The Macho Paradox
Adult nonfiction
"In reality, 'real men' can be very selective about what truths
they are willing to confront. Until recently, men as a group have
been largely AWOL from the fight against gender violence. In one
sense, it is easy to see why. Men's violence against women is a
pervasive social phenomenon with deep roots in existing personal,
social, and institutional arrangements. In order for people to
understand and ultimately work together to prevent it, it is first
necessary for them to engage in a great deal of introspection. This
introspection can be especially threatening to men, because as
perpetrators and bystanders, they are responsible for the bulk of the
problem."
Jackson Katz, author of The Macho Paradox: How Some Men Hurt
Women And How All Men Can Help, has lectured on college campuses about
the pervasiveness of men's violence against women for decades. In one
exercise he asks first men and then women what they do on a daily
basis to protect themselves from being sexually assaulted. The guys,
not surprisingly, usually don't have much to say. Many don't give any
thought to the matter. The women, however, have a litany: "Hold my
keys as a potential weapon. Look in the back seat of the car before
getting in. Carry a cell phone. Don't go jogging at night..."
Katz states his thesis clearly and succinctly at the beginning
of his first chapter: although we are conditioned not to realize
this, violence against women is a men's issue. Men are overwhelmingly
the perpetrators. They also often give tacit consent to micro and
sometimes larger aggressions as silent bystanders. Most men have
important women in their lives who have been victimized or can be in
the future...
...not to mention that without active partnership on the part of
men there will not be an awful lot of progress.
Katz shows us how many conventions of our society make achieving
this partnership to be a real uphill struggle. Language that focuses
on the woman, say in a rape trial, makes the male perpetrator
practically invisible. What was she wearing? Was she sexually
active? Making sexual violence seen as solely caused by individual
pathology ignores the huge role of social customs and gives most guys
a "I don't rape women. Nothing to do with me" free pass.
Not so fast, Katz would say. Even the nice guys who do not
agress against women benefit from the system in much the same way that
non racist Caucasions are unfairly advantaged by white privilege.
Fortunately he discusses a number of ways that men can be enlisted in
the cause.
I think The Macho Paradox is a men's must read.
On a personal note, the week before my birthday I donated blood which
went very well (except that the rest of the day I felt like I'd had a
few beers and I couldn't do much at community garden). The next day,
rested and hydrated back to my usual self, I volunteered at the canteen.
A great big shout goes out to the Red Cross nurses and my fellow donors.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, September 26, 2016
Every Body's Talking
Every Body's Talking
Picture book
Silvestre is my mentor. I consult him often when I am deciding
whether to do something. When he says yes in words his body language
is congruent. He smiles and makes eye contact. If he said yes while
looking away and narrowing his eyes I would be confused. Have you
ever experienced someone saying one thing (of course I will) verbally
and another one (when Hell freezes over) kinetically? How did that
make you feel?
When we teach our children to communicate we tend to focus on
words. Other than making some gestures, say flipping the bird, taboo,
we tend to skip over the performing and interpreting of nonverbal
clues...even though they carry more weight in everyday discourse.
Donna M. Jackson's Every Body's Talking: What We Say Without Words
gives the evolving intermediate grade child a good introduction to the
topic.
Through a lively discourse illustrated with intriguing
photographs young readers can learn methods for interpreting others'
nonverbal cues. For instance:
*the many messages that can be sent with the eyes alone,
*the complexity of facial expressions,
*possible clues to verbal deception,
and *how interpretation of gestures differs widely between cultures.
There are also helpful hints for overcoming anxieties such as stage
fright.
These days when the ubiquitous social media is often replacing
person to person communication, even for the very young, learning the
nuances of real life social situations is crucial. Every Body's
Talking can be an important part of this education.
On a personal note, I went to a solidarity protest against putting
polluting pipelines through North Dakota sacred tribal land. It was
at the Bangor waterfront. We listened to speeches and drumming. We
took a walk with signs, crossing two bridges. Lots of people honked
in approval. We had some delicious food before we headed home.
A great big shout out goes out to the people fighting to protect their
precious land and water from being ravaged by greedy corporations.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Silvestre is my mentor. I consult him often when I am deciding
whether to do something. When he says yes in words his body language
is congruent. He smiles and makes eye contact. If he said yes while
looking away and narrowing his eyes I would be confused. Have you
ever experienced someone saying one thing (of course I will) verbally
and another one (when Hell freezes over) kinetically? How did that
make you feel?
When we teach our children to communicate we tend to focus on
words. Other than making some gestures, say flipping the bird, taboo,
we tend to skip over the performing and interpreting of nonverbal
clues...even though they carry more weight in everyday discourse.
Donna M. Jackson's Every Body's Talking: What We Say Without Words
gives the evolving intermediate grade child a good introduction to the
topic.
Through a lively discourse illustrated with intriguing
photographs young readers can learn methods for interpreting others'
nonverbal cues. For instance:
*the many messages that can be sent with the eyes alone,
*the complexity of facial expressions,
*possible clues to verbal deception,
and *how interpretation of gestures differs widely between cultures.
There are also helpful hints for overcoming anxieties such as stage
fright.
These days when the ubiquitous social media is often replacing
person to person communication, even for the very young, learning the
nuances of real life social situations is crucial. Every Body's
Talking can be an important part of this education.
On a personal note, I went to a solidarity protest against putting
polluting pipelines through North Dakota sacred tribal land. It was
at the Bangor waterfront. We listened to speeches and drumming. We
took a walk with signs, crossing two bridges. Lots of people honked
in approval. We had some delicious food before we headed home.
A great big shout out goes out to the people fighting to protect their
precious land and water from being ravaged by greedy corporations.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, September 24, 2016
We Are The Ship
We Are The Ship
Juvenile nonfiction
"Makes you mad to hear players today squawk about jet lag, and
all of this. Try sleeping in a car with your knees to your chest,
crammed with eight other guys, only to play a game the next day.
Players today just don't know how bad it could be. We look back and
wonder, 'How did we do all of that?' It's simple. We loved the game
so much, we just looked past everything else. We were ballplayers.
There was nothing we would have rather spent our time doing."
Not surprisingly, when America's favorite sport became really
popular in the 1860s most professional baseball players were white.
The few black players who did get on teams were treated very badly.
And after 1887, following a secret agreement on the part of white
owners, even those few were let go. In order to stay in the game,
blacks had to form leagues of their own. In Kadir Nelson's We Are The
Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball you can read the fascinating
story of a lesser known chapter in sports history. The voice is that
of an unnamed every pitcher. The narrative is built around nine
innings.
Playing in these leagues was not for the faint of heart. On the
field whatever it took to win was the rule of the game. (This was
before they came out with all the safety equipment we take for granted
today). White fans were abusive. Off the field a lot of time was
spent on buses because segregation existed in both South and North.
Restaurants and hotels that would serve blacks were few and far between.
But play they did. We Are The Ship brings those colorful years
and the players who made them memorable to life. Nelson's oil
paintings, based on vintage photographs are amazingly detailed and
animated. They look three dimensional.
On a personal note, when Rogers Farm had a field day I went with my
real food challenge gang. There were all kinds of exhibits and all
kinds of yummy food. I got to puppysit Pat's puppy Rosie. Rosie was
happy to walk with us. (My posse was happy to help). And she cuddled
with me when we sat to listen to fiddle music.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who put on such a
fabulous day.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
"Makes you mad to hear players today squawk about jet lag, and
all of this. Try sleeping in a car with your knees to your chest,
crammed with eight other guys, only to play a game the next day.
Players today just don't know how bad it could be. We look back and
wonder, 'How did we do all of that?' It's simple. We loved the game
so much, we just looked past everything else. We were ballplayers.
There was nothing we would have rather spent our time doing."
Not surprisingly, when America's favorite sport became really
popular in the 1860s most professional baseball players were white.
The few black players who did get on teams were treated very badly.
And after 1887, following a secret agreement on the part of white
owners, even those few were let go. In order to stay in the game,
blacks had to form leagues of their own. In Kadir Nelson's We Are The
Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball you can read the fascinating
story of a lesser known chapter in sports history. The voice is that
of an unnamed every pitcher. The narrative is built around nine
innings.
Playing in these leagues was not for the faint of heart. On the
field whatever it took to win was the rule of the game. (This was
before they came out with all the safety equipment we take for granted
today). White fans were abusive. Off the field a lot of time was
spent on buses because segregation existed in both South and North.
Restaurants and hotels that would serve blacks were few and far between.
But play they did. We Are The Ship brings those colorful years
and the players who made them memorable to life. Nelson's oil
paintings, based on vintage photographs are amazingly detailed and
animated. They look three dimensional.
On a personal note, when Rogers Farm had a field day I went with my
real food challenge gang. There were all kinds of exhibits and all
kinds of yummy food. I got to puppysit Pat's puppy Rosie. Rosie was
happy to walk with us. (My posse was happy to help). And she cuddled
with me when we sat to listen to fiddle music.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who put on such a
fabulous day.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Barbed Wire Baseball
Barbed Wire Baseball
Picture book
I believe we're heading toward the World Series. (Keeping
sports seasons straight is not my forte.) However, I know for sure
we're headed toward an election where we could end up seriously
mistreating people of non white ethnicity. Marissa Moss' Barbed Wire
Baseball, the story of the man considered the father of Japanese
American baseball, takes a look at one time America did just that from
a very interesting perspective.
Kenichi Zenimura (Zeni) decided that he wanted to play baseball
the first time he saw a game. Family and friends considered him too
small and frail. His parents considered his passion a waste of time.
They wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer.
As an adult, despite standing five feet tall and tipping the
scales at one hundred pounds, Zeni managed, coached, and played. He
was advancing quite well in his beloved sport when something happened
that was way out of his control.
Pearl Harbor.
As America entered into World War II, the West Coast was
considered in need of protection from enemy spies. Zeni and his wife
and sons were some of the 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent who
were locked up without trials in primitive barracks put in the
desert. He was sure baseball could help to make those barracks home
for their inhabitants. But how in such desolation could he build a
field and get the uniforms and equipment?
I guess you'll have to read the book to see.
On a personal note, we had some jamming at the Wilson Center the
second Wednesday in September. Dylan had his guitar. There were some
pretty awesome drums. The rest of us played simpler instruments. I
was a gypsy dancer with a tambourine. Didn't we make some beautiful
music together!
A great big shout out goes out to my Wilson Center family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
I believe we're heading toward the World Series. (Keeping
sports seasons straight is not my forte.) However, I know for sure
we're headed toward an election where we could end up seriously
mistreating people of non white ethnicity. Marissa Moss' Barbed Wire
Baseball, the story of the man considered the father of Japanese
American baseball, takes a look at one time America did just that from
a very interesting perspective.
Kenichi Zenimura (Zeni) decided that he wanted to play baseball
the first time he saw a game. Family and friends considered him too
small and frail. His parents considered his passion a waste of time.
They wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer.
As an adult, despite standing five feet tall and tipping the
scales at one hundred pounds, Zeni managed, coached, and played. He
was advancing quite well in his beloved sport when something happened
that was way out of his control.
Pearl Harbor.
As America entered into World War II, the West Coast was
considered in need of protection from enemy spies. Zeni and his wife
and sons were some of the 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent who
were locked up without trials in primitive barracks put in the
desert. He was sure baseball could help to make those barracks home
for their inhabitants. But how in such desolation could he build a
field and get the uniforms and equipment?
I guess you'll have to read the book to see.
On a personal note, we had some jamming at the Wilson Center the
second Wednesday in September. Dylan had his guitar. There were some
pretty awesome drums. The rest of us played simpler instruments. I
was a gypsy dancer with a tambourine. Didn't we make some beautiful
music together!
A great big shout out goes out to my Wilson Center family.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Friday, September 23, 2016
Guess Who, Haiku
Guess Who, Haiku
Picture book
Most children are fascinated by animals. Most kids enjoy
riddles. In Deana Caswell and Bob Shea's Guess Who, Haiku these
interests are used to introduce young readers to a fascinating style
of Japanese poetry.
The book consists of a series of two page spreads. On the right
hand page is a lively haiku about a critter. The child reader is
encouraged to guess its identity before flipping the page to see a
charming picture of the described creature.
My favorite of the haikus reads as follows:
"full belly purring
whiskers frame milk-scented yawns
beloved stuffed pet"
A ball of yarn at the bottom of the page gives a visual clue. Flip
the page and you see an adorable big eyed kitten.
Guess, Who, Haiku is a wonderful investment for a teacher or
youth group leader. Reading the book is only the start of the fun.
Children can be encouraged, singly or in small groups, to make their
own haiku books and share them with younger kids or present them to
proud parents at an authors tea.
In today's schools, where there is often too much pressure to
teach to the test, too often poetry is left to an age where students
greet its introduction with anything but unmitigated joy. Younger
students who haven't discovered its potential peer uncoolness or
developed caution around self expression and trying new things are in
a great position to make this spirited writing genre their own.
On a personal note, after I went to the customer appreciation day the
farmers market put on I was walking to the bus stop to go home and
work. Only one of my international friends asked if I was coming to
their barbecue. Faced with the choice of good food and friends to
chill with at a lovely riverside location or dishes and laundry I was
only too happy to opt for the former. What a night it was!
A great big shout out to our international students who so enrich the
UMaine community by dwelling among us and sharing their heritages.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Most children are fascinated by animals. Most kids enjoy
riddles. In Deana Caswell and Bob Shea's Guess Who, Haiku these
interests are used to introduce young readers to a fascinating style
of Japanese poetry.
The book consists of a series of two page spreads. On the right
hand page is a lively haiku about a critter. The child reader is
encouraged to guess its identity before flipping the page to see a
charming picture of the described creature.
My favorite of the haikus reads as follows:
"full belly purring
whiskers frame milk-scented yawns
beloved stuffed pet"
A ball of yarn at the bottom of the page gives a visual clue. Flip
the page and you see an adorable big eyed kitten.
Guess, Who, Haiku is a wonderful investment for a teacher or
youth group leader. Reading the book is only the start of the fun.
Children can be encouraged, singly or in small groups, to make their
own haiku books and share them with younger kids or present them to
proud parents at an authors tea.
In today's schools, where there is often too much pressure to
teach to the test, too often poetry is left to an age where students
greet its introduction with anything but unmitigated joy. Younger
students who haven't discovered its potential peer uncoolness or
developed caution around self expression and trying new things are in
a great position to make this spirited writing genre their own.
On a personal note, after I went to the customer appreciation day the
farmers market put on I was walking to the bus stop to go home and
work. Only one of my international friends asked if I was coming to
their barbecue. Faced with the choice of good food and friends to
chill with at a lovely riverside location or dishes and laundry I was
only too happy to opt for the former. What a night it was!
A great big shout out to our international students who so enrich the
UMaine community by dwelling among us and sharing their heritages.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Every Breath We Take
Every Breath We Take
Picture book
When I was a child, although air pollution had entered the
consciousness of at least liberals, people pretty much took that
invisible compound we need for life pretty much for granted. We
surely don't have that luxury any more. Very few, if any, places have
pristine air. Too many of our fellow beings, human and otherwise,
inhale toxic blends of chemicals. We all need to be thinking of air
and how we can repurify it. Maya Ajmera and Dominique Browning's
Every Breath We Take is a powerful way to introduce this subject to
young readers and read aloud listeners.
Quite frankly, the pictures are my favorite part of the book.
An amazingly intricate grasshopper looks sidewise at the reader. A
tiny sprout pokes up through the earth. Hot air balloons ride on the
wind. Baby birds sqwauk to be fed. Lovely multicultural people blow
up balloons, harvest vegetables, fly a kite, blow bubbles, cuddle in a
hammock... The text wraps beautifully around the pictures, explaining
succinctly how air keeps us alive and in touch with many aspects of
our environment.
Buying this fine volume not only enhances your book collection,
but helps a very worthy cause. A portion of proceeds goes to Moms
Clean Air Force. It's a community of people working to get clean air
and climate stability. If this issue matters to you please check out
their website which is listed on the back flap.
On a personal note, my husband spent much of the Labor Day weekend at
his camp. Monday morning I made him a batch of fudge and his favorite
chocolate chip cookies. I was taking them out of the oven when he got
home. We went on a yard saling road trip. At one place I got a
musical snow globe, two coffee mugs, and a cat that miaows when you
press its tummy.
A great big shout out goes out to my husband of 27 years.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
When I was a child, although air pollution had entered the
consciousness of at least liberals, people pretty much took that
invisible compound we need for life pretty much for granted. We
surely don't have that luxury any more. Very few, if any, places have
pristine air. Too many of our fellow beings, human and otherwise,
inhale toxic blends of chemicals. We all need to be thinking of air
and how we can repurify it. Maya Ajmera and Dominique Browning's
Every Breath We Take is a powerful way to introduce this subject to
young readers and read aloud listeners.
Quite frankly, the pictures are my favorite part of the book.
An amazingly intricate grasshopper looks sidewise at the reader. A
tiny sprout pokes up through the earth. Hot air balloons ride on the
wind. Baby birds sqwauk to be fed. Lovely multicultural people blow
up balloons, harvest vegetables, fly a kite, blow bubbles, cuddle in a
hammock... The text wraps beautifully around the pictures, explaining
succinctly how air keeps us alive and in touch with many aspects of
our environment.
Buying this fine volume not only enhances your book collection,
but helps a very worthy cause. A portion of proceeds goes to Moms
Clean Air Force. It's a community of people working to get clean air
and climate stability. If this issue matters to you please check out
their website which is listed on the back flap.
On a personal note, my husband spent much of the Labor Day weekend at
his camp. Monday morning I made him a batch of fudge and his favorite
chocolate chip cookies. I was taking them out of the oven when he got
home. We went on a yard saling road trip. At one place I got a
musical snow globe, two coffee mugs, and a cat that miaows when you
press its tummy.
A great big shout out goes out to my husband of 27 years.
jules hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Divorce Is The Worst
Divorce Is The Worst
Juvenile nonfiction
Back in the day when I was guiding my brain damaged sibling
through our parents' messy divorce there was nothing on the library
shelves to help us make sense of parental breakup. By the time I was
raising my own children there were offerings in this subgenre--volumes
that were trite, preachy, didactic...anything but useful in helping
them to understand what was going on in friends' families.
Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to discover Anastasia
Higginbotham's Divorce Is The Worst. Whether a child reads it
independently or discusses it with family, it can help her/him cope
with can truly seem like the worst.
What makes Divorce Is The Worst so exceptional is the perfect
blend of sparse text and evocative pictures. Sentences are succinct
and direct. "You may get angry or feel guilty." "You might cry over
little things." Use of words like may or might acknowledges and
authenticates differences in the ways children perceive and feel. The
art consists of dynamic collages done on brown paper bags with pieces
of all kinds of materials. Everychild's expressions are beautifully
evocative. He/she looks devastated when telling unseen parents "You
promised to be together forever!" and "You broke your promise.". "You
may get angry" features a picture of vividly stormy eyes. A picture
of horses and "They might buy you outrageous gifts" evokes a stunned
expression and "whooa..."
At the end children are reminded that their story is still
theirs even if some parts of their lives are beyond their control and
shown how to use scraps to create their own narratives. Even kids
with parents who stay together.
Divorce Is The Worst is a must acquire for school and public
libraries and savvy guidance counselors. It's also a good investment
for families. Even if you're parenting in a stable, committed
twosome, kids your children care deeply about, say cousins or
classmates, may be members of breaking up households.
Divorce Is The Worst is part of the Ordinary Terrible Things
Series. I promise to check out other books in the series. In fact I
am delighted to discover the publisher, The Feminist Press. They
operate out of City University of New York. I'm going to send away
for their catelog because, dear readers, I have a feeling it will be
the source of more awesome volumes for me to bring to your attention.
What wonderful literary experiences lie ahead of us!!!
On a personal note, I am posting this review on my birthday.* I will
be celebrating for sure. I have baked cakes for my friends in
Multicultural Center and Rainbow Resource Room. I will get to have my
birthday supper with my Wilson Center family. How lucky can a woman
get?
jules hathaway
*Which also happens to be World Peace Day and the birthday of Maine's
own master of horror, Mr. Stephen King.
Minor correction: life got hectic and I'm posting it two days later.
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
Back in the day when I was guiding my brain damaged sibling
through our parents' messy divorce there was nothing on the library
shelves to help us make sense of parental breakup. By the time I was
raising my own children there were offerings in this subgenre--volumes
that were trite, preachy, didactic...anything but useful in helping
them to understand what was going on in friends' families.
Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to discover Anastasia
Higginbotham's Divorce Is The Worst. Whether a child reads it
independently or discusses it with family, it can help her/him cope
with can truly seem like the worst.
What makes Divorce Is The Worst so exceptional is the perfect
blend of sparse text and evocative pictures. Sentences are succinct
and direct. "You may get angry or feel guilty." "You might cry over
little things." Use of words like may or might acknowledges and
authenticates differences in the ways children perceive and feel. The
art consists of dynamic collages done on brown paper bags with pieces
of all kinds of materials. Everychild's expressions are beautifully
evocative. He/she looks devastated when telling unseen parents "You
promised to be together forever!" and "You broke your promise.". "You
may get angry" features a picture of vividly stormy eyes. A picture
of horses and "They might buy you outrageous gifts" evokes a stunned
expression and "whooa..."
At the end children are reminded that their story is still
theirs even if some parts of their lives are beyond their control and
shown how to use scraps to create their own narratives. Even kids
with parents who stay together.
Divorce Is The Worst is a must acquire for school and public
libraries and savvy guidance counselors. It's also a good investment
for families. Even if you're parenting in a stable, committed
twosome, kids your children care deeply about, say cousins or
classmates, may be members of breaking up households.
Divorce Is The Worst is part of the Ordinary Terrible Things
Series. I promise to check out other books in the series. In fact I
am delighted to discover the publisher, The Feminist Press. They
operate out of City University of New York. I'm going to send away
for their catelog because, dear readers, I have a feeling it will be
the source of more awesome volumes for me to bring to your attention.
What wonderful literary experiences lie ahead of us!!!
On a personal note, I am posting this review on my birthday.* I will
be celebrating for sure. I have baked cakes for my friends in
Multicultural Center and Rainbow Resource Room. I will get to have my
birthday supper with my Wilson Center family. How lucky can a woman
get?
jules hathaway
*Which also happens to be World Peace Day and the birthday of Maine's
own master of horror, Mr. Stephen King.
Minor correction: life got hectic and I'm posting it two days later.
Sent from my iPod
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