#world events and america from this author. and his choice to make the protagonists who he did: a japanese american whos born american

[mejomonster]

I started reading Billy Bat manga by Urasawa Naoki (u may know him as the guy who did Monster) and jesus christ its wild. Absolute experience. Judas and Jesus are in it, so are ninjas, so is lee harvey oswald (technically at least 3), theres a bat thats satire about how evil mickey mouse and disney are, there's lying cartoons galore, there's the civil rights movement, the oppressivr terror of the ku klux klan and the structural damage of segregation and fucked up laws, and the pervasiveness of advertising and the coca cola company ("golden cola") there's real events sprinkled with gratuitious fictional shit about manipulative God Billy Bat (or perhaps "administrator/guide to the human race"), a scroll that could control the world, Fake walt disney has hired killers, the looming brutality of imperialism and corporations buying out poorer areas, killing in other countries and breaking laws and whatever else is needed to acquire what they want, there's a cartoon dog kennedy assasination, a baby kevin inherits the powers of an older kevin, there's ninjas and priests, there's a small town out west full of cowboy larpers who are this comic artists biggest fan club, a secret agent Smith with a heart of gold (one hopes), a teenager named jackie whos seeing visions, there's a good and evil fake "mickey mouse" bat but frankly theyre probqbly both evil cause either way they lie and manipulate to get people to do what they want, judas cameos not only in his jesus arc but as a little kiddo, and like. Im not even halfway done. Einstein JUST showed up.

[rockislandadultreads]

Diverse Stories & Funny Laughs: a reading list

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Wanted: One (fake) boyfriend Practically perfect in every way Luc O'Donnell is tangentially--and reluctantly--famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything. To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened. But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items? • Enjoy a drunken night out. • Ride a motorcycle. • Go camping. • Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex. • Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage. • And... do something bad. But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job. Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit. But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Kaddish.com by Nathan Englander

Larry is an atheist in a family of orthodox Memphis Jews. When his father dies, it is his responsibility as the surviving son to recite the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, every day for eleven months. To the horror and dismay of his mother and sisters, Larry refuses--thus imperiling the fate of his father's soul. To appease them, and in penance for failing to mourn his father correctly, he hatches an ingenious if cynical plan, hiring a stranger through a website called kaddish.com to recite the daily prayer and shepherd his father's soul safely to rest. This is Nathan Englander's freshest and funniest work to date--a satire that touches, lightly and with unforgettable humor, on the conflict between religious and secular worlds, and the hypocrisies that run through both. A novel about atonement; about spiritual redemption; and about the soul-sickening temptations of the internet, which, like God, is everywhere.

Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump

In this alternately witty and heartbreaking debut novel, Gabriel Bump gives us an unforgettable protagonist, Claude McKay Love. Claude isn’t dangerous or brilliant—he’s an average kid coping with abandonment, violence, riots, failed love, and societal pressures as he steers his way past the signposts of youth: childhood friendships, basketball tryouts, first love, first heartbreak, picking a college, moving away from home. Claude just wants a place where he can fit. As a young black man born on the South Side of Chicago, he is raised by his civil rights–era grandmother, who tries to shape him into a principled actor for change; yet when riots consume his neighborhood, he hesitates to take sides, unwilling to let race define his life. He decides to escape Chicago for another place, to go to college, to find a new identity, to leave the pressure cooker of his hometown behind. But as he discovers, he cannot; there is no safe haven for a young black man in this time and place called America. Percolating with fierceness and originality, attuned to the ironies inherent in our twenty-first-century landscape, Everywhere You Don’t Belong marks the arrival of a brilliant young talent.

A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane

A hilariously heartfelt novel about living life at full force, and discovering family when you least expect it, influenced in part by the author’s time as Carrie Fisher’s beloved assistant. Charlie Besson is about to have an insane job interview. His car is idling, like his life, outside the Hollywood mansion of Kathi Kannon. THE Kathi Kannon, star of stage and screen and People magazine’s worst dressed list. She needs an assistant. He needs a hero. Kathi is an icon, bestselling author, and an award winning actress, most known for her role as Priestess Talara in the iconic blockbuster sci-fi film. She’s also known for another role: crazy Hollywood royalty. Admittedly so. Famously so. Fabulously so. Charlie gets the job, and embarks on an odyssey filled with late night shopping sprees, last minute trips to see the aurora borealis, and an initiation to that most sacred of Hollywood tribes: the personal assistant. But Kathi becomes much more than a boss, and as their friendship grows, Charlie must make a choice. Will he always be on the sidelines of life, assisting the great forces that be, or can he step into his own leading role? Laugh-out-loud funny, and searingly poignant, Byron Lane's A Star is Bored is a novel that, like the star at its center, is enchanting and joyous, heartbreaking and hopeful.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers. After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy. After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had. Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars. With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.

[strangeandforlornbooks]

best books with morally ambiguous narrators!

all y’all’s problematic faves and villains! :) also included are third person narrators but in books with morally ambiguous leads/themes 

Sci-fi

Scythe by Neal Shusterman: in a future free from pain, disease, and war, people can live forever. ‘scythes’ are given the power to decide who lives and who dies to preserve the balance. sad and kinda gives of hunger games vibes, if you like that.

Neuromancer by William Gibson: basically invented the cyberpunk genre. strange and removed protagonists. (a team of computer hackers have to face off against an evil AI). you kind of dislike everyone and suddenly you’re crying over them. one of those trippy sci-fi classics.

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut: very beautiful and very very sad (same author as slaughterhouse five). the richest man in america has to face a martian invasion. more about free will and bad people doing good things than a plot that makes any kind of sense.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick: set in an alternate universe where the germans and japanese won world war two. not really like the tv show at all- it’s not an action story, and there’s not really the hope to somehow fix the world that drives a lot of dystopia stories. instead its about how people survive and connect to one another in a hopeless society.

The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow: a supercomputer convinces the leaders of the world to keep the peace for hundreds of years by taking their children hostage and obliterating any city that disobeys. what happens to the hostage protagonists when war seems inevitable? lots of morally fraught decisions and characters slowly losing their identity. (plus a fun lesbian romance)

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson: a brilliant mathematician and a dedicated marine fight to keep the ultra secret in world war two. fifty years later,  a tech company discovers what remains of their story. one of the most memorable sequences in the book is a japanese soldier slowly becoming disillusioned with his nation and horrified by the war even as he continues to fight.

Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick: another one of those sci-fi classics that’s not at all like the movie. there is a bounty hunter for robots, though, as well as a weird religion that probably is referencing catholicism and a decaying society with a shortage of pets. kind of a trip.

Wilder Girls by Rory Power: girls trapped in a boarding school on an isolated island must face a creeping rot that affects the animals and plants on the island as well as their own bodies. the protagonists will do anything to survive and keep each other safe. very tense (and bonus lesbian romance whoo)

The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin: three women are gifted with the ability to control the earth’s energy in a world where those who can do so are forced into hiding or slavery. some veryyyy dark choices here but lots of strong female characters.

Historical Fiction

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: two victorian lesbians fall in love as they plot to betray each other in horrific ways. lots of plot twists, plucky thieves, gothic settings, and a great romance.

Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiwicz: a powerful roman soldier in the time of Nero plots to kidnap a young woman after he falls in love with her, only to learn more about the mysterious christian religion she follows. very melodramatic but some terrific prose. 

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: a blind girl in France and a brilliant German boy recruited by the military struggle through the chaos of the second world war. ends with a bang (iykyk.) very sad, reads like poetry.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang: graphic novel reveals the story of a young boy fighting in the boxer rebellion in early twentieth century china. the sequel, saints, is also excellent. beautifully and sympathetically shows the protagonist’s descent into evil- the reader really understands each step along the way.

Fantasy

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake: three triplets separated at birth, each with their own magical powers, have to fight to the death to gain the throne. lots of fun honestly

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: everyone in these books is highly problematic but you love them all anyway. a ragtag game of criminals plan a heist on a magical fortress. some terrific tragic back stories, repressed feelings, and revenge schemes.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King: idk how to describe these frankly but if you can put up with King’s appalling writing of female characters they’re pretty interesting. fantasy epic about saving the world/universe, sort of. cowboys and prophecies and overlapping dimensions and drug addicts galore.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud: lots of fun! a twelve year old decides to summon a demon for his cute lil revenge scheme. sarcastic demon narrator. lighthearted until s*** gets real suddenly.

Elegy and Swansong by Vale Aida: fantasy epic with machiavellian lesbians and enemies to lovers to enemies to ??? to lovers. charming and exciting and lovely characters.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen: an orphan boy must compete with a few others for the chance to impersonate a dead prince. really dark but very tense and exciting and good twists.

The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu: fantasy epic. heroes overthrow an evil empire and then struggle as the revolution dissolves into warring factions. interesting world building and three dimensional characters, even if they only have a small part.

Circe by Madeline Miller: the story behind the witch who turns men into pigs in the odyssey. madeline miller really said, i just used my classics degree to write a beautiful gay love story and now im going to write a powerful feminist retelling because i can. queen. an amazing and satisfying book that kills me a lil bit because of the two lines referencing the song of achilles.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer: the tragic backstory for the queen of hearts in alice in wonderland. a little predictable but very fun with a compelling protagonist

A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George RR Martin: ok I know we all hate GRRM and rightfully so but admittedly these books do have some great characters and great scenes. they deserve better than GRRM though. also he will probably never finish the books anyway....

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: not really fantasy but not really anything else either. plucky, intelligent, and kind children fight off evil plots for thirteen books until suddenly you realize the world is not nearly as black and white as you thought. 

Classics

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: gothic romance!! a new wife is curious about the mysterious death of her predecessor in a creepy old house in the British countryside...good twists and lovely prose.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles: not really morally ambiguous but one awful decision suddenly has awful consequences and certain people are haunted by guilt forever.... really really really beautiful and really really really sad. boys in a boarding school grow up together under the shadow of world war two.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: while imperial russia slowly decays a beautiful young woman begins a destructive affair. a long book. very russian. the ending is incredibly tense and well written.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding: I think you know the plot to this one. the prose is better than you remember and the last scene is always exciting.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: one by one, the guests on an island are slowly picked off. one of Christie’s darkest mysteries- no happy ending here! very tense and great twists.

Contemporary

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: inspired the whole dark academia aesthetic. college students get a little too into ancient greece and it does not end very well. lovely prose but I found the characters unlikable.

Honorable Mentions

The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherford: has literally a billion protagonists, but some of them are morally ambiguous ig? follows a few families stories’ from the 400s ad to irish independence in the 20s. beautifully captures the weight and movement of irish history.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer: how morally ambiguous can you be if you’re, like, eleven? a lot if you’re a criminal genius who wants to kidnap a fairy for your evil-ish plan apparently!

Redemption by Leon Uris: literally my favorite novel ever. the sequel to Trinity but can stand alone. various irish families struggle through the horrors of world war one. the hero isn’t really morally ambiguous, but the main theme of the novel is extremely bad people suddenly questioning their choices and eventually redeeming themselves. sweeping themes of love, screwed up families, redemption, and patriotism.

The Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett: heroes redeem themselves/try to get rich/try to save their country in early renaissance Europe. if I actually knew what happened in these books I'm sure it would be morally ambiguous but its too confusing for me. in each book you spend at least a third convinced the protagonist is evil, though. lots of exciting sword fights, tragic romances, plot twists, and kicking english butt.

Bonus: Protagonist is less morally ambiguous and more very screwed up and sad all the time

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: you know this one bc its quoted in all those quote compilations. basically the story of how one horrible event traumatizes a young man and how he develops a connection to a painting. really really really good.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: hard to describe but strange... not an action novel or a dystopia really but sort of along those lines. very hopeless.

[alliluyevas]

Hi! I hope I don't bother you, but would you be so kind and share some historical middle grade fiction reading recommendations? I love reading those! Have a lovely day :)

this is absolutely not a bother, I love doing book recs and I love this genre! Some of my very favorites, in roughly chronological era by the period they’re focused on:

The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence

I happen to love good detective stories, and this series includes that, along with so much else. During the reign of the Roman emperor Titus, Roman preteen and enterprising amateur sleuth Flavia and her three friends Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus solve mysteries and experience historical events from the eruption of Vesuvius to the opening of the Colosseum. This series has really well-developed characters, both major and minor, and strikes a great balance between enjoyable fun and some pretty heavy dramatic storylines. There are also a lot of actual historical figures depicted, like Titus and Pliny the Elder.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by the always-wonderful Avi

One of the comparatively few children’s historical novels I’ve read and enjoyed with a male protagonist! In medieval England, young peasant Crispin is forced to go on the run for his life after the steward of the estate he lives on declares him an outlaw for mysterious reasons. With the help of a traveling musician who he meets and befriends, he attempts to clear his name and discover why there’s a price on his head to begin with. Beautifully written and thrilling.

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Also set in medieval England! This book is written in a diary format by the narrator, Catherine/Birdy, a young noble girl who records her daily life, her struggles with becoming a proper young lady, and her fears about her upcoming arranged marriage. The narrative voice is really unique, snappy and humorous and deeply engaging.

The Tudor Women series by Carolyn Meyer

This is a four-part series focusing on the childhood/adolescence through young adulthood of women in the English Tudor dynasty: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. My personal favorites are/were the Anne and Mary books, but I think they’re all very worth reading. They’re quite well-written and the author has a real gift for characterization. These were my introduction to the wild world of the Tudors!

The Lady Grace Mysteries series by Patricia Finney

Another middle-grade historical detective series! (Technically, I think I’d consider both of the Tudor series middle-grade bridging to young adult, but I’m counting them both here). Lady Grace Cavendish is a bright, mischievous young maid of honor in the court of Queen Elizabeth I who solves mysteries, including plots against the queen. The world of the Tudor court is very well realized and a lot of the mysteries are very clever.

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Isabelle, the young daughter of a struggling family of lacemakers, visits Versailles to deliver lace and is stumbled across by Marie Antoinette, who selects her to be a playmate for her own daughter, Therese. As she travels between the world she once knew and the world of royalty, she has to decide who she is and where she belongs, as outside the palace the French Revolution is brewing. (Note: Marie Antoinette did actually bring ordinary children to play with her kids, but Isabelle is an invented character). I feel like this is a quite compassionate and nuanced take on the time period and the complicated friendship between Isabelle and Therese was very interesting.

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

Maud, a difficult and awkward preteen orphan during the Victorian era, is finally adopted by a pair of spinster sisters who work as spiritualist mediums. At first, she is thrilled, but as she realizes the two are con artists who plan to use her in their rigged seances to scam grieving parents out of money, she has to decide whether this new family is worth having. I feel like this book really tapped into the spirit of Gothic novels for a middle-grade audience, it was really delightfully creepy as well as quite emotionally affecting.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza, a wealthy young Mexican girl, is left mourning and destitute after her father is murdered by bandits and her uncle forces her, her mother, and her grandmother off the family estate. Along with a family who formerly worked as servants on the estate, her family immigrates to America as migrant agricultural laborers in California during the Great Depression. Esperanza has to adjust to her difficult new life and find strength and hope where she can. This book is very captivating but is also absolutely beautifully written, very poetic. It also provides a very important look at a demographic of people who are not as frequently talked about when we discuss the period of the Great Depression.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Set in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist-era purges. Nine-year-old Sasha is an ardent admirer of Stalin and thrilled that he’s about to become a Young Pioneer--until his life is turned upside down when his father is accused of crimes against the state and arrested. As he struggles to make sense of these events, Sasha accidentally damages a bust of Stalin at his school and tries to cover it up with the help of other children of “enemies of the state”, who are outcasts at the school, as Sasha has now become. This is a really thoughtful book that combines acerbic, surrealist humor with deep compassion, and it’s a great look at a really horrible period in history that isn’t talked about much in the United States, tailored very well for the developmental level of middle-grade readers. Also, Sasha’s father is an NKVD officer who is later denounced and purged himself, which was a pretty common scenario at this time, and I appreciate the author’s choice to show how the lines between victims and perpetrators weren’t always very clear.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

This is a coming-of-age story about Louise, a tomboyish teenager living in a fishing village on a remote island on the Chesapeake Bay during World War Two. This is hands-down my favorite children’s novel (I think it bridges middle-grade and YA) and one of my favorite books after. It is an incredibly poetic and poignant story, both uplifting and heartwrenching, about a girl struggling to discover her own identity and carve out a place in the world, as well as a really captivating portrayal of an insular community that is both comforting and crushing.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord 

Nine-year-old Shirley Wong immigrates from China to Brooklyn in 1947 along with her parents. She struggles at first to fit in with her classmates and neighbors and misses her large extended family back in China, but she eventually finds ways to make friends and thrive in America while being true to herself. Also, she falls in love with baseball! This book is partially based on the author’s experience as a young Chinese immigrant. The way that Shirley navigates a very foreign and confusing world is depicted in a funny, poignant and accessible way and the clever, scrappy Shirley is a vividly written character who definitely goes against common stereotypes about Asian American girls. 

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Eleven-year-old Penny feels caught in between the two sides of her family--her mainstream 1950s Anglo-American mother and grandparents, who she lives with, and her father’s relatives: a large, loud, very Italian, very Catholic immigrant family. As she grows up, she begins to uncover the family secrets that contribute to the tension between the two sides of her family, including uncovering the story of her father’s death when she was a baby. This is a really beautiful, moving story about love, trauma, and the things that families often find too painful to talk about, and it’s also a really vivid picture of 1950s Americana as a whole and Italian-American families in particular. Also, Penny is partially based on the author’s mother as a child and her own family history which I thought was sweet and pretty compelling.

[bookramblings]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published by: Scholastic

Pages: 520

Format: Hardback

My Rating ★★★★

Ambition will fuel him.

Competition will drive him.

But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmanoeuvre his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District twelve, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined – every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favour or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

My thoughts

It turns out I was so ready to return to the world of Panem again. I loved the Hunger Games series when I first read them in my teens and was so excited to get my hands on this new addition to the series as soon as it was released here in the UK.

Suzanne Collins’s bestselling dystopian Hunger Games trilogy is set in a future America, Panem, whose capital city Capitol hosts a terrible annual tribute from the twelve Districts it rules. Teenagers are chosen to fight each other to the death in a televised competition. Only one survives.

In this new prequel, readers are invited to delve into the early years of the grim contest. The novel is set in the world of Panem 64 years before the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy on the morning of the reaping of the 10th Hunger Games—well before the lifetime of the story’s protagonist Katniss Everdeen. Whereas it was easy to root for Katniss, the heroine of the trilogy, as she battled her way through the Games, it’s harder to do the same for Coriolanus, watching safely from the sidelines. Just as you would imagine, he is ruthless and political throughout.

Initially I wasn't overly thrilled about the prequel being based around President Snow, but I decided to remain open-minded. This was a bold decision by the author. Exploring a villain’s origin story is far less common in young adult fiction than it is in other areas of pop culture, and Snow has no fanbase. Readers will remember Coriolanus Snow as the ruthless and psychotic President of Panem. Here we discover his intriguing backstory. 

Overall, I thought as a character study, this was really great. It’s also much more philosophical than the Hunger Games series.

But as a big fan of the original series, I was also desperate to know more about the Dark Days that followed Panem’s failed rebellion. This entry does give some background to the dystopian world as well as Coriolanus Snow. I only wish there had been more history on Panem and how it came to be. There are some really wonderful little details included that readers will instantly recognise from the other books, though the prequel primarily focuses on adding greater depth to President Snow. Ultimately, Snow decides to remain a predator so that he wouldn’t become prey. 

The story’s themes of friendship, betrayal, authority and oppression make for a thrilling read. I loved the extra details about mockingjays and the origin of the hanging tree song, which existing fans will instantly recognise. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was transported once again to Panem and the incredible world created by Suzanne Collins back in 2008. I felt like a young teen again.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes provides a completely gripping prelude to the well-known Hunger Games novels. It's definitely a book worth reading, especially if you're a big fan of the trilogy.

Collins has created a dark prequel unlike any villain origin story you’ve watched or read before. And it is such a gripping read. It is in no way a fast-paced thrill ride like the original trilogy, and that's fine because it works anyway. Just be prepared for most of the real drama to unfold in the final twenty pages or so.

It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me it certainly was. If you’re someone who knows the original books very well, then I think you’ll get the most enjoyment out of it. There are so many references and nods to the original books that made this such a fun and intense read. I enjoyed the story, but it didn’t blow me away. 

Overall reaction:

[itskateak]

The Censorship of Books in MSBSD

On Wednesday (April 22nd, 2020), Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District Board voted to ban five books from the English curriculum as well as the use of the New York Times as a teacher resource and curriculum tool. With a vote of 5-2, those five books and the New York Times have been banned from the MSBSD English Curriculum.

Below the cut is a long post in which I discuss the books and the decision. Be warned that it is very long. I actually didn’t say everything that I wanted to due to the fact that it was already five pages long when I made the choice to wrap it up. Again, it is very long. Be warned that there is also a great amount of things talked about in this post that could be triggering for people. Please be careful for your own safety.

The following topics will be discussed: Abuse (sexual and physical), racism, slurs, incest, sexual content, misogyny, death, war, and murder.

The list below is transcribed from the MSBSD “High School English Electives Round 1- Controversial Book Description” PDF.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Summary: The book begins when three-year-old Maya and her older brother are sent to Stamps, Arkansas, to live with their grandmother and ends when Maya becomes a mother at the age of 16. In the course of Caged Bird, Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-possessed, dignified young woman capable of responding to prejudice.

Challenged: Sexually explicit material, such as the sexual abuse the author suffered as a child, and its “anti-white” messaging. Angelou’s book, which is part autobiography, part literary fiction, details many real-life events the author experienced from her early life through adulthood. Many of these recollections have led to the book being challenged or banned.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summary: The Great Gatsby is considered the Great American Novel. The Great Gatsby uses many literary devices and it is useful to classroom discussions for this purpose. This book is easily approachable by teenagers and helps them recognize and understand the relationship between theme and symbolism.

Challenged: Language and sexual references

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Summary: The invisibility of Ellison’s protagonist is about the invisibility of identity - above all, what it means to be a black man - and its various masks, confronting bother personal experience and the force of social illusions. The novel’s special quality is its deft combination of existential inquiry into identity as such - what it means to be socially or racially invisible - with a more socio political allegory of the history of the African-American experience in America. The first-person narrator remains nameless, retrospectively recounting shifts through the surreal reality of surroundings and people from the racists South to the no less inhospitable world of New York City.

Challenged: Language, rape, and incest. 

Catch- 22 by Joseph Heller

Summary: Joseph Heller’s satirical WWII war novel describes the events following a group of deployed airmen from different points of view of the characters. The sequence is non-sequential so that the timeline develops throughout the development of the plot. The novel’s literary merits are its exemplary point-of-view, use of rhetoric, and the challenges and irony of fear and authority (specifically the main character becomes more afraid of his own captain than of the German Army.)

Challenged: There are a handful of racial slurs, the characters speak with typical “military men” misogyny and racist attitudes of the time. There are scenes of violence both hand to hand and with guns, and violence against women.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

Summary: The Things They Carried is a collection of short stories about the Vietnam War and the lasting effects of war on the men and women who fought in war. This book is part memoir, part historical fiction, and was never meant to be a book about war, but more about the memories, the spiritual, emotional, and psychological burdens that we all carry with us. Each story, though deeply entrenched in the Vietnam War, shares themes of friendship, loyalty, loss, and courage.

Challenged: Profanity and sexual references

The Frontiersman wrote an article on this decision. To continue, I will be selecting quotes from the article and responding to them. 

“We’ve got five books here that are labeled as controversial and they’re controversial because of words like rape and incest and sexual references and language and things that are pretty serious problems, especially in our teenage world. Is there a reason that we include books that we even label as controversial in our curriculum? I would prefer that these were gone,” said Taylor. “For us to put them in front of teenagers as part of our curriculum, that's just something I can’t, I just don't understand.” 

Let’s break this down.

 “...controversial because of words like rape and incest and sexual references and language and things that are pretty serious problems, especially in our teenage world.” 

If you spend ten minutes on a school bus or in the school hallways, sexual references and profanity should be a pretty common thing you hear. Most teenagers curse and make sexual jokes. Adults tend to know this as they were once teenagers themselves. Films that are PG-13 have this same content and yet they aren’t considered controversial just based on their language and sexual references. 

Rape and Incest are heavy topics, yes, but not having the opportunity to read or learn about it creates a stigma. These stigmas will make it even harder for the victims of rape and incest to speak out and get help. In Alaska, 37% of women have experienced rape or sexual assault. The rate is 2.5 times the national average. Child sexual assault is almost six times the national average. These numbers should include teenagers.

Serious problems such as rape and incest are serious problems. End sentence, full stop. By saying they are especially serious in a teenage world is almost saying that the problem is too serious for teenagers to be able to handle. That is demeaning and degrading of the intelligence and emotional maturity of teenagers. Every year, required by Bree’s Law and Erin’s Law (read up on them here for those not in Alaska), we students must attend a training on dating violence and sexual assault prevention. This is required for every student grade K-12. That is every single grade from age 5 to graduation. 

If we cannot handle rape in a book, then how could we possibly handle a yearly training for prevention of that exact topic? 

 “Is there a reason that we include books that we even label as controversial in our curriculum? I would prefer that these were gone,” said Taylor. “For us to put them in front of teenagers as part of our curriculum, that's just something I can’t, I just don't understand.” 

Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) has been marked as a controversial book for years, and yet it is still taught. It wasn’t even considered on this list to be banned. Many states in America have banned or tried to ban this book based on the fact that it is racist and the inclusion of the N-Word. To Kill A Mockingbird is another that is marked controversial for the same reasons as mentioned above. (Minnesota dropped the novels in 2018)

Yet, our school district still teaches it without challenge. If we can read both Twain and Lee’s books, then why are Invisible Man and Caged Bird a problem? If the “anti-white” messages are a problem, then why are the “anti-black” not? If the use of racial slurs in TKM and HF are necessary as it was “of the time,” then why are slurs used in Catch-22 deemed inappropriate? 

If we were to cut anything deemed controversial out of the curriculum, then what would we teach? The Theory of Evolution in Science would be cut if the controversy was the only reason for it to be cut. Yet, we still teach that in science class. I recognize these are not the same thing, but the point is the same. We cannot just simply cut material because someone disagrees.

The point of teaching these novels and their topics is the same as teaching about the Holocaust in history. School is one of the best places to learn about different points of view and the mistakes of the past. The best way to move forward and make changes for the better is to learn from humanity’s mistakes. That means we need to learn even the worst things. 

“The label of controversial is often in the eye of the beholder and that it would be hard to find books that aren’t labeled as controversial to somebody and these are the books that had literary value that were brought forward,” said Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Amy Spargo. “The next group of English electives that is coming actually contains the course that had the most public pushback for the controversial books on its list, and that was the bible as history and literature and we had more concerns about that being taught in our curriculum than any of the other books on this list. So again I just put that out there as evidence that what makes something controversial is really subjective and that the books on these lists were chosen for their literary value.”

Bible as history and literature is a class that will be offered next year as an English elective class.

On the subject of students taking classes and reading these books, it is possible for students to not take a class. And it is completely possible for a student to read a different book. Students are in no way forced to consume materials that they or their parents don’t wish them to. There are alternatives.

Board member Jim Hart said that he had not read Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby" since high school and had used Sparknotes to research the controversial books rather than reading them. 

Admittedly, for the books I have not read, I used CliffsNotes to get a better understanding of the content. But then again, I’m not needing to make an educated decision that will affect thousands. I will read all five books (O’Brien and Fitzgerald again) eventually, though.

“If I were to read this, just the cliff notes now mind you, and If I were to read this in a professional environment at my office I would be dragged to the equal opportunity office,” said Hart. “We’re not talking about something that’s mind-expanding or something that’s going to help anybody learn any better, we’re talking about things that frankly would not be something that would be acceptable in a professional environment which is what the parents expect out of the schools.”

(The Equal Opportunity Office is a branch at the district building where employees go when they’ve crossed an ethical and/or moral line. One example: The history teacher who pointed at a picture of a monkey on the smartboard and said to the only black kid in the class “Look, it’s your ancestor.” He was sent to the Equal Opportunity Office to be investigated before finally being fired.)

As I am listening to the section that Hart speaks in, it is clear he is talking about Chapter 11 and 12 of Caged Bird. By saying that he would be dragged to EO for reading it aloud in a professional setting (which, I can not for the life of me figure out what he means by a “professional setting” because his example is his office, which is not a classroom), he shows no understanding of how reading a book as teaching material works. With context and the right setting, reading aloud a book would be fine. Would a teacher read these chapters aloud? No, most likely not. I went and researched these chapters and found that they were, in fact, heavy chapters with their content. I can agree that opting to take this book out of the official curriculum would most likely be for the best, or even just changing the curriculum to avoid those chapters.

Hart circles back to “professional setting” or a “professional environment” many times in his comments. A verbal quote from the board meeting live stream (1:26:19) (The whole discussion of the English Curriculum begins at 1:12:00 for those interested):

“Now, I understand the bible is gonna be controversial in a lot of ways for a lot of people. And, you know...I- That’s their choice as far as religious preferences and it is an elective. If you’re electing to go into the bible as literature -  it is an elective - you go in with both eyes open.”

So, the point of an elective class is understood here. If you are going to ban those books from the classroom, then you have to not allow the Bible either, as it holds many of those topics. 

“But when you have books that you could not read, publicly, without going to (Equal Opportunity), that’s probably a pretty good litmus test.”

In what circumstance would you read aloud a book in an office or your workplace? Especially one with content of that nature? This isn’t a pretty good litmus test because they have no connection.

“So we’re not talking about “controversy, it’s controversy, it’s controversy.” We’re talking about things that are very specific and you know I-I think beyond the pale for just about any audience.”

Keep in mind that this a district required by law to do a date rape and domestic violence every year. 

The article says that the public had no comment, but here’s the thing. The only discussion on the agenda of this was about the English Curriculum. Someone brought up the controversial books and then a debate broke out. The public couldn’t add comment because no one knew that this was even coming up. Someone asked to put off the discussion until the next week, but they shut it down.

The community has lashed back in protest. An attorney is holding a drawing for kids who read all five books by the end of the summer. Many students and parents have sent emails to the district board. Portugal. The Man, a Wasilla made music group, is offering to buy the books for any student or parent who asks.

Now, here’s where I drop my professional and well thought out response mode and tell my honest opinion. Listening to the board meeting was like a trip. I had to replay most sections to make sure that what I had just heard was actually what they said. If you didn’t see my earlier post about what it felt like listening to it, go ahead and check it out. When I found out what had happened, I was so severely angry that I was calm. And I don’t get angry very easily. I was also disappointed that they seriously had done this. It’s 2020 and we’re banning books? With the current state of Alaska with the teacher shortage and our budget issues (and the schools that are still repairing after the 2018 7.0  Earthquake damage), we have better use of our time than banning books and materials. The only news sources that teachers can use are local news sources. 

Our community has suffered so much already that reading books on serious subjects should not be considered too harsh. This is the community still recovering from David Grunwald’s murder. 

So, a week later, I’ve finally finished this response. I cannot express my disappointment, anger, nor frustration with this decision. The protests have been calling for the board to reconsider their decision, which I hope they will. Even so, many of us students are going to be reading all five books. Their decision has only inspired us to read the books regardless. Mostly because we’re all full of spite.

Here’s a list of other resources that discuss the situation. This is so you can read more about what has happened in the last week as I made the decision to keep this shorter than it could have been.

Frontiersman Articles (Remove cookies and refresh as there is a 3 article limit)

Mat-Su School Board’s ‘removal’ of books is in principle a ban

Banned books? A pandemic? What year is it?!

Not a full ban: School board president responds to removal of controversial books from district curriculum

Fox News

NBC News

Tagging a couple people who I believe would be just as angry as I was to hear this

@thepastelpriestess @muirin007 

[moscarific]

Yuletide Letter 2019!

Dear Holiday Hero,

It's Yuletide time again, and I'm happy you're here on this journey with me, you beautiful stranger! I’m a gold star Yuletide participant: I’ve signed up every year, and written at least one story every year, since the challenge began. That’s great news for you, because over the years, I’ve learned that the best Yuletide gifts are the ones that weren’t quite what I had expected, and also that gifts are satisfying and joyful for me as long as it’s clear that the author put effort and care into them. Basically, as long as you avoid my Do Not Wants and run spellcheck, I’m going to be over the moon with excitement at whatever you write for me.

My biggest non-obvious DNW is babyfic. No pregnancy, no babies, no little kids. I’m also a grumpy Jew, so I’d prefer not to receive stories with strong Christmas themes. The “five things” format is not my favorite. Please don't center your story around ships that I did not ask for.

But I like a lot more things than I dislike! Unless the Yulegoat arrives late, I’ll be reading this on the train to Chinatown for my traditional family dim sum, so please do make me laugh out loud on the L. Or make me uncomfortably aroused on the L. (Porn is optional, obviously, but: oral sex, eroticized hands, exhibitionism, shower sex, gender play.) I like experimental structures and styles, as well as more standard ones, and I am fine with whatever POV and tense you choose. If you are the kind of person who does multimedia or interactive fiction, or just clever footnotes, I am all for that. All of my requests this year have strong and distinct voices, and I would love to receive a story that embraces their sound and feel. I like stories that stick close to canon or present interesting "what if" canon divergences, and I also like superhero and In Space AUs. When I've provided gen options, I promise I want those just as much as the ships - they're not just "gen outs," but stories I very much want to read.

I tend to write the fic I want to see in the world, so you’ll get a good sense of me by browsing my AO3 account. My AO3 bookmarks are a recs list, and therefore a great way to see what kinds of fic appeal to me and make me happy.

Here are the individual requests from my sign-up, with a little more detail added here and there. I've divided each request into three sections: things I do not want, things I very much want, and ideas for things I'd love to read in the fandom.

Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers: Rosemary Harper, Sissix Seshkethet, Dr. Chef

Do not want:

Shipping Rosemary or Sissix with people other than each other, death of characters who are not dead in canon.

Very much want: To read fic set in this universe! I ship Rosemary/Sissix very hard and would love some hot cross-species femslash porn. Canon-consistent depictions of humans as weird aliens. Worldbuilding.

Ideas: I will be equally happy with sexy shippy fic about Rosemary and Sissix (with a line or two for Dr. Chef), or with fic centered around Dr. Chef that puts the other two requested characters in smaller roles. Or a story with all three of them having an adventure or solving a problem together! I love the xenophilia aspects of Rosemary and Sissix's relationship, so explore Sissix's affection for, or exasperation with, Rosemary's alienness. Show Rosemary bringing Sissix into an aspect of human culture that Sissix hadn’t encountered before - perhaps something uniquely Martian - or take us on a more in-depth tour of Aandrisk culture. Alternatively, write me a story focused on Dr. Chef: give me more insight into his earlier life, or send him on a culinary adventure. I’ve read all three novels, so references or character cameos are fine. This is a fandom where it's okay to make me sad, and where I'd prefer a touch of angst, hardship, or grief to lighthearted fluff.

Delicious World (Video Game): Frank Truffaut, Felix "Monet" Wilson

Do not want:

Fic centered around Emily/Patrick or Emily/Jean-Paul (background mentions are okay if you must). AUs outside the general setting or premise of canon (so, like, no In Space for this one).

Very much want: Sappy, shippy, porny Frank/Monet fic. Competence kink. Loving and detailed descriptions of food and cooking. For people who do not play this kind of game to watch the cut scenes on YouTube - you can pick up the canon in a couple of hours.

Ideas: Is there anything more Yuletide than nominating the casual time-management game I play on my phone? Especially since this one blew my mind with its sweet, believable m/m romance. Please give me the AU where they stay together and make their relationship work while the contest continues, or the one where they encounter each other again after the contest ends and get back together. Mostly, I am sad that the game narrative has split them up and want them to be together making crepes forever. I'd be more than content with domestic fluff, just to spend more time with Frank and Monet's relationship. Or go the other direction and give them more plot than canon would: send them on the run from an underground restaurant crime cabal, or have Frank save Monet from deranged paparazzi. Send them to parts of the world that the game hasn’t traveled to yet - it’s mostly been North America and Europe so far.  I very much enjoy the best friendship between Frank and Emily, and would be happy to see her play sidekick to Frank for once. 

For the People (TV 2018): Jay Simmons, Seth Oliver, Tina Krissman

Do not want:

If you write Jay/Seth, then I DNW fic set before Jay and Seth were roommates, or focus on their prior romantic relationships. For RL/job related reasons, court cases related to the US education system, both because they will make me sad and because I will not be able to turn off my nitpick brain.

Very much want: Romantic and/or angsty roommates-to-lovers Jay/Seth. A fun role for Tina, whether she's the protagonist or just gets a few choice lines in. Well-researched, plausible legal scenarios as plot. Love letters to New York City.

Ideas: There are two ways to go with this that would make me equally happy. The first is Tina character building, because she is one of my television heroes and never had enough to do on the show. "This Is America" is my favorite episode of the series, and anything in that vein, with Tina as the hero, would please me to no end. I'm an angry American progressive, so feel free to engage with my politics (or not, if that's uncomfortable/unfamiliar). Backstory would also be great, especially if it's Young Tina Saves the World. Talk about race, gender, and immigration. Let her be the soothing, fearless mouthpiece about the scary stuff. Or just send her on a relaxing vacation, "Captain's Holiday" style.

The other way to go is to give me Jay/Seth romance and/or porn. They're roommates and adversaries who are clearly also boyfriends. And now the show is canceled, so we can pretend that's where the showrunners were going with it! Jay's parents canonically love Seth, and I would enjoy a sweet story about Seth's growing relationship with them, and Jay's mixed feelings about it. Or give me a court case where they're directly opposing each other, especially one they're both passionate and both kind of right about. If you want, tell some or all of the story from Tina's POV, or do an epistolary/"found documents" structure.

Crooked Media RPF: Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel

Do not want:

For RL/job related reasons, centering stories around political discussion related to the US education system. Major roles for Crooked-Media-adjacent people, such as spouses, who are not public figures (mentions are fine). Stories formatted as a script or transcript of a podcast.

Very much want: Silly, sexy Ira/Louis with a friends-to-lovers or frenemies-to-lovers vibe. Canon-consistent engagement with progressive US politics.

Ideas: Oh, just write me something fun, and I'll love it. Tell about the wacky or apocalyptic event that makes these two cross the line into sex/romance. Or show them in a secret long-term relationship and tell about the wacky or apocalyptic event that makes them go public. Show how they're adjusting to Aida, or tell it from her POV and show how she's adjusting to their relationship (or non-relationship that turns into a relationship, or long history of FWB hookups). Show what happens when they land the Beyonce interview of their dreams. Or throw them into a fandom trope (sharing a bed? sex pollen? aliens made them do it?) and have them respond with their signature wit.

[ljones41]

"FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" (2018) Review

"FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" (2018) Review Following the success of the 2016 movie, "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM", Warner Brothers Studios and author J.K. Rowling continued the adventures of former Hogwarts student, Newt Scamander with the 2018 sequel called "FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD". Starring Eddie Redmayne, the movie was directed by David Yates.

"FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" began in 1927, less than a year after the events of the 2016 movie. In the film's opening, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) is transferring the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald from their maximum security prison in New York City to London. The latter is be tried for his crimes in Europe. But with the aide of Grindelwald's follower, MACUSA agent Abernathy, the wizard manages to escapes during the transfer. Three months after Grindelwald's escape, magizoologist Newt Scamander appeals to the Ministry of Magic in London to restore his revoked international travel rights following his previous adventures in New York City. While at the Ministry, Newt learns that his former Hogwarts classmate, Leta Lestrange, is engaged to his brother Theseus, an auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Ministry offers to restore Newt's travel rights if he assists Theseus in locating Credence Barebone, the American obscurial believed to have been killed in Paris. He has been detected in Paris. Grindelwald is also searching for Credence. He believes that only the latter is powerful enough to kill his "equal", Hogwarts Professor Albus Dumbledore. Newt declines the Ministry's offer, but is is secretly summoned by Dumbledore, who also tries to persuade Newt to locate Credence. Dumbledore under constant Ministry surveillance for refusing to confront Grindelwald, who was a former close friend from the past. Upon his return home, he discovers that his American friends, the non-magical Jacob Kowalski and witch Queenie Goldstein had left New York. Jacob has retained memories of his past adventures with Newt and the Goldstein sisters, despite MACUSA's citywide Obliviation order. Queenie and Jacob had followed Queenie's sister Tina to Europe, where the latter is searching for Credence. Newt also discovers that Queenie has enchanted Jacob into eloping to Europe with her to circumvent MACUSA's marriage ban between wizards and Muggles. After Newt lifts the charm, Jacob and Queenie quarrel about the marriage law, and the upset witch leaves to find Tina. Newt ignores the Ministry's travel ban and with Jacob, head for Paris in search for the Goldstein sisters and Credence. "FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" proved to be an unpopular entry in the HARRY POTTER movie franchise. Even a year before the film's release, many had criticized the film's producers, including J.K. Rowling, for allowing actor Johnny Depp to take over the role of Gellert Grindelwald in the wake of his controversial divorce. Ironically, once "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" hit the movie theaters, both the critics and many moviegoers expressed other reasons for their displeasure. Either these criticisms were merely used as shields to hide their displeasure at Depp's presence in the movie, or they genuinely did not like it. Although "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" actually managed to make a profit, it did not make as much as its 2016 predecessor. Nor did it make as much as Warner Brothers Studios had anticipated. So . . . how did I feel about the movie? I will admit that I have some problems with "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD". I never admitted this in my review of "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM", but I had noticed Rowling's habit of creating two or more disjointed story lines and allowing them to connect near the end of the film. As much as I admired her use of this narrative structure, I must admit that there were times when I found it frustrating. To be honest, I found it more frustrating in "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM", especially during Newt Scamander's search for his missing animals. But in "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD", there were times when I found myself wondering why Rowling had focused so heavily on Leta Lestrange's character arc/backstory and Queenie Goldstein's problems with her non-magical love, Jacob Kowalski. I also had a problem with Colleen Atwood's costumes. On one level, I found her costumes very attractive, as shown in the images below:

And yet . . . aside from the costumes and hairstyle worn by actress Katherine Waterston, I found the other costumes and hairstyles reminiscent of the early 1930s, instead of 1927, the film's actual setting. Speaking of the timeline, could someone explain why Minerva McGonagall was a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when either the Harry Potter novels or the franchise's official website made it clear that she was born in 1935, eight years after this movie's setting. And since Dumbledore was the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts in 1927, what was the young Professor McGonagall teaching? "FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" had its flaws, like any other movie. But I enjoyed it very much. Actually . . . I enjoyed it slightly more than I did the 2016 movie. The reason why I enjoyed it more than the first film is probably the reason why many others liked it less. J.K. Rowling had written an emotionally complicated tale that reminded me that humans beings are a lot more ambiguous than many are STILL unwilling to admit. They might pay lip service to the ambiguity of humans, but I have encountered too much hostility directed at movies willing to explore the complex nature of humans and society in general . . . especially in pop culture films. Some might claim that such ambiguity has no place in pop culture films and franchises. My response to that claim is . . . why not? I see no reason why humanity's ambiguity should only be tolerated in films being considered for the film industry's award season. I noticed in "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" that the majority of Gellert Grindelwald's followers were not "dark wizards" or superficially evil. I must admit that the Vinda Rosier, Grindelwald's loyal right-hand follower, seemed to be the film's closest example of the future Deatheaters that followed Lord Voldemort aka Tom Riddle Jr. Most of Grindelwald's other followers seemed to be typical human being who has allowed his or her emotions to indulge in the usual prejudices or make bad choices. One example is the MACUSA agent Abernathy, who had earlier supported President Seraphina Picquery in the 2016 film. But the prime example in "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" proved to be Queenie Goldstein, the New York-born Legilimens (telepath), who out of her desperation to be with the non-magical Jacob Kowalski, turned to Grindelwald to help her achieve her desire. Many fans had condemned the movie for this portrayal of Queenie. And I do not understand why. "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM" had already hinted Queenie's desperation to be with Jacob, when she conveyed reluctance to follow MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery's orders to ensure the erasure of his recent memories. She broke the rules even further by paying a visit to Jacob's new bakery in one of the film's final scenes. More importantly, Queenie had discovered that Jacob had retained some memories of his adventures with her, Tina and Newt. This is why I am not surprised that Queenie had resorted to desperate measures in "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" to make Jacob her husband. Love might lead a person to do wonderful things. But it can also lead someone to make questionable or terrible decisions. J.K. Rowling understood this. I never understood why so many people were incapable of doing so. The ironic thing about "FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" is that the movie not only featured former protagonists like Queenie Goldstein and Agent Abernathy, who had decided to follow Grindelwald, it also featured . . . Leta Lestrange. Any fan of Potterverse will remember another character with the Lestrange name - Voldemort follower Bellatrix Lestrange. Although Bellatrix had married into the Lestrange family, fans learned that her husband was another one of Voldemort's highly murderous and faithful followers. I do recall that the 2016 film may have hinted that Leta was briefly as someone from Newt's past who may or may not have deliberately led him into trouble and expelled from Hogwarts. Thanks to "THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD", audiences learned that Leta was NOT someone who lived up to her pure-blood family's name and who proved to be a different kettle of fish. She was not perfect. Her one crime . . . which led to years of guilt . . . stemmed from resentment toward her father's sexist desire for a male heir. As a young girl aboard a sinking ocean liner headed for the United States, she made an ugly decision that affected both her family and Credence Barebone. The characterizations of both Queenie Goldstein and Leta Lestrange, along with Gellert Grindelwald's followers made J.K. Rowling's intent to continue her ambiguous portrayal of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. But instead of viewing this ambiguity from a growing child, audiences get to witness this ambiguity through the eyes of an adult. Instead of realizing that individuals we might perceive as "bad" can also possess decency within, Rowling seemed to be hinting that those whom we might originally perceive as "good or decent" can allow their emotions to make terrible choices or embrace evil. Granted, fans learned in the previous series that Albus Dumbledore had once skated on the edge of giving into some parts of his baser nature. But through characters like Queenie Goldstein and Agent Abernathy, agents get to see how originally perceived "decent" characters can allow their emotions and desires to embrace evil . . . not for any moral good, but due to their own selfishness or prejudices. It is a pity that so many are unwilling to explore this journey with Rowling. Although I had criticized the film's costumes for resembling the fashions of the early 1930s, instead of the late 1920s, I must admit that I found Colleen Atwood's designs very attractive and very original. I rarely comment on a film's editing, but I found Film Editor Mark Day's work in the movie first-rate. I was especially impressed by his work in two particular sequences - Grindelwald's escape in the film's first action sequence and another one featuring a wizarding freak show in Paris. I was also impressed by Philippe Rousselot's cinematography . . . to a certain extent. Rousselot's photography struck me as beautiful and memorable - especially in the Parisian scenes and one particular flashback scene in the Atlantic Ocean. But I really disliked the monochromatic tones (blue, green or yellow) that seemed to dominate the movie's photography . . . as much as I disliked the brown tones that dominated "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM". Also, production designer Stuart Craig, set designer Anna Pinnock, the art direction team led by Martin Foley and the special effects team all did an exceptional job to re-create the wizarding worlds of New York, London, Scotland and Paris. "FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD" featured some first-rate performances. Lead actor Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Carmen Ejogo, Claudia Kim and Ezra Miller all gave excellent performances. But there were performances that I found more than first-rate. Jude Law was superb as the enigmatic and younger Professor Albus Dumbore, who seemed warm and manipulative as ever. William Nadylam gave a very complex and passionate performance as Yusuf Kama: A French-Senegalese wizard who has spent many years obsessively searching for Credence, whom he believed was responsible for the death of a family member. Callum Turner's portrayal of Theseus Scamander, Newt's brother, first seemed pretty solid. But his performance became more complex and interesting, thanks to Turner's skillful acting. Alison Sudol gave an outstanding performance as the increasingly desperate Queenie Goldstein, who allowed her love for Jacob and emotions to lead to a morally questionable decision. Zoë Kravitz was equally outstanding as Newt's former love, Leta Lestrange, who became emotionally troubled and confused over a morally questionable decision from the past. But the best performance, in my opinion, came from Johnny Depp, who portrayed the film's main villain, Gellert Grindelwald. Depp's Grindelwald seemed like a completely different kettle of fish from the more obvious villains of the Harry Potter novel. More subtle, subversive and manipulative. Insidious. The franchise's Palpatine perhaps? Honestly, Depp's Grindelwald made Tom Riddle Jr. aka Lord Voldemort seem like a rank amateur as far as villains go. This 2018 sequel to "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM" proved to be a disappointment at the box office. Between the controversy over Depp's casting and the hostile reaction to the Queenie Goldstein character, I guess I should not be surprised. But I am disappointed that the majority of moviegoers had failed to appreciate Rowling's story, because I thought it was first-rate, thanks to her screenplay, David Yates' direction and the excellent cast led by Eddie Redmayne. To be honest, I personally feel that it was slightly better than its 2016 predecessor. Perhaps one day, more filmgoers will be able to appreciate it.

[maddie-grove]

The Top Twenty Books I Read in 2018

My main takeaways from the past year’s reading:

Growing up is hard, whether you’re a working-class college sophomore trying to adjust to an Ivy League college, a chronically ill medieval kid trying to beat witchcraft charges, or A GHOST THE WHOLE TIME.

You can go to Kansas City or the Congo or SPACE, but you can never escape the past. 

Maybe I should be more worried about getting murdered?

Anyway:

20. East by Edith Pattou (2003)

Rose, a sixteenth-century Norwegian farm girl, loves her large family, but sometimes feels at odds with their rather staid personalities. So, when a talking polar bear offers to end her family’s poverty and her sister’s illness if she’ll stay with him for a year, she accepts not only out of desperation, but also wanderlust. This expansive retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” (already a winner because of its determined, flawed heroine) shines because of its vivid use of multiple settings and its well-developed minor characters. I initially thought it was a little slow, but I really came to appreciate Pattou’s skill over time.

19. Joe College by Tom Perrotta (2000)

Danny, a working-class Yale sophomore in 1982, thinks he has a lot to worry about. His rich friends are clueless, his townie coworkers at the dining hall resent him, and his crush is dating a professor. Then he goes home for spring break, where he’s confronted with a pregnant ex and a bunch of mobsters who try to interfere with his father’s lunch-truck business. I mostly read this book for completism--I love Perrotta, but The Wishbones made me wary of his earlier work--yet this seemingly lighthearted story contains some fascinating moral and ethical dilemmas, plus a hero who is sympathetic despite his callowness. 

18. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (2010)

In the explosive conclusion of Ness’s Chaos Walking trilogy, the protagonists find themselves in the middle of a war with an enemy they don’t understand, forcing them to wrestle with questions of right versus wrong, forgiveness versus revenge, and the possibility of redemption. This was an intense read, but there was a lot of genuine joy and love mixed in with the death and war.

17. Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (2014)

In the less literally but just as emotionally explosive conclusion of Han and Vivian’s Burn for Burn trilogy, former revenge-partners Lillia and Kat try to move on in the wake of a tragedy, as well as the abrupt departure of Mary, the other member of their retribution-themed trio. The future is looking bright, but then it becomes clear that Mary is neither gone nor happy with their life choices. I read the first book of this trilogy way back in 2014 and, while I enjoyed it well enough, I wasn’t blown away. This spring, though, I had the sudden urge to read the next two books, and they were both a wonderful mix of affecting human drama and ludicrously soapy plot twists.

16. The Charm School by Susan Wiggs (1999)

Isadora Peabody, the awkward scion of an otherwise graceful old Bostonian family in the 1850s, decides to take her fate in her own hands and become a translator on a merchant ship bound for Brazil. The captain, freewheeling Ryan Calhoun, isn’t too happy with this unusual arrangement, but he comes to admire and sympathize with the independent-minded and painfully self-conscious Isadora. At the same time, Isadora realizes that Ryan’s untidiness and occasional bouts of drunkenness disguise a heart and principles and a talent for making out in lush Brazilian gardens. I was absolutely delighted by this romance novel, which is an absolute romp with some terrific character development. 

15. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (2009)

In the middle book of the Chaos Walking trilogy, the protagonists reach the end of a long journey, only to find themselves separated and caught between two warring factions. This installment does a great job of elaborating upon the world introduced in the first book, offering new perspectives on old characters, and introducing compelling new conflicts. 

14. Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian (2013)

In the middle book of the Burn for Burn trilogy, classmates Kat, Lillia, and Mary deal with the fallout of their semi-successful Strangers on a Train-lite revenge scheme. Kat and Lillia want to call it quits, but their sympathy for Mary causes them to agree to one last score, so to speak. Unfortunately, FEELINGS and PAST TRAUMA and DANGEROUS PSYCHIC POWERS complicate matters. Despite my love for Ashes to Ashes, Fire with Fire has a special place in my heart because it’s the first book to explore the characters’ emotions in depth, as well as the first one to go way over the fucking top.

13. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara (2018)

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a rash of horrifying home invasion rapes, seemingly meticulously planned, plagued the bedroom communities of Sacramento. Then a series of uncannily similar home invasion murders broke out in the Southern California. In this book published after her death in 2016, McNamara makes the case that this was the work of one person, dubbed the Golden State Killer. McNamara has a clear, humane way of describing grisly and/or convoluted events, and her portrait of the dark side of California suburbia is enthralling. 

12. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

In 1960, a dangerously determined and self-righteous reverend from the American South travels to the Belgian Congo, even though his own church begged him not to go. He makes the questionable decision to take his exhausted wife and four daughters--vain Rachel, suck-up Leah, nearly mute Adah, and baby Ruth May--along with him. Their new home is a shock to all of them in various ways, and that’s before a personal tragedy and the Congo Crisis enter the picture. Kingsolver makes excellent use of her five viewpoint characters, all of whom have distinctive voices and enjoyably unpredictable (yet entirely appropriate) character arcs.

11. Lighter than My Shadow by Katie Green (2013)

As a young child, Katie has seemingly minor issues around food, but during adolescence she develops a serious eating disorder and almost starves herself to death. A diagnosis and the ensuing support of her parents seem to signal hope, but recovery is more complicated that one might expect. This graphic memoir offers a nuanced portrait of the sheer range of stuff that gets wrapped up in an eating disorder: religion, gender, sex, control, trauma, the desire for independence, and so much more. Green’s “cute” art style enhances the story, both because it makes an interesting contrast to the upsetting material and because it grounds the reader in the humanity of the characters. 

10. Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker (1995)

Throughout the 1970s, FBI agent John Douglas, along with the rest of the Investigative Support Unit, compiled information about an increasingly common type of criminal: the serial killer. Gradually, they developed the practice of criminal profiling. As gruesome as it might sound to call this an excellent beach read, that’s essentially how I experienced it (not that I went anywhere this summer, but still). The pace is fast, the style is engaging, and the authors are frank but not overly lurid in their presentation of the nasty details.

9. The Beggar Maid by Alice Munro (1977)

In this collection of connected short stories, Rose, a bright Canadian girl, grows up in a rough, deprived neighborhood with her sick, stern father and prickly but not unloving stepmother. Life in the wider world brings her mingled pride and shame at her background, a largely disastrous early marriage, and eventually a satisfying but decidedly unglamorous acting career. Munro is a master of description, and she has a sense of fun that puts her head and shoulders above most short story writers. And the title story is just the most perfectly painful exploration of why someone would stay with a partner who is deeply wrong for them.

8. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (2009)

In 1985, seven-year-old Libby Day narrowly escaped death at the hands of her teenage brother, but her mother and two older sisters weren’t so lucky. Except that Libby doesn’t feel so lucky, either, because she’s thirty-one years old with massive trauma, dwindling funds, and few adult life skills. Then a true-crime enthusiast contacts her with an offer: cash in return for investigating whether her brother was actually the murderer. Dark Places may be the awkward middle child of Flynn’s novels, but that reputation is undeserved; it has a thrilling plot, a perversely lovable heroine, and a sly critique of the “Morning in America” view of the 1980s.

7. The Hostage by Susan Wiggs (2000)

In the confusion of the Great Chicago Fire, frontiersman Tom Silver kidnaps heiress Deborah Sinclair, hoping to force her industrialist father into compensating the victims of his negligence. He’s not prepared, though, for her dogged escape attempts, her hard-earned resilience, or the hints that something was horribly wrong in her life even before the kidnapping. I had my doubts about reading a kidnapping romance, but Susan Wiggs proved me wrong. (It helps that Tom’s motives are both understandable AND not presented as an excuse for dragging Deborah into his revenge plan.) The super-slow-burn romance pairs wonderfully with the action-packed plot, and I love Deborah so much.

6. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (2006)

Troubled reporter Camille Preaker returns to her small Missouri hometown to investigate the grisly murder of one tween girl and the ominous disappearance of another. As upsetting as the case is, it doesn’t hold a candle to what waits for her at home: a softly cruel mother, a barely there stepfather, and a teenage half-sister who alternates between adoring Camille and tormenting her. Sharp Objects entirely deserves its reputation as the best (if not most popular) Flynn novel; it has a beautifully constructed plot, descriptions so lush that you feel like you can reach out and touch Wind Gap (not that you’d want to), and a deeply flawed yet admirable heroine.

5. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (2008)

At nearly thirteen, Todd Hewitt is the youngest resident of Prentisstown, and nobody is ever going to take that distinction away from him. Just after his birth, a plague killed most of the humans on New World, including every woman and girl. What’s more, the same plague made it so the thoughts of men (and most other living creatures) are audible to all. And the mayor of Prentisstown is a religious fanatic who won’t let anyone watch videos or teach kids to read. It’s...not awesome. Then Todd makes a shocking discovery that forces him to flee his community and question everything he knows. This book is a fascinating sci-fi take on the frontier horror story (ala The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and, more recently, The Witch) with a read-hundreds-of-pages-a-night plot and astonishing moment of wonder.

4. After the Wedding by Courtney Milan (2018)

Lady Camilla Worth, daughter of an earl who committed suicide to avoid treason charges, has passed from home to unwelcoming home ever since, finally ending up as an unknown housemaid. Adrian Hunter, a mixed-race ceramics heir on a desperate mission to make his family happy, happens to visit the house where she’s employed. Under some very strange circumstances, they’re forced to wed at literal gunpoint. Working together to unravel the mystery and get an annulment, they grow to like each other, which complicates things. This is one of my favorite romance novels ever, with wonderful characters (especially Camilla!), an explosive plot, and masterfully explored themes of healing and being true to oneself.

3. Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult by Bruce Handy (2017)

A famous magazine writer and father of two young children, Handy expounds upon the classics of children’s literature (The Cat in the Hat, Goodnight Moon, the Little House series, Narnia, the Ramona books, etc.). As someone who frequently rereads the favorites of my youth to de-stress (House of Stairs 5eva), the subject was tailor-made for me, and Handy’s execution is impressive. He covers an amazing amount of ground, switches deftly from one mode of analysis to another, and shares plenty of funny anecdotes and moving reflections on parenthood.

2. Blankets by Craig Thompson (2003)

In this autobiographical graphic novel, Craig, a creative, devout, and deeply lonely teenager in rural Wisconsin, meets his first love, Raina, at a church retreat that otherwise would’ve been miserable. They become pen pals and are finally able to arrange for him to spend a few complicated, wonderful weeks with her and her family. Their relationship and its subsequent fallout drive him to confront his conflicted feelings about his faith, his art, and his family. This is an absolutely beautiful story, complemented perfectly by the wintry landscapes and expressive human figures.

1. Breath by Donna Jo Napoli (2003)

Salz, a twelve-year-old boy in medieval Saxony, is dismissed and sometimes even reviled by most of his community, including his own father and brothers, for the unnamed illness that stunts his growth and makes it difficult to breathe. Still, he’s got a lot going on; he helps his beloved grandmother around the house, studies for the priesthood, and belongs to a secret coven. When an abnormally wet spring drives the rats indoors and causes a strange disease to spread among the locals, Salz’s sharp intellect and thirst for knowledge are more needed than ever. This novel is a historically grounded retelling of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” where the protagonist has cystic fibrosis, and did I ever think I would type that combination of words? No, I did not, but I am so glad things worked out that way. Napoli’s treatment of disability is unusually gratifying, because she illustrates the essential things that a society loses when it dismisses the sick and disabled (as well as some other marginalized groups, such as women). At the same time, Salz’s family and neighbors aren’t cruel for the sake of cruelty; they’re just uninformed, scared, and/or bad at managing their own problems without lashing out at others, which does not absolve them but makes for a more thoughtful story than if they were just bad seeds. The portrayal of Salz’s struggles to reconcile the different sources of wisdom in his life--Church orthodoxy, pagan folk practices, and the knowledge slowly filtering in from the Arabic world--is also fascinating, plus the pathological mystery makes for a tight, exciting plot. All this in less than 300 pages! And do not get me started on how much I love Großmutter.

[recentanimenews]

A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, Vol. 1

By Yuu Tanaka and Nardack. Released in Japan as “Deokure Tamer no Sono Higurashi” by GC Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Yuko C. Shimomoto.

The author of this series is the same one who writes Reincarnated As a Sword, and I was therefore inclined to give it a little more rope, given that I bounced hard off that title after an extremely slow start. This one has an extremely slow start as well, and while I’m tempted to say that it has a slow middle and a slow end as well, that’s not quite true. Stuff does happen. But this book is not kidding about the laid-back part, as you will watch our hero plant a garden, wash dishes, pick up trash, and weed for a good long time. And, of course, because it’s one of those light novels, there is constant stat-talking. At least in this case it’s justified because this is an actual game, rather than a game-like fantasy world or a trapped scenario. That said, for all my whining, there is a certain charm to this title. If Maple from Bofuri were actually a seasoned gamer, it feels like this is the sort of thing she would do.

Our hero is a nameless salaryman who takes a two-week vacation in order to devote himself to a brand new virtual reality game. Naming his character Yuto, he quickly spends a LOT of money customizing things just right… but is rather shocked to find that in fact his choice of class and options didn’t really work out for fighting much of anything. He does have a tamed monster, a gnome named Olto, but their specialty is in the soil, not in battle. Should he give up and create a new character? Heck no. He’ll just have to deal and figure out what he CAN do. As it turns out, he can do quite a lot, as he manages to rack up impressive titles, unlock areas no one has ever gone before, win incredibly rare items, and gain two more tamed creatures. He doesn’t seem to think he’s doing anything special, really, and his narration certainly makes that clear.

This is from GC Novels, and like most titles from that publisher it’s a bit of a brick, coming in at 357 pages on my digital edition. As such, you will need to get used to Yuto’s narrative style and general attitude, which is along the lines of “I am just a potato protagonist, I don’t know why anyone would be interested in the normal things I do”. Of course, most of these normal things lead to amazing events, because he’s the protagonists. The rest of the cast is fun, though none of the tamed creatures actually speak beyond grunts and sounds, so Yuto spends most of the book talking to himself. I do love the tamed squirrel he gets near the end of the book, which is named Rick, and who I will be calling Rocky the Flying Squirrel from now on. Also, unlike Bofuri, there actually ARE bad gamers in this world – they may not be able to PK you, but we see Yuto dealing with harassment, which is funny and also disturbing.

If you like reading game logs, this is a must buy. For everyone else, it depends on your tolerance of “aw, shucks” protagonists who have everything good happen to them. I’ll at least be reading the 2nd volume.

By: Sean Gaffney

[chromeskullx13]

Mr.Lovato 1st period Book Report: Fatherland by Robert Harris - Jason Aguirre

Personal Narrative

The historical fiction book, Fatherland, by Robert Harris was an interesting take on history creating a universe where what if the Nazis won WW2 and I believe it was a great book and would suggest it to other readers, here is why. The book follows our protagonist, Xavier March, also known as Zavi. who was a u-boat submarine pilot in WW2 for Germany. Now he works for the Kriminalpolizei as a detective who is a high ranking official in the SS. He had a son named Pili and got married with his nurse, Klara but they divorced and now he lives by himself. While investigating the murder of Josef Buhler, a high ranking Nazi. His body was found by the Havel river in Brandenburg. The only witness to it all Hermann Jost didn’t wanna reveal everything, but eventually he revealed everything that he saw. He claims to have seen Odilo Globocnik a high ranking SS member. The gestapo orders the krippo to shut down their investigation of the murders but March presses on. He meets with an American journalist named  Charlotte 'Charlie' Maguire. They work together and while investigating in Zurich they discover the head of the SS, Reinhard Heydrich,who has ordered the deaths of all the members who attended the Wannsee Conference in 1942 ordering the go of The Final Solution which killed all the Jews. The two head for neutral Switzerland to expose the Nazis as they are about to have peace conferences with the US and end the cold war, but this will cripple the Nazi faith and hopefully put an to their regime. Pili reports March to the gestapo which then apprehends him. A he is being tortured for Maguire’s location. The krippo chief stages a rescue hoping to get March to lead them to Maguire, but he figures it out and instead leads the authorities to Auschwitz. After knowing that charlie had enough time to cross the border he finds the remains of Auschwitz and satisfied he pulls out a gun. The book ends with the presumed death of Xavier March, but he succeeded in his goal at the end having Charlie be safe and the news breaking out to the rest of the world.

Timeline

Plot Entry #1: Xavier is reported to investigate the murder of Josef Buhler as his body was found by the Havel river in Brandenburg. After further investigation he learns that a high ranking SS member was the one who murdered Buhler. The gestapo closes the investigation on Buhler’s death, but Xavier decides to press on

Plot Entry #2: Xavier comes across American journalist, Charlotte 'Charlie' Maguire, who accompanies him on his journey after being convinced of the murder plot. They head to Zurich where they discover that the murders were ordered by the head of the SS, Reinhard Heydrich,who has ordered the deaths of all the members who attended the Wannsee Conference in 1942 ordering the go of The Final Solution which killed all the Jews.

Plot Entry #3: Xavier and Charlie are heading out to Switzerland the neutral country not affected by Germany and are going to expose the Germans for the Holocaust as they are about to have a meeting with the US to have a peaceful end to the Cold War between them.

Plot Entry #4: Xavier gets apprehended by the gestapo and is now being tortured for information. The krippo chief stages a rescue on March to try to get him to reveal where Charlie is headed, but he catches on to this and leads them to Auschwitz where he finds evidence of the camp is satisfied as he knows Charlie made it to safety across the border. The book ends with his presumed death and the new information revealed to the public about the Holocaust.

Historical Entry #1: Xavier March was a U-boat submarine pilot for the German Navy in WW2 and he married his nurse, Klara and had a son with her named Pili. They eventually divorced and his son now lives with his ex wife and has joined the Jungvolk Youth training camp.

Historical Entry #2: Hitler is turning 75 in the book’s setting and is scheduled for a meeting with the US President, Joseph P. Kennedy to end on a peaceful end with their Cold War. Germany now controls all of Europe and has authority in every country except Switzerland who has stayed neutral throughout everything. Russia is no more either and all there is left is terrorist organization groups plotting against the Nazis.

Historical Entry #3: The Wannsee Conference in 1942 is a huge deal which kicks off the whole book as that conference decided the the Final Solution executing and murdering millions of Jews. Members are then being assassinated to be silenced and have no record of anything.

Historical Entry #4: Churchill and Princess Elizabeth have fled to Canada where they reside at the time of this book. Japan lost America due to the Atomic Bomb being dropped on them. The year is 1964, other important Nazi officials have died like Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goring, etc.

Journal Entries

Journal Entry #1: I had been called to investigate a murder scene by the Havel river in Brandenburg. The only witness Hermann Jost is telling me he only saw the body, but I know he has more not willing to say just yet, but eventually I’ll get the information out of him. The body has been identified to be Josef Buhler a high ranking member in the Nazi Party. After further investigation and questioning the young 19 year old Jost, he told me he also saw Odilo Globocnik who is the right hand man of SS leader Reinhard Heydrich who took leadership over the SS after Heinrich Himmler’s death in 1962. Recently the gestapo swung over to the department and told us the case is under their control and we don’t have to proceed with anything else. Knowing how odd the gestapo are, I believe they’re trying to cover something up. I need to further investigate this on my own. The people over at the gestapo have never really liked me much as they know i’m not a big supporter of our government. I was disappointed to hear my son had joined the Jungvolk as I would rather have him get involved in other things than join the war machine. I never like donating to the winter relief drive they have going on. They’ve tried inviting me to the Nazi party, but I don’t want to get involved in all this political stuff as i’m happy where I am. I have also always been curious about what happened to the jewish family that lived in my apartment before me.

Quotes/Commentary

1. “So I have a choice: either I am an investigator in that uniform, and try to do a little good; or I am something else without that uniform, and do no good at all.” This quote has significant meaning to it because it’s when Xavier realizes that there is something amidst and he can either do his job to further investigate this conspiracy or just hushed about everything he learned. This is Xavier’s first step into his journey of investigating these assassinations on high ranking officials to cover up the Holocaust and his journey to expose the Nazi regime.

2. “What do you do,’ he said, ‘if you devote your life to discovering criminals, and it gradually occurs to you that the real criminals are the people you work for? What do you do when everyone tells you not to worry, you can’t do anything about it, it was a long time ago?’ She was looking at him in a different way. ‘I suppose you go crazy.’ ‘Or worse. Sane.” This is Xavier talking to Charlie about his plan to act on something about the Holocaust cover up since now he knows it’s by the higher ups which causes him to realize he needs to act on it and is telling Charlie about it. Charlie will then be his main partner and be the one to expose the Germans at the end of the book

3. “You can't build on a mass grave. Human beings are better than that - we have to be better than that - I do believe, don't you?" Charlie now believes everything Xavier was talking about and is determined to help aid him in his journey to expose the Nazis as she doesn’t believe it’s okay to cover up the events of the Holocaust

“4. A permanent state of war on the Eastern front will help to form a sound race of men,’ the Führer had once said, ‘and will prevent us relapsing into the softness of a Europe thrown back upon itself.’ But” This is Xavier explaining how the Nazi regime is operating now that WW2 has ended and to keep it’s citizens on the ready. This is also why Xavier's son, Pili, is in the Jungvolk training camp to turn them into soldiers which Xavier is against him being in.

Discussion Questions

1. Are our lives controlled by fate or free will? In other words, do the choices we make determine our futures, or is our life destined to be what it is? How does this perspective affect the way you interact with the world? Cite specific experiences or influences that have led you to your position.

I believe that our lives are shaped by our own decisions that we make and will shape our lives to what they become. This perspective makes me believe that through our own power we can make decisions that will further better our lives and help create an amazing environment for our younger generations. After WW2 and everything that coincided, we had the choice as people to shape our world and we ended shaping our world into a long time of death and grief, soon though we might be able to reshape it into a better world for the next generations.

2. How do you define success? Do you believe you’ve achieved success? If so, how do you know? If not, what has prevented you?

I define success by whether or not one achieves their goals that they want to reach in life and achieve happiness. I have achieved success as I have let the gestapo and SS away from Charlie and led them astray. I will die happily knowing the one I love will make it out alive and expose the the Nazi Regime for their war crimes, thus liberating the people’s mindsets to act on it and build a better world for the next generations.

3. Who are the most important people in your life? Why are they so meaningful to you?

The most important people in my life are my 10 year old son Pili and the new love of my life Charlie. Pili is my only son and I care for him so much and I only hope for him to live a good life, but I hope he doesn’t forget me after him now living with his mother and stepdad. Charlie means a lot to me because she is an amazing person that has entered my life and has helped me tremendously through this journey of unraveling this cover up by the Nazis. I will make sure nothing happens to her and succeeds in our mission as she is the new love of my life and only wish for the best for her.

4. If you change one thing in your life what would it be? How would this affect the circumstances of your story?

If I could change one thing in my life it would be to have the people not have created a Nazi Germany where now we’re almost back to the way of living as we were in the 1930’s. Then we wouldn’t have had such bad moments in our history and lived peaceful times.

Historical/Secondary Links

1. http://www.secretcitytravel.com/berlin-march-2014/albert-speer-nazi-architect-berlin.shtml

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ecmkIRpfJc&t=31s&has_verified=1

3. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-final-solution

4. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gestapo

5. https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/fatherland/

6. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/03/books/inventing-a-world-in-which-hitler-won.html

7. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/30/guardian-bookclub-fatherland-robert-harris

8. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-05-bk-2491-story.html

Images

The New Berlin that Albert Speer had wanted to create with Hitler after WW2 that did end up being created in Fatherland

The Wannsee House where the meeting to start the Final Solution was held being a main focus point in Fatherland as they discover evidence of the Holocaust

the Havel River in Brandenberg, Germany where Josef Buhler died which triggered Xavier’s investigation

Auschwitz where the book ends having Xavier discover ruins of the camp now satisfied pulls out a gun, where he has a presumed death 

[theheebiejeebies]

Horror and Me

For a while I was ‘The Kid in the Coffin’…

When I was 9, I went to a local bike shop and asked them for a long box. Happy to offload their excess packaging they sorted one out for me. 

‘What’s it for?’ asked the store manager. 

‘My parents. They’re…er…moving house!’ 

It was a rubbish lie. Our house wasn’t for sale and I’m sure they knew that as we lived across the road and there was no ‘for sale’ sign. Still, I got the box. 

When I got home I set about turning the top into an opening lid. I drew ivy round the sides, scribbled a date for my death and climbed inside. 

I had been inspired by Hammer Horror’s The Plague of the Zombies. Especially the part where Alice Mary Thompson rises from the grave. Whenever I would ‘rise’ out of my cardboard coffin, I would squeeze a bottle of mum’s Coty’s L’aimant talcum powder so it created a waft of eerie mist. I was one dramatic and great-smelling corpse.

Old Spice was the talcum powder of choice for these guys. 

Boybands came along and I forgot all about my coffin and The Plague of the Zombies. Romance was the critical urgency in my life. But it didn’t last. During my later teens horror crept back into my life and I swapped Mr Darcy for Leatherface. I had joined another phase of teen culture. As Michael Wilson points out in his article, ‘The Point of Horror: The Relationship Between Teenage Popular Horror Fiction and the Oral Repertoire’, horror serves a number of important functions during this period:

“Certainly one of those functions is to exorcise the fears of the adult world that lies ahead, a kind of rehearsal for the real world that is never quite as bad as the one imagined. I am convinced that teenage cultural obsession with violence and horror is an important element in the rites of passage that mark the transition into adulthood”.

My friends and I would hang about at graveyards. We would climb under a bridge to a concrete bunker known to the local teenagers as ‘Devil’s Den’. Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween were the the main events at our sleepovers. And ‘Sweet Valley High’ was replaced with ‘Point Horror’ - those popular teen books from the 90s with gaudy covers, and titles such as ‘The Cheerleader’, The Babysitter’ and ‘The Hitchhiker’.

Goosebumps author, R.L. Stine wrote 20 books for the Point Horror series.

I’m certain that my affiliation with horror during that period was encouraged by the disapproval of the grown-ups in my life. As Wilson explains: 

“Stories of horror and the supernatural subvert the rationality of the adult world. They create worlds where adult-imposed order is undermined and chaos reigns. They also challenge adult (and principally bourgeois) notions of decency and morality, constantly running the gauntlet of good taste”.

I was reminded of this when reading Sarah Lotz’s short story ‘The Embarrassment of Dead Grandmothers’ where, as a 40-something, I found myself disapproving of the protagonist’s reaction to the death of his grandmother in a public place:

“Okay, worst-case scenario. She’s dead. What then? What the hell am I supposed to do? Do I stop the performance? Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl. I hate making a scene. I’ve never once complained about poor service in a restaurant, nor fallen foul to road rage”. 

But there’s a truth here. As adults, even death can become mundane when gone through enough times, while the need to fit in with an ever-changing society can be petrifying. Maybe that’s why, as adults, we still need horror. We need to keep questioning and challenging ‘adult-imposed order’, and re-invite the monster under the bed back into our bedrooms. I have recently begun collecting the Point Horror series to do just that, and while my 40-something brain might disapprove at the grimness of such stories, it also secretly loves what Devendra P. Varma describes as ‘a fearful joy’. He goes on to explain that: 

“Human nature craves not only for amusement and entertainment but also demands the more strenuous catharsis of pity and terror”. 

This fearful joy, the weird and the eerie can create contrast with our everyday lives. According to David Saliba, ‘fear has a certain exciting appeal to a reader who knows that he cannot be physically harmed by indulging in a blood-chilling story’. And when we do reemerge into our humdrum lives, perhaps we can appreciate better how predictable, comforting, and safe they are.

Sources: 

Lotz, S. ‘The Embarrassment of Dead Grandmothers’ in New Fears London: Titan Books, 2017.

Saliba, D.R. A Psychology of Fear, Washington D.C: University Press of America, 1980. 

Varma, P. Devendra, The Gothic Flame, New York: Russell and Russell, 1966.

Wilson, M. ‘The Point of Horror: The Relationship Between Teenage Popular Horror Fiction and the Oral Repertoire’, Children’s Literature in Education, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2000.

[solo1y]

Five years ago, I was given a free review copy of this book for a now-defunct e-book review site. In my review, I said that it’s the worst book I have ever read, and that remains true. It’s still available if you really hate yourself. 

This is the (obviously NSFW) final published review: 

I'm 37 years old, I have read many books in my time, and I have never said this before: The Audacity of Hope and Change is the worst book I have ever read.

A brief summary, so you don't have to actually read it: A conservative U.S. president time-travels to 2084, where liberal policies have destroyed the entire planet, and the population of the world is contained in ten dome-enclosed U.S. cities, where the citizens live under an oppressive centralised government. Horrified, the president goes back to his own time, aware of the fact that he can't change the future. However, it turns out that he's the one who created the domed cities to house the "un-American" liberals, and just lied to them that the rest of the world was destroyed. Then he makes Rush Limbaugh (I'm not kidding) his Vice President so the United States can live in peace and prosperity now that the traitorous elements have been removed. That's it.

Initially I thought it was a clever satire of conservative attitudes to liberal politics. However, it's not a satire at all. In fact, it's intended as a satire of the liberal position! To give you an idea of the mental trauma I have recently suffered, the smug partisan political grandstanding is only the third most annoying thing about this book.

The most annoying thing about this book is that he assumes his readers are unread simpletons. It is a sign of terrible weakness on an author's part when he gives up trying to describe something and just refers to something else which describes it better. He does this a number of times in the book. We bounce from blatant allusions to 1984 (oxymoronic ministries, party uniforms, ad hoc government data), Brave New World (productivity-driven eugenics program), Star Trek (limitless energy) and Soylent Green (meals made from reconstituted humans). None of this would be so bad if the author didn't flag all the references. "It was positively Orwellian," says the infallible protagonist in one particularly painful passage, and not for the last time. “Sounds like something from ‘Men in Black’,” he says on another occasion. It may not be entirely unusual for a book to be completely unoriginal, but I've never seen a book so ready to advertise its poverty of thought. Even his unfunny jokes are telegraphed and labelled for ease of consumption.

The second most annoying thing about this book is that it's badly plotted and sloppily written. How can someone steal so many good ideas from so many wonderful sources and still make a complete mess? The tone is confused throughout. It seems to be a political satire, but it has lots of Douglas Adams-wannabe throwaway jokes that are so silly, they jerk you out of the otherwise completely serious satirical push, reducing it to a farce. You won't miss any of them, because, as you will remember, even the migraine-inducing jokes are flagged for you: "Brian replied, ignoring her double entendre." Characters are one-dimensional, either there to be impressed by the president, or to help him find the things he needs. No one changes, no one has any personality, no one has a family or a life away from the president or any motivation or emotion other than those which intersect with the president's motivations or emotions. Splashes of what the author probably imagines constitutes character are awkwardly placed in the way of the narrative, like the irrelevant story about a scientist's middle name. When the protagonist carries a gun, it is referred to on at least ten separate occasions as a "Heckler & Koch MK23"; I have no idea why. By the way, in direct opposition to everything we know about linguistics, in the future, people speak the same as they do now, but with unnecessarily longer and extra words. For instance, a chat is now called a "brief communication period". In the future, we are all verbose Vulcans, except we use the word "scientific" instead of "logical" (keep in mind that the author intends the word "scientific" as an insult).

Irrelevant matters are explained in boring detail, choking the pace, whereas plot points which could benefit from an explanation are glossed over awkwardly. Page after gruelling page presents itself: how time travel works; how public transport of the future works; how photo-electric cells work; and sundry other copy-and-pastes from Engineering for Dummies. A lot of it just doesn't make any sense, and the whole thing is a Swiss cheese of plot holes that are never acknowledged. However, once the president decides he understands something, no matter how nonsensical, it is assumed that the readers understand it too.

The third most annoying thing about this book, as promised above, is that it reads like a campaign manifesto. You don't see much of it at the start, which is mostly highly derivative time-travel, alien technology, conspiracy theory stuff and almost fun. As the book drags on like a grindstone bolted through your knee, it gives way to pages and pages of right-wing, conservative policies, framed as a series of speeches the president makes to his advisors, all of whom intermittently praise him for his wisdom and genius.

If you have to insert characters into your story just to agree with your protagonist, you are doing something wrong. On one occasion, his words earn him "a standing ovation". In another section, a sentence appears: "I found myself increasingly impressed by Brian’s knowledge and wisdom." But the author wrote that! The author is impressed with his own knowledge and wisdom! He thinks so little of his readers that he decides to hit them repeatedly over the head with his stupid message. At least twice, in case we didn't realise what the point of the book was, the following sentence occurs: "It sounded like he could be referring to the political debates of my time." Events are referred to as "like something from Hitler’s Germany or the Soviet Union under Stalin." Satire doesn't work if you have a big flashing neon SATIRE sign pointing at it!

The real meat of the book is the description of the future America, where liberal policies have made everything go bad. In this state, all the ridiculous right wing agit-prop straw men you have heard from Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck (name-checked in the book, and eventual cabinet ministers) are firing on all cylinders: universal health care death panels; the abolition of religion, gun ownership and private property; rampant abortions; the establishment of "science" as a god; global warming as a massive hoax perpetrated by Al Gore (referred to in the text, for some reason, as "Agore"); wanton sexual promiscuity; the subjugation of the individual to the state - it's all presented not as a possible alternative future, but specifically as a future which will occur if Barack Obama gets re-elected (never actually named in the book, although it's very obvious).

When the protagonist returns from the future, he gets some people together and decides how to reshape America so this liberal apocalypse can be averted. There follows pages and pages of tedious ruminations on tax reform, clean energy, healthcare mandates and foreign policy, all explained in mind-numbing detail. The Chicago School tax reforms, for instance, are pages of demographics and percentages and glaringly incorrect conclusions. The president claims to run on a "pro-choice" ticket, by which he means to promote the idea of consumer choice. He picked this name, he explains, specifically to confound the pro-choice women's rights movement, and thereafter confusingly refers to them interchangeably. It's a crime of the written word to use terms and phrases in a manner different to that expected by a reasonable consensus of your readers, but to confuse them yourself is unforgivable.

This president gives long, eye-tormenting speeches filled with nothing but conservative values, and emotional reactions to the perceived lack of those values, with everyone around him agreeing and applauding. It's like being stuck at a Nuremberg rally, but without the undeniable Nazi sense of style, or anything that could be referred to as "efficiency". Alles ist sehr viel nicht in Ordnung.

This book is nothing more than an adolescent right-wing masturbatory fantasy, whose target market will surely have more respect for itself than to kneel before him, encouraging every feverish stroke, willingly accepting his literary semen as it splashes on their eager Christian faces. It's a vanity project, an empty puff of vague, hackneyed, outdated political philosophies dreamt up while on marijuana but without the concomitant trashing of those ideas the following sad, sober morning. Our pseudonymous guide to the future clearly thinks he's the literary heir to Jonathan Swift, but he's more the literary heir to that guy who sat behind you in high school who kept talking about robots and dinosaurs and now still lives with his parents, hates black people for no reason, and has just discovered what the word "alveoli" means.

The Audacity of Hope and Change, the worst book I have ever read, is written by Yushud Choosewisely, possibly the most gratingly awful pseudonym I have ever seen. His real name is Steven Lloyd. It is published by the Pro-Choice Press, which as far as I can determine, is managed, staffed and run solely by Mr. Lloyd, who has chosen the name to be deliberately provocative, as he is aggressively pro-life. There is one comment on the amazon page for this book; as it is gushing with praise, I can only assume that this customer review is also managed, staffed and run solely by Mr. Lloyd. Someone needs to buy a paper copy of this book, just so we can tear the pages out of it, and gently run the edges of each page along the soles of his feet and his tongue. Then we should re-assemble the book, encase it on concrete, tie him to a post, and throw it at his head until he promises never to write anything ever again. If that sounds harsh, remember that he has mentally assigned a far worse punishment to those who commit the crime of disagreeing with him on political issues.

This guy actually answered my review with a bunch of passive-aggressive right-wing smarmy bullshit, which completely failed to counter a single one of the points I made. Which is great because it gave me a chance to rip him a new asshole twice instead of just once. He’s deleted his response, but you can probably pick up the gist from my response to his response. 

[theaxtorres]

Oscars Top 9: Silver screen standouts

Will your choice for Academy Best Picture take home the coveted award this year?

The Academy’s votes are finally in! And while the whole world awaits the awards show this Monday, March 5, Philippine Standard Time, we rounded up this year’s Best Picture nominees and gave a few snapshots and cliffsnotes as to why these bad boys (and girls) deserve the coveted Academy Award nods.

Lady Bird

At first glance, Lady Bird might come off as just another coming-of-age film, but director Greta Gerwig challenges the average tropes, stirring away from the clichés, and splices the story with a humor drenched with the sensitivity of a hard-knock life. The story centers on spunky teenage girl, “Lady Bird” played by Saoirse Ronan, who consistently longs for a future beyond the comfort zone of her family, school, and hometown. Devoid of overly dramatic declarations of love and loss, the film captures the overall concept of being young and growing up. Most importantly, it highlights the relationship of mother and daughter—its repercussions and complexities. All the while, Lady Bird maintains its originality, consistently building on its subtle comedy and drama, and keeping the audience entertained, almost as if certain points of the story were taken from a page of their own diary.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Get Out

Pushing the creative boundaries of the horror genre, comedian-turned-director Jordan Peele makes his directorial debut with his horror film Get Out and explores a more insidious form of racism that lurks behind even the most sincerest of intentions. Peele breaks this down even more as the audience follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), an African American, and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) as she invites him over for a weekend getaway to meet her parents whose warm, fuzzy welcome masks a sinister secret. The film blends satire, comedy, and horror elements so well that it doesn’t lose its focus and keeps to the theme surprisingly well. What’s even more brilliant is how Peele challenges the usual horror tropes without going so far as to parodizing it like Scream or going to more extremes such as the Scary Movie franchise. Get Out may not be as loud as the other nominees, but it can certainly pull a come-from-behind win this year.

Rating: 3 / 5

The Post

In a time when journalism is facing grave threats, Steven Spielberg’s political thriller The Post is nothing but timely. The film focuses on the expose of the Pentagon Papers, documents proving America’s military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967, by The New York Times, followed by The Washington Post. The film squares off Katharine Graham, The Post’s publisher played by Meryl Streep, and Ben Bradlee, The Post’s editor in chief played by Tom Hanks, as they clash their contradictory views on what to make of the expose. With an incredible amount of talent from its ensemble cast alone and the weight of the story they bring, Spielberg’s thriller is paced well—all while maintaining the tension for most of the scenes, putting justice to the struggle journalists face. While The Post may not be a groundbreaking work on its own, the story this film delivers is more relevant than ever.

Rating: 3 / 5 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri falls no short from delivering hard-hitting, not to mention pain-staking, honesty brought by small-town locals facing a tragedy and consequential bites of revenge. The movie revolves around the actions of protagonist, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) after she sets up three billboards outside her hometown that call out the local authorities for failing to catch the culprit of her daughter’s rape and eventual murder. Under Martin McDonagh’s direction, all the characters’ stories come full circle, with each one contributing their own pains, wits, and strengths to the foundation of the movie. While resonating the familiar chaos between opposing strong personalities, the film consistently compels its audience to puzzle together its intricacies, and in the end, embeds itself as a movie that is hard to forget.

Rating: 4 / 5

Darkest Hour

Exploring the events that transpired at the onset of the Second World War in Western Europe, this war drama film from director Joe Wright presents a closer look at Winston Churchill, Britain’s then Prime Minister who refused to bow to German Nazis. Focused on Churchill’s struggle of whether or not to negotiate with former dictator Adolf Hitler as they advance towards the United Kingdom, the film takes the audience through the push and pull in making tough decisions. While there are considerable narrative flaws and complications throughout the film, Gary Oldman’s rousing and electrifying performance as he “disappears” into the role of the British Prime Minister alone is able to hold the film together and proves that it certainly deserves its Oscar nod.

Rating: 3 / 5

Phantom Thread 

Set in the glitz and glamour of London in the 1950s, Phantom Thread centers on a story of love that deceives its audience with its initial simplicity, but progresses into a choreography of a thrilling and intimate romance. As expected, Reynald Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) delivers a hauntingly powerful performance as a renowned fashion designer lovestruck by waitress Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps). Director Paul Thomas Anderson stitches together pristine visuals and innocent personas, while managing to maintain the messiness of a stubborn romance. Phantom Thread secures its audience with an honest relationship, satisfying the hopeless romantics, but never trapping itself within a cliché.

Rating: 3 / 5

Dunkirk

Give it to auteur director Christopher Nolan to take the historical account of the seemingly impossible task of evacuating 400,000 Allied Forces soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France during the early campaign of the Second World War and turn it into a riveting, heart-stopping war thriller. In true Nolan fashion, he masterfully weaves a non-linear narrative structure (three timelines moving at three different paces and moment in time) with such audacity and craftsmanship that as these timelines converge in the end, audiences cannot help but be swept away. Nolan creates such a visceral cinematic viewing experience for the audience, all while showcasing his technical prowess and attention to detail. And while Dunkirk may not be a frontrunner in the Best Picture race, Nolan’s tour de force performance as the film’s director may very well land him the recognition he deserves from the Academy.

Rating: 4 / 5

Call Me by Your Name 

Capturing the sensibilities of a coming-of-age film through the lens of queer cinema, Call Me by Your Name provides the audience with a breath of fresh air and a subtle hypnosis from the film’s concept of love and beauty. The film centers on the budding romance between 17-year-old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and the American scholar working for his father, Oliver (Armie Hammer). Although director Luca Guadagnino follows a slow-paced direction and rests majorly on the dimension of a sultry, rebellious romance, the characters stand out as refreshingly endearing and the story deems itself memorable through its undramatic, but moving approach. No doubt, this movie will tug on the heartstrings of anyone longing for that touch of young love.

Rating: 3 / 5

The Shape of Water 

Guillermo Del Toro’s genius shines through in his ode to the magic of film in The Shape of Water. No stranger to disobedient fairytales, Del Toro produces the perfect mixture of star-crossed lovers and action-packed chases. As a romantic melodrama completely unlike any other, Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) slowly builds an authentic romance with a sea-like creature and faces the perils of a love so unconventional. With each character’s story explicitly given attention, the movie’s coherence and formed camaraderies entrance the audience, almost reeling them into an immersion of the extraordinary events of the movie. What makes Shape of Water stand out from the rest is the utter creativity of each scene; every detail of production and costume design is built to finesse, the script strikes the minds of attentive listeners, and even the mere idea behind a sequence can render you speechless.

Rating: 5 / 5

This year’s Academy Award nominees for Best Picture have been some of the best and more interesting ones within the last three to five years. But with all things considered, this year’s most coveted award could ultimately go to Del Torro’s The Shape of Water. Considered by some critics as one of the frontrunners in the race, Del Torro’s fantasy drama outshines all other competitors with its captivating story executed with such passion and creativity. 

This article was originally published in the Benildean website and was written with EJ Lanuza.

[lifeofaliterarynerd]

We Need Diverse Books: Black History Month Edition                                          *Books by black authors and/or have black protagonists

How It Went Down - Kekla Magoon //  When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth. Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. 

X - Ilyasah Shabazz & Kekla Magoon //  Cowritten by Malcolm X’s daughter, this riveting and revealing novel follows the formative years of the man whose words and actions shook the world. X follows Malcolm from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today.

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas // Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.  

The Women of Brewster Place - Gloria Naylor //  We follow the stories of seven women living in Brewster Place, a bleak inner-city sanctuary, creating a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of black women in America. Vulnerable and resilient, openhanded and open-hearted, these women forge their lives in a place that in turn threatens and protects—a common prison and a shared home. 

Piecing Me Together - Renée Watson //  Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. She has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls. Except really, it’s for black girls. From “bad” neighborhoods. 

Shadowshaper - Daniel José Older //  Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra's near-comatose abuelo begins to say "No importa" over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep.... Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on.

The Rock and The River - Kekla Magoon //  Set in 1968 Chicago, Thirteen -year-old Sam realizes it's not easy being the son of known civil rights activist Roland Childs. Especially when his older (and best friend), Stick, begins to drift away from him for no apparent reason. And then it happens: Sam finds something that changes everything forever. Sam has always had faith in his father, but when he finds literature about the Black Panthers under Stick's bed, he's not sure who to believe: his father or his best friend. Suddenly, nothing feels certain anymore. 

Monster - Walter Dean Myers //    Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout. Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn in the hands of "the system," cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. For the first time, Steve is forced to think about who he is as he faces prison, where he may spend all the tomorrows of his life. 

This Side of Home - Renée Watson //  Identical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away. Suddenly, the sisters who had always shared everything must confront their dissenting feelings on the importance of their ethnic and cultural identities and, in the process, learn to separate themselves from the long shadow of their identity as twins. 

Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson //  Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world.  

Promise of Shadows - Justine Ireland //  Zephyr Mourning has never been very good at being a Harpy. She’d rather watch reality TV than learn forty-seven ways to kill a man, and she pretty much sucks at wielding magic. Zephyr was ready for a future pretending to be a normal human instead of a half-god assassin. But all that changes when her sister is murdered—and she uses a forbidden dark power to save herself from the same fate. 

Fake ID - Lamara Giles //   My name isn’t really Nick Pearson. I shouldn’t tell you where I’m from or why my family moved to Stepton, Virginia. I shouldn’t tell you who I really am, or my hair, eye, and skin color. And I definitely shouldn’t tell you about my friend Eli Cruz and the major conspiracy he was about to uncover when he died—right after I moved to town. About how I had to choose between solving his murder with his hot sister, Reya, and “staying low-key” like the Program has taught me. About how moving to Stepon changed my life forever. But I’m going to 

Endangered - Lamar Giles //  The one secret she cares about keeping—her identity—is about to be exposed. Unless Lauren "Panda" Daniels—an anonymous photoblogger who specializes in busting classmates and teachers in compromising positions—plays along with her blackmailer's little game of Dare or . . . Dare. But when the game turns deadly, Panda doesn't know what to do. And she may need to step out of the shadows to save herself . . . and everyone else on the Admirer's hit list. 

Don’t Fail Me Now - Una LaMarche //  Michelle and Leah only have one thing in common: Buck Devereaux, the biological father who abandoned them when they were little. After news trickles back to them that Buck is dying, they make the uneasy decision to drive across country to his hospice in California. Leah hopes for closure; Michelle just wants to give him a piece of her mind. Five people in a failing, old station wagon, living off free samples at food courts across America, and the most pressing question on Michelle’s mind is: Who will break down first--herself or the car? 

Flygirl - Sherri L Smith //  Ida Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didn't stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddy's gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her. When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the Women Airforce Service Pilots - and Ida suddenly sees a way to fly as well as do something significant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. But even the WASP won't accept her as a black woman, forcing Ida Mae to make a difficult choice of "passing," of pretending to be white to be accepted into the program. Hiding one's racial heritage, denying one's family, denying one's self is a heavy burden. And while Ida Mae chases her dream, she must also decide who it is she really wants to be. 

Mare’s War - Tanita S Davis //  Meet Mare, a World War II veteran and a grandmother like no other. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less than perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American Battalion of the Women's Army Corps. Now she is driving her granddaughters—two willful teenagers in their own rite—on a cross-country road trip. The girls are initially skeptical of Mare's flippy wigs and stilletos, but they soon find themselves entranced by the story she has to tell, and readers will be too. 

Not Otherwise Specified - Hannah Mockowitz //  Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in her small Nebraska hometown. Everywhere she turns, someone feels she's too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself? 

Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler //  When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social chaos, not even gated communities are safe. In a night of fire and death Lauren Olamina, a minister's young daughter, loses her family and home and ventures out into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a flight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny... and the birth of a new faith. 

The Sun is Also a Star-Nicola Yoon //  Follow Natasha, a girl who believes in science and facts, as she meets Daniel, a dutiful son and dreamer, as they spend a single day together in New York - and try to stop Natasha’s family from being deported to Jamacia.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon //  My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster 

Pointe - Brandy Colbert //  Theo is better now. She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor. Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse. 

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl - Issa Rae //  Being an introvert in a world that glorifies cool isn’t easy. But  Rae covers everything from cybersexing in the early days of the Internet to deflecting unsolicited comments on weight gain, from navigating the perils of eating out alone and public displays of affection to learning to accept yourself—natural hair and all.

Tiny Pretty Things - Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra //  Gigi, Bette, and June, three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet school, have seen their fair share of drama. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance—but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. When every dancer is both friend and foe, the girls will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best. 

Liar-Justine Larbalestier //  Micah will freely admit that she’s a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she’ll ever tell you. Over the years she’s duped her classmates, her teachers, and even her parents, and she’s always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as naturally as breathing? 

Hidden Figures - Margot Lee Shatterly //  Before John Glenn orbited the earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African-American women who lived through the Civil Rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country. 

The Color Purple - Alice Walker //  Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of women of color in the southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. The novel has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000-2009 at number seventeen because of the sometimes explicit content, particularly in terms of violence. 

Sister Citizen- Melissa Harris Perry //  Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen instead explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the former First Lady of the United States. 

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond - Brenda Woods //  Violet is a smart, funny, brown-eyed, brown-haired girl in a family of blonds. Her mom is white, and her dad, who died before she was born, was black. She attends a mostly white school where she sometimes feels like a brown leaf on a pile of snow. She’s tired of people asking if she’s adopted. Now that Violet’s eleven, she decides it’s time to learn about her African American heritage. And despite getting off to a rocky start trying to reclaim her dad’s side of the family, she can feel her confidence growing as the puzzle pieces of her life finally start coming together. 

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids - Sarah Ockler //  The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d'Abreau was destined for stardom - until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can't sing. She can't even speak. Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend's invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse's home in the Caribbean isn't: an ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry - except for one.

Black Boy White School - Brian F Walker  //  Anthony “Ant” Jones has never been outside his rough East Cleveland neighborhood when he’s given a scholarship to Belton Academy, an elite prep school in Maine.But at Belton things are far from perfect. Everyone calls him “Tony,” assumes he’s from Brooklyn, expects him to play basketball, and yet acts shocked when he fights back. As Anthony tries to adapt to a world that will never fully accept him, he’s in for a rude awakening: Home is becoming a place where he no longer belongs.

[nadadjordjevich]

Girls Gets Job Loses Boy

Women, work and romance in the movies.

Quick—think of a movie where the male protagonist gets fired at the end of a movie. No, he doesn't die, but at the end, he is left without a job. Sure, there are plenty of films that start that way, but is the crisis resolved with an unemployed man? How about a movie where a man is forced to choose between a woman and a job? You know, a movie in which at the end the man has to choose either to be successful in his career or to be successful with his wife. He can't have it all. Thought of one? Let me know, because I couldn't think of a single Hollywood film in which men face the choices presented to women in most films involving career women today.

Fifty years after one of the most dramatic changes in the economics of the 20th century, the increase in the number and types of women in the workplace, Hollywood is still ambivalent and culturally unready to let go of old myths. According to recent census statistics, in close to 80 percent of all marriages both the husband and the wife work, and in just over 40 percent the wife makes about the same as or more than the man. Yet in most films of the past thirty years, women seem unable to hold onto both their careers and their men. Today's mainstream movies don't involve present-day choices, but throwback fantasies, when women had to choose between economic power and relationships.

If you're a working class girl who becomes powerful fighting the status quo, the odds are against permanent romance. A decade after the Pretty Woman limousine ride that took her out of her ghetto and away from the oldest profession to be supported by Richard Gere's wealthy businessman, Julia Roberts plays street-smart Erin Brockovich who loses her Hells Angels hottie when she dedicates herself to her new career fighting corporate greed. Her babysitting man feels that she just doesn't have enough time for him. Of course, we have seen this before. In Norma Rae (1979), another true story of a proletarian do-gooder with a promiscuous past, Sally Field's textile worker awakens to union organizing while her new husband complains of neglect and is unsupportive of her work.

If you're a successful, ethical career woman, you will lose your lover. Barbara Streisand's activist radio producer loses her writer husband played by Robert Redford after insisting that "people are their principles" in The Way We Were (1973). And then there's another producer played by Holly Hunter, in Broadcast News (1987), who, early in the film, complains that "she is starting to repel people that she is trying to attract" until she finally charms good-looking anchorman William Hurt. Despite the hopeful condom tucked into her purse, their relationship is pretty chaste, consisting of one kiss and plans for vacation that doesn't pan out. By the end of the film, the two men in her love triangle have made other permanent arrangements: Albert Brooks' Aaron is married with a son, and William Hurt is engaged to a look-alike fiancée. While Hunter claims to have some "fella" in the wings, we don't see any sign of permanence, and she is probably doomed to lonely success.

And if you're an unethical career woman, you'll be even lonelier. First, you will create chaos, unknowingly or consciously, in the families of the men you desire, and then you will be punished by desertion, death, or perpetual singledom. Sally Field's reckless journalist in Absence of Malice (1981) causes a suicide and loses Paul Newman's affection. In Fatal Attraction (1987), Glenn Close's stylish editor loses her mind -- not to mention her career -- when she desperately goes after  her one-night-stand who is happily married to a stay-at-home wife. And then there's Faye Dunaway's news producer in Network (1976) who destroys the marriage of the crotchety editor played by William Holden while she looks forward to the on-air suicide of broadcaster Howard Beale as a ratings boost. On a lighter note, the successful restaurant critic played by Julia Roberts tries and fails to break up her best-friend's marriage to Cameron Diaz's college dropout and soon to be stay-at-home wife in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997).

If you lose your job at the hands of a man, you may be able to work it out. In Jerry Maguire (1996), Renee Zellweger is a single mom who quits her job to follow the sports agent played by Tom Cruise into his own agency. She soon loses that job when Cruise's company fails, and it's only after she is no longer working for him that he turns around to tell her that she "completes him." In You've Got Mail (1998), Meg Ryan is put out of business when Tom Hanks' tycoon opens up a Barnes & Nobles-like mega -bookstore that takes over her Upper West Side neighborhood. After she has fired all of her employees and is forced to shut down her store, she not only does not harbor ill feelings toward the man who put her out of work, but begins a friendship with him at Starbucks, the take-over coffee chain that has put hundreds of little coffee shops around the corner out of business.

So what's a modern movie woman got to do to keep a man and a job around here?

For one thing, pretend to be somebody you're not. In Working Girl (1988), Melanie Griffith portrays a big-haired secretary with "a head for business and a bod for sin," who takes over from her thieving boss by faking her position in the firm and stealing her boyfriend. And in Down with Love (2003), Renee Zelweiger's best-selling author develops an elaborate scheme of entrapment involving the development of a female prototype of a confirmed bachelor.

For another, stop being so damn smart. In Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), another Zellweger vehicle, her speech at a literary event is a disaster, making her look stupid and ridiculous in front of Britain's literati, as does her pratfall in front of the television audience when she slides down the pole of a firehouse as a would-be reporter. Yet super-hunk barrister, Mark Darcy, played by super-hunk Colin Firth dumps his intelligent colleague for the inarticulate and intellectually challenged Bridget.

And if you are smart, carry a gun, work with animals, or serve food. While the love story is not crucial in Coen brothers' films, both Fargo (1996) and Raising Arizona (1987) feature married policewomen, and Sandra Bullock's "ugly duckling" detective turned beauty queen gets her man in Miss Congeniality (2000). In a lesser-seen Roberts' movie, Something to Talk About (1995), husband Dennis Quaid tells wife Roberts that he cheated on her not because he felt neglected by her pursuit of her career, but because she'd failed to complete her passion. If she had pursued her own dream of being a big animal veterinarian, he claims, he wouldn't have had an affair. In the end, Roberts takes veterinary classes and their romance rekindles. And, in The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), talk-show vet played by Janeane Garofalo finally gets the guy (after, incidentally, pretending to be someone else). Jennifer Aniston' waitress in the comedy Office Space (1999) gets and keeps a boyfriend. And, in the Martin Scorsese flick Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), another harried waitress, played by Ellen Burstyn, lands Kris Kristofferson's sexy rancher.

Interestingly Kristofferson's character was dropped when the movie was made into the television series "Alice," as the writers recognized that perpetual dating is more intriguing than coupledom - at least when it comes to female leads. Certainly the most successful career women on television, Mary Richards and Murphy Brown, never had the permanent love of a good man. Even in "Sex and the City," the landmark series featuring career women over the age of 35, it wasn't until the finale that all four female characters resolved their search for love, with Carrie Bradshaw finally landing paramour Big after quitting her job. Compared to Hollywood, however, that's progress, since 50 percent of "Sex"'s women had both a job and a man at the end. It's obvious that in a series goals can't be achieved if you want to keep the viewers hooked.

But why can't a woman have it all in a two-hour movie? Why, in the world of happy Hollywood endings, are women's choices unreflective of modern society? Why, for example, when adapting the novel, Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), did the filmmakers change the book's ending to successful female writer loses man?

Movies are million-dollar enterprises built on prevailing concepts of what people want to see. This is why men without jobs are not part of most films. Perhaps in the same way that movies do not reflect the reality of race and diversity in American society, Hollywood believes that audiences are not ready for a culture of powerful women who do not have to make simple choices between a man and a career. As our movies have only slowly begun to echo some of the diversity present in modern America, perhaps we can anticipate new narrative structures in the romantic feature film. The success of independent films like My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), whose female lead finds both a successful career and a loving relationship, may demonstrate to producers that audiences are ready for a woman who has both a career and a man. And I look forward to a time when Hollywood will mimic modern reality in showing that the dominant paradigm is not woman gets job, loses man, but working men and women trying to work it out.

First Printed in On the Page magazine. Reprinted with permission.