Yet here I Am by Jonathan Capehart

YET HERE I AM by Jonathan Capehart is subtitled “Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home” and provides ample insight into the background and influences on this award-winning journalist who appears regularly on PBS NewsHour with David Brooks (How to Know a Person). Capehart shares stories about his childhood including being raised by a single mother and her re-marriage when he was a sophomore in high school (hard on any kid), “a suburban middle-class Black kid who grew up playing with white kids now back in a majority Black city [Newark] with no clue about how to relate or fit in.” Writing about college at Carleton, Capehart says, “without a doubt, just about every wonderful thing that has happened in my life can be traced back to my decision to go to that small liberal arts college in Minnesota.” He continues with engaging stories about his work in the news media, including Washington Post and MSNBC, and offers unique perspective on being gay and Black, commenting, “Blackness is always at the mercy of someone else’s judgment. You can be too Black, not Black enough, or not Black at all, and I have run the range my entire life.” YET HERE I AM received a starred review from Kirkus and praise from, among others, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Katie Couric, Michele Norris, and Jon Meacham. 

The Politics of Gen Z and Polarized by Degrees

THE POLITICS OF GEN Z by Melissa Deckman describes “How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy.” Deckman, political scientist and the CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, looks at voters born between 1997 and 2012 and their growing political participation. She cites interviews and research supporting the increasingly left-leaning activism of women and those concerned with LGBTQ rights; and also notes that young men in this age cohort tend to be more conservative. An entire chapter looks at “gendered spaces” in relation to issues like gun violence, climate change, and income inequality. Almost half of the book is devoted to an Index, Notes section and an extensive Methodological Appendix which includes data, statistics, and numerous graphs. Deckman’s text is an academic one that uses surveys, focus groups, and social science research to argue “the gendered political revolution is underway. Its roots are deep…” For an excellent overview and summary of her arguments, here is an interview with Deckman from PBS NewsHour:

 

In POLARIZED BY DEGREES, Matt Grossmann and David A. Hopkins have focused on “How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics.” Grossmann, Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University, and Hopkins, Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston College, assert that “a growing ‘diploma divide’ has rapidly reversed the traditional relationship between education and partisanship, now separating degree-holding white Democrats from degree-lacking white Republicans.” They note that the combination of trends like increased educational attainment and a leftward shift in American cultural norms “has also left whites without a college degree - who maintain relatively traditionalist predispositions, hold increasingly precarious economic positions, and perceive themselves as vulnerable to downward social mobility - open to populist appeals that promote resentment of, and mobilization against, members of the cultural elite like professional journalists, educators, scientists, and intellectuals.” I have included that excerpt both for content and as an example of the often-verbose style. Numerous scholars and students (see the acknowledgements) provided feedback and input for this text; researchers interested in this topic will find much to explore in the many Notes and detailed Index which together comprise about a third of the text. Recent political discussions do feel as though we do not have shared experiences or speak a common language so I just had to add the blurb for POLARIZED BY DEGREES from The New York Times’ Thomas Edsall: “essential reading for everyone trying to figure out what the hell is going on in American politics.”

Vera Kelly: Lost and Found by Rosalie Knecht

VERA KELLY: LOST AND FOUND by Rosalie Knecht (Relief Map) is the third in the series (after Who is Vera Kelly? and Vera Kelly is not a Mystery) about a young lesbian in the mid-twentieth century. This book opens when Vera and her girlfriend Max travel to Bel-Air in Southern California where Max’s affluent father is getting a divorce, plans to re-marry, and is changing his investments. Estranged from her family once she announced her sexual orientation, Max is again met with hostility and misunderstanding, ultimately being committed to family-owned institution. A former CIA agent who now works as a private detective, Vera manages to become a patient and strives to reunite with Max. Set in 1971 shortly after the Stonewall Riots, there is a sense of suspense and foreboding throughout this novel. VERA KELLY: LOST AND FOUND received starred reviews from Booklist (“gritty yet romantic”) and Publishers Weekly (“filled with well-drawn, quirky characters”). And I love these covers!

Dear Freedom Writer

Do you remember the metamorphosis of Erin Gruwell, a young teacher who went from wearing a pearl necklace to really inspiring her students in Long Beach, California? She was a key figure in the 1999 book titled The Freedom Writers’ Diary and 2007 movie. Now, roughly twenty years later, readers can explore DEAR FREEDOM WRITER; it’s the latest work by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell and offers “Stories of Hardship and Hope from the Next Generation.” This new book takes the form of call and response with current students writing about a concern – like grief, racism, substance abuse or being shunned; the Freedom Writers draft a letter in response. Reading the honest expression of students concerns about questions like the one from a first generation American (How much is the cost of the American Dream?) or the one (Why is it so hard for others to accept my pronouns?) from a self-described “Struggling Teen” is a very moving experience. These fifty letters provide essential insight into students’ feelings and it’s important to not minimize their concerns, but sometimes the “drama” combined with little opportunity to hear from concerned adults is maddening – a case in point is the one signed “Weeping Silently in a Voiceless Room” from a student with dyslexia. Freedom Writers offered some strong suggestions, though, including reaching out to teachers who are empathetic to the challenges being faced. They make a comment which could apply to many of the often “invisible” concerns the students describe: “Others may not acknowledge it or, worse, may not respect it. Dyslexia is one of the many documented learning disabilities that many people, including educators, simply don’t understand. And if they don’t understand it, it’s easy to ignore it.” DEAR FREEDOM WRITER will help raise awareness and knowledge for numerous and varied issues.

I was surprised to learn that The Freedom Writers’ Diary was banned in 2008 - I hope to highlight more titles that have been challenged since April is National School Library Month.

Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland

With starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal, RAZORBLADE TEARS is S. A. Cosby’s latest novel. Here, he introduces readers to two ex-cons, Ike Randolph and Buddy Lee Jenkins. One is Black and one is White, but both were fathers. Their sons, Isiah and Derek, were married and brutally killed. The two men decide to leverage their underworld contacts and find out why and by whom. Revenge is in the air and so is some fabulous writing, like when Ike says, “I can get a gun if I need to. This is Virginia. They damn near sell them at Seven-Eleven.” Cosby is adept at interweaving social commentary, particularly about race relations and, in this novel, homophobia. One concern about this book is the amount of brutality and violence – be forewarned. Kirkus describes RAZORBLADE TEARS as “A lean, mean crime story about two bereaved fathers getting their hands bloody.”

Released about a year ago, Blacktop Wasteland is a fabulous mystery adventure story by the same author.  We were enthralled by the audio book (from Macmillan Audio and narrated by Adam Lazarre-White) during a recent road trip. Cosby’s main character, Beauregard "Bug" Montage, has left his earlier life of crime as a wheel man, but due to pressing obligations returns for one ill-fated attempt at robbery. The planning is fascinating and the double-crosses add complexity. One can’t help but care for the characters and be drawn into the story of their “professional” and personal lives. Blacktop Wasteland received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal; New York Times describes it as “A roaring, full-throttle thriller, crackling with tension and charm.” I totally concur and am recommending it highly.