That Self-Same Metal

In honor of National Shakespeare Day:

Title: That Self-Same Metal
Author: Brittany N. Williams
ISBN: 9781419758645
Pages: 344 pages
Publisher/Date: Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, c2023.

Sixteen-year-old African-Americans Joan and James Sands work for William Shakespeare’s theater, James as an actor and Joan as combat choreographer and bladesmith, maintaining and making the stage swords. Her father’s notoriety in the metal shop obviously aided in her getting this highly unique position, although her magical abilities over metal gifted by the Orisha Ogun don’t hurt either. Her family has been tied to the Orisha for a long time, and when her godfather doesn’t perform the necessary rituals with the new mortal monarch to keep the Fae at bay, it falls to Joan to figure out who to trust and how to help preserve the separate worlds.

I absolutely love it when authors identify their published works as originally written for the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge, because it shows the success a motivation can have on people who have their own book waiting to be both captured on paper and released to the world. I had never heard of the Orisha faith until Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone received the huge popularity and notoriety that it did almost five years ago, which is when Brittany Williams finished her novel, so it could be said she was at the right place in the right time. Five years later, many are still working diligently to increase diversity in publishing, and this checks a number of boxes without feeling forced. The main characters are African-American, several characters are seen courting individuals of the same gender, and Joan is specifically in a bisexual love triangle that may or may not turn polyamorous in the inevitable sequel. “If you think I’m jealous of him know that I feel no such thing. […] Stop thinking about what’s proper when you can have both of us.” (208) Now how matter of fact is that!?

The swashbuckling sword play is a mighty fun read, although one scene in particular has foes trading blows in the middle of a production, interrupting the play in a way that everyone unrealistically accepts as “Is this a new addition to the script?” including the actors who aren’t in the know. A secondary character’s death is glazed over, along with several of the (as a Kirkus reviewer puts it) “periphery situations that are hard to connect to the main plot”.

For something that is supposed to be kept a secret, a remarkable number of characters are either directly involved in events or are informed at some point. In addition to being open-minded about the existence of Fae, stereotypes of the time are summarized and bestowed upon society as a whole, but all the characters we are meant to like don’t seem to follow those societal prejudices against women on the stage (Joan makes an appearance in place of her brother at one point), homosexuality, African Americans specifically and race generally (James is on stage while other characters are in black face), and religion/Catholicism. The players are remarkably progressive and that is never cleared up in the narrative. Some of these tidbits about the timeframe could have been trimmed from the story and included instead in a more thorough historical note at the end of the book.

Like my complaints in Children of Blood and Bone, the magic seems under utilized and overly explained, however I did appreciate the inclusion of Joan’s perspective when Ogun uses her as a vessel for his efforts to regain balance between the Fae and mortals. Joan is scared to death when it happens that she is not going to regain control, since like in most hero fantasy she is ill-informed and ill-prepared for it to happen and her upcoming responsibilities.

These things should not deter readers, but should be used as points of discussion and research for people that had their interest whetted by the story of the self-sufficient and spunky steel smith.

The Twisted Ones

Title: The Twisted Ones
Author: T. Kingfisher
ISBN: 9781534429574
Pages: 385 pages
Publisher/Date: Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, c2019.
Awards: Dragon Award Winner (2020), British Fantasy Award Nominee (2020), Locus Award for Horror Novel Nominee (2020)

I woke up very slowly. There was a sound that I had been hearing for some time, and gradually I came awake, still hearing it.
It was Bongo. He lay flat at the foot of the bed, his fur standing up in spikes, and he was growling.
His growl was harsh and awful, like nothing I’d ever heard before. I could see the square of moonlight coming through the window reflected in his eyes.
It came to me, rather distantly, that Bongo was terrified.
My first instinct was to sit up, put my arms around him, ask him what was wrong. Being only half awake may have saved me.
I did not move my head. I looked over to the window, where Bongo was staring.
There was a white face in the window. (150-151).

Copy editor Melissa, mostly called Mouse, has been asked by her father to cleanout her grandmother’s house in the deep, rural south after she passes. Mouse’s father’s health is failing and hasn’t been to the house for several years since they moved his mother to an assisted living facility. When Mouse arrives with her hound dog in tow, she realizes her grandmother was a hoarder, with stacks of newspaper, plastic bags, and creepy porcelain dolls among the debris. As she starts cleaning and hauling things to the dump, Mouse finds an old journal of her step-grandfather, talking of strange twisted things in the woods that he thought could be tied to similar beings he escaped from in his native Wales. After visiting a mysterious hill and forest with a warped Stonehenge-like collection of white carvings, Mouse begins encountering these same strange things when they begin visiting her in the dead of night. Are the twisted ones still looking for her step-grandfather, or have they now set their sights on Mouse?

This is not the first T. Kingfisher novel I’ve read, and it likely won’t be my last. Reader beware though, if your first exposure to her writing is the The Saint of Steel series, you might want to read this one in the daylight. Kingfisher develops her settings and stories with an arresting ambiance that leans on heavily on clichés (creepy doll collection in an abandoned hoarding house anyone?). Mouse’s after the fact narration of the events also lessons the suspense, as readers are aware from the beginning that she survives whatever horrors she and the readers encounter in the woods. However, the clichés are comfortable and classic for a reason, and, like the Jaws theme song, most readers will still be drawn in by them, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Inspired by Lovecraft’s interpretation of Arthur Machen’s story “The White People”, I can appreciate Kingfisher’s attempts to realistically write a story featuring a “recreated manuscript”, as her complaints about nearly photographic recall of plots are ones that have similarly frustrated me for years. Much of the backstory behind the twisted ones is left unexplained, contributing to the oral history element of the tale that will leave some readers unsatisfied. Several members of my book group wanted to know more, but I thought it struck the right combination of exploration and exposition, with dangling threads yielding to the “we’ll never know” trope while still shedding a little light with revelations about recent events.

Most characters were extraneous, with the main focus being on first Mouse and then by extension Foxy, an older eccentric neighbor who voluntarily gets pulled into the trouble drawn to Mouse. Foxy’s roommates, bipolar Skip and Thomas who assists Mouse with some of her grandmother’s larger items round out the trio, but along with a dump attendant, a barista, a cop, and Mouse’s father, they are largely background characters. The neighbors’ willingness, most notably Foxy’s, to insert themselves into a horror drama seems unrealistic, especially after they encounter one of the things that has been stalking the house. Mouse’s attempt to see the task through to the end is also unusual, particularly when her father gives her the out to just come home and he’ll bulldoze the place.

Just like the story this is inspired by, pieces of this book will stay with you, while other bits will float away into the ages, leaving behind a relic of remembrance.

Bridgebuilders

Title: Bridgebuilders: How Government Can Transcend Boundaries to Solve Big Problems
Authors: Williams D. Eggers and Donald F. Kettl
ISBN: 9781647825119
Pages: 289 pages
Publisher/Date: Harvard Business Review Press, c2023 Deloitte Services LP and Donald F. Kettl

The thesis of this book is simple: governments at all levels can more effectively tackle society’s toughest challenges by collaborating with bridgebuilders who bring together different parts of government and tap into other sectors of society. (1)

I found myself harkening back to my nonprofit management classes in grad school where we broached these concepts of wicked ideas, private/public partnerships, and silos and stakeholders. Obviously intended first for classroom use, the second appendix “How to Teach This” includes takeaways, classic reading suggestions, case examples, and discussion questions. I think most individuals who are interested in politics, social issues, or public service would still glean some information and be much more invested than if they had to read some of the drier, more academic texts that I read in school. An easily accessible read, ten key strategies are presented in the first chapter that bridgebuilders can use to “transform governance from hierarchy to networks, from authority to collaboration, from process to mission, and from fuzzy responsibility to accountability for results.” (6) The subsequent chapters are filled with examples of people who have enacted each of these key strategies successfully, ranging across the world, through time (historical like the Manhattan Project and relatively new efforts implemented in fighting COVID-19), and from hyper local to internationally collaboratively. Some will be very recognizable like September 11th responses and the attempt to eradicate measles, but others like EARN Maryland or Mobile Loaves and Fishes out of Atlanta, Georgia are relatively unknown outside of their service area. Each chapter ends with a list of ten ways bridgebuilders can implement the key strategies, including the presented examples to help with remembering, recognizing, and relating the concepts.

The book was brought to my attention by a nonprofit book club originally affiliated with a non-profit promoting bi-partisan collaboration.

This review is posted in honor of Nonfiction Monday. Nonfiction Monday was originally started in 2007 by Anastasia Suen and became a weekly kidlitosphere round-up with a different blogger hosting the round-up each week. It was moved to a central location and then migrated to it’s current website to avoid ads in October 2018. The blog appears to now be run almost exclusively by Anastasia Suen.

Wintergarden

Each month for a previous job, I wrote a maximum 150 word review of a new book that came into the library during the month. I’ve expanded that idea to the blog in a feature I’m calling To the Point Tuesdays. If you want to play along, just post a link in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.

Title: Wintergarden
Author: Janet Fox
Illustrator: Jasu Hu
ISBN: 9780823451012
Pages: unpaged
Publisher/Date: Neal Porter Books, Holiday House / New York, c2023.

While the title is Wintergarden, Janet Fox’s quiet introduction to container gardening and cold cropping is probably well suited for now as the weather changes from cold to warm (and in most states back to cold). A dark-haired, fair-skinned mother daughter duo plant seeds in pots on the kitchen windowsill, including baby greens, parsley, and oregano. As the snow falls and the frost collects on the windows, the greens begin to sprout and are harvested to flavor the family’s food. Short instructions alongside a list of further reading encourage readers to start their own wintergarden. Most of the soft watercolor illustrations by Jasu Hu are either wide establishing shots of the outdoors or images of the young girl overlayed with the growing plants (credit to this Medium article for expanding my terminology), and the picture of the family traversing the snow with the bare tree backlit is likely my favorite.

The Concrete Garden

Each month for a previous job, I wrote a maximum 150 word review of a new book that came into the library during the month. I’ve expanded that idea to the blog in a feature I’m calling To the Point Tuesdays. If you want to play along, just post a link in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.

Title: The Concrete Garden
Author/Illustrator: Bob Graham
ISBN: 9781536233803
Pages: unpaged
Publisher: Candlewick Press, c2023 by Blackbird Design Pty Ltd.

“After a cold hard winter, doors opened.
Children spilled out like candies from a box.”

 In Bob Graham’s signature quiet style. a young girl named Amanda brings a box of chalk down from her 15th floor apartment and share it with the rest of the kids from her building. Adding in turn trees, grass, a mushroom, aliens, clouds, rainbow, and a “Queen of Swirls”, the bright images are appreciated by the rest of the residents viewing them from their balconies and applauding the artists. The presence of masks places it in more recent time frame, but the nonspecific scenery and the mix of ethnicities and clothing (including masks and hijabs), makes the story transferable and relatable across demographics. Kick off a day at a park, a community garden event, or an art exhibition with this innocent story of cooperation.

10 Cats and 10 Dogs

Title: 10 Cats
Author/Illustrator: Emily Gravett
ISBN: 9781914912580
Pages: unpaged
Publisher/Date: BOXER BOOKS Ltd. trademarks of Union Square & Co, LLC, a subsidiary of Sterling Publishing Co, c2023 (North America), First published in the United Kingdom by Two Hoots, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.

Title: 10 Dogs
Author/Illustrator: Emily Gravett
ISBN: 9781914912597
Pages: unpaged
Publisher/Date: BOXER BOOKS Ltd. trademarks of Union Square & Co, LLC, a subsidiary of Sterling Publishing Co, c2023 (North America), First published in the United Kingdom by Two Hoots, an imprint of Pan Macmillan.

More frenetic than the classic Mouse Paint, readers take a romp through colors and counting with the titular felines in 10 Cats. Mama cat (in all white) takes a nap while her eclectic mix of 9 kittens get into a trio of paint cans. The last page shows mother cat waking from her nap and washing her kittens. Pair this with a retelling of Three Little Kittens for a naughty kittens themed story time. If reading this in a home setting, slow down and take the time to appreciate the details and identify what colors are on each cat (not every cat gets every color).

In the follow up, the counting continues in 10 Dogs, this time with canines and cuisine as they struggle over sausages. The language seems slightly more advanced, with vocabulary including “some”, “more”, “less”, and “half” and the dogs being counted both up and down at the same time as the sausages are also being continuously redistributed. For instance, “3 dogs with more sausages / 7 dogs with less”. The tiny sausages (most are no bigger than my pinkie) prevents this from being used in a group setting, but I could see tutors using this for one on one support sessions.

Night Owl Night

Each month for a previous job, I wrote a maximum 150 word review of a new book that came into the library during the month. I’ve expanded that idea to the blog in a feature I’m calling To the Point Tuesdays. If you want to play along, just post a link in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.

Title: Night Owl Night
Author: Susan Edwards Richmond
Illustrator: Maribel Lechuga
ISBN: 9781623542511
Pages: unpaged
Publisher/Date: Charlesbridge, c2023.

“What if there aren’t any owls tonight?” I ask.
“Each night, my owlet, we count the ones who come,” Mama says. “To be a scientist, you must learn to wait. There’s always another night.”

Impatient Sova has waited years for a chance to accompany her mother on an owl hunt, where scientists track owl migrations. When she’s finally allowed, she must wait even longer to see an owl. But what if they don’t find any? The book is a beautiful behind the scenes look at the catch and release banding process and how animal scientists gather information. It conveys the dedication and detail required to do the job and the disappointment when it doesn’t work as planned. Featuring an African American female scientist with little fanfare, it’s an excellent but possibly overlooked pick for diversity scientists book lists. Libraries should make it available or read it aloud prior to live animal presentations. I do wish QR codes at the back also included the url for people not familiar with the QR codes, but further reading and websites are included on the very last page.

Colors of the Wind

Each month for a previous job, I wrote a maximum 150 word review of a new book that came into the library during the month. I’ve expanded that idea to the blog in a feature I’m calling To the Point Tuesdays. If you want to play along, just post a link in the comments and I’ll add them to the post.

Title: Colors of the Wind: The Story of Blind Artist and Champion Runner George Mendoza
Author: J.L. Powers
Illustrators: Paintings by George Mendoza, Drawings by Hayley Morgan-Sanders
ISBN: 9781930900738
Pages: unpaged
Publisher/Date: Purple House Press, an imprint of Purple House, Inc.

“When he looked at the world, it was like looking into a kaleidoscope.”

Affected by a rare form of blindness that destroyed the central vision but left limited peripheral vision, George Mendoza became legally blind at 15 and started seeing bright bursts of light and colors and eyes looking back at him. Becoming first a world record holder, George ran in the Special Olympics before finally turning to painting. Featuring his artwork, supplemented with simplistic black and white stick drawings that do not detract from the bright and bold colors, was the right decision. Told using simple language, most facts needed for a full biography are left out of the book. The artist’s work would be interesting to see in person, but this title serves as only a teaser, with his lack of notoriety making this a hard sell unless looking for little-known artists or professionals with disabilities.

The House of Eve

Title: The House of Eve
Author: Sadeqa Johnson
ISBN: 978198212197360
Pages: 369 pages
Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster, c2023.

“It’s just, if you were meant to be with someone else, you know, the girls you grew up with . . . ” Her voice trailed off. She couldn’t bring herself to finish with the rich, fair-skinned, and connected ones.
William paused. “Baby, I’m not caught up in all that class and colorism bullshit. It doesn’t matter to me where you come from. I just want to spend time with you.”
Eleanor bit her lip to contain the swell of solace she felt hearing that. But she still wasn’t sure what to believe.
“Elly, look at me.”
After a moment, she looked up from her mug and joined eyes with him.
“My family has their way of doing things, but I’ve never been on to get in line. I love you, and I want us to be together.” […] “Unless you feel different.”
“I don’t, I feel the same way about you. Just not trying to get my heart broken.” (98)

Teenager Ruby Pearsall is working hard to succeed in spite of her family’s hardships, leaving her mother’s lecherous boyfriend to live with an unorthodox aunt. This family upheaval, which also includes helping care for an ailing grandmother, jeopardizes her efforts to win a scholarship and make her the first person in her family to go to college. In contrast, Eleanor Quarles is already living Ruby’s dream, attending Howard University in DC after leaving her small home in Northeast Ohio with the support of her hard working parents. Both African American women enter into relationships with men from different sides of the tracks; one a third generation, light-skinned medical student and the other the son of an Irish Jewish family. Taking place from 1948-1951, both find themselves standing up to racism and the conventional roles of women while desperately fighting for acceptance and support from those they love, and their stories intersect and coexist in an unexpected way.

“Hell, choice seems easy to me. Stay poor like the rest of us, or climb, scratch and claw like hell to get out.” (193) One of the women’s relatives asks her this question at a pivotal point in the story and it could be applied to both women. They both find themselves in unimaginable and unenviable circumstances where they become isolated from the little support they have and withdraw into an environment that contains and constrains them. Reese Witherspoon’s pick for February 2023 brings awareness to the horrors and helplessness that women had to endure with pregnancy issues during the early 1950s, and it left me wondering how racism likely played a role in their treatment. Ruby has her aunt and Eleanor has her friend Nadine, but otherwise they have to rely on themselves to decide what the right course of action is, who to trust, and how to deal with unsupportive others in their immediate circle. I loved the tightness of this book, with only a few locations for each story, and I wonder if this could be turned into a play someday with the set split in order for both stories be told literally side by side. How the stories intersect is somewhat inevitable, however it’s an engrossing if possibly distressing ride for some as you anticipate that eventual ending. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.

The Faint of Heart

Title: The Faint of Heart
Author/Illustrator: Kerilynn Wilson
ISBN: 9780063116221
Pages: 293 pages
Publisher/Date: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, c2023.

“I am the only one who kept their heart.” (44)

After the mysterious and illusive Scientist develops a process to remove people’s hearts — and with it their emotions — while still keeping the person alive, everyone pursues this emotionless existence. Everyone, that is, except June. June as an artist can’t imagine giving up her feelings, passions, moods, and inspirations, even if most of what she feels these days is lonely. Finding an abandoned heart in an alley confirms the rumors of break-ins and possible thefts from the heart storage facility. It also gives June hope that what was removed could also be returned. But does anyone realize what they are missing and would they want it back?

Comparisons to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind seem inevitable, although the movie had specific people giving up specific memories whereas in The Faint of Heart the whole world has decided to forgo emotions. This feels less plausible, especially with June being portrayed as the last hold out even after her parents have the surgery and several of the plot points relying on coincidence. The society has a cultish, vapid feeling, with author and illustrator Kerilynn Wilson making the obvious choice of portraying everything in shades of grays and black and white, with June literally being the only spot of color in most of the scenes. Blue tones designate flashbacks and yellows and oranges highlight scenes with intense emotions.

I think the highlight of this book is the questions that it sparks. If given the choice, would you give up your heart? Would people who have given up their heart feel any desire to have it back? What sort of rationalization would have to happen in either of those situations? Returning the hearts becomes unnecessarily complicated for reasons I can’t reveal without spoilers, but June’s status as the only one with a working heart becomes conveniently necessary for anything to work out in the end. Honestly, I wish the story had ended about a dozen pages earlier, on a cliffhanger that I think would have been less satisfying to most readers but would have also prevented the last minute veer into pure fantasy that reminded me of the pursuit of lab-grown meat.

An interesting debut introduction to an artist and author who I think will become someone to watch, the story had inspired pieces of a heartfelt story that ultimately was missing some meat.