December 27, 2018 HOUSE PARTY

Exhausted. 3 parties in 4 days--TOO MUCH FOR ME. I don't think I go to 3 parties ALL YEAR. Feel like I'm walking around in a daze. It's funny--when I was in my twenties-- I could party every night and feel good as new the next morning. These days--it's more like a two day recovery between parties--so that means I need  SIX DAYS to recover from the holidays.  Don't get me wrong--I'd do it ALL again in a minute. Great fun with friends and family--playing games-- reminiscing--sipping  holiday drinks. Party #1 used to be a cookie party when my daughter was young. She'd invite friends over and we'd spend hours making cookies. Fast forward 10 years. We still make cookies BUT her friends NOW come over--with their significant other. We still snack--play games but NOW we drink a little JINGLE JANGLE JUICE too.  GREAT FUN. So proud of them. This is followed by the  Christmas Eve & Christmas parties that keep me up WAY TOO LATE.  It's a whirlwind and my heads still spinning BUT--wouldn't change a thing!! Hope to feel like my old self  in time for New Years Eve............... 

Twelve characters, each representing  the urban Native American experience, are on their way to a party too--the Big Oakland Powwow in Tommy Orange's debut novel There There. In order to answer the question--what does it mean to be a Native American today--Orange introduces the reader to a new character in each chapter of the novel.  We learn their history, story and motivation for attending the powwow. Some are looking to reconnect with family, others are searching for their "Indian identity" while others are just trying to understand their place in society. They range from teenagers to the elderly; they come from fractured families, violence, drug and alcohol addiction. This book essentially tells the story of the indigenous community in Oakland, California, and their painful history and detachment from tradition after being forced to live on reservations.  This powerful story is a must read. It is equally funny, disturbing and heartbreaking. The characters come alive because the prose is so deliberate, real, raw, honest. This must read is on the 10 best books of the year list and won The Center for First Novel Prize. It's about 290 pages or a 4 mile run that you will never forget.

December 21, 2018 THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

My students have taught ME many lessons over the years. I am often humbled by their wisdom at such a young age. They continually help me grow into a  kinder and more compassionate person.  Life is fragile as many of my students know. They've lost grandparents--mothers--fathers--siblings whether it be the result of  substance abuse--mental illness--cancer-- bad luck. Life is just not fair. Some are angry and others grapple with crippling anxiety as they face the holiday season without their loved ones. I wish I had a magic wand that could make all of their troubles go away. But I don't. I'm thankful that they've let me into their worlds  though--through their poems.  In an age where technology has taken over--they have learned that  writing is powerful. It's a salve that helps to heal the wounds that come with life. It's an outlet that I hope they continue to utilize forever because none of us get through this life unscathed. A  lesson they've been forced to face-- far too early. Maggie Harris, the main character of Camille Pagan's new book Woman Last Seen in her Thirties, thinks life is great until her husband of almost 30 years decides to walk away from their marriage.

Maggie is a 53 year old woman from Chicago who has spent so long being a mother and wife that she's lost herself in the process (SOUND FAMILIAR TO ANYONE). She is secure in her family and marriage or so she thinks. Soon after her two children fly the coop, Maggie and Adam are left to rediscover each other. Maggie plans a trip to Rome, but two weeks before their dream vacation, Adam drops the bombshell. He's unhappy in their marriage and wants out. (SOUNDS LIKE A MIDLIFE CRISIS TO ME--THE GRASS IS GREENER KIND OF THING). After he moves out, Maggie begins to realize that she has no life outside of her children and marriage. Although she feels completely lost,  Maggie decides to go on the trip to Rome alone. This is only the beginning of her rediscovery--where Maggie reawakens to a new future, maybe one without Adam. Find out what happens in this--SADLY ALL TO FAMILIAR EVENT--when you read this book for yourself. It's about 245 pages--4 mile run--that hits close to home for anyone at this stage of the game.