Summer concerts are just one of the ways the Orono Public Library makes summers truly memorable.
Sent from my Galaxy
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Saturday, August 1, 2026
The 57 Bus (YA nonfiction)
I'm sure you're familiar with this. A crime so out of the ordinary--so egregious--catches the public's attention. People are up in arms demanding the ultimate penalty for the perpetrator--or at least locking him up for a substantial period of time if not for life--even if he is a juvenile whose cognitive development is not complete. Spurred on by news and social media we make snap judgements based on incomplete knowledge and hold on to them tenaciously.
I can give you an example from Penobscot County where I live. A woman starved her five-year-old daughter to death. The public's verdict was unanimous: she's a monster deserving the death penalty or life in prison without possibility of parole. Never mind that something other than inate evil could have driven her to this act.
In The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives Dashka Slater shows young readers that behind what seems like a cut and dried hate crime there are layers upon layers of complexity.
Sasha lived in a middle class neighborhood and attended a very small private school. They had been diagnosed early on with Aspberger's. They were cognitively advanced with a special passion for languages but socially awkward. They did not identify with masculinity or femininity and used they/them pronouns.
Richard lived in a less privileged neighborhood and attended Oakland High, a public school with high truancy and mediocre graduation rates. He was in his third high school. He'd spent a year in a group home after an arrest for fighting. Although he's been in trouble, he's trying to clean up his act with the help of a mentor. His mother had been a very unprepared 14-year-old when she gave birth. She worked food service and wanted better for her son.
The two teens' paths would never have crossed but for the 57 bus, a vehicle that many students took to get home from middle or high school. On a fateful day in 2013 Sasha falls asleep wearing a gauzy white skirt. Richard is clowning around with friends. He flicks a lighter and touches it to Sasha's skirt.
"This is a true story. All the people in this book are real, although in some cases pseudonyms or initials were used. Young people are identified by first name only.
The details of the story were pieced together from a variety of sources, including interviews, documents, letters, videos, diaries, social media posts, and public records...Information from firsthand accounts was corroborated with official records whenever possible, unless those records were sealed or are not available to the public."
Slater has certainly done due diligence in crafting a book that is as relevant for adults as it is for the teens that form its target demographics. It challenges readers to develop and utilize critical thinking skills about horrific crimes rather than jump to conclusions. Although it is a slightly older book, it is well worth the effort it takes to locate and borrow or buy it.
On a purrrsonal note, I had a wonderful Tuesday. The predicted rain that would have canceled everything did not arrive. I had lunch with Amber in her back yard. Really good vegetarian Chinese food. The kids in the children's garden were so cute. I had fun taking pictures. The Darlings ice cream truck was right on time. The ice cream 🍦 was really special in a way it couldn't be if I could have it any old time. People at the concert were asking if I got my ice cream to which I'd reply that if the Darlings truck came and I didn't get ice cream they'd better call 911. The concert was super--a duo playing evocative music from my teens. Lots of good photo ops and conversations. And I got home in time for some blissful outside reading near my beautiful flowers.
A great big shout out goes out to my older daughter, Amber, who is also my favorite horror story author.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
Friday, July 31, 2026
Medicine Wheels (YA fiction)
You probably don't imagine me as a skateboarder. As a stroke survivor with residual brain damage I don't need my neurologist (or my children) to tell me what a no good very bad idea that would be. But when I was in junior high it was a whole different story.
I was eleven when I learned about skateboards and passionately yearned for one. My mother had problems with that. It wasn't as acceptable then as it is now. Skaters were pictured as the kind of boys who hung around gas stations and dropped out of school--not college bound girls from "respectable" families. My father loved the idea because my mother hated it. He bought me the most expensive board he could get.
It wasn't easy. I had no one to teach me. So I had to figure it out. I got banged up a lot at first--luckily no broken bones. But when I got the hang of it I was addicted. I was also into bike tricks like standing on the seat, no hands. Seeing the expressions on people's faces was priceless.
So when I discovered Byron Graves' sophomore novel, Medicine Wheels, (Rez Ball was his brilliant debut) at the Orono Public Library I snapped it up like precious Tobago would a Fancy Feast entree. I was captivated from the first page on.
Bryce, Graves' protagonist has been having a hard life ever since he lost his father. His mother has drunk too much, been unable to hold a job, and taken up with men totally unable to handle the realities of relationships or parenting. Two years she fell in with Doug, an extremely volatile, vicious drinker, pulling Bryce away from his extended family and tight knit community.
"They get back from a trip to the liquor store that's right on the edge of the rez line for snacks, cigarettes, and beer. Acting like they're in love. Pretending we have a happy home."
One night after extreme domestic violence Bryce and his mom take off, ending up in a seriously sketchy motel. When she leaves without paying Bryce is locked out of the room with only the clothes on his back. His mother is in jail for parole violation.
Fortunately Bryce's grandmother is able to take him in and he gets to reunite with his friends and connect with his father's legacy. His dad was a highly respected skateboard champion. Bryce has never skated. But talent and dedication have him catching on quickly.
But Bryce's life still has plenty of challenges. He worries about his mom--not only whether she'll ever get well but whether she'll take him away from the place where he feels at home. His beloved grandfather is dying of cancer. And an oil company is trying to build a pipeline with potentially devastating consequences for his reservation.
Graves really knows how to create a believable world and characters it's impossible not to care about and situations that feel urgent because they are urgent. The real life water protectors are fighting poweeful oil companies against steep odds to protect this irreplaceable resource for future generations and the future of our one and only planet.
Medicine Wheels was created in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. There are some wonderful eye opening, thought provoking engaging reads by indigenous authors that have have so much to teach us. We must support and uphold their important work, especially as censors and banners strive to restrict the diversity of the voices we have access to.
On a purrrsonal note, the part of the book where Bryce's grandfather was dying really got to me. I was remembering when my beloved Joey cat was at the end of his life because of cancer. That last summer we could share was sad but also precious beyond measure. I was reading on the Mt. Hope bus and as we arrived at and departed from Walmart I was crying. And I didn't give a damn what people thought. Any book that can stir up feelings like that is powerful beyond measure.
A great big shout out goes out to Graves for crafting such an eloquent, engaging, and hopefully enraging narrative. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
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