When We Almost Came Undone (YA fiction)

     It was March of 2020. We UMaine students were struggling to wrap our minds around the concept of a deadly pandemic and more specifically what it would mean for us. Would we be able to return after March break? We were devastated when we got the news and had so little time to adjust. Some people had no place to go. Some did not have the technology or know how to manage the transition. We were saying goodbye to friends we might never see again. 

     There were people, though, who had it a lot worse, having to fear not only a pathogen with no vaccine and its devastating impact on daily life, but those mandated to serve and protect. Georgia K. Boone brings this vividly to life in her highly engaging When We Almost Came Undone.

     "...It's [texting] distracting me from the fact that that I'm at home right now instead of at the hospital, where I should be. Where we  should all be, pacing and biting our nails, and waiting for my other sister, Mel, to wake up. We can't, though, because we're in the middle of an unpredictable hellscape with a mysterious sickness that no one's heard of before...The infection lurks like a bandit in the night, ready to take over our lungs and suffocate us as we sleep."

     Tia, Boone's narrator, on top of having to cope with the probability of her high school graduation and first year of college being virtual, may very well lose her sister. Mel is in a medically induced coma because of an attempted suicide by overdose. The doctors don't know if she'll ever wake up. Her parents, needless to say, are distraught at the prospect of losing their middle child. Tia notices her parents covertly watching her, maybe wondering...but depression isn't something her family talks about. 

     Tia also isn't getting along with her long time best friend, Drew. He accuses her of being apathetic because she won't accompany him to all the Black Lives Matter protests. 

     "Does it suck that an unarmed man was killed by police officers? One hundred percent. Does it suck that, like me, this dude was Black, which exactly no one should be shocked by? Also, one hundred percent. But he's not the first, and not the last, and I don't really have the energy."

     When her oldest sister, Alexis, the most centered of the three siblings, invites Tia for a visit it seems like a most welcome reprieve, even though Alexis is over the moon over her new pandemic puppy and Tia is no fan of canine companions--especially when, shortly after her arrival she falls in love with a beautiful girl who seems to reciprocate her feelings. 

     But Tia can't shake the questions lingering in her mind. Will Mel recover? Might she try again and succeed? Will she and Drew ever recover their friendship? Is Colby too good to be true?

On a purrrsonal note,  last Wednesday was a truly blessed day with purrrfect weather. It was my 37th wedding anniversary. Eugene left me a beautiful card and a Batman Squishmallow. The vigil went well with a good turnout and high energy and 182 honks. I get some good bargains at the thrift shop. Eugene took me out for dinner at Applebee's. At home we ate molasses cake that I'd baked in the morning. Later he gave me money for the Readathon. The next evening when Bailey came over to pay her sponsorship she gave me extra money from Cam. When my last sponsor pays up I'll be only $10 away from $700!!!

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene, my one and only soul mate with whom I hope to have many more years together. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Good friends making good memories

Summer concerts are just one of the ways the Orono Public Library makes summers truly memorable. 

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The talented performers

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Music and ice cream--a winning combination

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Feeling those good vibes

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A family enjoying last Tuesday's concert

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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 

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