When They Call You a Terrorist: a Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele

I love reading memoirs but sometimes they just rip your heart out and that's the case with When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Kahn-Cullors, the story of the author's life and how she and two other women came to found the Black Lives Matter movement.

Beginning with her childhood in Van Nuys, California, Kahn-Cullors describes what it was like growing up impoverished, hungry, black, constantly dogged by law enforcement, and without much parental guidance. The author had 3 siblings and her mother, originally from a middle class background, was forced to fend for herself after her family kicked her out for becoming pregnant at 16. From the time she was small, the author knew her mother as a woman who left for work before dawn and came home late at night, working 2 or 3 jobs just to get by. Her father came and went after he lost his factory job and, eventually, Kahn-Cullors found out that she had a different biological father from that of her siblings. Both were unreliable in their own ways, so young Patrisse looked up to her brothers, the only reliable men in her life.

The author became aware of how black people were singled out by police at an early age, noting that the black people around her were treated differently by the court system, almost expected to become criminals, even in schools. The latter is something I was aware of when my children were in school. Posted in the window of the middle school office and outside the high school office were posters listing crimes and their likely punishments. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get them removed.

The author is bisexual (she prefers the term "Queer"), her eldest brother has a severe mental illness, and the entire family has been impacted by the targeting of blacks that came about due to the so-called "War on Drugs," so she has a lot of different challenges to tackle and all are described in gut-wrenching detail. Her experiences led her to become an activist at a young age and she describes the various movements that she participated in before she and two other women founded the Black Lives Matter movement.

What a shocking, horrifying, eye-opening read. One of the biggest surprises: I had no idea that the Black Lives Matter movement was founded by women and is still a women's movement. Kahn-Cullors expressed her frustration about this. There are men who participate and even they were well aware that in our patriarchal society the press gravitates toward the men for statements. I found myself nodding. Had the press focused on the fact that women founded the BLM movement, I wouldn't have gone into the reading of Patrisse Kahn-Cullors' memoir thinking otherwise.

The author talked about other efforts she's been involved in, besides the attempt to bring awareness to how the police and court systems treat black men vs. how they treat others. Some of those efforts were finding success until the recent presidential election set them back: the attempt to halt the building of prisons and instead funnel public funding into programs that positively impact impoverished communities, for example, and the effort to demilitarize police forces.

I found the challenge the author's brother and her family have faced, just in dealing with his mental illness, particularly interesting because it touches on a subject I've heard about, the fact that police officers are either not trained to discern the difference between mental illness and deliberate violence or too focused on racial profiling. I've heard of cases in which family members carefully warn police officers that someone is mentally ill and needs to be approached a certain way, only to be met with (often deadly) force, instead. The author speculates that the trauma of being targeted by police, treated violently, left without parents or support when their elders are imprisoned, and being imprisoned for offences in which nobody is harmed may even be the source of some mental illness. It took quite a few terrifying years and two imprisonments before her own brother even had a solid diagnosis, more time to get his medication balanced properly, and a continuing effort by a network of family and friends to keep him on his medication and get him the proper help when he needs it.

Highly recommended - A rough read, but a good one, I spent a great deal of my reading time with tears in my eyes. Some readers might feel a little judgmental about many of the details of Kahn-Cullors' life. She's not straight, her mother had 4 children by two different men, and drugs were, in fact, a common problem in her community. It's important to look past what some of us may consider "sinful" and think, instead, "What can we do to stop the impoverished from taking drugs, getting pregnant young, etc., in the first place? What societal changes will help stop the destructive patterns?" Kahn-Cullors offers up some solutions: creating green spaces, offering support to those who have parents in prison, providing medical and mental healthcare, feeding those who are hungry. I hope this memoir will help to open a few more eyes to the dramatic inequalities faced by black Americans.


©2017 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

If you watch The Daily Show, these days, you've probably seen Trevor Noah talk about the fact that his birth during apartheid was a crime. His mother was a black South African, his father a white Swiss/German. As a mixed-race person, he was an outcast in every group - even the coloreds, who were mixed race but generally stuck together. Being mixed race with a black mother was different than having two colored parents; for years, Trevor could not be seen with either his mother or his father without potentially risking a beating or arrest of his mother.

Born a Crime is really a book about race, how a small percentage of people can use hatred and division to rule a larger number of people, and what it was like for Noah to grow up on the fringe, not quite fitting into any group at all. It's not about how he became a comedian who traveled the world and eventually settled in the U.S.  In fact, I hope he'll eventually write that book, as well.

Trevor Noah is a sharp guy, very articulate, and the book is well-written, illuminating, sometimes a bit shocking, and occasionally funny. You can't help but admire his mother's strength of character and the fact that Noah not only survived his crazy childhood but also came out of it with such a tremendous sense of humor and the ability to view his experiences as lessons to build on, rather than enduring pain. I admired him before; I'm in awe of him, now.

Highly recommended - Excellent writing and timely, as Born a Crime shines a light on racial division and how people can be subjugated merely by turning against each other.


©2016 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Sherlock: Chronicles by Steve Tribe

I've just checked my local public broadcasting schedule to confirm that the encore showing of "The Abominable Bride" -- the latest Sherlock episode -- is scheduled to air tonight, which gave me the nudge I needed to finally photograph Sherlock: Chronicles.

Sherlock:: Chronicles by Steve Tribe describes the creation of the Sherlock TV series from a germ of an idea tossed around randomly to development, editing and final production. A chapter is devoted to each of the episodes in the first three seasons along with a foreword by Mark Gatiss (who plays Mycroft and is co-creator of the series with Steven Moffat) and a great deal of background material about older versions of Sherlock Holmes that influenced the modern series, creative decisions like the choice to use a contemporary setting, the casting of the show, wardrobe and sets . . . even the styling of Benedict Cumberbatch's hair.

I've been flipping through the book and I can't find the hair bit but I recall Cumberbatch referring to the chosen hairstyle as "this mop" or something similar, which made me laugh. To be honest, the hair is the only thing I dislike about Sherlock's characterization. I'm rather fond of the star's shorter, natural auburn hair. Apparently, I'm in the minority in that regard.

Sherlock: Chronicles is crammed with gorgeous photographs of the actors (behind-the-scenes and official release photos), the sets, side-by-side comparisons of original A. Conan Doyle stories and the scripts that drew from those stories, lists of selected roles key actors have played, deleted scenes, images of art, special effects  (including the creation of the terrifying hound in the updated version of "The Hounds of Baskerville", on-screen texts, and the mattress that meets Sherlock halfway when he's drugged) and storyboards. There are some collages of photos but none of the photos were so painfully small that I had to pull out a magnifying glass. The layout is very nicely done.

Some of the things I enjoyed learning:

• There is an actual blog to accompany the series: The Personal Blog of Dr. John H. Watson. What fun! I'll go back and read the entries as I watch the series, the next time around. I've only taken the time to read the blog about the wedding episode (the last update; perhaps they felt a post about the final episode would give too much away?). The comments below that entry were a hoot. 
• Why and how certain changes were made from the original stories, like the decision to make the series more of an adventure than a mystery series.
• The actors' thoughts about their roles.
• Details like the way names of characters were changed to reflect the naming in the original stories but update them. For example, Sir Henry Baskerville of the original "Hound of the Baskervilles" became Henry Knight -- "Knight" being a reference to Henry's knighthood. 
• The details behind the stunt work in "The Reichenbach Fall". You can see this in the extra material on the DVDs but it was still fun reading the details about how the actual London building was chosen and I love the still shots.
• Background about settings: which were actual London settings and when and where other locations were used.

I spent a good two months working my way through Sherlock: Chronicles and then viewing each episode as I read about it, which was tremendously fun. Just before I began reading the book, we spent 9 days in London, in a flat on Baker Street, and discovered that we had sat in the park where John Watson's friend told him about an acquaintance looking for a flatmate and stood watching skateboarders in a South Bank setting covered with graffiti that Sherlock and John walked past in another episode.

Highly recommended - If you're a fan of Sherlock, Sherlock: Chronicles is an exceptionally fun read and an excellent reference. At 8" x 10", the book is large enough that photos are nicely sized (some of the text in side-by-side comparisons of story vs. script, emails, and lists of other roles played by key actors are quite small, though). It would look nice on a coffee table and would make a great gift for the Sherlock lover in your life. I especially enjoyed the fact that the reading opened up a few delightful discussions with the spouse. He enjoyed learning those little background tidbits as much as I did.

My thanks to Dey Street Books for the opportunity to review Sherlock: Chronicles.

©2016 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Hello? by Liza Wiemer

Hello? by Liza Wiemer
Copyright 2015 
Spencer Hill Contemporary - Young Adult
428 pp. 

If I hadn't skipped my Monday Malarkey post, you'd know that Hello? was the only book that arrived, last week. It was a pre-order and even though I know it wasn't all that long ago that it came up in discussion somewhere (Facebook?) I can't recall who brought it up or what convinced me to buy it. But man, am I glad I did.

In brief, Hello? is about relationships, trauma, love, angst. It's character-driven but the issues driving the characters are important.

Tricia's grandmother died 5 months ago, leaving her without any family. Gradually, her boyfriend Brian moved into the lighthouse with her. At first, it was helpful but his presence has become a burden; he's keeping her from healing. At the same time, Brian has grown weary of Tricia's grief.

When Brian abruptly leaves Tricia, saying he can't take anymore pain, Tricia considers suicide. As she picks up the phone and calls her grandmother's cell number, Tricia entertains the thought that maybe her grandmother will answer and tell her everything's all right. But, instead, Emerson answers and they talk openly, as strangers, about their lives. Emerson went through something a five-year-old should never experience, 13 years ago, so he understands grief.

WARNING: This review contains potential spoilers. I don't give up the ending of the book (except in a part that must be highlighted to view it) but there are some plot points mentioned. If you're afraid I'll ruin the book for you, please skip down below the END WARNING line.

Tricia convinces Emerson to end his toxic relationship and Emerson talks Tricia into putting the gun away for good. But, Tricia doesn't want to rely on Emerson and asks him to change his phone number so she won't keep calling him. Will Tricia and Emerson ever talk to each other again?

Angie knows that sex shouldn't dominate her relationship with Emerson but she's unable to pull away. Then, Emerson breaks up with her in a very public place. Someone films the temper tantrum that follows and turns the video into a misleading gif that gets passed around. Now, everyone is mad at Emerson and Angie has run to Jordan, the guy she really cares for but who confused her, long ago. Her best friend Brenda adds another complication when Emerson mentions that he assumes Brenda is gay. Has she wanted more from Angie, all this time?

Brenda has never had a boyfriend but she's never been able to share why. Now that her best friend has confronted her with an unexpected question, she realizes that she must face up to the horror of what happened to her, long ago. When Brenda finally takes action, what will happen? Will she be able to heal and move past the pain?

**************************END WARNING*******************************

Tricia, Brian, Emerson, Brenda, and Angie all have been traumatized in some way, and therein may lie one of only two flaws in this book. It seems like a stretch that so many connected individuals could have all experienced tragedy and horror by 18. The only other flaw I found was the fact that . . . eh, maybe this is a spoiler - highlight to see, if you're willing, just in case: they all gather together in the end. The ending felt a little deus ex machina. And, yet it also didn't. It felt right in its own way.

Hello? is told through multiple viewpoints and it can be a huge challenge for an author to make each individual sound unique, to keep them easily distinguishable. So, she gave them talents and used them to express their individuality. Brian is an artist who creates beautiful works of pottery. Angie is a poet. Brenda plans to become a screenwriter. When the story is being told through Brian's POV, occasionally a sketch of pottery will appear. Angie tells her tale through poetry (free verse). Brenda's scenes are done in screenplay format. Those little touches help distinguish between viewpoints and lend the book a uniqueness.

Highly recommended - Seriously. Could. Not. Put. Down. So many questions to be answered, threads to be untangled, lives to set on track. I liked the fact that the author put so many characters through the mill and made them grow to the point that each was coping, by the end. It may have felt a little too convenient, in a way, (and the new relationships a little too perfect) but the story was skillfully done. Also, very cool, Emerson is named after the poet and there are Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes at the beginning of every chapter.

I really loved this book. The author not only tackled some serious issues, but also followed up with contact numbers and explained a bit about her own experience at the end of the book.

I also liked the fact that the characters managed to figure out sex is  . . . I want to say "sacred" but that's not her wording. It's more like she was trying to explain how and why it can be used in a bad way but doesn't need to be. Sometimes it's better to take things slowly, in other words, and sometimes the timing is completely inappropriate but, bottom line, use care when taking that step. There's a lot of food for thought. In fact, I think Hello? would make a pretty terrific discussion book for a teen book club or a parent/teen club.

If your name is Chris, you've been my blogging buddy for eons and you live in New Orleans, please don't buy yourself a copy of this book. I'm sending you a copy for Christmas. You know who you are (she says, hoping to quickly bury the review so he won't see it).

©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman
Copyright 2015
William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins)
308 pp.

In the introduction to Trigger Warning, author Neil Gaiman warns the reader that the stories included are thematically diverse. Usually, he says, he tries to stick to a theme. But, in this case he gathered a variety. I doubt any diehard Gaiman fan will care and I certainly didn't. Subtitled "Short Fictions and Disturbances," the stories are indeed a hodge-podge of fantasy, suspense, sci-fi, whatever. Some will make your skin crawl in a satisfactory way; some are simply magical; one story is a Doctor Who fiction.

I'm not the typical Gaiman fan as my feelings about Gaiman's writings run dramatically hot and cold. Either I love a story or I don't. In this particular case, I liked or loved probably at least 85% of the writings. A couple simply did not work for me. One I disliked so much I abandoned it a third of the way in. I seldom ditch short stories, simply because they're brief (although this one was fairly long, as short stories go). That certainly puts a light on the hot/cold thing, doesn't it?

A few personal favorites:

"A Calendar of Tales" - This series of short stories takes on more meaning when you're aware of their origin, which the author shares (the author, in fact, describes the origins of most of the stories at the beginning of the book). One story for each month, each begun with a simple prompt tweeted to the author. One of those prompts was "an igloo of books" and just seeing those four words makes you realize the kind of writer in whose hands you've placed yourself -- a man who can take a four-word prompt and write a story that transports you to a world with an igloo made of books is definitely someone special.

"Click Clack the Rattlebag" - One of those stories that's just unsettling enough to give you goosebumps, makes you want to leave the closet doors open with the lights on, and makes you think, "I'm going to have a creepy nightmare tonight." I loved it.

"Nothing O'Clock" - The Dr. Who tale, in which the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond must defeat a creature formerly imprisoned by the Time Lords but set loose upon the extinction of Gallifrey. The characters are so true to those played by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan that Dr. Who fans may find themselves wondering why the story wasn't made into an episode.

Highly recommended - I especially recommend Trigger Warning to Neil Gaiman fans, but if you enjoy short stories and only occasionally like Neil Gaiman, you will still definitely find something to love in this book. Incidentally, a couple of the writings are poetry. And, it's notable that Trigger Warning contains plenty of atmospheric, disturbing stories, making it perfect for fall reading (including the annual RIP challenge).


©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss

Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss
Copyright 2011
Dey Street Books (an imprint of HarperCollins) - Graphic biography incl. notes, "Radioactive Bestiary and Garden" and more
205 pp.

I love what the National Book Foundation had to say about this book (from the book cover), so I'll open with their thoughts:

"Redniss's achievment is a celebration of the essential power of books to inform, charm, and transport. In marrying the graphic and visual arts with biography and cultural history, she has expanded the realm of nonfiction."

That is honestly a perfect description of Radioactive. The story of Marie and Pierre Curie's lives, Radioactive opens with an excerpt from "Lecture on Radium" by Loie Fuller that is almost a soliloquy to the magic of science. The word "magic" is used repeatedly. It's a scholarly work but it sets the tone brilliantly. This excerpt is followed by a bewitching 2-page illustration and then a simple line drawing with a single paragraph introducing each of the subjects: Pierre Curie and Marya Sklodowska (later Marie Curie).

I was a little stunned at the odd simplicity of the illustrations in Radioactive, at first. They seemed loose, almost childish. But, as the book progresses and Pierre and Marie's lives unfold and intertwine, the illustrations and period photographs combine to take on an eerie blend of professional artistry and simplistic genius. Between the text -- which is very informative if, at times, the science itself lost me -- and the unique illustrative style, the book has a magnetic appeal. By that, I mean I couldn't put it down till I finished. Too bad I started reading it at bedtime. The book is a quick read but I started it late enough to end up with a reading hangover.

Highly recommended - A unique, well-written biography that transports you to the world of Pierre and Marie Curie. I've always thought of both of the Curies in a distant, abstract way, but I came out of the reading with, I think, a well-rounded image of both as individuals, so they now seem more human and less like names from a list of scientists involved in important breaththroughs. Also of interest: I had no idea that after its discovery radium was touted as a bit of a cure-all. Horrors. I wonder how many people died because of that trend.

©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

This Old Van by Kim Norman and Carolyn Conahan and a Fiona Friday pic

This Old Van by Kim Norman, Illustrated by Carolyn Conahan
Copyright 2015
Sterling Children's Books - Picture Book/Counting (Ages 4 - 7)
30 pp.


This old van, she passed TWO,
friendly flaggers wave her through.

With a click clack rattle rack,
tooting at the crew,
this old van says,
"GOOD-BYE, TWO!"


Before I said "yes" to reviewing This Old Van, I already knew I couldn't pass up a book starring a van covered in the old "flower power" and peace-sign design. My hippie soul adores such things (I am, in fact, wearing a peace sign T-shirt as I type). And, I did indeed love the illustrations starring a couple of aging hippies and this crazy van racing across the countryside every bit as much as I expected. But, the bonus is in the rhythm. You can tell from the excerpt above (if you know the song) that the rhythm of the verses in This Old Van is the same as that of the song "This Old Man."

So, I actually sang the entire book to the cats. No, nobody has come to haul me to a room with mattress wallpaper, yet. And, in fact, the cats seemed to enjoy it but not as much as I'm sure my granddaughter will when I send it to her.

Highly recommended - A wildly fun counting book that has friendly, upbeat illustrations with plenty of detail to study, a super rhythm that allows you to sing the book to an old-fashioned tune, and unique things to count. On the page with two friendly flaggers, for example, there are also two dogs, two birds in hard hats, two bulldozers, two goats, two signs warning about falling rocks and two unexpected animals in hard hats. Loads of fun for kids and adults. Grandparents who remember the 60s will appreciate that crazy van.

It's Friday but I wanted to squeeze in a review so you get a combination post, today, including a combination of cats for Fiona Friday. I always love those moments when I find the two kitties squashed up next to each other.  It happened two or three times, this week, and I managed to catch the kitties between grooming and playing with their ribbon, on one occasion. It's possible somebody wiggled her fingers to get them to stop looking down.

Happy Friday!

©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

I had to Google my own blog to find out when I read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (link leads to my review). 2007! I remember finding the ARC on a cart at my former library, where they occasionally give away advance reader copies rather than throwing them away as many libraries do. I loved the cover, the characters, the relationships, the crazy enchanted apple tree. I was excited to find a new author whose storytelling swept me away and couldn't wait to find out what she'd come up with, next. I've loved every book I've read by Sarah, but Garden Spells has always held a special place in my heart. So, I was excited when I heard the news that she was writing a book that continued the story of the Waverley family.

In First Frost, Claire and Sydney are older, happily married; they both have daughters. The Waverleys are always uneasy as they wait for the first frost of the season, when their crazy apple tree will bloom. Claire has stopped catering as her candy business has grown. She doesn't want to sell her recipes but she's finding it difficult keeping up with the orders and is clearly not as happy as she was during her catering years. Sydney is worried about Bay's potential relationship with a boy from the wrong family. Bay is headstrong like the rest of the women in the family, trying to find her way without being outwardly rebellious. Evanelle's health is failing. There's a stranger whose appearance in town is unsettling and then threatening. And, Claire and Sydney puzzle over whether or not every Waverley woman has a gift.

I love Sarah Addison Allen's writing, in general, but there is definitely something extra special about the Waverleys, their unique gifts and that hilarious apple tree. I kept my copy of Garden Spells and I'm glad I bought a copy of First Frost. I know I'll want to revisit both, in the future.

I have a copy of the British version of First Frost because I prefer paperback. In the past, I've kept a list of books that I want to buy in paperback for trips to the UK, but I've recently taken to buying from Book Depository if a paperback is not yet available in the U.S. (and I'm feeling impatient). I like both of the covers - the frosty apple on the American cover and the heavily floral British version. But, a part of me does wish one or the other had matched the artwork to that of Garden Spells.

Highly recommended - Familiar characters with Allen's trademark magical touch and lovely storytelling make First Frost another keeper.

©2015 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.