Review: The Dreamer

The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Enchanting way to consider poetry: through the experiences of a Pablo Neruda as a young boy.

Pam Munoz Ryan again brings imagination and heart to a book with strong themes.

Peter Sis' art is a perfect accompaniment; his works for this book create an impact despite within the limits of a black-and-white color spectrum.

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Review: The Table Where Rich People Sit

The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

When reading books, the number that I normally seek out first is the copyright date. For an adult with some understanding of history, this number is a always valid and unbiased reference point.

Many numbers assigned to books, however, are evaluative and biased. My hackles are up just now because I found that on scholastic.com, the publisher of Byrd Baylor's The Table Where Rich People Sit assigned “Interest Level” Grades 3 – 5.

How can any of Byrd Baylor’s provocative texts accompanied by Peter Parnall’s evocative illustrations be limited to grades 3-5?

Doesn’t everyone appreciate a message well-told in straightforward language?

It’s fine to use numbers for generalized shorthand evaluation, but please never rely on them solely.

One person’s number opinion is another’s outrage.

Today, in culmination of a speech class I taught, two middle school boys in a joint presentation delivered Baylor’s "The Table Where Rich People Sit" with great interest and understanding.

Read this book yourself and share it with people of any age who may may enjoy it.


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Review: I See the Rhythm

I See the Rhythm by Toyomi Igus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dense with beauty and pain and joy... I want to continue reading this gorgeous-in-word-and-image book slowly. Today I stopped at "Birth of the Blues", only the third era illuminated in this heartfelt ode to African American music. I want to let all those visual and word and heart images settle within me.
More to follow...

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Review: An Unnecessary Woman

An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is a deeply thoughtful exploration of character and place.

More so than many other books I've read, I was aware of its impact on me emotionally. There are devastating scenes that I was able to absorb without tears; I know if I were in a different time and place myself, I would have been uncontrollably crying as I read.

My own character and place as I read had a surprising influence on me. Recovering from a preventive mastectomy and reconstruction surgery, I was sedentary and cocooned at home. My best friend & beloved husband Lance took care of my needs. Our 11-year-old Aussie Woody cuddled and protected me. So, so fortunate to have clusters – family, medical team, friends – for support. So, so fortunate to have a peaceful, well-lit room for healing.

The contrast to me was stark as I read of Alameddine's heroine Aaliya's circumstances and state of mind. Decades of war and distrust await outside the door to her small apartment in Beirut. She lives a solitary life in her apartment that is so full of books and manuscripts, she barely has room to breathe. It seems her entire life as "an unnecessary woman" is fraught with tension tamed only by literature and ideas.

This story will stay with you. Read it when the time is right for you. Your heart will open, and a new awareness will inform you.



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Review: The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection CD

The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection CD by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 0 of 5 stars



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Review: Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down. So many interpretations of doors.
Hero & Herione sympathetic & compelling.

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Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Intriguing, spooky, enchanting.

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