimes after
awhile it leaves me craving something lighter. When I saw Emma Mills'
First & Then on the new books shelves in the Orono Public Library
children's wing, it was interest at first sight. It didn't get to be
love until the first page. Protagonist Devon is staring at a
motivational poster of lions. One is obviously the alpha male.
"Clearly, this was supposed to inspire something in me. I
wasn't quite sure what. Run faster. Kill more gazelles. Be better
than those riffraff lions hanging at the periphery."
As she starts her senior year in high school, Devon is much less
motivated than Mrs. Wentworth, founder and leader of the Road-to-
College Club, would like her to be. She shares her parents'
assumption that she should attend college after graduation. She wants
to continue her education to prevent them from murdering her. But she
hasn't put much thought into it. Basically she feels too average and
insignificant to get accepted at an institution of higher learning.
"What if, deep down, you were just one of those background lions?"
Devon isn't going to get to just glide through her senior year,
however. Two guys who normally would not inhabit the same teen social
universe will change her life drastically. One is the ultra geeky (as
in Future Science Revolutionaries of America Club) freshman cousin who
has gone from a distant relative she saw every few years to living in
her home. The other is the football super star whose picture is in
every toilet stall in her school.
What, in my mind, really makes First &Then sing is the evolution
of Devon's very distinctive voice. As the book starts she's snappy,
wise cracking, keeping others at a distance. As the story unfolds,
chinks start to appear in her psychic armor. By the time you close
the book you wish it went on for about a couple hundred more pages so
you can see how she continues to grow.
First & Then is Mills' debut novel. I can't wait to see what
she comes up with next.
On a personal note, I had the most WONDERFUL day imaginable Saturday.
I spent it in Portland with my younger daughter, Katie, her boyfriend,
Jacob, and their new incredibly fluffy, sweet, affectionate white and
orange cat, Archie. We spent time at my beloved ocean. I found a
perfect clam shell as long as my hand. We did thrift shopping. We
had lunch at Red Robin and they made supper. I was just so happy to
be with them. My round trip bus ticket was my Christmas present from
Katie and it was the perfect gift.
A great big shout out goes out to Katie, Jacob, and Archie with all my
love.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Making Ends Meet

Making Ends Meet

Adult nonfiction
"States who want to meet the twin goals of getting welfare
mothers to work while safeguarding the well-being of their children
must understand that the real problem with the federal welfare system
is primarily a labor-market problem. For the large majority of
mothers we interviewed, it was lack of access to a living wage and not
a pervasive and disabling poverty culture that made working so
difficult. Unless states can manage to equip welfare-reliant single
mothers with the skills that will lead to living wage jobs, single
mothers who work will continue to need government help." (Making Ends
Meet, p. 19)
Recently I read a fascinating and sadly too relevant book,
Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer's $2.00 a Day: Living On Almost
Nothing In America. I decided to get my hands on two of Edin's
earlier books. I was quite lucky to find her Making Ends Meet: How
Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-Wage Work.
Making Ends Meet was written at the point when Bill Clinton (a
Democrat--oh, the shame of it all) had made ending welfare as we know
it a key platform in his election campaign and transformed an
entitlement into a program with a lifetime benefit restriction and a
mandate to push recipients into whatever labor market existed.
However, he only enacted the most conservative provisions of David
Ellwood's proposition on which he based this "reform". Ellwood,
author of Poor Support, had put more emphasis on education and
training and claimed that in order to require work, the government
would be obligated to provide jobs in areas of the country where there
weren't enough. In fact this twisting of his ideas prompted Ellwood
to flee Washington and return to Harvard. ($2.00 A Day).
Edin and Lein conducted research on the budgets and survival
strategies of hundreds of welfare and low wage earning mothers in four
states. Their findings stand in sharp contrast to the claims of
politicians who blame laziness and an entitlement deserving frame of
mind for dependence on government resources. Most of their subjects
cycled between periods of work and welfare and viewed work as the
ideal state of being. However, the jobs they could get, in addition
to not providing enough for family survival, often had erratic and
unpredictable hours. Many "training" programs simply gave them the
skills to acquire those jobs that would never lift them and their
children out of poverty.
Although this book is a bit drier and more academic, I think it
also is an important read for anyone who wants a more equitable
world. Even if you, yourself, and those you love are not affected by
the increasing restrictions on government aid and demonizing of those
who receive it, you have every reason to be concerned. The pushing of
legions of often poorly skilled and educated people into the workforce
creates a supply demand situation in which big business can get away
with wages so low their employees must be subsidized through tax
provided benefits and with abysmal working conditions. Maybe if the
government provided enough jobs so there would not be such a glut of
workers big bidness might have to treat workers as people, not
expendable commodities. Imagine that!
On a personal note, there are just days now til Bearfest, the 12 hour
dance marathon to benefit Children's Miracle Network. It's my third
year. Part of me is all psyched and the rest of me is thinking
YIKES. The combination of exhaustion and lots of flashing lights
makes me (petit mal) seizure prone, especially toward the end.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who will be dancing with
me and the fine folks who set the whole thing up.
Julia Emily Hathaway




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Rosemary

Rosemary

Adult biography
"'I don't know what it is that makes eight children shine like a
dollar and another dull. I guess it's the hand of God. But we just
do the best we can and try to help wherever we can.'" (Joe Kennedy as
quoted in Rosemary)
When I was growing up America elected its first Catholic
president: John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I think his family's charisma
was aided by the ascendancy of television. But in short order they
were shaping not only protocol and policy, but areas as far afield as
fashion. (My college professor mother, who was required to wear a hat
when going between buildings, loved her little First Lady popularized
pill box hats.) When JFK was assassinated much too soon his presidency
became referred to as a latter day Camelot. Today we still have
Kennedys serving in government. While I was reading this book I
received an email about a new Kennedy born to a legislator.
When we think of clan Kennedy words like power, achievement, and
charisma tend to come to mind. Can you imagine what it would be to be
born developmentally delayed into such a high achieving and ambitious
family? To struggle and still see younger siblings achieve more and
attain greater privileges? That was the plight of Rosemary, Joe
Kennedy's third child and first daughter.
Kate Clifford Larsen's Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter
tells her story. She was born in a time when far less was known about
about mental and psychological challenges. When younger sisters
bypassed her in achievements her parents realized something was
wrong. They were faced with a double dilemma. The family's political
ambitions kept all members of the family in public view with high
expectations. That was when prejudices regarding developmental delay
included belief in "bad seed" that was to lead to the eugenics
movement. Even as they struggled to find the school that would have
the right program to effect a cure, they were confronted with having
to carefully control what the public saw of her.
I would highly recommend Rosemary, particularly to the legions
who are enamoured of all things Kennedy. It is a well written book,
rich in background material that offers insight into topics such as
treatment of people with mental challenges and the role of women
across the majority of the twentieth century.
On a personal note, my birth family owes a debt of gratitude to
Rosemary. It is widely believed that intimate familiarity with her
plight inspired her sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, to work on their
behalf, not only through special olympics, but through committing a
significant amount of family philanthropy toward research and programs
to help people with developmental delays. My only sibling suffered
significant brain damage from spinal meningitis as a child.
A great big shout out to all who continue this very crucial work.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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$2.00 a Day

$2.00 a Day

Adult nonfiction
"Two dollars is less than the cost of a gallon of gas, roughly
equivalent to that of a half gallon of milk. Many Americans have
spent more than that before they get to work or school in the
morning. Yet in 2011, more than 4 percent of ALL [emphasis mine]
households with children in the world's wealthiest nation were living
in a poverty so deep that most Americans don't believe that it even
exists in this country."
When I think of families subsisting on cash income of less than
$2 a day, I tend to picture the youngsters on the other side of the
world who are pictured on leaflets from charities asking for help. I
was surprised to learn that for millions of Americans this is a way of
life. So was Kathryn J. Edin who clued me in on this sorry state of
affairs in her $2.00 a Day: Living On Almost Nothing In America.
Edin, Bloomberg Professor of Sociology and Public Health at
Johns Hopkins University, who is also author of Promises I Can Keep:
Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage and Making Ends Meet:
How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low-Wage Work, is a veteran of
field research on the poorest of our poor. In 2010 she found a rapid
rise in extreme destitution. To find out if her figures were just a
fluke, she consulted Luke Shaefer who is an authority on the Survey of
Income and Program Participation. They discovered that not only were
one out of 25 American families with children trapped in $2 a day
poverty, but that this number was over twice what it had been fifteen
years previously.
Edin and Shaefer set out on a boots on the ground research
project. They wanted to know not only why this disturbing trend was
happening, but what it felt like to fight for survival under such
daunting conditions. Their resulting book is a masterfully blend of
background and narrative. Readers will learn about factors such as
the difficulty of obtaining any kind of (never mind decent) shelter,
the paucity of jobs and the dangers inherent in those available to
people lacking in enough education or being the "wrong" color, and the
desperate measures that have to be taken to obtain even the most basic
of necessities. We also learn about the real people behind the
numbers. You'll get to know folks like
*a family of four whose only cash income is what the mother earns
donating plasma;
*a child who was molested when she and her mother and brother had to
move in with an uncle;
*a woman hired to clean vacant homes in really bad shape in dangerous
neighborhoods without electricity, running water, or heat in the
middle of winter,
*a two time WalMart cashier of the month who was told "if she couldn't
find a way to get to work in time, she shouldn't bother coming in
again" one time she had no gas through no fault on her part;
*and a teen whose teacher took advantage of her desperate hunger by
offering her food for sexual favors.
In Edin's words, the experiences of those she wrote about are A
World Apart from the lives most of us lead. They need us to learn
about them, care, and advocate--help work towards the solutions she
discusses in her final chapter.
On a personal note, I had a pretty scary night recently. There was
torrential rain and wind that sounded like an oncoming train and at
times felt like it was rocking the trailer. I sat up holding my
tuxedo cat, Joey, like a little kid clutching a security blanket. I
did not go to bed until the winds and rain had died down. It was not
my imagination. The next day the Bangor Daily News confirmed that we
had 70 mph winds and 20,000 households losing power.
A great big shout out goes out to the emergency responders and the
power company workers who had to deal with the storm and its aftermath.
Julia Emily Hathaway





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Dolls of Hope

Dolls of Hope

Juvenile fiction
As a big fan of juvenile and YA novels, I frequently find myself
learning about lesser known episodes in history. Shirley Parenteau's
Dolls of Hope introduces readers to a 1920's friendship doll exchange
between Japan and the United States that was financed in large part by
children.
Chiyo (11) is the younger daughter in a traditional Japanese
farming family. She is very concerned about her sister's upcoming
arranged marriage to a widow. In fact in the first chapter she gets
caught sneaking into a formal dinner between her parents and sister
and her sister's intended.
It turns out that the wealthy husband-to-be has plans for Chiyo
as well as her sister. He will arrange for her to be a student at a
far away boarding school in the hope that she can "...learn proper
behavior in the school and put her hill country wildness behind her."
If her school report is favorable she will be allowed to come home for
the big wedding.
Doing so is easier said than done. The boarding school culture
is way different from that of her rural home and school. The young
woman she is told to learn to be like, Miyamoto Hoshi, turns out to be
a 1926 Japanese mean girl--perfectly behaved for the adults she must
make a good impression on, but capricious and cruel with peers.
When Parenteau was researching the Japanese Girls Day festival
she learned about the 1926 Friendship Project. A retired missionary
tried to prevent war between the two countries he loved. He organized
American children to send hundreds of "Blue-Eyed Dolls" to Japan where
they were greeted with parties and ceremonies. The Japanese children
raised enough money for master craftspeople to create 58 toddler size
dolls that arrived in America right before Christmas 1927.
I notice that in a previous book, Ship of Dolls, she has told the
narrative from an American perspective. I imagine you will be as
interested in that book as I am.
On a personal note, Orono Arts Cafe was amazing. We had a very
special treat. The Orono High School Show Choir opened for us with
their beautiful singing and precision choreography. They were a
lovely inspiration for the rest of the performers like moi. I surely
hope they will grace our humble stage whenever possible.
A great big shout out goes out to the Orono High School Show Choir and
their adult advisors, especially director Cami Carter. In my book
you're rock stars!
Julia Emily Hathaway


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Dork Diaries II

Dork Diaries II

Juvenile series
Remember how back in January I became addicted to Rachel Renee
Russell's Dork Diaries. I was able to read four volumes. I also knew
how to get my hands on the rest--through the wonders of Inter Library
Loan. I requested four more and was pleased to see them arrive in
time for this week's candy night. Party on!!!
Just a short review on the cast is in order. Our intrepid
heroine and diarist extrodinaire, Nikki J. Maxwell, is a not-so-rich
student in a private school so posh it has a Starbucks in its
cafeteria. She's there on scholarship because her father, an
exterminator with a 5' tall dead cockroach on his van, has a contract
to keep the school vermin free. (Nikki lives in fear of that
intelligence going viral.) The school's number one queen of mean,
MacKenzie, has the locker next to Nikki's and seems to take special
pleasure in tormenting her. Perhaps this is because they both like
the same boy, Brandon, who seems immune to MacKenzie's dubious
charms. Back at home Nikki's parents seem abbysmally clueless about
the drama in her life. And there's a little sister who she feels is
seriously in need of psychiatric help.
Volume 2, Tales from a NOT-SO-Popular party centers around the
school's Halloween dance. MacKenzie is in charge of the event. Not
surprisingly, Nikki, her BFFs Chloe and Zoe, and a couple of other
kids low on the social totem pole make up the cleaning crew.
But wait. Things can get worse. MacKenzie is a girl who lives
by the motto: don't get mad; get even. When Brandon refuses to
invite her to the dance MacKenzie gets revenge. She and the other
committee heads withdraw, leaving the cleaning crew in charge. Before
quitting they make sure there is no place, band, decorations, or
caterer. Nikki will be blamed if the dance students have really been
looking forward falls through. Will she become even less popular than
the black mold in the gym showers?
Volume 3, Tales from a NOT-SO-Talented Pop Star, starts out with
Nikki being totally traumatized. She and her sister perform the theme
song for Brianna's favorite restaurant. She's sure no one she knows
is there. Only nemesis Mackenzie is there with her cell phone which
she is not afraid to use. By night time the video is posted on the
Internet.
Nikki goes to school reluctantly, sure everyone will be making
fun of her. Only they're excited about really exciting news: an
upcoming talent show with really fabulous prizes. Nikki plans to
enter. Unfortunately MacKenzie is determined to get her fifteen
minutes of fame and will stop at nothing to win.
Also Nikki's school is experiencing an insect infestation. The
principal is requesting her father's professional services. Now maybe
all her peers will learn the secret she hasn't even told her best
friends.
In Volume 6, Tales from a NOT-SO-Happy Heartbreaker, Nikki is
looking toward the upcoming Valentine's Day dance--the most important
dance of the school year with excitement and dread. It's all about
girls asking guys. Nikki wants, as you've probably guessed, to ask
Brandon. She knows mean girl MacKenzie, her rival for Brandon's
affections, will be giving this conquest her best shot.
Brandon has been acting awfully strange ever since his birthday
party. According to an article in a magazine, he's showing all five
symptoms of just not being into her. Has he decided that rich,
popular MacKenzie is more his cup of tea?
In Volume 7, Tales from a NOT-SO-Glam TV Star Nikki is the star
of her own reality TV show. A television crew will be documenting her
life. Although she knows most kids would love to have that
opportunity, she's not crazy about the idea of the crew following her
home to meet her exterminator father with the 5' long dead cockroach
on his work van, her mom who is angling for her own organic cooking
show, and her obnoxious and possibly disturbed little sister.
The family turns out to be the least of her problems.
MacKenzie, queen of mean, is in full sabatoge mode, even capturing
Nikki's camera crew by pretending to be a caring friend.
Now I know that very few, if any, of us or our kids get into the
extreme situations Nikki does. But very few of us get through the
middle school years without being picked on by mean kids, wondering
how a crush could possibly see in us, or feeling that awkward
situations go on forever. There's a little bit of Nikki in most of us.
On a personal note, I donated blood Wednesday. It went really well as
usual. My blood pressure was a perfect 106/74. When you think about
it that's a gift both literally and figuratively from the <3.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with best wishes
for a fabulous Valentines Day. Just remember one thing. Love isn't
about giving candy and flowers once a year. It's about treating
significant others with patience and kindness all 365.
Julia Emily Hathaway




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