That Doesn't Happen Here

Years ago a writer Donna Britt wrote a column about catching herself searching for details in a crime story to explain why this wouldn't happen to her children. 

Asheville, North Carolina, a town I have had the pleasure to visit once, and hope to visit again, was listed as a climate proof place to move in an article recently. And then, well, hurricane Helene dumped about thirty inches of rain on it and it's surrounding areas, and it turns out being on a mountain doesn't save you from that.

We all want to believe we are safe from that thing. This summer I was standing at a bus stop when I got a tornado warning on my phone. I was pretty sure being at a bus stop was not where one should be in a tornado, but walking back home was going to take longer than waiting for the bus, so I stayed put and really hoped I wasn't going to end up on the news.

When DC had that earthquake a while back, some office buildings evacuated. They - some of them at least - later advised employees that that was the wrong protocol.

We all need to figure out what happens if it floods, what happens if there's no water for a while, no power. September is actually, National Preparedness Month here in the US. That's not a funny coincidence, it's actually because about now is when a lot of the big storms hit.  Whether you live where they are called typhoons or tropical cyclones or hurricanes, climate change is bringing bigger, better, stronger storms. Oh and fires too. Fires.  

While I joke that if we could just construct a little series of levers and pipes, so that any time there was too much water somewhere, we could move it elsewhere, the actual plan is multi-pronged. We need to figure out our go plans. Our shelter in place plans. And we need to work on everything we can so climate change doesn't get even worse. 

Three Interesting Things

1. Teen Vogue talked to independent bookstore owners about their concerns about book bans, and the books they wish everyone would read instead of banning. 

2. Approximately a third of former NFL players surveyed think they may be suffering from CTE. 

3. A number of statues in London are getting baby slings (which honestly, why don't we decorate statues more) as folks push to get paternity leave recognized.  In addition to the serious need for better parental leave, it's an interesting reminder of the people who are often left out of these statues. 

Banned Books Week

Last week I went to two virtual, yet local book events.  Virtual events are great for those of us who can't plan our schedule always to count on rush hour traffic - which sadly affects the buses too - to work in our favor, to say nothing of folks who worry about packed rooms for reasons of illness or accessibility. 

And both of them are things that would or have been challenged.  So, short explainer.  This is pretty USian, so folks in other countries will want to talk to their local library for what their process is.  But in the US, there are a lot of libraries, in schools and in communities.  Different libraries have different focuses, there are different books in an elementary school library than in a university library or a community library.  Community libraries in the US are paid for by taxes.  (Mostly.  In some places, the municipality has defunded the library and it is existing on grants or community fundraising.)  I bring up taxes because I think of libraries kind of like sidewalks.  Yes, my taxes paid for them.  And so did my neighbor's taxes, and the people across town, and so on.  So yes, I have thoughts about what sidewalks should be where, which ones should get repaired and how.  But I also understand this isn't just about me.  Ideally the sidewalks should work for all of us.  I may not need curb cuts, to allow wheeled things, but it makes sense to me that this helps wheelchair users, stroller users, and even folks with wheeled suitcases. 

So, I may not want to read a certain book.  I may not want a child I know to read a certain book.  But challenging a book in a library means I want no one to read this book. 

Many of the recent challengers have admitted they haven't read the books.  They are just being told this list of books is bad, and are marching into their library.  I hate this on behalf of those books, some of which are delightful.  (I have not read all of them.) But librarians in the US are also being asked to be event planners, educators, health specialists, and a number of other things.  Of course book selection and curation is part of their core job.  But disingenuous challenges add to their burden.  And the concern is not that they might remove a book.  The concern is that they might stop getting certain books to save on challenges.  Because challenges take time. 

I am part of Authors Against Book Bans, so obviously I have a point of view on this.  I sent my library what I call a love letter this year, detailing the ways that they have been helpful to me, and calling out specific branches.  If you are looking for an easy thing to do, may I suggest writing to your library.

Now back to my earlier note - the two events were with Connie Chung and Hope Larson.  Chung's memoir called Connie discusses racism, sexism that she experienced as a Chinese American working in the 1960-1990's and beyond.  She mentions ways that lawsuits related to civil rights led to her being hired. Books like this, that detail discrimination, and ways that legislation removed some of the barriers people faced, are being challenged in some places. 

Hope Larson created, among other things, the graphic novel adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time.  A Wrinkle in Time has been challenged because Meg punches a classmate. I re-read it as an adult and really adored how Meg is so angry at the unfairness and injustice that she sees.  Meg is also smart, has trouble learning the way that the teachers want her to learn, she's also isolated by the town's gossip about her father, and protective of her youngest brother.  She contains multitudes, but she also just gets to be angry.  So of course, the book gets challenged. 

I also keep an eye on local races, looking for politicians I expect to provide support for libraries. Sometimes politicians focus on big picture items, even in local races, but you can always email them and ask for their views on libraries.  When tough economic times hit, libraries sometimes get forgotten because people don't often yell about them as much. Being the person who reminds your local electeds that you love libraries takes only a little bit of time.  And it will help support your reading habit.  Win, win. 

Three Interesting Things

1. Yoon Ha Lee talked about the odd way being an Asian American writer can be both a benefit and a cage. 

2. Washingtonian did a lovely piece on the ways that being a bike messenger has changed in DC. 

3. One study into chronic pain in cats found that crocheted hats helped with the electrodes. 

The Journey

In romance reading spaces we talk a lot about the journey. If I present to you main characters that hate each other, it's not a shock to discover they learn to like each other and fall in love. If the main characters decide to fake date, it will likely not surprise you that much to learn that they develop real feelings. 

I am a huge spoiler-phobe, but some things are not really spoilers. 

I was listening to the Proxy podcast, and they talked about the use of proxies in restorative justice. (Quick note: the episode itself contains discussions of sexual assault.) Restorative justice is a process through which those who have harmed, and those who have been harmed work through how they can come to a place of healing. 

I think our society sometimes tries to leapfrog to the end. Like, yes, you were harmed, but I'm sure they are sorry, you should forgive them so you can move on. And yes, moving on is a good idea. Eventually. And sometimes the person who harmed you is not ready, or dies, or is otherwise unavailable to provide anything like closure. 

But skipping to forgiveness, or declaring something closed doesn't do it. There's still a process. I have to tell you, I often hate having to stew in my feelings. Or let time do some of the work. (Time? What? Ridiculous.) But the journey. 

Because a story about people meeting and then skipping ahead to them being happily in love is not a satisfying read. I could just read wedding announcements if I wanted that. (Not that there's anything wrong with reading wedding announcements.)

And I think that's also why I like the third act breakup. It isn't the only way to structure a romance. But in relationships, people harm each other, often unintentionally. One way to signal that these people can survive these bumps, is by showing them hitting a bump, and then showing them figuring out how to repair it. 

Getting to see the specific ways characters address this is interesting to me. And I wouldn't want to skip past that. 

Three Interesting Things

1. This Marshall Project piece about drug testing of folks giving birth, and how it often creates false positives because folks don't necessarily know not to eat poppy seeds the day before they give birth, was interesting.  Also it mentioned that famotidine, which is something I've recently started taking can cause false positives, which I hadn't heard about.  Guess it's fortunate I haven't had to be drug tested lately. 

2. Jaggerspun is closing at the end of the year. 

3. And an odd set up circumstances led to a player making history being the first baseball player to play in the same game for both teams.

Mi Tierra

Before we start talking about this book, it's worth noting I am incredibly biased. Doesn't make me wrong. But still. 

I first met Adria Quinones on Twitter, we talked writing and plotting. We met in person when she came down to DC for a book event.

At some point she invited me to join the create night she held. It has originally been held in person, but schedules and various other things had moved it virtual. This was very helpful when the pandemic hit, because it was one thing that felt normal. 

So when she announced she had written an early reader in verse, it seemed right. The story, also beautifully illustrated by Mrinali Alvarez, is a love letter to cities, to neighborhoods where you see your neighbors, and to the idea that we all have different things that feel like home to us. 

I confess, I don't read a lot of early readers these days, but this one I loved, and not just because it was written by my friend. 

I was able to travel up for her launch party in New York this past weekend, and celebrate with her. 

Bookshop link for the book here.

Three Interesting Things

1. It's been a while since I've been to the Maryland Renaissance Faire, but this peek into life there, was nice. 

2. This sculpture put up by the Choctaw nation is lovely, and the story behind it is too.

3. I have been watching the US Open, so this peek into doubles teams was fascinating. 

How to Frame Things

I had to get a new phone.  Before I had the new phone, I tried to log into my phone account and figure out what my options were.  My phone carrier wanted me to verify myself by typing in the number they just texted me.  Except, the whole reason I needed a new phone was because I did not have the old phone. 

I called, from a different number obviously.  And I was told that I would need to go to a store.  Now, I get why having the phone was one part of the verification, I was just a little surprised that they didn't have another option.  Even on the website, if you clicked the option to report a lost or stolen phone, it asked you to type in the number they texted to your device. 

My phone carrier has my email and my address, but none of those were options.  When I went to the store, they verified my ID.  So, yes, it makes sense to me that that would require an in person interaction.  Certainly I do not want them to shut off my phone just because any old person calls in and reports the number.  But being told, nope, you'll need to go to a store, sounded odd, and almost like they had no plan B.

Anyway, that's how I spent part of my long weekend.  Fortunately I had been meaning to upgrade my phone soon.