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I seem to have a decent-sized list here...has it been that long since my last recent-reading post??


AFTER TUPAC AND D FOSTER, by Jacqueline Woodson. MG, contemporary realism, new in hardcover. Wow. I'm a Woodson fan already, and I'd have to say that this is probably my favorite of hers so far. The friendship of a trio of girls in the mid-nineties, against a backdrop of rapper Tupac Shakur's life and work, and the incarceration of one girl's brother.

Slight aside: In Neal Shusterman's fantasy EVERLOST, some characters can control others by inhabiting their bodies for short periods of time--getting inside their skins. In the EVERLOST world, this is called 'skinjacking.' Cool term, no?

Well, I got 'skinjacked' by the characters in TUPAC. Although I know from personal experience what it's like to be not-white, I could only make an educated guess about what it might be like to be black...until I read this book. When I was immersed in its world, I felt like I was black. I think this is testament to the author's ability to depict both the universality of being human and the specificity of being a young black girl in an urban neighborhood in the mid 1990s. Brava.


ELIJAH OF BUXTON, by Christopher Paul Curtis. MG historical, library. One of this year's Newbery Honor titles, about the first free child born of former slaves who escaped to Canada. (What a premise!) Wanna laugh OUT LOUD through three-quarters of a story, then cry at the end? If yes, this is your book. The funny parts are SO funny that I immediately wanted to read them aloud to whomever else was in the room. The sad part made me think of Toni Morrison's BELOVED. Recently I had a conversation with another (very astute) reader who was unconvinced by the first-person narrator's use of dialect--too modern, she thought. On the one hand, I agree. On the other, it enhances the story's accessibility. Which hand are you slapping?


SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU, by Peter Cameron. Contemporary YA, library. New York City teen drifting without an anchor, trying desperately to find one. I read this book in one sitting, meaning that I found the story compelling. The writing is very strong, indebted to / echoing CATCHER IN THE RYE and THE BELL JAR. All good, right?

A week later, when I went to make a few notes so I could blog about it, a weird thing happened: I couldn't remember a thing about it--except that it was YA. I mean nothing, nada, almost as if I hadn't read it! I literally had to scan the flap copy before I recalled anything about the book. I think maybe it's because I've read an awful lot of YAs lately that are 'teen-adrift-searching-for-anchor' and I'm sorry to say that many of them lack standout qualities, hence tending to blur into one another.

I don't know if this particular time, it's more of a comment on the book itself, or my (admittedly porous) memory. But there it is.


MAXIMUM RIDE, by James Patterson. Upper MG (maybe YA to some?) adventure-thriller, paperback airport bookstore purchase. I was skeptical, that's for sure. And I'm still not entirely convinced: For one thing, the story doesn't end: It just stops in its tracks, screaming 'sequel.' But...lots of action! and short chapters! about six kids who can fly! all of whom have distinct personalities! There's a lot to like here, and a big sigh of relief: Unlike many books aimed at so-called 'reluctant readers,' the writing in this one is decent--hurrah!

(Don't get me started...on my firmly-held assertion that books for reluctant readers need to be the BEST written of all. If they're only going to read a few books, those books need to be stellar examples of GREAT WRITING. I mean, sheesh, if you could feed a kid only half a dozen meals, would they all be canned spaghetti-o's and frozen pizza?! Me, I'd at least give them home-made fries, using the twice-fried method--fry once in medium-hot oil, remove from pan, let rest, finish in hot oil, serve piping hot with lots of salt and ketchup...ambrosia...--so they'd know what angels get to eat in heaven...but I digress.)


KEEPER, by Mal Peet. MG magical realism (or something like it), library. Now THIS is exactly what I'm talking about! When I went to the library, I was actually looking for Peet's TAMAR, which I've heard good things about. No TAMAR on the shelf, so I took KEEPER instead. An internationally-renowned soccer goalie recalls his boyhood years and his path to stardom.

Yeah, baby! A sports story and a ghost story: plenty of ferocious sports scenes and deliciously eerie ghosty bits, and the writing is better than decent or good--it's terrific. SEE?! DON'T TELL ME IT CAN'T BE DONE!

(I didn't say it's easy. Just that it's essential. And that I sometimes feel like I'm beating my head bloody against a brick wall comprising a whole bunch of folks--publishers, editors, educators, writers--who seem to think that it's okay to give a reluctant reader a less-than-well-written book so long as it's action-heavy and/or humorous.)

I have more titles on my list but if you've read this far, I am grateful and should give you a break. More anon.

The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do men and women really speak different languages? by Deborah Cameron, Rupert Murdoch Professor of Language and Communication at Oxford University, argues that gender needs to be viewed in more complex ways than the prevailing myths and stereotypes allow. In the article below Cameron looks at historical stereotypes of female orators and reflects on Hillary Clinton’s primary run.

After Hillary Clinton lost to Barack Obama in Iowa, the London Times columnist David Aaronovitch suggested that part of Mrs. Clinton’s problem might lie in our contradictory attitudes to women’s public speech. If their style is assertive they are labeled “shrill” and “strident”; if it is softer and more conciliatory, that casts doubt on their ability to lead. However she speaks, it seems a woman cannot win. (more…)

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