Anger Is A Gift

"Moss's story will never be over. Those of us who have been the victims of state sanctioned violence know this reality on some intrinsic level. We are frequently reminded of what happened to us, and we live with the fear that in a split second it could occur all over again...I knew that this young man could never truly have closure, that he could never be part of a story that concluded with perfectly wrapped bows atop a pristine present. It did not seem honest."

     Those words, taken from the author's note at the back of Mark Oshiro's Anger Is  A Gift, tell us a lot about the story. Oshiro is not topping a perfectly wrapped present with happily ever after bows. The narrative he created is brutally honest, engaging and much needed. 

     Moss was quite young when his father was shot by a cop. Now in high school, he's still recognized for that tragic loss. He misses his dad, desperately stores memories of their too short time together to help him when life gets too hard and anxiety strikes. 

     As the story starts Moss is experiencing something wonderful. He has his first possibility of more than friendship with a boy who is everything he could have wished for. Not deterred by Moss's panic attacks, Javier is equally in love.

     Moss attends a criminally underresourced high school. They can't afford even enough textbooks, but they can acquire two heavy duty metal detectors which all students must walk through. One of Moss's close friends is seriously injured when one malfunctions.

     The students and their allies plan a walk out...

     ...Only their plans get leaked to school administrators. And the unarmed students trying to walk out peacefully are met by a legion of fully armed cops...

     ...with tragic results. 

     ...I would not recommend Anger Is A Gift to younger teens or more sensitive or anxious readers. I would heartily recommend it to older teens, college students, and grown ass adults  especially those who persist in thinking that things can't be that bad. Although it's an older book do whatever you must to get your hands on it.

     In this day and age anger is a gift. 

On a purrrsonal note today at UMaine Title IX is tabling for the clothes line project. They have these teal and white tee shirts. Rape survivors can write their stories. Other people can write messages of encouragement. They'll all be displayed in the atrium of the union. 

I was raped by a friend of my mother who held a knife to my throat. He had stalked me for weeks. It was very premeditated. He was a married man with daughters. Fortunately I didn't think it was in any way my fault. He had committed a crime. 

A great big shout out goes out to them for keeping this important conversation going. We're still too often blaming girls and women for what we wear, where we went...when we survive this violence, especially when the boys and men are white rich athletes. For those who want to change things anger is a gift.

Jules Hathaway 

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Hollow Fires (YA fiction)

     About six years ago I was blown away by Samira Ahmed's Internment. She created a chilling and believable dystopia not all that far removed from the Trumpian first term in which it was published. It was like Muslim ban meets 1940s Japanese American internment camps.  If you haven't read it yet make sure to do so.

     In Hollow Fires, published in 2022, she presciently depicted the sequel to the 2016 nation wide reality show Nightmare in the Oval Office. Within the context of two interwoven narratives she depicts an American city awash in a toxic stew of white supremecy, Muslim and immigrant phobia, and police violence and complicity. 

"I made a jet pack. And they killed me for it.

     It wasn't even real. It was plastic and tubes, glue and paint. I wanted to be a steampunk inventor for Halloween because I'd seen this awesome old anime called Steamboy about a kid who liked to tinker and create stuff, kinda like me."

     Jawad, a high school freshman, was a member of a club for kids who enjoyed creating and tinkering. He was so proud of his jet pack that he took it in to show his club's faculty advisor. His English teacher freaked out and called the cops. They took him away in handcuffs. 

     "I thought that was the worst day of my life. Turned out, I was dead wrong."

"Dear Muslim Scum,

We will be coming to your mosque. It will be a massacre on a scale never seen. Christchurch will pale in comparison. You can pray all you want to God. 

     But God is Dead."

     After the Christmas break when her mosque received the above letter Safiya discovers that her school newspaper (she's editor) has been hacked. A racist calling himself Ghost Skin has put a racist in under her column heading. 

     Dr. Hardy, her principal, thinks Safiya wrote the column to create drama. He's demanding to have more control over content and threatening to shut the paper down if the staff and paper don't bend to his will. He is much less concerned less concerned about the huge swastika painted on a wall and other acts of white supremecy. 

     Safiya thinks that Jawad's kidnapper is an affluent, well connected classmate who is responsible for the acts of white supremecy terrorism. Trying to prove her theory is going to get far more dangerous than she can imagine. 

     Told alternating between Jawad's and Safiya's voices and skillfully incorporating much disturbing background information, Hollow Fires is a highly engaging and enraging narrative--a must read for social justice warriors in its target demographic and way beyond.

On a purrrsonal note, the UMaine Drag Show was lit. The acts were genre diverse and quite entertaining. The audience was very engaged and responsive. I performed 3 numbers: I'm Still Standing and Only The Good Die Young solo and the ensemble grand finale. As always it was magical for me. I think when I perform I am joy embodied. And I got a lot of love from the audience. Making it even more special it was my 10th anniversary as a drag performer. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in a night 🌙 to remember. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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This is the awesome coffee mug I won in a prize drawing at First Friday Bagels and my two rocks I painted in SWell yesterday. They're not only beautiful but useful as paperweights. The bigger one is a story about beautiful flowers taking root and creating beauty in a drab vacant space. The 🐢 was created to cover up a spill.

The Girl You Know (YA fiction)

     I am always looking for chillers set in elite private schools where the ivy covers a whole lot of rot, bastions of privilege where wealth and status can enable students to literally get away with murder. Elle Gonzalez Rose's The Girl You Know really delivers.

     Narrator Luna and Solina are twins whose lives have gone in very different directions. They had to endure their father's death, their mother's descent into substance abuse, and a  long stretch in the foster care system. While Solina is a student at the elite Kingswood Academy Luna waitresses long hours to cover the expenses Solina's scholarship doesn't.

     As winter break of her senior year draws to a close Selina tells Luna that she doesn't want to go back to school. Luna is less than sympathetic. She doesn't want all the sacrifices she's made to be for nothing. Selina storms out. The next day she's dead.

     Luna believes that Solina was killed by someone from her school. She goes undercover as her twin to discover the murderer's identity. It's not going to be easy. A high school dropout, she has to try to replicate Solina's stellar grades. Her fellow students are hard to deal with. Her beloved sister seems to have been keeping dark secrets. 

     And the killer, unaware that Solina is actually dead, could strike at any moment.

On a purrrsonal note, today was absolutely purrrfect. I went on campus for First Friday Bagels and had my favorite sweet cinnamon. I put my name in for a prize drawing. I did  rockpainting. I painted two for me and one for Catherine. When I gave her her rock she told me I'd won the prize I coveted. I went to a brunch. All day people were telling me how psyched they are for the Drag Show and my performances. Catherine gave me a ride home with stops at Black Bear Exchange, the library,  and my first yard sale of the year. I found a cute sweatshirt. Catherine paid for it. My wallet was in my 🎒 in her 🚗. Soon Bailey will drop by with lots of cans and bottles I can cash in for Tobago's savings. Life is good. I promise a picture tomorrow. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who contributed to my magical day ✨️ 😀 😊 ❤️ 💛 💖. 

Jules Hathaway 

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The Legacies

     I hope you've been enjoying my cosplay pix. But I realized 😳 I'd better get back to posting reviews because I've been reading so many seriously great books you deserve to know about. 

     I've heard that in the days when radio was the medium du jour a character named the Shadow revealed the evil that lurked in the hearts of men. In The Legacies Jessica Goodman reveals the scheming and duplicity that can lie in the hearts and minds of elite private school students and the powerful and privileged adults in their lives. If you're anything like me you'll be hooked on the first page.

     The Legacy Club is housed in an outwardly plain building, one most New Yorkers could pass without a second glance. It houses an incredibly posh interior, one that precious few could get into or even guess the existence of. Each year thirty-six high school seniors from elite private schools are admitted through a week of rituals. Once they possess their golden keys they're members for life, guaranteed entry into elite colleges and other privileged spaces and the loyalty of other members who will do whatever it takes to maintain the status quo. 

     Goodman's narrators are Excelsior Prep students: Bernie, the daughter of a high ranking member whose entry was guaranteed while she was still in diapers; Isobel, the talented artist with the substance abuse problem, and Tori, the one of the one of these things does not belong scholarship student who works at her father's restaurant. Their alternating voices lead readers through the intrigues, shifting alliances, and betrayals of the crucial week, the grand finale of which will go decidedly off script...

     ...because the script has never included murder.

     I'm really excited because when I checked out the author bio I learned that there is one other Goodman book I haven't read. You'd better believe it's at the top of my Minerva send away list. 

On a purrrsonal note, advertising the drag show is going really well. I'm stirring up a lot of excitement. I just wish I could cover more territory. It's a big campus. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who are planning to participate. 

Jules Hathaway 

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This is the outfit people seem to like best. I'll wear it in the show when I do Only The Good Die Young. So far I've been to a pancake brunch 😋 and done the rounds pitching the show. I'm going to paint a pot and plant a flower but give it to someone else because Tobago would think salad bar. I can't wait to see the look on my prof's face when I arrive at Capstone. 

Fam, This is my fabulous 2nd day cosplay costume. I wanted to be sure you saw the cats on my socks and shoes. I'm having so much fun promoting the drag show. 

My Monday Cosplay

The dress is from a yard sale. I'm having fun advertising the drag show. 

Pride Week is underway. Today was the flag raising. 

Children of a Troubled Time

     Fam, those of you who have stuck with this blog that long may recall that back in '19 we explored Margaret A. Hagerman's White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America. I learned so much from it. So when I first learned of her Children of a Troubled Time: Growing Up with Racism in Trump's America I kept trying to borrow a copy by Minerva and MaineCAT to no avail. Finally I bought a copy because I believe you need to know about it. 

     Never let it be said I neglect you. 

     Hagerman calls bullshit where she sees it. She shreds the myth of childhood (or at least white childhood) as a time when kids are naive about grown up stuff (like politics) and need to be kept this way for as long as possible to keep them from experiencing negative emotions. Her interview subjects (10-13 year old kids growing up in Mississippi and Massachusetts) were very aware of current events and expressed quite strong opinions about them.

     Some of the white kids were quite troubled by Trump's 2016 win and the number of people who voted for him. They "had no idea the country was so racist". But they saw Trump as a disturbing aberration, a bad apple. Things would go back to normal when a good president was elected. 

     Some of the white kids were thrilled that Trump won and shared in his mission to make America great again. They felt that he was the only one willing to protect them against the bad people (such as Blacks, immigrants, and Muslims) who they perceived as out to hurt them, to take what was rightfully theirs. They made openly racist jokes, chanted "Build the wall. Build the wall." on the playground, and looked forward to enforcing Trumpian mandates as adults.

     For children of color the predominant feelings were fear and anxiety on two levels. Trump's win emboldened racists. The children experienced violence at the hands of their classmates and saw family members encounter violence in their communities. And they understood how Trump's policies have devastating consequences. Just try to imagine living with the daily fear of returning from school to an empty house because ICE has taken your parents. 

     Hagerman shows how encountering Trumpian influences in a time when the worst manifestations of white supremecy have gone mainstream can have devastating long term consequences for the children and our country if we don't do plenty to intervene. All of us that is. Because no less than the future of our nation is at stake. Fortunately she gives some well thought out ideas on what we can do.

     I recommend Children of a Troubled Time to everyone who gives a damn about raising kids who can resist racist thinking and actions, work to dismantle rather than reinforce racist systems, and participate meaningfully in a multicultural democracy. Remember it takes a village. 

On a purrrsonal note, at UMaine we're coming up on Pride Week. I'm looking forward to all the events. Of course the grand finale will be the drag show in which I'll be performing two numbers. All week I'll be rocking flamboyance, cos playing as my drag persona, Gotta Believe We're Magic, to publicize. Yes, I promise pictures. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who will participate this week.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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When You Look Like Us

     Jay and his big sister Nic have been through a lot in their young lives. Their father is dead. Their mother is in prison. It's the two of them against the world. 

     They live with their grandmother, Mimi, a decidedly stabilizing influence. She's a devoutly religious church member and hard worker who will do what it takes to help them achieve a bright future and make sure they don't  jeopardize it. When Nic goes from honor student to frequently truant underachiever things get tense in the house.

     When Nic doesn't come home Jay covers for her, sure she's crashing at her  boyfriend's place. As the days go by he searches for her until he decides to do what he considers the unthinkable...

     ...only to find that the police aren't any help. The first person he talks to at the station accuses him of filling a false report and the officer who interviews him makes it clear that finding another missing Black girl won't be a high priority for him...

     ...Leaving Jay to get into increasingly perilous situations as he searches desperately for Nic. 

     When You Look Like Us is a real cliff hanger of a chiller. It's a vivid social justice narrative. It's a tale of family and community...

     ...oh, yeah, and a quite unlikely romance.

     Once you engage yourself in the book you'll have a hard time putting it down. 

On a purrrsonal note, Friday I had another amazing day. I got to the point in drag rehearsing where I've nailed one song and am making progress on the other. On campus I went to an excellent lunch and learn On Indigenous people with food from Harvest Moon. I visited Amber. I went to International Student Association coffee hour featuring Iranian food. It was so good. Then I went to Family Night featuring the original Shrek. Finally Catherine and I participated in karaoke. Everyone was so engaged and enthusiastic. I got to do Only The Good Die Young and I Hope You Dance. Living my best life.

A great big shout out goes out to all who made this day possible.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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These are the treasures I acquired yesterday. Aren't they purrrfect?

All the Blues in the Sky (YA fiction)

"They know death comes and is not always fair.

Sometimes, it comes in a brutal chokehold at the hands of someone who is supposed to protect and serve, serve and protect. 

Sometimes, it comes in mangled metal wrapped around a street sign because someone was too drunk to know they were too drunk. 

Sometimes no one sees death coming."

     Sage's thirteenth birthday was a very special day. She was waiting for her best friend to come celebrate with a sleep over. But on the way over her best friend was killed by a drunk driver. 

     "my best friend died

     and it's all my fault."

     Now it's a month later Sage is dealing with the absence of this very important person. A huge hole has been torn in her life. She's being constantly hit with intense, complex, and confusing emotions. 

" I turned thirteen. 

My best friend never did."

     Sage is in an after school grief group with four other girls who lost a significant other--a father, a grandmother, a twin sister, a brother. Together they work to live in the face of overwhelming heartbreak and loss and the expectations of others for them to get back to normal.

"I want the days to slow down.

The more time passes, the more I am afraid

that I will forget her."

     Sage is candid and vulnerable. All The Blues In The Sky can offer youngsters coping with similar losses validation and comfort. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had an awesome Thursday. When I got to school I saw a pop up thrift shop selling clothes to raise money for a cause. Right on the front table--I could not believe my eyes--was a pair of flowered Van's high tops JUST MY SIZE!!! SCORE! I put them and got so many compliments! (Picture post tomorrow) Then I went to a really good lunch and learn. Finally I went to a make your own street sign thing. Only it was more like book marks. Catherine gave me a ride home so I could tote all my new library books. Living my best life.

A great big shout out goes out to all the people who contributed to my blissful day.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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When The Vibe Is Right (YA fiction)

     A lot of people are joining me in crossing library age lines in the realization that the most authentic, relevant, diverse, and inclusive fiction volumes are on the YA side. This is particularly true for that genre we call romance. Sarah Dass's When the Vibe Is Right is a prime example of this. 

     Every year in Trinidad the Carnival festival, held on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is a very big deal. Costumes, both traditional and modern, play a major role in the celebration. Tess's family's business, Grandeur, is about costume designing, manufacturing, and selling.

     "For most people, those days of Carnival passed and then it was over. But for those of us who dedicated our lives to the festival, Monday and Tuesday were just the culmination of the rest of the year. Making Carnival costumes was an artform that took months of work, time, and commitment, and the process began days after the last festival ended."

     For most of her life Tess has been fascinated with designing and manufacturing costumes. She spends as much time as she is allowed to at Grandeur. Her ambition is to ruin the family business when her Uncle Russell retires...

     ...but there's a major problem. The costume business is highly competitive. Grandeur's major rival, Royalty, is kicking their ass. They haven't turned a profit in years. In fact if things don't turn around this year Russell has decided that it will be their last.

     Tess isn't about to give up on her family business and her dream. She can see salvation being achieved by a more creative and strategic social media presence. Unfortunately this is not in her skill set...

     ...and the person who could help the most, Brandon, is the classmate she can't stand being in the same room with. 

On a purrrsonal note, I just picked up a sort of costume--my graduation regalia: gown, cap, and the grad school stuff. I'm especially proud because the stroke didn't stop me from pursuing my dream.

A great big shout out goes out to my fellow class of 25 grads.

Jules Hathaway 

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A Thousand Years (picture book)

     Ironically on the last day of winter we in central Maine were gifted with an almost summerish day. For me it was the long awaited first barefoot, tee shirt 👕 and shorts day. I read outside all afternoon. 

     Going up to my mailbox I saw a neighbor's baby girl--OMG! WALKING. Even for those of us who have raised children and know about child development there is something purely amazing about the infant to toddler transition. That child was making the most of her new mobility. And her mother was working on striking that fine balance of supporting her initiative while keeping her safe...

     ...Just as I'd done with my own children back in the day...

     ...I was instantly reminded of Christina Perri's A Thousand Years, a moving tribute to mother love. It follows a mother and daughter from birth to a day on the playground when the child steps away with a new friend on the playground. As the child takes joy in new found abilities...

     ...like my little neighbor...

     ...the mother provides encouragement and safety. Both are being brave.

     This sweet, tender message combined with Joy Hwang Ruiz's luminous illustrations makes A Thousand Years a wonderful bed time read aloud and a perfect baby shower gift.

Today, precisely 1 1/2 years after the stroke I'm still regaining abilities. Last weekend I was able to bounce a light up ball and actually catch it. And today I regained the ability to turn my head while walking without getting dizzy. Eugene and I were grocery shopping when this happened. I kept turning my head to one side then the other. Fortunately Eugene didn't notice my owl imitation. I tossed a bag of Peppermint Patties into the cart to celebrate 🥳 🎉 🎊. Neuroplasticity is awesome. 

A great big shout out goes out to the scientists who discovered Neuroplasticity. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Rhythm & Muse (YA fiction)

     Darren, protagonist of India Hill Brown's Rhythm & Muse, is one of these people who lives in his head. That's his happy place. Why risk rejection, criticism, embarrassment, and failure when you can enjoy perfectly scripted scenarios? Most of his feature Delia, a classmate who transferred into his school the previous year.

     Darren's best friend, Justin, is getting fed up with this approach. He wants Darren to make a move or move on. 

     Delia has a popular podcast: Dillie D in the Place to Be. When she has a contest for a theme song Darren creates a submission and, true to character doesn't send it in...

     ...Why risk rejection?..

     ...But someone else does. It wins the contest. Now as Delia seeks the identity of hejr mystery musician Darren must decide whether he has what it takes to leave his fantasies behind and step up to the real world. 

     Brown got the inspiration for the book in 2018. "During that time, I  wasn't seeing a lot of romance centered around a teenage,  Black, male protagonist, and I felt like they deserved to have their happily ever after, too." Between inspiration and publication she gave birth to two sons.

On a purrrsonal note, it's back to classes and homework and all the stuff I have to do to graduate. Unfortunately also a return to ❄️. After our lovely days last week. 

A great big shout out goes to Brown. I've seen through Amber's experiences how much work goes into a book from inspiration to publication. And I have the real life of birthing and caring for babies. I can't imagine combining the two. 

Jules Hathaway 

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False Starts

     In the first decades of the twenty-first century more children have been getting access to preschool. This is seen as an way for all kids to start kindergarten on a more or less equal footing, to compensate for deficiencies due to class, race, or both of the above. In False Starts: The Segregated Lives of Preschoolers Casey Stockstill shreds this myth, showing how these institutions may exacerbate rather than ameliorate inequities. 

     Stockstill's field work took place in two Madison, Wisconsin preschools: a Head Start affiliate that's 95% children of color and an independent institution that's 95% white. On the surface they would seem similar, having similar equipment and nearly identical schedules. But she digs well below the surface, showing the glaring inequities masked by surface similarities. 

     One was the relative frequency of disruptions and distractions. At Sunshine Head Start most of the kids came from extremely poor families and experienced traumas such as evictions, parental incarceration, and family reconfigurations as parents gained and lost partners. Often they came to school stressed, angry, anxious, and acting out. There was a great deal of student turnover. And the enormous amount of time teachers had to spend filling out paperwork and meeting other Head Start requirements detracted from the time they could actually spend with the children. At Great Beginnings with its middle and upper class clientele children didn't experience poverty-induced stressors, the roster was stable, and, being independent, teachers didn't have the huge amount of paperwork. Thus they could have an enrichment rather than putting out fires orientation. 

     Another difference is symbolized by toys 🧸 and other personal objects. At Sunshine Head Start children had to keep them what they brought from home in their cubbies. At Great Beginnings children's private possessions were not only seen but celebrated in three ways. There was a weekly show and tell. Children were encouraged to bring in books from home. And they could bring in a favorite stuffed animal for nap time. As Stockstill explains, the different personal property rules reinforce as well as reflect race and class inequalities.

     Another difference is the unequal surveillance of families based on the racist and classist beliefs that poor families of color would be prone to abuse and neglect their children while affluent white families would never. Sunshine families were far more likely too come in contact with an agency that prioritizes breaking up families over providing them with what they need to succeed. 

     And there are so many other ways in which children, families, and staff are impacted. False Starts is a must read for anyone involved in or going to school to study for working in early childhood education. 

On a purrrsonal note, today is the last day of spring break. It's been a most excellent one for me--the family event, the Goodwill and Sweet Frog 🐸 field trip, outside 📚 time, first signs of long awaited spring...And I've got more reviews stashed on my Smartphone to share with you in the upcoming weeks. 

A great big shout out goes out to my fellow students as we prepare to return to Black Bear Nation.

Jules Hathaway 

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A most excellent day

Even though yesterday yesterday it rained until an unwelcome change over to snow happened Jules world was sunny. A friend and I had a girlz day out. We treasure hunted at Goodwill. This is just some of the loot I snagged. The metallic crayons and mechanical pencils are brand new. The cat shirt is purrrfectly on brand. Then we celebrated our thrifting finds by dropping in at Sweet Frog for some simply irresistible frozen yogurt. True quality time!!!

My Week With Him

     Just months before high school graduation Nikki, protagonist of Joya Goffney's My Week With Him, can't wait to get out of her home and her small Texas town. It looks like opportunity has come knocking. She's been invited to audition in California for the musical career she's worked so hard for. When her mother kicks her out of the house...

     ...well she'll just have to go to California a little early and not come back...

     ...but her long term best friend, Mal, has an alternate proposal. It's spring break and he wants her to stick it out.

     "By the end of the week, I'm going to figure out what it'll take for you to stay with me--then I'm going to make that shit happen."

     Things start off well. He even takes her on a spur of the moment trip to Colorado where she's always wanted to go...

      ...only to have that spoiled by mommy dearest who is panicking because Nikki's little sister, Vae, the innocent good girl of the family,  has gone missing. She needs Nikki to find her. 

     Vae's telling their mother about Nikki's planned trip to California is the reason she kicked Nikki out of the house. During the night Vae has texted Nikki several times:

     "I know that after what I did, I don't deserve to know if you're safe. I don't deserve to have you in my life. 

     You're the only person in my life worth fighting for. 

     I'm gonna make it up to you. Promise. 

     Unless you find me first."

On a purrrsonal note, it's a grey, rainy day. But AT LEAST IT ISN'T SNOW!!! And last night a friend texted me asking if I wanted to do a Goodwill run. Well hell yeah!!! So now as I wait for her, imagining the treasures I may find, my disposition is decidedly sunny 🌞. 

A great big shout out goes out to the Goodwill people who keep so many good items out of landfills, hire and train people with disabilities, and provide a wonderful shopping venue for those of us who don't have a lot of money, want to shop ethically, or both of the above. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Signs of spring

This was me yesterday. It was my first barefoot day of the year. I 📚 outside all afternoon in shorts and a 🐈 tee shirt. And look--NO SNOW!!! I'm loving it 😍 ❤️ 💕 🙌 💗 💓. 

Negative Cat (picture book)

     It was my first day shelf reading in the juvenile/YA wing of the Orono Public Library since before the stroke back in 2023. You betcha the librarians were happy to have me back. When I saw Sophie Blackall's Negative Cat I knew it had to come home with me.

     It's about a boy who wants a cat so much that he agrees not only to feed it and keep its litter box clean, but to keep his room tidy, write to his grandmother,  and read twenty minutes a day to get his parents to let him have one.

     Things don't start off well. Max is not excited with his food, scratching post, and litter box. He doesn't respond to play initiatives. He doesn't even purr. What he does do is hack up  hairballs, 💩 outside the litter box, and chomp on the flowers.

     The rest of the family gives up on Max. They call a man from the shelter to come get him. But our hero still loves his little friend...

     ...and cat lovers from 2 to 132 will love the happy ending. 

On a purrrsonal note, back in the day when they were shorter than me the kids asked me if they could PLEASE have a dog. Now I may love and get along with other people's canine companions. But waiting outside in the middle of a Maine blizzard for a dog to do its business--so not gonna happen. So I said they could if they agreed to feed it and walk it and scoop all the 💩 it produced. They decided cats were just fine.

A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful kids and our wonderful cats, both past and present.

Jules Hathaway 

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My Fairy God Somebody (YA fiction)

     Growing up Clae, narrator of Charlene Allen's My Fairy God Somebody, has been told that her father skipped out when she was just a baby. In their Gloucester, Massachusetts (just a few cities by train from where I grew up in Beverly) home it's been her and her mom for family. She's discovered that a mystery person in New York--someone she has come to call her Fairy God Somebody--has covertly been helping her mom out. Maybe if she can discover this person's identity she can find the larger family that she's always longed for.

     Now she'll have her chance. She's been accepted for a prestigious journalism summer program in the Big Apple. When she arrives she bonds with two other Black girls in the program. It turns out they have challenges of their own. Nze is coping with the early onset glaucoma that is already stealing her vision and her parents' frantic search for a cure. Joelle is trying to arrange the perfect wedding that will bring her mother on board with her marriage. 

     As they provide support for each other it's a summer of discovery and learning set in one of this nation's most fabulous cities. 

On a purrrsonal note, I too was deprived of extended family as a child. I longed for cousins, aunts, uncles--especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas when it was only me, Harriet, and the parents. My Uncle Ken, whom I adored, and his family only visited once. My father looked down on him because Ken never went beyond high school and was a contractor. I was a young adult when I learned that my mother had a cousin with 4 kids close to me in age. When I finally met them we hit it off so well. I still mourn being deprived of extended family growing up. It's probably one reason why community is so important to me.

A great big shout out goes out to the professors and my peers in the higher education program who are very much an extended family.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Little White Flowers

     People with the power to create and sustain the narratives that we live by tend to paint  Christianity in pastel shades of positivity. We see children eagerly awaiting Christmas, couples begining new lives, infants being welcomed into communities of faith who promise to nurture them. 

     Of course we all know that awful things have been done in the name of religion. Take that mess over in Salem, Massachusetts where supposedly possessed children named alleged witches.

     But that was then; we know much better now, you may be thinking. 

     Are you sure about that?

     In her chilling debut dystopia, Amber Hathaway introduces readers to a rural Maine town where daily life revolves around the conformity to rules and hierarchy, where the most vile acts masquerade as virtue, and parents must make the most heartbreaking sacrifices.

     After their grandmother's death siblings Alice and Andy are sent to the small town of Evanston, Maine to paint and clear out an ancestral property so their parents can sell it. They're expecting a week or two of mind numbing physical labor, rural boredom, and spotty, if not nonexistent, wifi. They have no warning of the evil that awaits them. 

     It becomes clear when they arrive in Evanston that its residents are different. They are dressed strangely, especially the girls and women who wear floor length dresses. Alice is given the unsolicited advice that "It would behoove you to cover up. Us ladies must maintain our modesty, so we don't tempt men to sin." And there not only is no wifi, but no landlines. A woman describes phones as "corrupting influences that corrode the moral fabric of society."

     And ominous evidence begins to appear. Alice finds a picture of her grandmother as a child with what appears to be three sisters. On her death bed her grandmother had mentioned three sisters who were murdered. When she visits a graveyard she discovers that the three girls and an alarming number of others had July first mentioned as their death date.

     Local teen Riley has been sent to help the siblings get the farmhouse sale ready. He and Alice have been discovering themselves to  unlikely kindred spirits. He's in with them when seemingly the town is hunting them down relentlessly. 

     What sets Little White Flowers apart from many other chillers is the masterful development of setting and characters. You really feel like you're in the gloomy woods, the creepy church with its bizarre symbols, and the locked dungeon. And you care whether Alice,  Andy, and Riley make it out alive.

     And it's the first volume in a truly suspenseful trilogy. 

On a purrrsonal note, it's been such a privilege to see Amber develop as a writer from her early days of scribbling stories in notebooks and scaring her neighborhood friends with really convincing stories set in Greystone to her debut novel. It's also been a privilege to see Little White Flowers evolve from first draft, getting more complex and spellbinding each step of the way.

A great big shout out goes out to Amber and to her partner, Brian, who couldn't possibly be more supportive of her work.

Jules Hathaway 

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Pritty

     Keith F. Miller Jr's Pritty is a love story,  a social justice story, a story of gangs and loyalties, a story about the importance of family and community... Told through two truly memorable narrators, Jay and Leroy, it's hard hard to think what territory it doesn't cover and cover beautifully. 

     Since their dad was sent to prison almost six years earlier Jay's older brother, Jacob, has been the self appointed man of the house, turning down a full-ride athletic scholarship to his dream school to raise Jay. Their mother has worked multiple jobs to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. Jay is keenly aware of their sacrifices. "I've had only one goal: to  make it up to Jacob (and Momma) by earning the highest grades, acing the SAT, and then getting a full-ride scholarship to the same university so Jacob no longer has to give up his dream."

     Leroy goes to a different school--one in which he's always getting in trouble. "They call it a school, but Buford High aint nothin but a jail wit a different coat of paint--don't matta they aint got no cells or bars on the windows." As the story begins he seems to have gone too far. If he can get into a GED program he can at least earn a high school completion certificate. Like Jay, he doesn't have two parents at home. He's being raised by his slightly older brother, Taj.

     Before vanishing Leroy and Taj's father had created the Black Diamonds a coalition of gangs protecting the Black neighborhoods of Savannah. "To errbody who need em, the BDs an open secret, always there to help you get yo rent paid, family fed, legal support. And to those outside of the community--lyin politicians, crooked popos, and anybody doin our people dirty--the BDs are a black box you know exist but can't see inside of."

   The abrupt start of a series of violent incidents leaves the boys and their people with a lot to figure out.

    What's going on? Are the gang alliances fraying? Is a powerful gang from outside moving in? Or could it be something much more sinister?

     Can the incidents be stopped?

     What is the meaning of a cryptic symbol found near where each incident has happened?

     How can Jay and Leroy's budding relationship have a chance when Leroy decides that the only way he can protect Jay is to stay out of his life?

On a purrrsonal note, the family get together at Amber and Brian's was truly special. The best moments of my life are the ones I spend with my core family--Eugene, 💕 💛 💖 💓 ❤️, our kids, and their significant others. Amber gave me an advance (for reviewers) copy of her first solo book, Little White Flowers, the first volume of a trilogy. I've started reading it while doing my time on my exercise 🚴‍♀️. Fortunately it came into my hands at the beginning of spring break so I can read it straight through without braking for homework. And the minute I finish I'll let you know how awesome it is. 

A great big shout out goes out to my core family and our beloved 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ 🐱 s.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Original Sins

     In America we cherish or at least pay lip service to the notion that our public schools are the great equalizer, the reason why any little boy can become president. In Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism Eve L. Ewing eloquently calls bullshit. She shows how from the dawn of America to the 21st century, from nursery school to college they instead do a great job of maintaining the racial status quo. 

     At the beginning of the book Ewing asks readers what the purpose of schools is. Drawing on true depth and breadth of scholarship she shows the true intent of educating Indigenous children (erasure) and Black children (subordination to whites). Each chapter adds a strand to a truly horrifying tapestry. Among the topics covered are:

*The boarding schools Indigenous children were torn from their families at incredibly early ages to attend so whites could "kill the Indian to save the man",

*The role of standardized tests in bolstering the myth of white intellectual superiority and setting non whites on lower academic tracks,

*The school to jail pipeline which forecloses the future of so many non white children, 

*Why land grant colleges should be called land grab colleges, 

And so many more.

     But despite all the ugliness she uncovers Ewing is not without hope. And she offers suggestions for badly needed change. 

     Original Sins should be on the summer reading lists of parents, teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators, college professors in education departments and their students--basically anyone who cares about how we educate and miseducate this nation's children. 

On a purrrsonal note, I am so excited 😊 🤗 I just can't hide it. Today is the first day of spring break. And it's also the first time I'll see my kids in months!!!

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and our amazing children and their significant others ❤️.

Jules Hathaway 

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Ghost Roast (YA graphic novel)

     Can you imagine, as a teenage girl, having a family secret that could mess up your friendship with the cool kids who rescued you from high school social oblivion? That's the plight of Chelsea, protagonist of Shawnelle and Shawnee Gibbs' Ghost Roast. Her father's business, Ghost Roast,  is all about removing paranormal entities from places they're not wanted. He has really obnoxious ads everywhere. Could things get worse?

     Well yeah. When she's caught by the police trespassing on an end of the school year prank her mother sentences her to spend the summer helping her father evict supernatural entities by blasting them into oblivion. 

     Only something quite unexpected happens, when Chelsea and her dad and his assistant arrive at a creepy mansion. She discovers that she has the ability to see and communicate with the deceased without out electronic devices. She befriends a cute boy ghost and his ghost 🐎 and adorable white, fluffy ghost 🐈 who she doesn't want killed a second time. 

     But how can she protect them from her father until she can find a way to keep them existing?

     A lively plot and vibrant illustrations bring Ghost Roast beautifully to life--making it a sweet treat for younger graphic novel affecianados. 

On a purrrsonal note yesterday for the first day I realized that, barring an unexpected catastrophe, I am graduating this year. There's a lot of pride, but also a sense of loss. For all these years I've known I'm a grad student. What will I say during the time between 🎓 and my first higher education job. Who will I even be?

A great big shout out goes out to the other UMaine students who will be walking with me.

Jules Hathaway 

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The Blackwoods (YA fiction)

     They're THE BLACKWOODS, an ultra famous Black Hollywood dynasty. Everyone seems to know the intimate details of their lives, fed by the insatiable and unscrupulous paparazzi. From matriarch Blossom who managed to attain star status at a time when Blacks were mostly excluded from show biz to great grands Hollis, Ardith, and Prentice who all live in the spotlight even though only Ardith has gone into the family business they've been able to keep very few secrets...

     ...But one is a biggie. Blossom, a dedicated professional, has raised her only son, Abraham, with the help of her mother and younger sister. She has never revealed the name of his biological father...

     ...until Abraham and the fam find out in a letter she'd left orders to be delivered after her death. By then the father, Michael, is dead. But there's a whole living clan for the Blackwoods to try to merge with. And it's not gonna be easy...

     ...especially since it's not the only drama the family is having to deal with.

    Brandy Colbert's The Blackwoods gives readers an up close and personal look at a family defined by both power and vulnerability in the age of social media. 

     While The Blackwoods is a work of fiction, Colbert has done her due diligence, thoroughly researching the lives of the Black entertainment pioneers.

     "It was an immense joy to write The Blackwoods. I don't know if I'll ever be able to summarize all the ways in which I am moved by the power of visual storytelling, but I believe this book is a start. It is my ode to Black Hollywood, and I am honored to share it with you."

On a purrrsonal note, I attended the Women's March in Orono on Saturday. Despite the frigid weather with a biting wind chill there were hundreds of people and a few canine companions. Most of the time we stood on both sides of a bridge holding signs, chanting, and waving at the drivers who honked their horns in solidarity. I was proud to be surrounded by so much enthusiasm and determination. It's going to be a long haul.

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated and the organizers who gave us the chance to make a statement. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Most of the time we were lining both sides of the bridge between UMaine and downtown Orono. As I said details with my next review, probably tomorrow. 

This picture is from a women's day march I participated in today in Orono. Get the glorious details in my next review.

My super cute super comfy 💕 💗 💖 pajamas I got at Goodwill

This Town Is On Fire (YA fiction)

     If you're in the mood for a fast paced narrative with a very believable protagonist trying to cope with volatile situations both off and online, triggered by a post that went viral on social media, you can't do better than Pamela N. Harris's This Town Is On Fire. The story line flips between a pretty grim now full otf EMTs and ambulances and police and people in handcuffs and the debris from a bombed building and the events leading up to it.

     Naomi and the twins, Kylie and Connor, are starting their senior year of high school. Naomi and Kylie are best friends who feel more like sisters, probably because Naomi's mother took care of the twins until she started her own business. They both are trying out to keep their cheerleader spots. Naomi may be crushing on Connor. 

     One day Kylie, Naomi's ride, texts last minute that she might not be going to school. But it's not for being sick. There's a video online of Kylie calling the police on two Black teens outside Target. 

     Oh, yeah, Kylie is white.

     And the video is spreading. People have dubbed Kylie Parking Lot Becky.

     Naomi is put in an awful position. While Kylie and her rich family are expecting Naomi to bail her out--whatever it takes--the other Black students are questioning whose side Naomi is actually on and Naomi is starting to see some inconvenient and downright ugly truths. 

     And things have only have just started to heat up.

     Here we have a plot practically torn from today's headlines pulling in a lot of inconvenient issues and providing much food for thought. It's the kind of book you hate to reach the last page of. This Town Is On Fire is Harris's sophomore novel and you'd better believe that as soon as my laptop regains internet access I'm gonna seek out her first on inter library loan. 

On a purrrsonal note, I sure did have a fine time Tuesday. My friend Mazie were stepping out. First we went to Sweet Frog for their fabulous fro yo. I got the biggest size--raspberry pomegranate and blue cotton candy with toppings. Heavenly! Then we hit Goodwill where we made out like two bandits. 

A great big shout out goes out to Mazie, a good friend with whom to celebrate 🥳 🎉 🎊 good times!

Jules Hathaway 

     

     

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What She Missed

 "My parents are liars. They told me anything was possible. They said if I worked hard enough that I could create the life I wanted for myself. They said all I had to do was paint the sky with my dreams and reach and reach and reach. And I was stupid enough to believe them."

     Ebony, protagonist of Liara Tamani's What She Missed, feels like her life is over. Her parents have lost their jobs. Unable to afford the cost of living in Houston, the family had to move to a small rural town. She's lost her home, her community, and her friends. Enroute to their new house, she gets a group text.

     "Just leave it alone, I responded. Jealous they'd get to stay together. Mad they'd get to hang out all summer and go back to Houston's Academy of the Arts in the fall while I was stuck in the boonies."

     Ya see she isn't just leaving any old urban school. It's the school that she's dreamed of graduating from since she was eleven, the school she worked so hard to get into, the school where she'd come into her own as an artist. There's no way her new school can live up to it.

     The new home isn't really new to Ebony. It used to be her deceased artist grandmother's. Until six years ago she'd spent happy summers there. But things and the proverbial boy next door (and her feelings for him) have changed. Spiraling into despair, unable to communicate her feelings, and blind to many clues (the things she missed) she's acting impulsively and making serious mistakes. Maybe ones she can't come back from. 

On a purrrsonal note I had a move that felt like the end of the world. It was so that my severely brain damaged sister could be closer to her special education school. I was losing my home, my community, and my friends. I was starting high school at a place where I knew nobody. We'd moved away from my beloved ocean and into a no pets allowed apartment. My growing up home had been full of animals: cats, raccoons, red foxes, flying squirrels...I even had an ocelot, my beloved Sheba. After Harriet's life altering illness when I increasingly felt like I didn't matter in my family it was so 💔 to lose this source of unconditional love. 

A great big shout out goes out to all the kids who lose so much in moves they have no say in.

Jules Hathaway 

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Here are my good friends Bailey and Catherine running their table on Black Bears Care Day. We're going to have so much fun this summer ☀️ when school is out and no snow. 

How To Live Without You (YA fiction)

   When he was a young adult my cousin shot himself. He left behind three very young children, parents, three sisters and friends and extended kin with many questions, no answers. 

     If you've lost a loved one to suicide you know that it's not like any other kind of death. We don't have language to talk about it. It's a topic we tiptoe around, if mention at all. We especially don't talk about it with our teens and young adults out of fears we'll put ideas in their head...

     ...but for too many the ideas are already there until living gets too hard and they pull the trigger or swallow the pills and leave grieving relatives and friends with many questions, no answers.

     Silence enables a vicious cycle that we as a society need to break. In this context Sarah Everett's How To Live Without You is a much needed breath of fresh air. 

     Emmy and her older sister are inseparable Even after they were split up in their parents' divorce, Rose staying in her home with their father and Emmy moving thousands of miles away with their mother, they did their best to keep the relationship up. They made a list of exotic places that they plan to explore together. Rose is never going to leave Emmy...

     ...until she does. And it isn't like previous times when she's disappeared for a few days. Emmy goes back to her hometown to talk to the people in Rose's circle and search for clues. 

     The more Emmy learns the more she's tormented by painful maybes. Maybe she wasn't as close to Rose as she believed. Maybe Rose wasn't as happy and confident as she appeared.

     Maybe Rose is somewhere Emmy can't join her.

     I would highly recommend this book for high school juniors and seniors and college students. It distills solid timely non judgmental information within the context of a gripping plot. I would also recommend it way beyond its target demographic to parents, teachers, professors, guidance counselors, mental health professionals, and anyone else who works with and cares about teens and young adults. 

On a purrrsonal note, today at UMaine it was Black Bears Care Day. Tables lined the sunny Union atrium while music from a live band filled the air. Students engaged in fun activities--I think bracelet making was the most popular--while learning important self care, mental health, and suicide prevention information. People who got their passports stamped at six tables were eligible for a lottery with super prizes. There was good food. Attendance was quite high and students were highly engaged. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who made Black Bears Care Day truly engaging and memorable. 

Jules Hathaway 

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My new friend, Bailey

Isn't she gorgeous. And such a good girl--so sweet natured and friendly. The Orono Public Library is a favorite place for both of us. 

Rules For Camouflage

 "RULES FOR CAMOUFLAGE 

1. Whenever you need to 

2. Anytime it seems necessary 

3. Not with people you trust 

4. How do you figure out who to trust?

5. Almost always in public.

6. Definitely with grown-ups

7. ALWAYS at school 

8. Never at the zoo."

    Evvie, protagonist of Kirsten Cronn-Mills' Rules For Camouflage, is neurodivergent. Life was challenging after her sophomore year diagnosis. Now she understands her brain and  how to work with it. And she's discovered a real passion. She volunteers after school at a zoo where they're testing the intelligence of a day 🐙. She's become enamored of Aretha and her species. She's also met kindred spirits among the staff and caught the interest of a cute fellow volunteer. In fact he may be more than just a friend. 

     Unfortunately high school can be a very unkind space for anyone who is different. At Bluestem Lake Area High School, in addition to the student bullies there's a teacher who is determined to keep Evvie from graduating 🎓 if she won't conform to her rules. 

     Hence the need for rules for camoflage. 

     There is one place in the school that has been created as a sanctuary for neurodivergent students. The Lair is a place where they can get a break from the pressure and stress and be valued for who they truly are.

     But its continued existence is being threatened. 

     Evvie is a shero you can't help rooting for. Please join her for her (hopefully) final year of high school. 

On a purrrsonal note, today when I went to Orono Public Library to get my new bunch of inter library loans I met and befriended by a very gentle, dignified, friendly and big dog named Bailey. I'll post a picture tomorrow. She was bred a lot and then discarded. Fortunately she now has a loving home and time to make friends at the library. 

A great big shout out goes out to Bailey and all the good rescue dogs and cats. 

Jules Hathaway 

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These are the treasures I got for myself, (Thanks, Amber!!!) on my final trip to Joann Fabrics. I hate it when really good stores and restaurants go out of business.

The White Guy Dies First (YA chiller anthology)

     If you, like me, have developed a taste for scary short stories you'll find a feast in The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power. Between the covers you'll discover:

*topiary animals more malevolent than the ones in The Shining;

*a vengeful spirit with a hatred for rapists and their enablers;

*the gruesome secrets behind a young woman's gardening obsession;

*what docile girls are truly capable of;

And so much more. There's even a story by THE Tiffany Jackson. If you're a true chiller affecianado you don't want to miss out...

     ...but you may not want to read some of the pieces after darkness falls. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had myself an adventure today. Amber had a gift card for a store that's going out of business Friday. She sent me the card and a list of things she wanted and said I should also get stuff for myself. I hadn't counted on the place being so crowded and chaotic. I was going up and down the aisles and waiting in lines for hours. But I found good stuff for us both and got to campus in time to forage for lunch before class. So it was a fun adventure. 

A great big shout out goes out to Jo-ann Fabrics for supplying crafters so well for eighty years. You will be greatly missed.

Jules Hathaway 

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An Outbreak of Witchcraft (YA graphic novel)

     The winter of 1692 was a dire time in Salem, Massachusetts. There was a lot of fear and distrust. People heard from the pulpit that they were Sinners in the hands of a very angry God. A bloody raid by Indigenous People in what is now Maine had them terrified of suffering a similar fate. There were many feuds and rivalries between townspeople. And it was a brutally cold, dark season. 

     Suddenly a small group of tween and teenage girls started exhibiting bizarre  symptoms, seemingly being tormented by unseen beings. When asked to reveal the identities of the witches hurting them they began naming them. The ranks of the accusers and accused grew quickly. Jails were packed. Before the hysteria had run its course twenty 

innocent people had been hanged.

     In Outbreak of Witchcraft Deborah Noyes' words and M. Duffy's illustrations introduce YA readers to that perilous year. An unusually grim palette adds to the ambiance of terror and helplessness and darkness. 

On a purrrsonal note, today was a special election day. I made it to the town office even though I had to take the long way around thanks to the snow. I have no right to talk to undergrads about civic engagement unless I practice what I preach. Yesterday and today temps have been warmish. Today actually smelled a little like spring. Sadly well probably get a lot more ❄️ before that glorious season arrives in Maine. 

Jules Hathaway 

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My stuff a buddy llama

I named her Bailey after one of my friends. Isn't she too cute for words?

Nice Is Not Enough (adult nonfiction)

     Sociologist C. J. Pascoe spent over two years of observations, interviews, and the study of primary sources at a public high school serving students from working and middle class families. It was not her first rodeo. Similar research she'd conducted at the turn of the century had resulted in her first book--Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuaity in High School. Nice Is Not Enough: Inequality and the Limits  of Kindness at American High is the result of her more recent foray into secondary school. 

     At first Pascoe was pleasantly surprised by the contrast between American and the high schools she'd done her previous research at and attended as a teen. She didn't see the "gender- and sexuality-based bullying and harassment" she'd previously spent so much time documenting. 

     "American is just that kind of school, the kind of school where there is 'no room for hate," the kind of school where care, connection, and kindness characterize school culture. At every turn I see manifestations of this kindness and care."

     But Pascoe quickly discovered the dark side to this culture of acceptance and kindness. Issues like racism, sexism, and homophbia were only tackled on an individual level. Students were encouraged to be kind and inclusive and to see something, say something when they observed peers failing to live up to the school's standards. 

     But it was quite a different story when students and sympathetic staff members tried to raise awareness of these issues on a systemic level. Administration was quick to resist and and try to shut down or at least water down their attempts. Pascoe meticulously documents and analyzes this dynamic across a full range of social justice issues. 

     Pascoe nicely balances scholarship with vivid anecdotes. She includes the right details to bring her subjects vividly to life. I think it's a must read for anyone who has at least suspects that a focus on individual kindness and empowerment can easily easily divert attention from resistance to tackling or even acknowledging institutional and systemic injustices. 

On a purrrsonal note, I  have faith that the UMaine Winter Carnival went well. Unfortunately I couldn't go because for months there have no Saturday buses on the Old Town route. But I got to take a stuff a buddy llama early. It was what I wanted most.

A great big shout out goes out to the CSI staff for all the hard work they put into their amazing events. 

Jules Hathaway 

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AfterMath (juvenile fiction)

     Lucy, protagonist of Emily Barth Isler's AfterMath, has lost her beloved little brother, Theo. He was just months old when he began to show signs of the birth defect that would claim his life. But despite his frequent hospital stays and the medical paraphernalia he was hooked up to he had a vibrant personality. His absence has left a gaping hole in his family, one they tiptoe around. 

     Lucy's mother has decided that what the family needs to heal is a fresh start--a new home in a new town.  So she's starting seventh grade in a new school with a very unusual group dynamic. Four years ago her classmates,  then only eight-years-old, were the survivors of a school shooting. They saw friends murdered. They had to run for their lives. They bear inward, if not outward scars.

     The other students shun the only girl who is friendly to Lucy. It turns out that her now dead brother was the shooter. 

     And Lucy can't turn to her parents for help. They've retreated into individual coping methods--ones that depend on her keeping up the appearance of being fine...

     ...even though she very much isn't. 

     Lucy has been a long term fan of math. The formulas are are logical, the answers consistent. 

     Too bad life is nothing like that. 

On a purrrsonal note, this is a big homework weekend for me. I'm very happy to be spending most of it in my nice warm home. 

A great big shout out goes out to my faithful wing 🐈 Tobago. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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Furia (YA fiction)

     On the soccer field Camila shines. She has the giftedness, the passion, and the drive. She's such a force to be reckoned with she's called Furia. But her team winning an important game is bittersweet for her. She sees a woman consoling a member of the losing team she wonders, "What would it be like for my mother to come and watch my games, comfort me if I lost, celebrate my victories?"

     You see Camila's parents support her older brother's rising soccer career and bask in his growing fame. But her macho, abusive father has decreed that futbol is not for girls or women. He's a very unpleasant person who cheats on his wife and bullies his family. Her mother plays but resents the role she's been shrunk into. Her brother too often feels diminished. Given their dysfunctional dynamics, Camila feels that she can't tell her family about her involvement in the sport she lives to play. 

     But keeping her secret is about to become complicated. Winning the big game has opened up a world of possibilities unavailable to most girls and women in Argentina. The team has just qualified for the Sudamericano women's tournament. Camila yearns to play on a United States professional team. Doing well in the tournament could make her dream come true. But for her to play in it she has to get her parents to sign permission slips. 

     Camila's childhood best friend, Diego, is back in town and seemingly in love with her. She's falling fast but wondering if their relationship would have space for two high visibility, high pressure careers that would require frequent separations.

     All this plays against a background of so many missing and murdered girls and nothing being done to change this. In the course of the narrative when a school girl is abducted and slain her family and community's grief is mixed with anger. But when girls and women protest the killings and the indifference of the larger society they are demonized.

     Mendez has created a truly memorable, believable, and inspiring protagonist and narrative. Furia is her first YA novel. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

On a purrrsonal note, here in Maine with a few days between storms we have accumulated ❄️ which blizzard battlers are moving to undisclosed locations to make room for more snow. Too much snow. But today on campus was fun. We had free grilled cheese sandwiches and make your own trail mix with the real good ingredients. I got to take home two bags for my weekend studying. 

A great big shout out goes out to the people who worked the wonderful event. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Onyx & Beyond (juvenile historical fiction)

"That's what the doctors said 

Mama had. Early-onset dementia. 

They said maybe put her in a home,

     & Gran said, My baby ain't going in no home.

& we worked together & kept it a secret.

Then Gran went to the sky & Mama got worse."

     After the death of his beloved grandmother Onyx, protagonist of Amber McBride's Onyx & Beyond, has more responsibilities and stresses than any 10-year-old should have. In addition to keeping up in school and navigating the streets as a Black boy he must do the cooking and housework and earn money to help buy food and care for the physical and emotional needs of his mother--parent a parent before he's hit puberty. Gotta keep his mom, whom he loves to the edges of the known universe and beyond, with him and out of a home. This could get much more difficult. Child protective services has scheduled a home visit. 

     Despite the harsh reality of his life Onyx has a fascination with the universe and dreams of flying. His narrative in free verse is a rich blend of imagination and wisdom in addition to the nitty gritty of a challenging existence. 

"I wonder if when Mama is dreaming, 

     she remembers everything?

If her dreams are more real than real life."

     Onyx & Beyond, set in the late 60s, gives a vivid picture of that turbulent time. Onyx is a fictional character. But he's based on Mcbride's father's stories from his youth. 

On a purrrsonal note, I studied at home today since the woods path between my home and the bus stop is snowed in. But I have rides both ways tomorrow. I'm so excited about going in and seeing my friends. 

A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful, amazing friends. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

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The Black Queen (YA chiller)

     Inter library loans are awesome. Rather than being limited to the offerings of my local library I have access to collections all over Maine. It's always such a thrill when I pick up a stack. True, there are some duds that don't live up to their descriptions. But more often I pick up an amazing, spellbinding, impossible to put down volume. This was the case with Jumata Emill's The Black Queen. It seamlessly weaves together small town Southern intrigue, vivid characters, and a roller coaster ride of a plot with insights into the ubiquitousness and evils of racism.

     Tinsley, the white, privileged younger daughter of an influential family, feels that she's entitled to be her high school's homecoming queen. Her grandmother, mother, and older sister wielded the crown and scepter their senior years. And she has not so nice ways she's destroyed rivals for previous leadership positions. 

     But she's met her match in strikingly beautiful and immensely popular Nova--even after trying her best to intimidate her in a Mean Girls style show down and attempting to bribe her by offering to have her family pay for the restoration of a Black cemetery where Nova volunteers. 

     The night when Nova is crowned their school's first Black queen with much fanfare Tinsley is noticeably absent, off partying with her supposed besties, Giselle and Lana. When she makes a very drunk rant, stating that she should have killed Nova and left her body in "that slave cemetery she loves so much" she doesn't suspect that Lana is filming and posting to social media...

     ...where the video goes viral...

     ...which is bad news for Tinsley because the next morning Nova is found dead. Guess where. 

     Now a media hounded Tinsley is struggling to prove her innocence and avoid jail. Duchess, Nova's closest friend, is striving to put her killer behind bars. Duchess's police captain father is searching for the truth as both the black community and his white chief undermine him. And diverse characters,  some with pretty sketchy motive, are inserting themselves in the situation. 

     If you have a hunger for intrigue, drama, and suspense you will find The Black Queen to be mmm mmm good.

     In his acknowledgements Emill hints at writing more stories and maybe including Tinsley and Duchess in some of them. Now that is something to really look forward to. 

On a purrrsonal note, I am getting so tired of the snow. The woods path between my house is totally impassable. So now I have to hunt for rides to and from school. Eugene is working all kinds of hours. He isn't getting enough sleep. I'm more than ready for spring. Most people I talk to are also.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and the other blizzard battlers. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old (adult memoir)

     Celebrity memoirs, along with sci fi, cozy mysteries, Harlequin romances, and anything about sports (except those involving underdog teen or kid teams) are on my do not touch list. This should be easy to understand. I don't watch TV beyond Channel 5 news. I see very few movies. And my interest in celeb gossip matches Tobago's in befriending the dog next door. So when Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old showed up in my inter library loan stack I wondered what I was thinking when I ordered it.

     But I had ordered it. I decided to skim the introduction...

     ...and unexpectedly I was hooked. Shields reads the room. She knows who she is addressing and how to hold our interest. Her tone is intimate and candid. She combines personal narrative with research studies. And there is precious little name dropping. 

     The woman calls bull shit. In this country we're still in deep denial when it comes to ageism. She describes its 

manifestations and consequences quite eloquently. Having been on the front line of this war for decades, I find it thrilling that someone with actual name recognition is also in the trenches. And she assuages fears that it's all downhill after menopause. And speaking of menopause...

     ...she actually does. A perfectly natural process is still a taboo topic in our society, even among many doctors. Shields tells us about the wide variation of what's normal during this transition, ways people can improve their experience of it, and why we need so much more research. For this section alone the book is well worth buying for those who are headed toward or in "the change".

     Another change almost universally dreaded by mothers is children growing up and leaving home. Shields does a thoughtful discussion of the depth and complexity of feelings this transition evokes. And she reminds us that if the baby daddy is still in the house parenthood isn't the only changing relationship. 

     And she hits on the ultimate aging taboo: sex. We've moved away from the movies that show mom and dad retiring to separate beds (if not bedrooms) after a chaste kiss. But we still have a long way to go.

     If you're an older woman or nonbinary you should buy this book or at least borrow it from the library. If you're anything like me you'll find it affirming, validating, and liberating.

On a purrrsonal note, I got really great news this morning. I got 100% on my first solo presentation for capstone. I worked really hard on it.

A great big shout out goes out to me from me. I am very proud of how far I've come since the stroke. I hope you can give yourself a shout out when you accomplish something you've worked really hard for. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Before The Badge

   I think we all have perceptions of the actions of the foot soldiers of law enforcement--the cops on the beat. The camp I fall into is deeply concerned about the disproportionate number of Blacks being surveiled,  arrested and killed by police. Some think the force is being bullied by activists, the media, and political correctness. Some want to defund them while others want to give them military grade weapons. 

     In Before The Badge: How Academy Training Shapes Police Violence Samantha J. Simon shares an interesting perspective based on months of intensive field research. Prospective police officers aren't selected for and trained in racism. They are carefully selected for and socialized into a almost cult like institution. 

     "I watched this socialization process unfold for cadets during the six to eight months that they spent training to be police officers. Importantly, this socialization emphasized, and indeed required, that cadets thought about and engaged in violence that sustained their institution."

     Those cadets chosen for traits such as passion for their chosen field, a strong sense of loyalty, willingness to use physical violence, conservative beliefs, values, and political views, comfort with hierarchy, willingness to follow commands, and a binary good guy/bad guy mind set are brought into a very insular society. They spend most of their time on and off the clock with other members of the force. Outsiders--especially media professionals, activists--are portrayed as dangerous beings who put them in constant peril. "If everyone is out to get you, in one form or another, it becomes easy to legitimize violent responses and dismiss any criticism."

     And they're taught to think of themselves as warriors preparing for battle against constantly threatening advisories.

     I believe that Before The Badge is an important read for anyone concerned about the state of law enforcement in today's America. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had a totally awesome Valentines Day. Eugene had been out plowing and came home in time for me to make him breakfast. He gave me beautiful flowers and candy. I participated in really fun activities at school. When I got home Eugene took me to Applebee's for supper. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene. 

Jules Hathaway 

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