Hello Flo

Hello Flo

YA/adult
If you're a girl or woman, do you remember first hearing about
menstruation? I sure do! I was eleven. One evening at summer camp
(think rustic cabins, crickets and wind song, fireflies coming out,
giggling girls) for some strange reason the counselors seemed to need
a break from me and my peers. If we'd just be quiet and self
sufficient they'd let us listen to an illicit radio.
News flashes punctuated popular music. In one we learned that
the Pope had died from hemhorraging which we knew meant heavy
bleeding. The next day one of my cabin mates woke up bleeding.
Convinced that she was going to die like the Pope, we campers were in
hysterics. (I'm guessing that's one day the counselor remembers to
this day.)
From my younger years I recall literature about periods being
pretty much limited to tracts put out by manufacturers of pads and
tampons, more focussed on selling product than explaining much of
anything. Pickings were still pretty slim when my daughters
approached puberty.
Although we still live in a menstrual taboo society where blue
water is used to show the absorption power of period products, today's
parents and daughters are in luck. Naama Bloom's Hello Flo is the
book I wish had been published before I began learning about my
changing body or helping my daughters understand theirs. Bloom tells
readers,
"As founder of HelloFlo.com I've been in the unique position to
hear from thousands of girls and women about how they relate to their
own bodies, and I've come to realize that the way we talk about
physical changes is, well lacking. I'm writing this book because you
deserve honesty and real information. You deserve to know what's
going on--both in your body and in the world around you."
Chapters about the different changes that take place are
organized in the order in which they usually happen. Language is
reader friendly. The voice is that of an older friend or relative
willing to give girls the real scoop. There's a good balance between
practical (how to insert a tampon) and more abstract (how hormones
dictate periods) information. There are even fun facts about past
practices.
Throughout the book there is a reassuring emphasis on the wide
range of normal when it comes to everything from age of first period
to breast size. There are many questions and anecdotes written by real
girls. Content is all congruent with the mission Bloom states in her
introduction:
"As corny as it sounds, it's my dream that every girl enter
puberty with enough knowledge of what's going on in her body and mind
to keep her confident throughout. I've spoken to countless doctors,
parents, and girls while writing this book, and I've tried to put
everything that's useful in these pages. I'm not a doctor, I'm not
even an expert. What I am is a woman who once was a confused girl who
made it her mission to remove some of the confusion for the girls that
came after me."
The world needs a lot more women like Naama Bloom.
On a personal note, today at work I was wiping down tables at lunch.
We had adorable camp kids in the crowd. Two boys (about 6-year-olds)
showed me there was a dead beetle under a chair. When I picked it up
and said I'd throw it away they were visibly relieved. When they were
about to leave one of the boys thanked me. Working dining room gives
me so many ways to touch people's lives while keeping the space
clean. That's one of the reasons I love the job so much.
A great big shout out goes out to the people I encounter on the job:
the supervisors, my coworkers, and the people for whom we create a
quality dining experience.
jules hathaway


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In Your Face

In Your Face

YA/adult nonfiction
"Every day in a thousand ways, we're reminded of how much easier
the world seems to be for people blessed with the right hair, face,
and body parts. You can't help but wonder whether your own life would
be just that much better if the reflection looking back at you from
the mirror every day were a bit more like Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lopez,
and a bit less like your Uncle Howard or Aunt Lou."
If you find similar thoughts running through your head (most of
us do at least now and then) Shari Graydon's In Your Face: The Culture
Of Beauty And You would be a good book to put on your to read list.
If you have a preteen or early teenage child it would be a good volume
to make available. It does for the pressure to achieve usually
unattainable beauty standards what her Made You Look (Recall we looked
at it last February) did for all those sneaky tricks advertisers use
to get us to covet and buy products, many of which we have no real
need for.
"In Your Face sets out to discover:
*why we're so fascinated by beauty;
*what we've done over the centuries and across cultures to stand out,
fit in, and measure up;
*who gets to decide what's hot and what's not; and
*what forces and sources shape our views."
A very big favor Graydon does us all is reminding us that,
rather than being an absolute, beauty standards change over time and
differ by culture. The ideal figure for women is a good example. It's
ranged from recent anorexic chic to the voluptuous curves immortalized
by artists hundreds of years ago.
I have my own relevant cross cultural observation. In the
United States any kind of weight deemed excess is considered bad and
ugly. Many people practice extreme diets and/or exercise regimens and
feel guilty if they slip up or don't get the results they desire.
There are also people who try to hide curves under bulky garments or
stay in the background by wearing dull drab colors and trying to
shrink into themselves. Many women from Africa, in contrast, flaunt
the same curves by wearing brightly colored, tightly fitting garments
and walking confidently and grandly.
Another good point Graydon makes is that a lot of beauty
practices past and present were/are harmful. Foot binding produced
women too crippled to walk normally. Corsets compromised internal
organs. Largely unattainable slimness standards promote sometimes
fatal eating disorders. And how about botched plastic surgery?
Fortunately those of us who weren't born with the hotness
attributes of the decade aren't totally screwed. Graydon reminds
readers that most people are too busy worrying about their own flaws
to notice ours. She also discusses how a charismatic personality can
make events a plainer person look beautiful in the eyes of his/her/
their beholders.
I know that's the secret of my appeal.
On a personal note, I should have posted this yesterday. However,
after I worked breakfast and lunch cafeteria shifts and donated blood
on a muggy day I was not up for much of anything, especially knowing
I'd be on the early bus this morning. Blood donating went well. I
had nice high iron thanks to all the good cafeteria food. My blood
pressure was 96/62 and my pulse was 51.
I've been having really good luck. I found two gold dollars. I also
found a garbage bag of clean bottles and cans all ready to cash in in
a dumpster.
A great big shout goes out to everyone who participated in the blood
drive.
jules hathaway


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All The Way To America

All The Way To America

Juvenile biography
When we think of objects passed down through generations, we
tend to imagine fancy items like jewelery and paintings. In Dan
Yaccarino's biographical All The Way To America, we learn how a much
more humble object can help bind generations together.
Growing up in a farming family in Italy, Dan's great grandfather
did what he could to help. Times were tough. As a young man he
immigrated to the United States, taking with him a little shovel his
father gave him. In America he found work in a bakery where he used
the shovel to measure ingredients. He passed it on to his son who
opened a market...
...Dan is the current shovel holder. He uses it to garden with
his children.
This sweet, touching story may provide the perfect opportunity
for a parent or grand to tell children about special family treasures.
On a personal note, Friday Eugene and I enjoyed an adult snow day, or,
more accurately, rain day. His work got rained out. It happens now
and then in construction. And I actually had a free day. We got a
bunch of errands done. He totally spoiled me. At the grocery store
he got cherries, banana split ice cream, and caramel M&Ms. And at
Goodwill he bought me 2 cards of jingle balls for Joey cat and not
one, but TWO CAT SHIRTS, even though he thinks (probably correctly)
that I'm obsessed with cat shirts). I can't wait to wear them. Only
today I'm wearing a dress to church. We're trying something new.
Instead of having someone sing, I'm going to read one of my poems,
L'Chaim, during the service. I've read poetry in other venues, but in
a church service is a new one for me.
A great big shout out goes out to the hubby with whom I will celebrate
our 29th anniversary on the 29th. You can help us celebrate. That
day do something nice for or say something kind to another person.
jules hathaway


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The World Is Not A Rectangle

The World Is Not A Rectangle

Juvenile Herstory
I've just discovered an awesome new shero. You can read about
her in Jeanette Winters' The World Is Not A Rectangle.
Growing up in Iraq, Zaha Hadid found beauty and inspiration in
nature and ancient ruins. She designed her own clothes and excelled
in math. She became an architect and opened her office. Her designs
for buildings were much more graceful and fluid than ordinary
structures.
There was one problem. Builders didn't want to tackle her
designs.
Zaha did not give up. One by one her designs were brought to
life. She won numerous prizes and honors including the most
prestigious architecture award in the world.
Winter wrote, "When I first saw photos of Zaha Hadid's
architectural designs in 2010, the buildings seemed to fly. My spirit
also took flight--to a place in my imagination that only landscape had
taken me before. I had to find out more about her."
My spirit took flight when I read the book. Maybe yours will too.
On a personal note, I've been adjusting my schedule for when I start
grad school. Realistically I won't have time for much else than
school, work, and house and cat care. I've quit Peace & Justice
Center Steering Committee. I've arranged to library volunteer only on
vacations. Ironically being in school will mean much less reading and
writing time. For months now I have been stockpiling reviews so I'll
have content to post when I don't have time to create it. Beginning
in September I am going to post once a week instead of every other
day. But now and then I'll post two or more short reviews like I'll
do today. My intent is to keep my blog up while getting my education
underway.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, who make this
endeavor so rewarding.
jules hathaway



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Silent Music

Silent Music

Picture book
"One frightening night in the year 2003, as bombs and missiles
fell on my city, and death and destruction once again filled the
streets, I, like Yakut, wrote.
I wrote all night and the many nights of bombing that followed.
I filled my room with pages of calligraphy. I filled my mind with
peace."
Imagine living in the above described situation. It would be
horrific enough for an adult. It's reality for Ali, narrator of James
Rumford's Silent Music, a soccer loving boy growing up in Baghdad.
Luckily he is able to create himself an island of calm in the midst of
chaos by practicing an art form that's a really important part of
Islamic culture.
In Silent Music you'll learn not only about Ali, but about his
real life hero, Yakut, one of the greatest calligraphers who practiced
his art form in war torn Baghdad 800 years earlier. This fine book is
a must acquire for primary school and public libraries.
On a personal note, I had a really good 4th of July. Eugene and I
went to the barbeque at the in-laws. Amber, Brian, Adam, and Asia
went also. It was great to see them. The food was really good too.
In the evening we went to the fireworks in Brewer. We got there two
hours early to get a good spot. There was hot jazz playing and a
lovely breeze coming off the river. Of course I had a good book to
read. Before the official fireworks there were some smaller pretty
ones people set off and scads of sparklers and Mother Nature's lovely
sunset. The fireworks were spectacular!!!
I wish the in-laws would call me Jules instead of my middle name.
Every time they say it it's like fingernails on a chalk board. I've
explained that politely using I statements. They aren't stupid. At
UMaine we use people's preferred names and pronouns. It isn't all
that hard and it shows respect for the people around you.
jules hathaway


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So Far From The Sea

So Far From The Sea

Picture book
Eve Bunting's So Far From The Sea was published in 1998, the
year after my son was born. It seriously needs to come back into
print. It is the most powerful book parents can use to introduce
young children to Executive Order 9066, the 1942 edict that mandated
all Japanese people in the United States to be locked up in
concentration camps.
A family--the 7-year-old narrator, parents, and brother--is
making a pilgrimage to Manzanar to lay silk flowers on the children's
grandfather's grave. It's probably the last time the family will go
there. They're about to move from California to Massachusetts.
Full color two page spreads showing the family alternate with
ones done in black, white, and grey that show the past. You see the
barbed wire and the sentries, children trying to learn in a room with
no desks and not even enough seats, the tiny quarters whole families
had to share... In a particularly poignant picture you see the
father, then a boy of eight, wearing his Cub Scout uniform with which
he'd tried to show the soldiers he was a true American.
If you're a parent try to locate this book at your library or
through Inter Library Loan. It will make a very tough topic every
generation needs to learn about easier to explain and discuss.
I felt that this review was the perfect one to post on the 4th
of July. Even as we've atoned for the Japanese internment and are
discovering the evils of the forcible removal of indiginous children
to boarding schools we're repeating the same evils in the treatment of
immigrants from Mexico and Central America. If America was judged on
our ability to learn from history on a rubric of one (does not meet
expectations) to four (exceeds expectations) we'd be pulling ones. In
my mind this is not a positive exceptionality.
On a personal note, as much as I enjoy the summer trinity of parade,
fireworks, and barbeque, today my heart is overwhelmed with sadness.
I feel that the America we celebrate is, if not gone, seriously in
need of life support. The interests of the majority of us are about
as represented by "our" gubmint as, well, the colonists' interests
were by the British back in the day.
A great big shout goes out to all who speak unpopular truths in this
nation of, by, and for WalMart and Wall Street.
However, Happy 4th of July to all my readers who celebrate it.
Wherever you are, may your day be special!
jules hathaway


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Little Excavator

Little Excavator

Picture book
The pint size protagonist of Anna Dewdney's Little Excavator has
sky high ambitions. On the job site he tries valiently to help the
dozer knock down walls, the dump truck haul trash, the backhoe dig...
Somehow it never turns out well until...
...at the end of the day there's a task all the other machines
are too big for. Little Excavator nails it neatly.
Dewdney researched her subject in an unusual way. She used one
to work on her garden's walls. She's a big proponant of reading
aloud. It shows. The rythym of the text and all those machine noises
make Little Excavator a book kids will want to hear again and again...
On a personal note, Saturday my kids and their significant others got
together to give Eugene a belated Fathers Day supper featuring burgers
and strawberry shortcake. It was wonderful to have the family all
together. Those are the moments I live for.
A great big shout out goes out to my family (both human and feline)
whom I adore.
A note to readers. With the 4th of July on the horizon I want to urge
you to travel safely, have a designated driver if alcohol is on the
menu, and leave the fireworks to the pyrotechnicians unless you really
know what you're doing.
jules hathaway


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