Flames

My eyes are red and I'm overwhelmed. I just finished reading Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner and am a bit speechless but I have to talk about this book.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory burned on March 25, 1911 - 100 years ago tomorrow. Such a horrid event that has been documented in this book by Friesner. It is one of the most moving books I've ever read. Since I can't seem to organize my thoughts about this book, I'm going to write this as a bullet list:

• The life of immigrant Jews in the early 20th century was harsh and filled with hopes, dreams, and fears. Raisa, 14 at the beginning of the book, left her shtetl in Poland to join her sister, Henda, who had come to America four years previous. The description of the journey in the bowels of the ship is fraught with difficulty as people of all ages huddled together hoping for fresh air and the hope of the Golden Land.
• Raisa is amazing. At times I found her to be so irritating but she is strong beyond words. Her faith is unwavering and her ability to care for others is astounding. She is of a single mind - she will find a way to survive and live. How I wish I had that strength.
• The description of the life of immigrants in New York is strikingly detailed and spot on. The many smells, faces, and languages drip from each page. Friesner is best, I think, at these descriptions. The conversation was a bit stunted at times but that didn't get in the way of the story. But the descriptions of tenement life! Wow...
• The people are full of life and hopes and fears and reality and dreams and death...But they are real. Each one of them. And they are surprising. So surprising.
• The FIRE. That FIRE. The images created on those pages will stay with me for a long time but they are so important to experience.

We need to remember this - One Hundred Years Ago March 25, 1911 - 146 garment workers died. We can never forget that people die on their jobs still today because of the need to make more and more money. Life is precious. Putting the greed of corporations before quality of life or life itself is unforgivable.

And I just thought of this. What I'm taking away from this book is that I am a proud member of the Western Michigan University American Association of University Professors. I've been a member of the Ohio Educators Association and will be a union member all of my life. What is happening in America today is the persistent degrading of unions and the millions of people who are represented by them. Teachers, police, firefighters, state employees - we are all at risk of losing something precious. Pride in what we do and the fact that we are worth far more than the wages we make.

We can never let anything like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire happen again - literally or figuratively. Never. People have worth. I have worth. I will never forget that nor will I ever let anyone try to make me feel worthless.

Balls

It's been awhile (a long while) since I've written anything on this blog. Not that I haven't been writing because I have but that writing was (and still is) somewhat stressful and filled with potential for even more stress. So it's about time that I write something about what I've been reading because I've been reading a lot.

I honestly have a hard time remembering everything that I've read and I should keep a list or something like that, but I don't. I do have a Goodreads account which is very cool and every reader should join Goodreads. I especially like their Friday Facebook posting where they ask people what they are reading. I always add my current book so I suppose that's some kind of archive. At any rate, here's a partial listing of what I've read in the last three months (what I can remember):

Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie Tolan

Banner in the Sky by James Ramsey Ullman

(My daughter-in-law, Maria, gave me those 2 books for Christmas - how cool is that?)

Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter

Deliver Us from Evil by David Baldacci (my first Baldacci book - very good)

A bunch of Charlaine Harris vampire books (my kind of trashy, mindless novel):

Dead Until Dark

Living Dead in Dallas

Club Dead

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card (love Card! What an author)

Ender in Exile (love Ender! What a guy)

And then, just recently, I read Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King. I got a huge box of free books when I went to the ALAN conference last November in Orlando. I took the books out of the box and they've been sitting in my study in a stack. One night when I had finished a book and needed something new, I picked up Vera Dietz. And I'm so glad that I did.

Here's the question - what do we do when we see someone being bullied? It's a very complex question that is not easy to answer. I would like to say that I jump right in and try to put a stop to it. But I don't always do that. Not for others and surely not when I'm being bullied. Which, as I hope people know, happens to adults all the time. Bullying is not restricted to school yards. Bullying can and does happen everywhere - in families, in workplaces, online, you name it and a bully lives and thrives there.

And bullying takes on many forms. Yes, it can be physical which is horrid - like the young man who was killed because he was gay (and that still happens far too many times). But bullying can be verbal, emotional, even cognitive - "you're really not a very good writer, are you?" or "wow, you really sucked on that test!" The purpose of all of that is to make me (or you) believe that somehow I am deficient. And the beauty of that kind of bullying is that it attacks that which I am particularly good at. Something professional. I've had fellow teachers attack my teaching ability as they wanted to undermine me. What a hoot!

But I ramble - back to Vera Dietz. This YA book was a surprise to me. I had no idea what I was in for but I'm glad I picked it up. The book is told in four voices: Vera Dietz (17 years old), Charlie (17 years old but dead), Vera's dad (old?? who also includes flow charts to explain life), and The Pagoda (a landmark in the town). Fascinating from the get go.

The book plays with time as Vera writes her memories - from childhood through yesterday - and then describes what's happening today. The book is mostly from Vera's perspective but the other voices pop in to give other perspectives. Charlie's voice is particularly a joy. But his life is not.

There's lots of stuff happening in this book. Some powerful quotes:

Dad: The trick is remembering that change is as easy as you make it. The trick is remembering that you are the boss of you.

Charlie: The thing you don't see while you're still there on Earth is how easy it is to change your mind.

Vera: Drink anyone?

Charlie: Why do people think there are clear answers for things anyway? There aren't. Why does my dad hit my mom?

The Pagoda: It's true. 47% of children in this town live below the poverty level.

Charlie: Please don't hate me.

It's a complicated story but since I don't want to have to do a Spoiler Alert here, let's just say:

The important thing about bullying is stopping it.

Stand up and do something,

Tell someone.

Tell someone something.

Believe the victim and do something.

But the important thing about bullying is stopping it.

My boys, both of whom I love dearly, would put it another way - Grow some balls. Step in and do something.

And I tell myself that everyday..."Allison, grow some balls and do something."