Just When You Think It Can’t Get Any Worse…

Tags

Racism, Trump

Okay. This was a day filled with drama and chaos even by Trumponian standards. It began at sunrise as in a rather incoherent tweet, Mr. Trump questioned his own administration’s support for a controversial bill (FISA) to reauthorize the government’s ability to conduct foreign surveillance in the U.S. Mass confusion broke out among lawmakers for about an hour and a half, but after a second backpedaling tweet, the bill was approved. Then, came the confusion over whether or not a tentative agreement had been reached concerning DACA. And now the day ends with some absolutely vile comments Mr. Trump came out with during a meeting with Republicans and Democrats to discuss this possible bipartisan immigration deal. For my friends who don’t live in the U.S., DACA is a program issued under President Obama by executive order. It protects immigrants who were brought to this country illegally as children. Several months ago Mr. Trump disbanded the program, saying that President Obama had exceeded his authority. In March, these Dreamers will have to start leaving the country unless an agreement is made. So, during this meeting late this afternoon, Senator Dick Durbin was explaining to him that part of the proposal would end the visa lottery program in exchange for Temporary Protected Status for countries such as El Salvador. (BTW, earlier this week 200,000 Salvadorans who have been here since 2001 were told to start getting their affairs in order because starting next year they’re being deported.) Senator Durbin was going through the list of TPS countries which would be covered when Mr. Trump apparently grew frustrated when he learned this deal would include immigrants from Haiti and African countries. He questioned why he should accept immigrants from “shithole countries” instead of people from countries like Norway. “Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.” Now obviously Mr. Trump’s blatant racism shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. This is the man who referred to Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers during the campaign. This is the man who dodged condemning the white supremacists and neo-nazis in Charlottesville. This is the man who instituted a Muslim ban. And last June during a meeting with his national security team, he vented about the slowness in fortifying the borders. Reading from statistics put together by his equally racist aide, Stephen Miller, he complained about Haitian immigrants, saying: “ They all have AIDS.” In regards to immigrants from Nigeria he said: they would “never go back to their huts.” While the White House has denied he made those particular statements, despite numerous confirmations from sources in the room, no one is denying what he said today, although who knows what “alternative facts” Minister of Propaganda, aka White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will present tomorrow. Indeed, reports are coming out saying that he and his minions believe his atrocious comments will play well with his base.

That Mr. Trump did this at the beginning of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, makes it even more sickening. And tomorrow marks the eight year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. As I watch the talking heads on CNN right now calling Mr. Trump’s comments “racist statements”, or “racially charged”, they also seem to be hesitant about calling him a racist. Well, I have no such hesitation. The message from this administration is clear. If you’re not white, you’re not welcome in this country. Mr. Trump is a blatant racist which has been proven time and time again, going back to his days as a landlord in NYC. Journalists and Americans need to stop tiptoeing around and acknowledge that we have a RACIST leading this country! I know I’ve said this before, but I am ashamed and embarrassed to be an American. I wish to God I could offer an apology to every single person who is being detrimentally affected by his words and actions.

America has always been “great” in part because of its rich tapestry made up of immigrants from different countries bringing their education and skills and culture with them. So many have made such incredible contributions.

People like John James Audubon, painter, naturalist, and ornithologist. He was born Jean Rabin in Les Cayes, Saint Domingue (later Haiti).

Viter Juste, The Haitian-born American community leader, activist and businessman. He’s considered the father of the Haitian American community in Miami.

Danielle Laraque-Arena, also born in Haiti. She’s the first female President of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. 

Representative Mia Love, the first black female Republican elected to Congress. Born Ludmya Bordeau to Haitian parents.

John O. Agwunobi, born in Scotland to a Nigerian father and Scottish mother. He’s a notable pediatrician and public health professional.

Kimberly Anyadike, whose parents immigrated from Nigeria. Born in 1994, she’s a pilot who completed a transcontinental flight at the age of fifteen.

Salvadoran Francisco Machon Vilonova who wrote his most well known novel Ola roja in San Francisco. The book is about the indigenous populations in El Salvador who were massacred in the Matanzana of 1932.

Salvadoran fashion designer Francesca Miranda, whose designs are sold all over the world and have been worn by many celebrities.

Obviously the list is endless.

Unfortunately, all this Irish/Catholic/Jew can do, is call and email politicians, vote, and pray to God that this country wakes up and sends him packing in 2020. We deserve better.

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Dear Martin, by Nic Stone ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Affirmative Action, Police Brutality, Racism, Social Issues, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 17th, 2017

224 Pages

Synopsis: Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. 

Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack.

Dear Martin is the debut novel of Nic Stone, and what a powerful statement it makes! It may technically be a work of fiction, but the social issues it introduces: police brutality, affirmative action, racism, and gang violence are all very real issues that face so many minorities.

The main character, Justyce McAllister is a thoroughly likable and relatable protagonist. Seventeen-years-old, he’s done everything right in his young life. Yet he’s caught between two worlds. Teens that he grew up with resent him for receiving a scholarship to a prestigious prep school, and some of his classmates may espouse to be believers in equality, but their actions speak louder than words. After he’s a victim of racial profiling and police brutality, Justyce begins to realize that while he’s followed all the rules, he’s still judged by some for the color of his skin. 

One of the things I loved about this relatively short novel, is the amount of growth and maturity Justyce goes through. When the novel begins, he’s a rather naive young man, who despite coming from a rough neighborhood, has never actually been the victim of racism. After being unfairly targeted himself, his eyes are opened to the injustices in the world, yet he never loses sight of his hopes and dreams, even when another tragic incident occurs.

Even while becoming a victim himself of racial injustice, Justyce has the support of many people including his mother, two close friends and classmates, their parents, and a teacher who has turned into a mentor. They have all helped form him into the incredible person he’s become, and they continue to be there for him during the more difficult times. These themes of love, friendship and support serve to balance the darker ones, and further flesh out the characters and plot.

The only reason why I’m not giving this 5 stars is because there’s some romantic drama which is included, and while I think in a longer book it would have been fine, because of the brevity of the story I found it unnecessary and distracting.

Overall though, Dear Martin is an incredible debut by Nic Stone, and it’s one that should be shared in high school classrooms and book discussion groups. In addition to the powerful The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, this can serve to open a much needed dialogue about inequality and race relations in this country. 

 

Iron Cast ~ By Destiny Soria – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Alternate History, Fantasy, Mystery, Racism, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 11th, 2016

384 Pages

Synopsis: It’s Boston, 1919, and the Cast Iron club is packed. On stage, hemopaths–those whose “afflicted” blood gives them the ability to create illusions through art–captivate their audience. Corinne and Ada have been best friends ever since infamous gangster Johnny Dervish recruited them into his circle. By night they perform for Johnny’s crowds, and by day they con Boston’s elite. When a job goes wrong and Ada is imprisoned, they realize how precarious their position is. After she escapes, two of the Cast Iron’s hires are shot, and Johnny disappears. With the law closing in, Corinne and Ada are forced to hunt for answers, even as betrayal faces them at every turn.

Oh gosh. Where do I even begin to express my love for this book? First, the pure originality of the plot. I don’t think I’ve seen anything else out there that comes close. Then there’s the beautiful friendship between Ada and Corinne. They’re fiercely protective of one another, and it’s their relationship that is the heart and soul of this story. The supporting players are all vividly brought to life and there’s not one character that I felt could have been developed more. Better yet, these are all people I’d love to have as friends in real life. The magic of Hemopathy is gorgeously described and I was mesmerized at how each person used it differently. One character creates music from feelings, while another creates breathtaking illusions. The idea behind this magic is simply amazing! The book also deals with racism in multiple forms. Hemopaths are seen as an inferior race and Ada is biracial, which makes her looked down on even more. The cast is diverse in several ways which only adds to the appeal of this magnificent book. There is plenty of action in this fast moving story which led me to finish it in two sittings. In the end, Iron Cast is an exquisitely detailed story filled with wonderful characters and incredible world-building. It’s the type of story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished. I really can’t recommend it highly enough!

The Mighty Odds (Mighty Odds #1) ~ By Amy Ignatow – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Bullying, Death, Fantasy, Humor, Middle School Fiction, Racism, Superheroes

Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams/Amulet for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 13th, 2016

240 Pages

Synopsis: When a sweet nerd, an artsy cartoonist, a social outcast, and the most popular girl in school are involved in a mysterious bus accident, this seemingly random group of kids starts to notice from very strange abilities they did not have before. Artsy Martina can change her eye color. Nerdy Nick can teleport…four inches to the left. Outcast Farshad develops super strength, but only in his thumbs. And Cookie, the It Girl of school’s most popular clique, has suddenly developed the ability to read minds…when those minds are thinking about directions. They are oddly mighty–especially together.

This group–who would never hang out under normal circumstances–must now combine all their strengths to figure out what happened during the bus accident. With alternating narratives from each of the heroes, including illustrated pieces from Martina.

The start to a new series by Amy Ignatow, author of The Popularity Papers, The Mighty Odds is off to a rollicking good start. Ignatow has taken the theme of misfit kids, attaining superpowers, banding together to save the world, turned it on it’s head and throws in bullying, racism, and middle school politics for good measure. And unbelievably this works! Each character is richly drawn. For example Cookie, the only black kid in school has carved out a place for herself as the leader of the popular clique. She actually has more in common then she thinks with Farshad who at the beginning of the book she derisively refers to as “The Arab Kid” or even worse “Terror Boy”. But she’s not the only one guilty of using stereotypes to label her schoolmates. One of my favorite characters, Jay, whose somewhat ADD and always looks at the positive side to life is enamored with Cookie and calls her his “gorgeous Nubian queen” and says that someday they’ll “make coffee-colored babies”. He comes from a small town and Cookie is the only black person he’s ever met. Coming from a smallish town myself which is definitely not ethically diverse, I can understand this somewhat, but it still made me cringe. Also addressed is Farshad being the victim of anti-Muslim sentiment, and Nick’s dealing with his dying father. There are so many heavy issues brought up, but balancing those are some truly funny moments. Also adding to the appeal are Martina’s illustrations. Martina actually reminded me a little of Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series. She has a kind of quirky, zany view of the world, but once you really pay attention to what she’s saying/drawing, somehow it all makes sense. The ending leaves things open for the next book as the mystery of who exactly the villains are and what are they up to isn’t really answered. This first book mainly serves as an introduction to this band of misfits while successfully working in societal issues along the way. It’s funny and poignant at the same time, and I believe it’s one of the more clever and appealing books for tweens that I’ve read this year. 

The Steep & Thorny Way ~ By Cat Winters – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Anti-Semitism, Eugenics, Historical Fiction, Homophobia, Ku Klux Klan, Mystery, Racism, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 8th, 2016

Synopsis: A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep & Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten. 

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him–who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.

The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haunt” wandering the roads at night.

Cat Winters is a well respected author who I’ve been meaning to try for quite some time, but The Steep & Thorny Way is the first book I’ve read by her. All I can say is that her reinterpretation of Hamlet and combining it with an incredibly dark time in America’s history is a compelling read and leaves me wondering why it’s taken me this long to read one of her books.

The 1920s in the U.S. wasn’t just the era of flappers, and the beginning of the jazz age. It was also a time where racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism were rampant, as was distrust of Catholics, and of course Prohibition. All of these are on display in the fictional small town of of Elston, Oregon. As the child of an African-American father and a white mother, Hanalee’s future prospects for an kind of a meaningful life are pretty much nonexistent. At the age of sixteen she knows that if she’s to have any kind of future, she’ll have to leave her hometown and strike out for the bigger cities who are far more accepting of those who are “different”. When the story opens though, she’s about avenge her father’s death on Joe Adder, the young man just released from prison for his killing. She discovers though that things are definitely not as they seem, and she winds up embarking on a quest to discover the truth with the very person she’s blamed and hated for the past year. Hanalee is someone teens can relate to even though this story is set decades ago. She’s not perfect, she makes mistakes, but despite the hate and prejudice aimed at her she remains pretty open-minded toward other people, which I thought was amazing.

While Hanalee is clearly the main character of the book, Joe is equally important and his story at times overtakes the main mystery. This isn’t a bad thing though. What is done to him and his desperate desire to also escape had me just as emotionally invested in him as I was with Hanalee.

There is no real romance in this book which I think was a wise decision on the part of the author. Instead, there’s a tentative friendship between Hanalee and Joe which flourishes into something quite beautiful. The rest of the characters aren’t quite as well fleshed out, but they still successfully serve to further the story, particularly Laurence, Hanalee’s old childhood friend who’s loyalties are divided.

I did think the central mystery concerning the death of Hanalee’s father could have used a little more development. All the answers are basically provided to her by his ghost. It would have been nice to have a little more sleuthing on her part. But honestly, this wasn’t enough to detract from my overall fascination with this book. Cat Winters does a magnificent job spinning her tale, and I was completely spellbound while reading it. A true measure of it’s impact is the amount of time I’ve spent researching some of the topics it brought up, especially eugenics (forced sterilization of people belonging to certain groups), which much to my surprise and disgust was still happening as late as 1981.

I believe it’s especially important for people to read books like The Steep & Thorny Way given what’s happening in the world right now. For anyone who thinks that hateful idealogy is a thing of the past, pick up a newspaper or turn on the tv. All the same prejudices and bigotry are still very much a part of our society, and stoking the flames are politicians who claim they have their country’s best interests at heart. This is a perfect book for discussion, whether in a high school classroom, a book group, or at home. The best way to combat hatred is to start with our young people and I fervently believe this is something we must do if we are to prevent history from repeating itself.

Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend ~ By Katerina Bivald – 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Americana, Books, Chick-lit, Homophobia, Humor, Racism, Relationships, Religious Beliefs

 I received this e-Arc from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 1st, 2016

Synopsis: Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen…

Broken Wheel Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who has traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal. When she arrives however, she finds Amy’s funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor–not much else to do in a small town that’s almost beyond repair. They just never imagined she’d start a bookstore. Or that books would bring them together–and change everything.

There’s a book for every person…and a person for every book.

Others might have found themselves stuck in a tired, old high school in Haninge, but had been a geisha in Japan, walked along China’s last empress through the claustrophobic, closed off rooms of the Forbidden City, grown up with Anne and the others in Green Gables, gone through her fair share of murder, and love and lost over and over again.

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is already an international bestseller and after reading this utterly charming book, I understand why.

First of all, let me warn you there’s a few elements in this book that may have you rolling your eyes, or asking “Seriously?!” But trust me. Put those feelings on the backburner, because the rest of the story with it’s captivating plot and quirky characters are worth it!

The first eye-rolling moment comes right at the beginning when Swedish bookworm Sara Lindquist who has played it safe her entire life, finds herself out of work after the small bookshop that she’s worked for many years, goes out of business. She shocks her family when she decides to travel to Broken Wheel Iowa to visit pen-pal and fellow Bibliophile Amy Harris. Once you get past that “She did what?” moment,  Sara and the inhabitants of this small dusty town–that has never really seen better days–will mesmerize you until the very last page. I have to admit that part of the attraction for me was that I completely identified with Sara. She’s quiet and unassuming, and people tend to overlook her. She literally lives through her books. Her only friend is Amy who she’s never met. She’s devastated when she embarks on her grand adventure, only to find once she’s arrived that her kindred spirit has passed away. But then something strange happens. The quirky folks of Broken Wheel sort of adopt her, even to the extent of not letting her pay for anything. Sara, in turn winds up adopting them as well and comes up with the idea of opening a small bookstore using her’s and Amy’s collections as stock. The only problem is that no one besides Sara understands the magical appeal of books, so she is forced to come up with some creative ploys to attract these reluctant readers into her store. This results in quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. There’s even a sweet little romance here as well which for a change isn’t filled with large amounts of drama and angst. 

You’ll also hear from Amy through her handwritten letters to Sara. It’s through this detailed correspondence that you realize Amy was the glue that held this fading community together. Once she’s gone they’re lost and bewildered. But then this stranger from halfway around the world with all her odd ideas enters the picture and the healing begins. 

Despite it’s overall lighthearted tone, the story does tackle a few weightier issues including: religion, racism, and homophobia. The author does this in a thoughtful manner, yet never lets them overtake her story. This is small town America with all it’s strengths and weaknesses.

By the end of the story, while Sara has made quite an impact on Broken Wheel, she finds herself transformed as well. For the first time she sees that there’s a whole world outside of the ones she’s lived in through her books. Going on this journey with her is pure, unadulterated joy.

If you love books about not only the love of books, but self discovery, recovery, and small town America, I urge you to read this. Particularly if you’re a fan of 84 Charing Cross Road,  by Helene Hanff, and The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Society, by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. The only disappointment you’ll feel is when the story is over. I guarantee you’ll be as reluctant to leave Sara and the small dusty town of Broken Wheel as I was.

 

Go Set a Watchman ~ by Harper Lee

Tags

Adult Fiction, Civil Rights, Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee, Historical Fiction, Racism, Ta-Nehisi Coates

 Synopsis: Maycomb, Alabama, 1957. Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch –“Scout”–returns home from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise’s homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people nearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the same iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman depicts a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past–a journey that can only be guided by one’s own conscience.

“The time your friends need you is when they’re wrong.”

~ Uncle Jack, Go Set a Watchman ~

I just finished reading this last night and I’m still attempting to wrap my head around it. Hopefully this won’t turn out to be one long ramble. I also apologize for the spoilers, but I don’t think I can really write this review without including some.

If you haven’t read Go Set a Watchman and are planning to please keep in mind it’s not a sequel. It’s the story from which To Kill a Mockingbird emerged and I think it’s an important distinction. This is an unedited manuscript which has many flaws, yet still has echoes of the original classic. 

Eagerly anticipating reading GSAW, despite the controversial rumors spreading like wildfire over the internet, I re-read TKAM over the weekend and once again became enchanted with the town and characters of Maycomb. This was in large part due to the first person narrative of young Scout. Seeing her world through the eyes of a young child made me nostalgic for my own childhood innocence. While GSAW focuses on Jean Louise, now an adult, it’s told mainly in the third person and for me lost some of it’s charm right there. While I don’t mind this type of narrative normally, I found it jarring in this case, perhaps because I had just read TKAM. 

The other problem I have with this book is Jean Louise herself. She’s been living in NYC for the last few years pursuing her dream of becoming an artist. In some instances she shows a much more sophisticated view of the world than her family and friends in Maycomb, yet at other times she sounds exactly like a young Scout throwing a tantrum when being confronted with something she finds disagreeable. She shows this side of herself several times throughout the book and there were times when it seemed as though there were two people inhabiting the same body. 

Never is this more clear as when she confronts Atticus after seeing him at a “citizens’ council meeting”, which is basically a generic name for the Ku Klux Clan. What could have been a tear-jerking, portrayal of a young woman discovering the man she idolizes has feet of clay, instead turns into a shrill tirade against the injustice of racism. While I entirely agree with her, she’s so emotionally overwrought, that many of her points are lost in the midst of her hysteria. It’s also clear that despite her horror at Atticus’s racism, she herself espouses some racist views. There’s a scene where Jean Louise is arguing with Uncle Jack and tries to defend herself saying, “I don’t especially want to run out and marry a Negro or something.”  She like Atticus feel the black residents of Maycomb are childlike and ignorant. The difference is that she believes they still deserve to be treated equally, whereas Atticus holds to Jeffersonian ideals and believes that equality is a right which has to be earned.

The entire story has a sort of unpolished aspect to it which makes sense since this has been released unedited. That said, there are some enjoyable moments, my favorites being Jean Louise’s flashbacks to her teen years. Especially the ones featuring Jem who I truly missed in this book. There’s also some enjoyable and touching moments between Jean Louise and her boyfriend Hank before she discovers he’s also part of the citizens’ council. While several familiar characters make appearances, others are missing, most notably Dill who’s traveling in Italy, and Jem who died before the events of this book. I found myself wondering how Jem would have reacted to Atticus and his beliefs especially since he had been planning on joining his father as a lawyer up until his untimely death of a heart attack. I remember how angry and upset he was at the outcome of Tom Robinson’s trial. 

If there’s a lesson to be learned from Go Set a Watchman it’s that bigotry and racism have deep-seated roots in this country and they still effect all of us. This has been illustrated by the massacre in Charleston, as well as the recent Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality and some of the reactions to it. If a hero like Atticus Finch can turn into a supporter of such evil idealogy, then we are all at risk.

You might have noticed that I haven’t given this a rating. That’s because I find myself so conflicted I honestly don’t know what rating it deserves. That said, I do recommend you read this book despite it’s flaws. It will make you think and confront not only some historical aspects of our country that many of us would like to forget, but also question how far we’ve really come in the last several decades.

Finally, I’d like to leave you with this introspective quote from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates: “An America that looks away is ignoring not just the sins of the past but the sins of the present and the certain sins of the future.” 

Quotable Quotes

Tags

Inspirational quotes, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Racism, Terrorists, Working For Peace

There are so many inspirational quotes to choose from this remarkable man, but I selected this one because of it’s timeliness. From the terrorist attacks in France and Canada, to the always present battle with racism and bigotry in the U.S., these words will never lose their power or relevance.