Let’s be real, people. I read this about two months ago. I’ve had this review written and just sat on it. Time to play catch-up. There are a *LOT* of reviews coming. Jason Reynolds’ fiction focuses exclusively on middle-school boys and young men in or just out of high school. I didn’t love The Boy in the Black Suit, but I very much loved his co-authorship with Brendan Kiely in All American Boys. I was interested to see how As Brave As You, his middle-grade […]
Nasty women read! Thanks, crystalclear!!!
November was a wretched, ugly month. This morning, I decided to ring in December on a high note, and I played Christmas music all.day.long. That helped. And then, I got home after a lovely post-work dinner with a good friend to a package laden with goodies from crystalclear: She gave me (from left to right) an adorable Beanie Baby tiger (how did you know stuffed animals were a total weakness of mine???), with the note, “In case things get sad,” Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred, Penelope […]
I came for discussions of Lady Kluck. I stayed for discussions of internet bullying.
I’ve long been a fan of Lindy West’s irreverent and sharply funny style. I loved reading her film reviews when she was still with The Stranger (my favorite review is of Sex and the City 2, which I absolutely refused to go see) and Jezebel (hello, scathing indictment of Love, Actually, which is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad movie). I was excited to see her book released this year, and her passage on Lady Kluck in the first chapter made me cackle as […]
A nominee for Best Book of 2016
If you’ve never read Jewell Parker Rhodes, you absolutely must. Her prose is light and crisp at once, and she tells a story like no other. You inhabit her characters fully, and they are strong, sensitive young women. I’ve read Ninth Ward and Bayou Magic, both of which tackle current issues and also include an intriguing thread of magical realism that’s friendly to young readers. I’ve taught excerpts from Ninth Ward to my college Composition I course, and if I was to theme a course […]
A worthy entry in a children’s literature trend
Several weeks ago, I was at a retirement celebration for my English education professor (and academic advisor) at my private college. It just so happened that one of my mentor teachers from student teaching was there—she and I fell into a terrific conversation about teaching, life, and books. Always books. An observation K had made (and I agree with, now that I notice it) is that young adult literature is kind of in a lull right now. Dystopian fiction has been the big trend, but […]
A lot for Chicagoans to consider.
I’ve been focusing a lot on social justice these past few years, because the rhetoric/composition course I teach at one of my universities (ah, the joys of rootless adjuncting!) has integrated social justice and care for others as part of its Jesuit curriculum. This year, my theme is Art and Protest. I’ve read Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow and other related books to expand my knowledge base, as well as that of my students’. Goodreads recommended The South Side to me when it saw […]
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