This Thing Of Ours

     Ossie, narrator of Frederick Joseph's This Thing Of Ours, has based his future on basketball. It has earned him a scholarship to an affluent private school. It would have been his ticket to one of the universities that are courting him and a way to carry on his father's legacy...

     ...except a game injury, a torn ACL, ends his basketball career. Six months months later he dreads returning to school. "But, Grandma, they're all just gonna see me and think There he goes--he had it all and lost it. They'll just see a failure."

     Ossie gets a new surge of enthusiasm when he gets accepted into a highly selective creative writing program run by a dedicated and innovative teacher. He learns that he's really good at and enjoys writing. Basketball is not all that defines him. He gains two close friends, Luis and Naima, who are two of the very few students of color in the predominantly white school. And he loves being immersed in the rich literature that reflects his cultural heritage. 

     Unfortunately Ossie has rich white  classmates with influential parents who do not appreciate diversity in their readings. 

     "Matthew sits upright again, clearly eager to enlighten us all. 'If Black people like James Baldwin spent less time complaining about white people, they could be picking themselves up by the bootstraps like the rest of us and actually become something.'"

     They're claiming reverse racism. Their parents are acting on their grievances. Suddenly the writing program and their teacher's career are in danger. 

     Although This Thing Of Ours is fiction, it's all too real world prophetic. Joseph sees the writing on the wall. With Trump and his minions going after every vestige of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the DeSantis crew striving to whitewash curriculum and ban baby ban we're going to have to fight tooth and nail to protect the hard won gains we've made and build on them. Complacency is a luxury we can't afford. 

On a purrrsonal note, today was most definitely wonderful. It was Maine Hello in Black Bear Nation--the day first year students arrive on campus and student volunteers carry their stuff to their rooms. My special role is parent whisperer. I talk to parents about how they're feeling. They really appreciate it. It's a very special day of welcoming and community building. Not even the rain could dampen spirits. 

Got any special plans for the Labor Day weekend? Eugene and I are headed for camp after our traditional Governor's breakfast. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in Maine Hello and Channel 5 News for their most excellent coverage. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Another of my Pollinator pictures. Do all you can to help these little guys. We really need them in this world 🌎. 

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Athlete Is Agender (juvenile Nonfiction)

     "There's something inherently powerful about undermining stereotypes. About celebrating queer kids as strong, athletic champions on the field, in the rink, or in the pool. There's something uniquely special about witnessing a player use they/them pronouns on an Olympic field, or watching two married teammates win an WNBA championship, or watching a soccer player open up, despite the toxic culture of his sport, to say, 'I'm gay.'

     We are everywhere, we deserve to be everywhere, and we can excel everywhere."

     That's the inspiring message of Athlete Is Agender. The profiled athletes have found joy and belonging in a wide range of sports. Some have had to fight against stereotypes and prejudice to gain the right to compete. Some of them include:

*trans track star Cece Telfer,

*first NFL player to come out as gay Carl Nassib, 

*Karleigh Webb who played football as both a male and a female, 

*nonbinary figure skater A. J. Sass

and so many others.

The athletes' narratives are very candid and vulnerable. Many queer kids will be able to see hope in them. I love this reminder in the introduction: "While these contributors are out and proud members of the LGBTQ+ community, being a queer athlete in no way means you need to feel pressure to be out, or to be a public figure or role model. Knowing that it brings you joy to put on a baseball mitt, or to tie up your running shoes for a race, or to sit on the bench and cheer for your teammates, or to climb on that horse...these are things that matter. You matter."

     Athlete Is Agender belongs in every school and public library. 

On a purrrsonal note, not all queer athletes (I'm non binary) compete against other people or teams. Since the stroke my opponent is residual brain damage. When I first tried to run nothing happened. My brain wasn't sending signals to my legs and feet. And my first running could be more accurately described as lurching. Now I can run short distances with a normal gait, something that took me over a year to achieve. When I asked my husband for a basketball he thought it would be a waste of money. It wasn't. This summer I'm working on strength and stamina to get ready for the mountain climbing event that I'm planning to raise money for Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund. Nearly every day I'm walking an hour and feeling like an athlete. I'm changing my diet to keep my blood pressure under better control which means giving up the foods I really love. I am an athlete and a champion.

One of my most magical experiences this summer was when a neighbor invited me to swim in his pool whenever I wanted. I hadn't swam since before the stroke. At first I kept sinking like a stone. But every time I pulled myself back to the surface I tried again. And then I felt something waking up in my arms and legs. Like my brain was remembering and cueing the muscles in. The first time I crossed the pool, my body cutting through the water, was pure joy. I'm gonna find a way to swim during the months when outdoor swimming is not an option in Maine. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Here it is--my first cat tattoo. Isn't it just purrrfect? The absolute cat's pajamas!!!

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Shampoo Unicorn

     Shampoo Unicorn 🦄 is one of the books in which the setting plays as large a role as the characters. We're talking small Southern town, the kind Trump would have swept with his MAGA talk. Sports, especially football, reign supreme. Varsity male athletes just about walk on water as far as fans are concerned. Patriotism is required. And religion is Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God meets Republican family values. There are some things that  royally piss off Angry God. Anything that deviates from CIS hetero seems to top the list.

     The three narrators unfortunately have to live there. Brian is one of the hosts of a podcast, Shampoo Unicorn, that deals with "the hell that is being a high school queer in small-town rural America". Greg is a gridiron 🏈 star with pretty big secrets. His bitter father is abusive to him and his nother. He's as gay as Brian. Leslie, who lives in a nearby town, is a she trapped in a he body who can only be herself online and must make up incentives to keep on getting up.

     But then:

     Greg is caught being intimate with another  boy. Both are expelled from school.

     Crossing a parking lot after a job interview Greg is nearly killed in what's either a hit and run or a hate crime. He languishes in a coma. 

     Brian starts using his real name in his podcast.

     Leslie comes out to her mother. 

     Shampoo Unicorn 🦄 is an ultimately uplifting narrative about creating community in the midst of prejudice and hatred. I recommend this fine book for public, high school, and college libraries. Many queer students in higher education face high parental pressure to stay in the closet. Imagine being 18 and being told that if you come out or transition your parents will either stop paying your tuition or not let you come home. 

On a purrrsonal note, I had a fabulous weekend. Saturday morning my friend Catherine and I made a Goodwill run. Among other finds I snagged the purrrfect chair for outside reading. Then Amber and Brian threw a wonderful family barbecue. All my kids and their significant others were there. It was for sure quality time. As always Brian was the chef extraordinaire. His veggie kebabs were out of this world 🌎. 

And now the answer to my riddle: today I got my first tattoo. I used the money from my drag show tips. It was a cat of course. I totally adore it. I'll post a picture tomorrow. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Isn't this the most purrrfect chair for a Squishmellow lover? It's even my size which is child size. My friend Catherine spotted it and brought it to my attention when we were chilling and treasure hunting at Goodwill. Good thing she had her car. It would have been hard to take home by bus.

The final clue: now that it's so imminent I'm getting a little nervous. Will I be able to go through with it? We'll know in less than 24 hours.

Jules Hathaway 

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Pink Glass Houses (adult fiction)

     If you want a highly engaging, totally yummy beach read for those precious last surf and sun days of summer you can't do better than Asha Elias's Pink Glass Houses. It's Mean Girls grown older and more powerful and just as mean. 

     Melody is certainly not in Kansas anymore. A new arrival in Miami Beach, she wants to find kindred souls and establish herself professionally. She finds her children's new school's PTA to be alarming, possibly even unethical. The fund raising events are more suitable for Hollywood galas than elementary school socials. And rules and ethics seem to be something to get around. 

     Maybe it's time for a new sheriff in town?

     It won't be easy running for PTA president. Charlotte, current VP of fund raising, has had her ❤️ set on that for years. Nothing is going to get in the way of her holding that spot. And she has influential and wealthy backers.

     "Charlotte and her PTA mafia think they are so progressive for sending their kids to public school, as though we should all bow down and thank them for lowering themselves to our level, to allow their children to be educated in the same building as ours."

     Darcy is no fan of Charlotte and the rest of the PTA mafia. She'd like nothing better than seeing a newcomer take charge and make Sunset Academy ethical again. 

     I'm sure you've heard the saying about people who live in glass houses. Well over the course of a school year there is going to be a hell of rock throwing and intrigue and totally over the top drama...

     ...if you're anything like me you'll want to come along for the ride. Can you guess who will prevail before the last chapter?

On a purrrsonal note, I was afraid I'd missed out on Old Town Riverfest. It's a several day festival with cool events including fireworks 🎆. They put on an awesome show last year. I googled it this morning and found out it's September 18-21. Now I have something else to look forward to! My birthday is the 21st!!! 

Today's clue: like just about everything else in my life it's about God or evolution's most purrrfect creation--cats of course. 

A great big shout out goes out to the people who are planning Riverfest.

Jules Hathaway 

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Here's a view from Veazie's aptly named Riverside Park. I go there on some of my morning training for the mountain climb walks. Clue: it's also seen as a form of self expression. You can tell a lot about a person by what they reveal. 

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Super Agers

     I have never been as disappointed with a book in my whole life as with Eric Topal's Super Agers. As an older person and stroke survivor with residual damage (whatever that means) in the process of making lifestyle changes to reduce risk factors, I simply wanted advice how to live longer and have the remaining years be good quality ones. I imagine this is something most of us would like to know. 

     I found about one chapter useful. Most of the text is replete with multisyllabic jargon embedded in sentences that you'd probably have to be a doctor or medical researcher to understand. I know that a lot of the paragraphs left me wondering, WTF? 

     But the problem was not with the book; it was with me. I'm sure that for experts in medical advances who want contribute to this ultra important field of study Super Agers: An Evidence Based Approach To Longevity would be  the cat's pajamas...

      ...But if you, like me, are a mere mortal wanting to live your best life in its second half..

     ...don't bother with it. 

On a purrrsonal note, I am so looking forward to Saturday. Amber and Brian are having a family cookout and Katie and Adam are coming up from Southern Maine. Nothing I love more than quality time with Eugene and our kids.

A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful family including precious Tobago. 

Oh yeah the clue: some people consider the procedure I'm going in for to be an art form. And I've seen some really beautiful ones.

Jules Hathaway 

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Here are the most recent pages from my joy journal. I highly recommend keeping one. I know it most definitely helps me stay aware of how much joy I have in my life. 

OK, I have a riddle. On Monday I will do something major for the first time in my life. I'll give clues over the weekend. Can you guess before Monday?

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The Last Summer Before Whatever Happens Next (YA fiction)

     "Living in Keech, Maine, it was impossible not to know who they were. My dad thought the Tooheys were God's gift to the town...Most people, however, thought that they were just stuck-up snobs that clogged the best seats in the restaurants in the summer and hogged the best parts of the coast for themselves."

     The year is 1980. For Claire, protagonist of Bee Burke's The Last Summer Before Whatever Happens Next, it's the summer between high school graduation (as valedictorian) and the beginning of college. Her father has given her a quite unexpected graduation gift.

     "My present to you is the summer off. No work. No heavy reading. No enrichment camps. One summer of freedom before college."

     Claire really does not like this prospect. She's the kind of person who thrives on schedules and plans and checking off items on to do lists. 

     "I didn't know how to just hang out due to a lack of experience. They didn't teach that at enrichment camps, and I wasn't exactly popular."

     But Claire's summer is going to be nothing like the boring stretch she's expecting. She gets swept up in the Tooheys' posh and dramatic larger than life world. Lunch with the younger Tooheys leads to a cruise where she rescues the matriarch's beloved dog. Pretty soon she's a frequent visitor to the family summer compound. She's even given a nickname, a real sign of Toohey acceptance. 

     But it isn't a lasting relationship. And when she and the family part ways she learns that their initial meeting was nowhere near as random and innocent as she'd thought. 

     If you're looking for a perfect beach read bring The Last Summer Before Whatever Happens Next along. And don't forget the sunscreen. 

On a purrrsonal note, here in Penobscot County, Maine we're enjoying a respite from the latest heat wave. You can tell that autumn 🍂 is sneaking up on us. When Eugene and I were driving last weekend I saw some trees 🌳 with yellow or orange leaves. My schedule is already getting busier. And soon the kids will be wearing their backpack to school. 

A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with hopes that you'll enjoy the last weeks of summer. 

Jules Hathaway 

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I have a treat for you--a recipe for the blueberry cake I baked yesterday. 

1/4 cup shortening or cooking oil

I cup sugar

1 well beaten egg 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cup flour 

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 cup milk

1 cup blueberries 

Cream shortening and sugar.

Add egg.

Shift dry ingredients and add, alternating with milk.

Fold in berries. 

Put in pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes at 350.

It's one of my favorite summer recipes. I hope you like it.

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Carousel Summer (juvenile graphic novel)

     Lucy, protagonist of Kathleen Gros' Carousel Summer, thinks that her summer is going to be the worst. Her BFF, Katia, is away at camp having all kinds of adventures. She, meanwhile, is stuck spending most of her time doing the cooking and cleaning for her family. And her father is ultra critical because she isn't the dress wearing girly girl he thinks she should be.

     Then a ray of hope enters the picture. The town of Milforth has brought in an artist to revive a special historic carousel 🎠 for the town's 150th anniversary. The artist has a daughter Lucy's age, Anais, who prefers Lucy to the popular girls. She's someone who Lucy can be her authentic self with, someone who just may be more than a friend...

      ...which might be quite problematic for Lucy's controlling father who had a fit when she just cut her hair short. 

     But the summer conflict isn't restricted to Lucy's home. Milforth has fallen on hard times. A company, Blank Slate Futures, wants to come in and redevelop properties. Some business owners including Lucy's father see this as the town's fiscal salvation. However, a lot of community members have a much better understanding of the evils of gentrification.

     Carousel Summer introduces young readers to some pretty important social justice issues within the context of a highly engaging narrative. 

On a purrrsonal note, I am having a super joyful weekend. Yesterday Eugene and I went for a wonderful road trip. We were in yard sale heaven. Among other things he got me 6 squishies (picture I posted yesterday). He got subs which meant I didn't have to cook. Today we went on another lovely road trip. We saw a whole lot of geese pecking at the ground. And of course evenings spent swimming and reading can't be beat. 

BTW August 17th is Black Cat Appreciation Day. I have a special treat to show precious Tobago how much Gene and I appreciate her.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and to black cats and the people who love them.

Jules Hathaway 

      

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Eugene has discovered how obsessed I am with squishies. He got these for me when we were yard saling this morning. 

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The Thrashers (YA fiction)

"The night I died was supposed to be my prom night.

     It was supposed to be a night of satin and lace, limos and hotel rooms, stolen kisses and cherished mistakes. While my classmates laughed and danced and snapped pictures, I climbed into my bathtub in my exquisite pink dress and emptied my mother's Vicodin bottle down my throat."

     The Thrashers are the top in group at Helvetia High, the objects of curiosity, envy, gossip, and desire for inclusion on the part of the classmates who bestowed the nickname on them. Zach, Julian, Lucy, and Paige are wealthy and entitled. The fifth member of the group, Jodi, narrator of Julie Soto's The Thrashers, feels tangential, included only because she's been friends with the charismatic Zach since early childhood. They were some of the classmates who were laughing and dancing and snapping pictures while Emily (quoted above) was consuming the drugs.

     "A girl is dead because we didn't invite her in our prom limo.

     Was Lucy right? Were they partially to blame for this?"

     Jodi isn't the only one connecting the dots between the prom and the suicide. The police see causation as well as correlation. Obviously Emily isn't around to testify against the group. But she's left a diary that's pretty incriminating. Jodi is the only one not charged with anything. Zach, the oldest of the group at eighteen, is even accused of statutory rape.

     Freaky things start happening when the five friends get together. A drive in movie screen collapses on the truck they are in. Lucy's inhaler disappears when she has a bad asthma attack. Paige is nearly electrocuted at a party...

     ...Could Emily have not completely departed? Could she be seeking vengeance from the grave?

     If you enjoy twisty chillers replete with dark secrets you'll do well to put The Thrashers on your summer reading list. 

On a purrrsonal note, the latest heat wave is finally tapering off. We've been having temps in the 90s coupled with high humidity. In Maine. I am so grateful that I can swim in Travis's above ground pool right in the park. My swimming skills are coming back. I have a good back stroke but am struggling with doggy paddle. No better way to spend summer evenings than swimming and then reading outside. Do you have exciting plans for the weekend? I have no idea what I'm doing. 

A great big shout out goes out to you with best wishes for a great weekend. 

Jules Hathaway 

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This is how I transformed my son, Adam's old room into my library. I think it looks great.

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A Protest History of the United States (adult nonfiction)

     "This United States of America has maintained a dual personality, writing of freedom in a Declaration of Independence with one hand, lashing the backs of enslaved peoples with the other, and all while on stolen Indigenous land. These deep and abiding contradictions have marked the country's laws and traditions, which offer the hope of inclusion and opportunity if only one works hard enough. At the same time, the country kills dreams with obstacles of discrimination, classism, and violence that are intentionally placed along the path, making protest a natural response."

     In her Introduction to her brilliant A Protest History of the United States Gloria J. Browne-Marshall tells it like it is. America's constant violent undermining of declarations and promises makes protest a natural and necessary response. At this time in American history if you're anything like me you're probably engaging in some kind of protest. 

     "Protest helps connect current social justice issues with past battles for freedom, equality, fair wages, the end to wars, and desegregation. This historical context is crucial for readers, for activists and for those questioning the forces aligned against progress, forces that fear inevitable change. Their use of violence, by even the seemingly staid members of the status quo, is evidence of a simmering rage against the inclusion of others. It is the lives and livelihoods lost in this war of attrition that propels the writing of this book."

     And what a book it is! It covers a wide span of time from the arrival of the first settler colonists to the current century. And it covers a myriad of protests: the Indigenous struggle for sovereignty and self-determination, the many ways enslaved peoples subtly and openly defied those who denied them freedom and humanity, the bravery of union organizers in courtrooms and on picket lines and so much more. It's a gem of a read for those who want to understand today's ills and resulting protests within the larger historical context. 

     I'm terrified by the actions of the current White House occupant and his cronies. But the other party isn't exactly reassuring me. Toward the end of the voting on the "big beautiful" budget bill the Democrat legislators were doing a gleeful rendition of make sure they remember who did this to them. The immense suffering this will cause for so many, if considered at all, is seen as acceptable collateral damage because the bill is the key to mid term election successes. What the fuck, people. 

     The crisis we're in didn't start with Trump's election. It started well before he was born. It will continue even if we elect all Democrats. The prez who ended welfare as we knew it and created the draconian laws that fill prisons with boys and men of color was Democrat William Jefferson Clinton. And both parties are bought and owned by the wealthy and their corporations. Why do you think we're the only industrialized nation without a single payer health care system--paying more for much worse outcomes. 

     Anyway if you really want a better America for us all please read A Protest History of the United States and let it help you grasp the big picture. You'll be glad you did.

On a rather long but hopefully interesting  purrrsonal note, I've been protesting just about all my life. I've bussed to DC and marched and done all the traditional stuff. But a lot of what I've done was different. 

1) When I was in elementary school I protected immigrant kids from mini nativists on the playground. I was runty but FIERCE. When I swooped in fists up the bullies backed off. Also I aggravated the teachers by pointing out the lies (the pilgrims and the Indians were friends) in the curriculum. 

2) I refused to be confirmed at 11 because of the racism and classism I saw in my family's country club Episcopal church. It was a big deal because, as director of religious education and organist, my parents were just below the minister in the hierarchy. 

3) I spent two years as a volunteer school librarian so a school in a low income including projects could keep its library open. I used my connections to raise money for library books and brought in free programming. In terms of solidarity those were two of the best years of my life.

4) I ran for school committee so lower income kids and families could have representation. I had to face classist hate speech (trailer park trash). But the third time I won and served for 11 years, over half as vice chairman.

In applying for grad school I was protesting ageism. In performing in drag shows I celebrate my non binary essence. As long as I can I will be protesting in traditional and non traditional ways.

A great big shout out goes out to dedicated protesters around the 🌎

Jules Hathaway 

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Fitting Indian (YA graphic novel)

     Nitasha, narrator of Jyoti Chand's Fitting Indian, has to hide her Cosmo magazines from her mother. Actually she doesn't feel that she fits in with her strict Indian family. She questions their many rules and traditions. Unlike her doctor older brother, she has no interest in vocations her parents would approve of. She has no intention of letting them pick her future husband and resents the control they exert over her free time. 

     In school she's facing challenges. Her long  term best friend, Ava, is befriending a new girl, Chloe who seems to be replacing her. A boy she has a crush on asks her to tutor him in biology and they spend a lot of time together. Only then he asks Chloe to the homecoming dance. And she accepts, knowing how Nitasha feels. 

     Nitasha does use alcohol to take the edge off her feelings. And she cuts herself when things get really bad. When Chloe posts a really cruel video and it goes viral and Nitasha's family and religious community turn on her--her father says she's not his daughter and her mother accuses her of ruining their family name--she tries to commit suicide. 

     Although Fitting Indian is a work of fiction, it draws upon Chand's own experiences. It's the book that she felt she had to write.

     "This is Nitasha's story, but it's also familiar to so many of us--young South Asian women who were put into a box too early in life and told how life should play out. Many of us struggled and still struggle silently, and some of us were lucky enough to have second chances to live a more fulfilling life. Mental health has been ignored and brushed under the rug culturally for far too long."

On a purrrsonal note, Saturday was the annual Greystone (trailer coop) barbeque. The weather was perfect--sunny but not too hot and humid. The food was delicious. I was able to give out dozens of school supplies filled backpacks. The kids loved them. Their parents were impressed with the quality and variety of the backpacks and the fact that it's the sixth year of the project. Everyone seemed to have a really good time. Now I can start planning year seven.

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the barbeque, especially those who organized it and provided the food. 

Jules Hathaway 

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A few of the backpacks I gave out at the barbeque yesterday.

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Jane Against The World (YA Nonfiction)

"Imagine that you're sixteen years old and still in school. Now imagine that you have just discovered that you're pregnant--or your girlfriend is pregnant. 

     What does that mean to you?

     What does that mean to your life from now on?

     What do you want to do?

     What can you do?

     What are you going to do?"

     The short first page of Karen Blumenthal's Jane Against The World: Roe V. Wade And The Fight For Reproductive Rights really personalizes an explosive and controversial issue for younger readers. What if the person potentially needing an abortion was you or someone you love?

     In a situation I'd never anticipated that person was me. A sonogram showed me that the fetus I was carrying had no heartbeat, a situation incompatible with life. The miscarriage went on and on. After forty days of bone deep chills, fever, and agonizing cramps I got an abortion. It was done in a hospital as a routine medical procedure. I remember thinking how lucky I was that I wasn't in a country where this action or even a simple miscarriage could have put me in prison, unable to parent my beloved daughters. That was when pregnant people enjoyed the protection of Roe V. Wade.

       When this landmark legislation was overturned chaos ensued. Now states differ widely on what is a legal reason to terminate a pregnancy and some have very few. Going to another state isn't always even feasible. Girls and women can be trapped in really horrendous situations. A woman I know found out that a very much wanted unborn, because of a genetic defect, would never know a moment of consciousness and wouldn't live beyond 18 months. In many states she would have to carry this fetus to term. 

     "The issue is not whether we do or don't have abortions. The issue is where--in some dirty hotel room or some dingy back room of a doctor's office, or in a hospital under proper medical care."

     I think we can agree that the third option is the best. And knowledge is one of the most essential tools to achieve access to it for all people needing abortions. Jane Against The World gives a comprehensive analysis of the the long history leading up to Roe V. Wade. It gives readers a candid look at the events and actors involved. But I think what I like best about Jane Against The World is the intersectional approach it takes, showing its relationship to classism, racism, eugenics, and forced sterilization. It's the book I'd give my daughters if they weren't already probably more knowledgeable than me.

     I see this fine book as a most worthwhile acquisition for high school and public libraries.

On a purrrsonal note, I was able to see my friend Lynn Plourde for the first time in ages. Lynn is the author of over 40 excellent published books, many of which I've reviewed for this blog and the Bangor Daily News. She was doing a children's program for the Old Town Public Library. I always enjoy watching Lynn in action. She has a special ability to connect with kids--keeping them engaged and excited. I learn so much. And it was such a treat to have time to chat afterwards. Lynn and I go way back. And I sure am lucky to have her in my life.

A great big shout out goes out to the incomparable one and only Lynn Plourde. Your library most likely has at least a few of her fine books. Check them out, especially when you need a simply irresistible read aloud. Also to the staff of the Old Town Public Library. 

Jules Hathaway 

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My diploma

Well, fam, it finally came and I couldn't be more proud. Earning it was a for real challge--especially after the stroke. But I did it. Now on to getting a job and getting my manuscript published. 

Tomorrow is the trailer coop barbeque. I have dozens of gorgeous backpacks stuffed with school supplies ready to give out to the kids. It's Backpack Project's 6th year and going strong thanks to our generous contributors. 

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How We Ricochet

     "Takes a moment for it to sink in: the gunman is the dead man, the injured are the women I heard him shoot, the retail store is the last place I visited. 

     I was there."

     Betty, protagonist of Faith Gardner's How We Ricochet had expected a trip to the mall to buy her mother work clothes for her new job to be rather boring. In fact she'd ditched her mom and older sister, Joy, to go to the nearby cupcake shop. She was there when a gunman opened fire in the clothes store where she'd left her family. 

     "'We're fucking lucky,' Joy says. 'There were so many bullets. We should have died.'

     'I'm so glad you're okay,' Mom says, holding Joy's head to her chest."

     But Joy really isn't. The sister who Betty considered a badass--who rode a motorcycle, played bass guitar, and gave herself a tattoo--now can't leave the house. She's dropped her college classes. And she's ditched her job for so long that she's lost it.

     But her mother's way of coping has her MIA when it comes to her older daughter's crisis. Being interviewed by NBC has inspired her to become a gun control activist. Between this engagement and her job that pays the bills she really doesn't have time for anything else. And now she's getting death threats.

     The dead gunman's younger brother is an acquaintance of Betty. In desperation she tries to befriend him. Maybe he can give her the insights that can assuage Joy's crippling fears and empower her to keep her family safe.

On a purrrsonal note, I've regained another skill. A guy in my trailer coop told me I can swim in his pool. I hadn't been in a pool since before the stroke. It was literally sink or swim. At first I kept sinking like a stone. But I kept trying. I got to where I could swim across the pool. It felt so good to be cutting through the water with an evening breezes mitigating the sun's heat. Truly a time of unmitigated joy!!!

A great big shout out goes out to the kind neighbor with the pool. 

Jules Hathaway 

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I'm sharing this picture because bees are such precious pollinators and a challenge to capture in pictures--they're in constant motion. 

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Disposable (adult nonfiction)

"For too many people, misery is the formal policy of the United States. The lucky few at the top tell a different story about this country. America is fair, they say, and the meritorious rise to the top. The reality is less flattering."

     Back when people were trying to understand COVID-19 patterns became discernible in the contagion and mortality statistics. Some groups were becoming ill and dying at much higher rates than others. Pretty predictably those were the people the rich and powerful and the legislators in their pockets considered disposable: the BIPOC, the poor, people with disabilities and comorbidities, older people, and the essential workers who had to go into jobs where catching a potentially fatal disease and bringing it home to loved ones was a clear and present danger and they often weren't provided the most basic personal protection equipment by the companies that were gleaning huge profits from their forced sacrifices. 

     A lot of people were shocked by the revelations. Not Sarah Jones, a senior writer for New York magazine. In Disposable: America's Contempt For The Underclass she makes one thing perfectly clear: COVID-19 didn't start anything; it simply made evident what the rich and powerful were hiding for a long time--basically since this nation's inception...

     ...that there is an inherent and vicious conflict of interest between those at the top who want to make obscene amounts of money while keeping the majority of fellow citizens poor enough to exploit ruthlessly and the rest of us. I'll give you an example from the book that is very personal to me. Even as COVID-19 was keeping the grim reaper working overtime, even as most of us were sorta focused on staying alive, the rich and their friends in government were flat out stating that the emphasis on life saving was misguided. Those of us considered disposable shouldn't stand in the way of reopening the country to business as usual even if we'd pay the ultimate price. I was an older person--68 to be exact--when this was going down. My reaction to the more than suggestion that I should lay down my life on the altar of capitalism was NO FUCKING WAY!

     Jones does a deep dive into all aspects of the brutal COVID-19 reckoning and the national history that made it inevitable. She does a very commendable job balancing facts and statistics with the stories of many who needlessly lost their lives. If you're bothered by the brutal inequities that sacrificed the lives of millions for the profit of the few and you want things to change, especially if, like me, you're considered acceptable collateral damage, Disposable most definitely belongs on your summer reading list. 

On a purrrsonal note, I really lucked out in the pandemic. I was just starting grad school when UMaine went online and my biggest challenge was adapting from in person to virtual learning. I think I had a mild case in Christmas break '22, but I was fine after a week of lying around. Eugene was an essential worker so we had a continuous source of income. I was able to get zoom counseling for anxiety through my school. I had precious Tobago for company and my family and friends to keep me from feeling isolated. I wasn't even bored because I binge ordered inter library loans and my friend, Emily who can drive to deliver them right to my door and Eugene and I could safely get away for weekends at our camp in the woods. And I had the assurance that when UMaine went back to in person learning my job would be waiting for me. 

A great big shout out goes out to Jones for her brilliant truth telling. 

Jules Hathaway 

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My best weekend yard sale finds. I now have a dedicated hiking backpack. 

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Between Two Brothers (juvenile fiction)

     When I was a preteen suddenly having to cope with a drastically changed family and community after my younger sister, Harriet, survived spinal meningitis with severe and permanent residual brain damage I felt isolated. I didn't know anyone else in my situation. As a devoted reader I turned to the library to find a character like myself...

     ...only to find nothing. There were no siblings of children with profound disabilities as protagonists. Actually there were very few people with handicaps in books and they tended to be portrayed as saintly overcomers of odds or tragic victims. Fortunately today this situation has changed for the better. One of the best examples of this is Crystal Allen's Between Two Brothers. 

     Ice (Isaiah) and his older brother, Seth, are much closer than most sibling pairs. The farming family brothers are best friends who look out for one another. They have a special saying, between brothers, to emphasize their sibling solidarity. As Seth starts his last year of school Ice is determined to make the most of their last full year together...

     ...except it doesn't exactly work out that way. Seth starts blowing off commitments he's made to Ice. Then Ice learns that Seth will be leaving for college a semester early. The boys fight. Ice is filled with regret and a need to apologize...

     ...which doesn't happen because Seth gets in a car accident, suffering such severe brain injury he has to be put in a medically induced coma. His doctor doesn't know if he'll ever again walk, talk, or even open his eyes.

     The ring of authenticity is there in all facets of the book from Ice's complex and sometimes contradictory personality through Allen's refusal to provide an unrealistic happy ever after to realistic descriptions of the challenges the family faces such as when they have two days to acquire the medical equipment and expertise to care for Seth when he comes home from the hospital. 

     So it should come as no surprise that Allen wrote from life experience. A catastrophic accident changed her family dynamics. She could see the impact not only on her injured child, but on her older child, herself, and her husband. Although its characters are fictional, she describes Between Two Brothers as the story she was living. 

On a very purrrsonal note, when I was 11 one evening I wanted to play with Harriet's new Mouse Trap game. Harriet said no. I said "I hate you. I hope you die." Mom and I spent the weekend at a Girl Scout camping weekend. Then Sunday we were speeding back because Harriet was in the hospital probably dying. I thought God was fulfilling what He thought was a request. I asked him please not to kill her. So I thought it was my fault when she didn't die but was never the same. I wish my parents were as unified as Ice's parents were. My father wanted to give Harriet's custody to a state hospital, not waste money on her. My mother thought Harriet's disabilities were only temporary. She could still become a lawyer. The first Christmas after Harriet's catastrophic illness she gave a recording of famous supreme court cases. I wisely refrained from saying that Harriet had as much of practicing law as our cats did.

I real love an Emile Zola quote Allen includes in the introduction: "We are like books. Most people only see our cover. The minority read only the introduction. Many people believe the critics. Few will know our content." A great big shout out goes out to the really special people in my life who have gone past my cover and introduction to see (and love) my content. 

I will have amazing news to include in my next book review. 

Jules Hathaway 

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The Stepping Off Place (YA fiction)

     There is something different and disturbing about losing a loved to suicide that isn't present in losing them any other way. It's the element of choice, that they decided to leave permanently, that raises painful questions. Why did they? Why couldn't they believe that things could get better? Why didn't I notice the signs and do something before it was too late?

     I was lucky. I was an adult when my cousin took his life, leaving the three young children he was single parenting. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a loved one to suicide during the already tumultuous teens. That's the plight of Reid, protagonist of Cameron Kelly Rosenblum's The Stepping Off Place. 

     Reid and Hattie have been besties since they were in middle school although they have distinctly different personalities, Hattie being the charismatic, popular, colorful, and impulsive sun the more reserved and cautious  Reid moon revolves around. As the story begins Reid is eagerly awaiting Hattie's return from her annual summer spent with extended family in Maine. Their senior year is going to be epic, their exit from high school unforgettable. 

     But right before Hattie is due to return Reid's parents have to tell her that Hattie drowned the night before and that it's being considered suicide. 

     Reid can't believe that her vivacious, fun loving friend who had seemingly everything going for her would take her own life. She wishes her parents and guidance counselor would leave her alone. But as she investigates and learns of the many secrets people close to Hattie were keeping she discovers that even people who seem to have perfect lives can be overwhelmed with sadness. 

     The Stepping Off Place is a beautiful example of show, don't tell. In the text that moves between before and after chapters readers can navigate the complex and constantly changing relationships of the characters--the human milliu in which the story takes place. Seeing the world through Reid's eyes conveys the rawness and nearly unbearable pain of her grief. 

     This story is a very personal one for Rosenblum who lost a treasured long term friend. I'm going to quote extensively from her author's note here because trying to paraphrase such eloquence could never do it justice. 

     "Writing this book was a way for me to grieve and to confront what scared me to the core: that a person can at once be so funny and fun and beautiful, have all manner of creature comforts, can be loved by many, but also can secretly be suffering a sadness so immense, it's unimaginable to those who have never experienced major depression. To the person inside depression, it can seem like an unstoppable fog bank--distorting and disorienting, a suffocating, endless gray despair. 

     The Stepping Off Place started off as a rallying cry for myself. I wanted to explore how we who are left trying to make sense of a shattering and seemingly senseless loss, can come out the other side of that fog bank with our human spirit intact. Because I believe that we can--maybe not as the same person, but as someone who can carry on with the messy business of living a life, with all its joys and heartaches, loves and losses."

On a personal note, yesterday I got my diploma in the mail. I am so proud of it! Today I am taking Tobago to the vet for her annual checkup and shots. She is so not a fan!!! Wish me luck wrestling her into her cat 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ carrier. 

A great big shout out goes out to the Veazie Vet crew.

Jules Hathaway 

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