#George Balzer

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[The six images above are the covers of the books that are featured in the post and are described below after each of the titles.]

Disability Pride Month

For Disability Pride Month we gathered a few titles that we have enjoyed and/or hope to read in the near future. If you know of others that shouldn't be missed, please let us know. 

The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown Levine Querido [Cover is painted and shows three young people sitting near water with a bright sun up above. They're wearing shorts and have long dark hair.]

THE BSE (Best Summer Ever) LIST!

1. Blueberries 2. Art show in ShoeHorn 3. Lizzo concert 4. Thrift shop pop-up 5. Skinny Dipping at the lake house 6. Amusement Park Day! 7. Drew Barrymarathon 8. Paintball day

Oh, and ….

9. Fall out of love with Hailee

Andrea Williams has got this. The Best Summer Ever. Two summers ago, she spent all her time in bed, recovering from the latest surgery for her cerebral palsy. She’s waited too long for adventure and thrills to enter her life. Together with her crew of ride-or-die friends, and the best parents anyone could ask for (just don’t tell them that), she’s going to live it up.

There’s just one thing that could ruin it: Her best friend, Hailee, finding out Andrea’s true feelings. So Andrea WILL fall out of love with Hailee – even if it means dating the cute boy George who keeps showing up everywhere with a smile.

Do we want Andrea to succeed? No! Does she? We’re not telling!

Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester Clarion Books [Cover has a young woman swimming in water. She is wearing a bikini and there are scars visible on her back.]

In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.

Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body.

Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor.

She decides it’s time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her—the truth about her own body.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes Balzer + Bray [Cover shows four brightly dressed young people in a narrow passageway or hallway. They are leaning in towards each other to pose together for the picture.]

Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers, despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen.

Luis’s attention soon turns to something more, and they have sex at a party—while Ari didn’t say no, she definitely didn’t say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning—thanks, she’s sure, to Luis’s ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won’t say no.

Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker that eventually leads her to a group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she’ll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night—and risk everything to see justice done.

Disability Visibility Adapted for Young People edited by Alice Wong Delacorte Press [Our review] [The cover has several geometric shapes and bright colors on it along with the title.]

The seventeen eye-opening essays in Disability Visibility , all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life's ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy.

The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be “fixed,” but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations. It is essential reading for all.

Something More by Jackie Khalileh Tundra [The cover shows three students in uniform near a school sign. One is standing in front and the other two people are sitting on top of the sign.]

Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script.

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens edited by Marieke Nijkamp Farrar, Straus and Giroux [This cover features two people hugging with their eyes closed on the cover. One has long hair and the other has very closely cut hair on one side with longer hair on the top. The one with short hair has a cane in one hand.]

This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future.

The contributing authors are awardwinners, bestsellers, and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Each author identifies as disabled along a physical, mental, or neurodiverse axis―and their characters reflect this diversity.

[art150mediaproject]

The Hate You Give (Film Post)

"The Hate U Give" by George Tillman Jr. is the film adaptation of the book The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. In this film we follow the story of Starr Carter, a black teenager who is stuck living in two separate worlds. One being her home life in a mostly black neighborhood, and the other being a student at a wealthy, mostly white prep school. Those two worlds start to collide when Starr witnesses the murder of her childhood friend at the hands of a police officer. This film shows how systemic racism affects black communities.

Although the main focus of this film is on the subject of systemic racism in law enforcement, I think what relates best to this class is the reinforcement loop that plagues the black youth in the Garden Heights neighborhood in the movie. This cycle is explained best in the book with the following quote, "Corporate America don't bring jobs to our communities, and they damn sure ain't quick to hire us. Then, shit, even if you do have a high school diploma, so many of the schools in our neighborhoods don't prepare us well enough. That's why when your momma talked about sending you and your brothers to Williamson, I agreed. Our schools don't get the resources to equip you like Williamson does. It's easier to find some crack that it is the find a good school around here." This relates to our discussion about education in predominantly black neighborhoods. Black children growing up in places like Garden Heights have no access to a proper education which leads them to joining gangs and selling drugs like we see in this film.

The biggest subject of this film centers around systemic racism in law enforcement. This is a subject I wish we covered more in this class because I think it is a huge problem and I got to see a lot of what happens in this movie first hand with the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis (I live 20 minutes from Minneapolis). There are so many parallels between this movie and real life (just look at the two pictures below this of a scene from the movie and a real photo from Minneapolis). The Just Us For Justice protests in the film, like the BLM protests in Minneapolis, serve as an important reminder that systemic racism is real and that something needs to be done.

Works Cited

Trailer Video Tillman, George, director. The Hate U Give. YouTube, YouTube, 25 June 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MM8OkVT0hw. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Book Quote Thomas, Angie. “Chapter 10.” The Hate U Give, Balzer + Bray, New York, 2017, pp. 169–170.

BMW Neighborhood Photo Doss, Erika. Set Decor/Film Decor Features: THE HATE U GIVE. 2 Nov. 2018. Set Decor, https://www.setdecorators.org/?art=film_decor_features&SHOW=SetDecor_Film_THUG. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Traffic Stop Scene Chavez. Kahlil Traffic Stop Scene. 19 Apr. 2021. Text Review, https://u.osu.edu/compstd1100sp21/2021/04/19/text-review-the-hate-u-give/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Black Owned Image 1 (Minneapolis) Zaccardi, Tony. Black Owned Sign Minneapolis. 29 May 2020. News Week, https://www.newsweek.com/paint-black-owned-business-bar-during-riots-1507398. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

Black Owned Image 2 (Film) Doss, Erika. Set Decor/Film Decor Features: THE HATE U GIVE. 2 Nov. 2018. Set Decor, https://www.setdecorators.org/?art=film_decor_features&SHOW=SetDecor_Film_THUG. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

[howtoknow1]

How to Login John Brown University Blackboard For Students

john Brown University John Brown University (JBU) is a private, interdenominational, Christian college situated in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Established in 1919, JBU selects 2,343 understudies from 33 states and 45 nations in its conventional undergrad, graduate, on-the-web, and simultaneous schooling programs.

A 200-acre (0.81 km2) main campus in northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since its founding in 1919. As of the 2021-2022 school year JBU has 2,343 students, of which 1,228 are undergraduates on campus. 818 of them live on campus. In addition, the university has two campus locations: a classroom facility in Rogers, Arkansas, and a counseling education center with classrooms, offices, and a community counseling clinic in Little Rock.

John Brown University’s graduate school has 483 students and offers 16 graduate degrees in business, education, counseling, and cybersecurity.

JBU is accredited by the Higher Education Commission[3] and competes athletically in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Programs within the university have specific accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), and the Commission. on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). JBU Campus John Brown University’s campus is located on a 200-acre property in Siloam Springs, Arkansas that includes more than 20 buildings and facilities.

The heart of the campus is the Cathedral of the Ozarks, a beautiful neo-Gothic building that was completed in 1957 and serves as a central gathering place for students, faculty, and staff. The cathedral has a chapel, a theater, and a music performance hall.

Other notable buildings on campus include the Learning Resource Center, which houses the library and academic support services; Balzer Technology Center, home to engineering and computer science programs; and Simmons Great Hall, which serves as a campus dining facility and event space.

The university also has a number of residential halls and apartments for students, as well as athletic facilities such as the Bill George Arena, which hosts basketball and volleyball games, and the Alumni Soccer Field, which is home to the university’s soccer teams.

The campus is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Ozark Mountains and offers opportunities for outdoor recreation and exploration. The nearby town of Siloam Springs is also home to a variety of restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions. read more this topics:https://howtooknow.com/john-brown-university/

[oldshowbiz]

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY AND THE 20-20 VISION

S3;E18 ~ January 11, 1971

Directed by Jack Carter ~ Written by Phil Leslie & George Balzer

Synopsis

Lucy wants to take the kids to Tijuana for a long weekend, but first must get grouchy Harry to give her two days off.  Lucy thinks the cause of his moodiness is due to vision problems and goes to outrageous lengths to get him to go see an eye doctor.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Jack Collins (Doctor Collins / 'Carl Baker') appeared on the final two episodes of “The Lucy Show.” He played Russel Slater on “Dallas” from 1982 to 1987. This is the fourth of his six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

The final credits of the episode list the character as Doctor Proctor, when he clearly answers the telephone “Doctor Collins.”  The name might have been left over from an earlier draft of the script.

Morreen and Colleen Gemini (The Conklin Twins aka 'Jane Conklin') make their only screen appearance in this episode.  

Their surname would lead one to believe that these are not their real names! 

Tippy the Invisible Dog (Himself) makes his only (dis)appearance in the Carter living room!

Tippy belongs to the Watsons, who live next door. 

This episode was rerun by CBS on June 21, 1971. It was up against a major league baseball game on NBC. 

The final draft of the script was submitted on June 12, 1970 and read by Lucille Ball in July of that year. 

This is the first of only two directing credits for comedian Jack Carter, both on “Here's Lucy.”  Carter was a friend of Lucille Ball and Gary Morton's having served as best man at their wedding in 1961.  A few weeks later he married Paula Stewart, who played Lucy's sister Janie in Broadway's Wildcat. He acted in “Lucy Sues Mooney” (TLS S6;E12). He will direct one more episode of “Here's Lucy” later in 1971 starring Carol Burnett.

This is the second episode in a row where Lucy wants a vacation and tries to convince Harry to let her have the time off by using unusual tactics.  

Kim and Craig had a grouchy math teacher named Mr. Ridgeway (”the terror”) who had vision problems rectified by glasses.

Harry shouts that if he really yelled at Lucy he'd “shatter every piece of glass from here to Pismo Beach!” This isn't the first time that Pismo Beach has been used for a punchline on the series. Harry offered Lucy “three days in glamorous Pismo Beach” as a bargaining chip in “Lucy Goes on Strike” (S1;E16). The California beach town was a favorite destination of Bugs Bunny in the Warner Brothers cartoons. 

When Harry yells at Lucy from the open door, we see that there is a fallout shelter sign in the hallway. These signs were introduced by the Office of Civil Defense on December 1, 1961 (during the height of the Cold War) to designate federally approved public shelters in the event of a nuclear explosion. This particular sign indicates that the fallout shelter is in the basement. The capacity of the shelter was also sometimes indicated. The Office of Civil Defense was dissolved in 1970, but many of these signs remain on buildings to this day. 

Lucy has the Doctor make-up some nonsense signs and bring them over in disguise as a painter.

Sign #1: “Carter’s for Jobs” (in Latvian)

Sign #2: “Carter’s Gets Best Results” (in Rumakian...where they make rumaki!)

Lucy says “If there were free meals on the moon, Harry would have been there three days before Neil Armstrong.”  US Astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was the first human to step foot on the surface of the moon on July 21, 1969. The food on Apollo 11 was freeze dried and the menu consisted of pineapple fruitcake, peaches, beef with vegetables, beef hash, chocolate pudding, brownies, and spiced fruit cereal for breakfast!  Interestingly, in “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (TLS S1;E6, abouve), Lucy Carmichael is seen eating space foods when in a simulator.

In order to pretend to be surprised by Harry at the door, Lucy acts as if she was putting out the milk bottle.  At the time, rural delivery of milk and other dairy products to residential homes was commonplace.  In order to ‘recycle’ the milk bottles, homeowners would put the empty bottles on the porch at night, so the milkman could take them away early the next morning.  A famous example of this was seen in the closing credits of the primetime cartoon sitcom satire “The Flintstones” (1960-66, inset photo). 

Some of the ways Lucy, Kim, and Craig plan to convince Harry his vision is bad include:

Disconnecting the doorbell and telling him he missed the button

Employing a retractable hat hook so his hat falls to the floor

Pulling the chair out from under him as he goes to sit

Asking twin girls to drop by and pretending they are only one girl

Claiming to see an invisible dog

Asking him to sign a contract on the dotted line that has no dotted line

Polishing an invisible magnifying glass to help him find said dotted line

In the twist ending, Harry (now happily bespectacled) exits quoting Romeo and Juliet with a Mexican twist:

HARRY: “Ah, Senorita. Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I could say adios till it be morrow.” 

In a 1969 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Harry says that he was in Romeo and Juliet in college. Because it was an all-men’s college, he played Juliet. 

Harry offers to take Kim and Craig to Lake Arrowhead for a swim, or to San Diego to visit the zoo. They (coincidentally) settle on Tijuana for the bullfights. Lake Arrowhead stood in for the 49th state during the location shots for “Lucy Goes to Alaska,” a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” 

The famous San Diego Zoo was suggested as a possible stop-over in “Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” (S2;E19). Finally, Lucy Ricardo went to Tijuana in “Lucy Goes To Mexico,” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” which featured second unit footage of a now-demolished Tijuana bull ring where Lucy disguises herself as a matador and takes on a bull!

Although “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11) ended with Lucy being seen by the optometrist, it was originally Ricky who had the headaches that Lucy believed were caused by vision problems.  

Set Change! This episode features some changes to the office set including panels in place of the shaded glass in the office doors plus a time clock next to the door. The clock is necessary for the finale of the episode, but there seems no explanation for the sudden replacement of the glass. The next time we see the office, the glass panes will be back and the time clock is gone.

Timeline Troubles! In this episode, Harry ends up wearing glasses, which he wore extensively in the previous episode, “Lucy's Vacation” (S3;E17). It is likely that this episode was filmed first and aired out of sequence.

Sound Defects! When Lucy shows Craig the contract without the dotted line, her lips don't move when she says “Here, see?” This is either a really bad case of ADR overdubbing due to studio noise or something Lucy actually said on set that needed to be changed. A few moments later, as Harry says “Something smells delicious” there is an audible squeak on the soundtrack. If this had occurred earlier (and louder) it could have necessitated the sloppy overdub.

Time Check! Just before Harry bursts cheerfully through the door wearing his new glasses, Lucy says “He's at his worst in the morning.” The time clock next to the door, however, reads 1:55!

When Harry bursts through the door shouting “Good Morning!” (although it is clearly afternoon) Kim moves back startled and nearly knocks Craig over when he backs into the side table behind him!  He steadies himself just in time. 

“Lucy and the 20-20 Vision” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5

The premise of this episode relies on faulty logic that Harry's new glasses will make him happy enough to give Lucy two days off – a real stretch.  Suppose Harry believed (thanks to Lucy's tricks) that he was going insane and having hallucinations? Although the elaborate mind-games she plays with Harry are humorous in and of themselves, the episode doesn't really go anywhere and is fraught with odd inconsistencies and errors.

[skylightbooks]

MARIA’S CATALOG PICKS!

BALLAD

THE FIRST MESS COOKBOOK

THE WHIZ MOB AND THE GRENADINE KID

THE MUSICAL ILLUSIONIST

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

[corallorosso]

Il meraviglioso mondo dell'animazione Phenakistiscope Il fenachistoscopio è un'illusione ottica, uno dei primi dispositivi di animazione progettato nel 1832. (George Eastman Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, collezionista Richard Balzer )

[blackchildrensbooksandauthors]

June Is LGBT Pride Month: 12 YA Books by Black Authors

Pride Month commemorates a pivotal event in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) history, the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. The uprising brought awareness to unfair laws, crimes, harassment, and other issues that affected the LGBT community. In June celebrations around the world “recognize the impact that LGBTQ individuals have had on history.” When it comes to young people, literature, and LGBTQ issues, activist and author George M. Johnson discusses his new book,  All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto in an NPR interview. He says “I didn’t have stories like these growing up and honestly I don’t have many now, so I knew I needed to do my part to make sure the next generation of black queer children had something they could relate to and connect with.” Johnson’s young adult debut title is nonfiction. The following titles are all fiction stories. 

Happy Reading!

Cinderella Is Dead

Kalynn Bayron | Bloomsbury YA | July 7, 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound

You Should See Me in a Crown

Leah Johnson | Scholastic Press | June 2, 2020 |  Amazon | IndieBound

The Black Flamingo

Dean Atta | Balzer + Bray | May 26, 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound

Home Home

Lisa Allen-Agostini | Delacorte Press | May 26, 2020 | Amazon | IndieBound

Felix Ever After

Kacen Callender | Balzer + Bray | May 5, 2020 |  Amazon | IndieBound

The Stars and the Blackness Between Them

Junauda Petrus | Dutton BYR | September 17, 2019 | Amazon | IndieBound

Go👉🏿HERE to see full list

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[a2caf]

The kids have chosen their favorites!

Every year A2CAF concludes with the Kids’ Comics Awards ceremony, celebrating the creators of kids’ favorite comics. While we couldn’t gather this year, we still held the rounds of nominations and voting, and the kids have chosen their favorite comics of 2019:

Most Epic Adventure

The nominees were:

Glitch, by Sarah Graley (Graphix)

Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl, by Ben Hatke (First Second)

Ghost Hog, by Joey Weiser (Oni Pres)

Marvel Rising: Heroes of the Round Table, by Roberto di Salvo and Nilah Magruder (Marvel)

Sea Sirens (A Trot & Cap'n Bill Adventure), by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee (Viking Books for Young Readers)

EndGames (NewsPrints 2), by Ru Xu (Graphix)

And the kids chose...

Funniest Comic

The nominees were:

Dog Man: Fetch-22, by Dav Pilkey (Graphix)

Big Nate: Payback Time! by Lincoln Peirce (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Star Wars: Jedi Academy: Attack of the Furball, by Amy Ignatow and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Scholastic)

Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths, by Graham Annable (First Second)

Bird & Squirrel: All Tangled Up, by James Burks (Graphix)

And the kids chose...

Favorite Author

The nominees were:

Jerry Craft

Gale Galligan

John Patrick Green

Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham

And the kids chose...

Keepin' It Unreal (for sci-fi and fantasy)

The nominees were:

Making Friends: Back to the Drawing Board, by Kristen Gudsnuk (Graphix)

Pilu of the Woods, by Mai K. Nguyen (Oni Press)

Apocalypse Taco, by Nathan Hale (Amulet)

Emiline: Knight in Training, by Kimberli Johnson (Oni Press)

Hex Vet: The Flying Surgery, by Sam Davies (KaBOOM!)

The Midwinter Witch, by Molly Knox Ostertag (Graphix)

The Okay Witch, by Emma Steinkellner (Aladdin)

And the kids chose...

Keepin' It Real (for memoir and realistic fiction)

The nominees were:

Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson (Balzer + Bray)

White Bird: A Wonder Story, by R.J. Palacio (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Activist: A Story of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Shooting, by Lauren Elizabeth Hogg, Anthony Zuiker, and Don Hudson (Zuiker Press)

Click, by Kayla Miller (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Guts, by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix)

Karen's Witch, by Katy Farina (Graphix)

The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander and Dawud Anyabwile (HMH Books for Young Readers)

And the kids chose...

Favorite Nonfiction/Mythology Comic

The nominees were:

Great White Shark Adventure, by Fabien Cousteau, James O. Fraioli, and Joe St. Pierre (Margaret K. McElderry Books)

Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture, by Andy Hirsch (First Second)

Science Comics: Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate, by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill (First Second)

Hephaistos: God of Fire, by George O'Connor (First Second)

Maker Comics: Bake Like a Pro! by Falynn Koch (First Second)

And the kids chose...

Tales of Friendship

The nominees were:

Sanity & Tallula: Field Trip, by Molly Brooks (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, by Rey Terciero and Bre Indigo (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Stargazing, by Jen Wang (First Second)

Geeky Fab 5 Vol. 2: Mystery of the Missing Monarchs, by Liz Lareau, Lucy Lareau, and Ryan Jampole (Papercutz)

Phoebe and Her Unicorn: Unicorn Bowling, by Dana Simpson (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

And the kids chose...

Congratulations to the winners! Be sure to cast your vote for your favorite comics of 2020 by checking back here in April of 2021!

[richincolor]

Last week someone asked if I knew of any good lists of memoirs and coming-of-age novels. We do have a list of memoirs, but that was created four years ago and several more have been published since then that we’d recommend. I couldn’t recall or find a list like she was describing for coming-of-age books either, so the librarian in me felt the need to make one. Here’s an updated collection of memoirs along with a few coming-of-age novels. If you know of others written by BIPOC authors that you would recommend, please share the titles.

Memoirs

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren’t Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha Balzer & Bray/Harperteen

For as long as she can remember, it’s been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn’t always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together.

So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation–following her mother’s announcement that she’s getting married–Robin is devastated.

Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn’t understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is completely cut off from her friends in Seoul and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn’t fit in with her new stepfamily, and worst of all, she is furious with the one person she is closest to–her mother.

Then one day Robin’s mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, which opens the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.

Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, Hyung-Ju Ko (Illustrator) Iron Circus Comics [Crystal’s Review] [Q&A with Authors – in a Comic]

When Kim Hyun Sook started college in 1983 she was ready for her world to open up. After acing her exams and sort-of convincing her traditional mother that it was a good idea for a woman to go to college, she looked forward to soaking up the ideas of Western Literature far from the drudgery she was promised at her family’s restaurant. But literature class would prove to be just the start of a massive turning point, still focused on reading but with life-or-death stakes she never could have imagined.

This was during South Korea’s Fifth Republic, a military regime that entrenched its power through censorship, torture, and the murder of protestors. In this charged political climate, with Molotov cocktails flying and fellow students disappearing for hours and returning with bruises, Hyun Sook sought refuge in the comfort of books. When the handsome young editor of the school newspaper invited her to his reading group, she expected to pop into the cafeteria to talk about Moby Dick, Hamlet, and The Scarlet Letter. Instead she found herself hiding in a basement as the youngest member of an underground banned book club. And as Hyun Sook soon discovered, in a totalitarian regime, the delights of discovering great works of illicit literature are quickly overshadowed by fear and violence as the walls close in.

It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Delacorte Press

Trevor Noah, the funny guy who hosts The Daily Show on Comedy Central, shares his remarkable story of growing up in South Africa with a black South African mother and a white European father at a time when it was against the law for a mixed-race child to exist. But he did exist–and from the beginning, the often-misbehaved Trevor used his keen smarts and humor to navigate a harsh life under a racist government. This fascinating memoir blends drama, comedy, and tragedy to depict the day-to-day trials that turned a boy into a young man. In a country where racism barred blacks from social, educational, and economic opportunity, Trevor surmounted staggering obstacles and created a promising future for himself, thanks to his mom’s unwavering love and indomitable will.

Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from WWII to Peace by Ashley Bryan Atheneum Books

In May of 1942, at the age of eighteen, Ashley Bryan was drafted to fight in World War II. For the next three years, he would face the horrors of war as a black soldier in a segregated army.

He endured the terrible lies white officers told about the black soldiers to isolate them from anyone who showed kindness–including each other. He received worse treatment than even Nazi POWs. He was assigned the grimmest, most horrific tasks, like burying fallen soldiers…but was told to remove the black soldiers first because the media didn’t want them in their newsreels. And he waited and wanted so desperately to go home, watching every white soldier get safe passage back to the United States before black soldiers were even a thought.

For the next forty years, Ashley would keep his time in the war a secret. But now, he tells his story. The story of the kind people who supported him. The story of the bright moments that guided him through the dark. And the story of his passion for art that would save him time and time again.

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes Wordsong

In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse. Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night – and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki’s notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards – ordinary and extraordinary – of her life.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, Harmony Becker (Illustrator)Top Shelf Productions

They Called Us Enemy is Takei’s firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the joys and terrors of growing up under legalized racism, his mother’s hard choices, his father’s faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future. What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? To answer these questions, George Takei joins co-writers Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime.

Coming-of-Age

Clap When You Land by Ellizabeth Acevedo Quill Tree Books [Crystal’s Review]

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance–and Papi’s secrets–the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram Penguin Books [Interview with Adib Khorram]

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian–half, his mom’s side–and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.

Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush–the original Persian version of his name–and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab.

Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

Katina King is the reigning teen jujitsu champion of Northern California, but she’s having trouble fighting off the secrets in her past.

Robin Thornton was adopted from an orphanage in India and is reluctant to take on his future. If he can’t find his roots, how can he possibly plan ahead?

Robin and Kat meet in the most unlikely of places–a summer service trip to Kolkata to work with survivors of human trafficking. As bonds build between the travelmates, Robin and Kat discover that justice and healing are tangled, like the pain of their pasts and the hope for their futures. You can’t rewind life; sometimes you just have to push play.

In turns heart wrenching, beautiful, and buoyant, Mitali Perkins’s Forward Me Back to You focuses its lens on the ripple effects of violence–across borders and generations–and how small acts of heroism can break the cycle.

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith Candlewick Press

When Louise Wolfe’s first real boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. It’s her senior year, anyway, and she’d rather spend her time with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, the ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper’s staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town. From the newly formed Parents Against Revisionist Theater to anonymous threats, long-held prejudices are being laid bare and hostilities are spreading against teachers, parents, and students — especially the cast members at the center of the controversy, including Lou’s little brother, who’s playing the Tin Man. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey — but as she’s learned, “dating while Native” can be difficult. In trying to protect her own heart, will Lou break Joey’s?

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen Harperteen [Jessica’s Review]

And just like that, Ever Wong’s summer takes an unexpected turn. Gone is Chien Tan, the strict educational program in Taiwan that Ever was expecting. In its place, she finds Loveboat: a summer-long free-for-all where hookups abound, adults turn a blind eye, snake-blood sake flows abundantly, and the nightlife runs nonstop.

But not every student is quite what they seem:

Ever is working toward becoming a doctor but nurses a secret passion for dance.

Rick Woo is the Yale-bound child prodigy bane of Ever’s existence whose perfection hides a secret.

Boy-crazy, fashion-obsessed Sophie Ha turns out to have more to her than meets the eye.

And under sexy Xavier Yeh’s shell is buried a shameful truth he’ll never admit.

When these students’ lives collide, it’s guaranteed to be a summer Ever will never forget.

Parachutes by Kelly Yang Katherine Tegen Books

They’re called parachutes: teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the United States while their wealthy parents remain in Asia. Claire Wang never thought she’d be one of them, until her parents pluck her from her privileged life in Shanghai and enroll her at a high school in California.

Suddenly she finds herself living in a stranger’s house, with no one to tell her what to do for the first time in her life. She soon embraces her newfound freedom, especially when the hottest and most eligible parachute, Jay, asks her out.

Dani De La Cruz, Claire’s new host sister, couldn’t be less thrilled that her mom rented out a room to Claire. An academic and debate team star, Dani is determined to earn her way into Yale, even if it means competing with privileged kids who are buying their way to the top. But Dani’s game plan veers unexpectedly off course when her debate coach starts working with her privately.

As they steer their own distinct paths, Dani and Claire keep crashing into one another, setting a course that will change their lives forever.

Yes No Maybe So by Aisha Saeed & Becky Albertalli Balzer & Bray/Harperteen [Group Discussion]

YES

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate–as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone) Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.

NO

Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing–with some awkward dude she hardly knows–is beyond her.

MAYBE SO

Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer–and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The 2019 Locus Award nominees: your guide to the best sf/f of 2018

Locus Magazine has published its annual Locus Award finalists, a shortlist of the best science fiction and fantasy of the past calendar year. I rely on this list to find the books I've overlooked (so. many. books.). This year's looks like a bumper crop.

Now that the finalists have been announced, Locus subscribers and others can cast their votes; the awards will be presented in Seattle during a weekend-long event that runs June 28-30, MC'ed by Connie Willis.

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager US; Hodder & Stoughton)

The Calculating Stars, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

If Tomorrow Comes, Nancy Kress (Tor)

Revenant Gun, Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Blackfish City, Sam J. Miller (Ecco; Orbit UK)

Embers of War, Gareth L. Powell (Titan US; Titan UK)

Elysium Fire, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz; Orbit US)

Red Moon, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Unholy Land, Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon)

Space Opera, Catherynne M. Valente (Saga)

FANTASY NOVEL

Lies Sleeping, Ben Aaronovitch (DAW; Gollancz)

Foundryside, Robert Jackson Bennett (Crown; Jo Fletcher)

The Monster Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson (Tor)

Deep Roots, Ruthanna Emrys (Tor.com Publishing)

Ahab’s Return, Jeffrey Ford (Morrow)

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, Theodora Goss (Saga)

The Mere Wife, Maria Dahvana Headley (MCD)

The Wonder Engine, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)

Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik (Del Rey; Macmillan)

Creatures of Want and Ruin, Molly Tanzer (John Joseph Adams)

HORROR NOVEL

In the Night Wood, Dale Bailey (John Joseph Adams)

Unlanguage, Michael Cisco (Eraserhead)

We Sold Our Souls, Grady Hendrix (Quirk)

Coyote Songs, Gabino Iglesias (Broken River)

The Hunger, Alma Katsu (Putnam; Bantam Press UK)

The Outsider, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton)

The Listener, Robert McCammon (Cemetery Dance)

Cross Her Heart, Sarah Pinborough (HarperCollins UK/Morrow)

The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay (Morrow; Titan UK)

Tide of Stone, Kaaron Warren (Omnium Gatherum)

YOUNG ADULT BOOK

The Gone Away Place, Christopher Barzak (Knopf)

The Cruel Prince, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Hot Key)

The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform; Gollancz)

Tess of the Road, Rachel Hartman (Random House)

Dread Nation, Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)

Cross Fire, Fonda Lee (Scholastic)

The Agony House, Cherie Priest & Tara O’Connor (Levine)

Half-Witch, John Schoffstall (Big Mouth House)

Impostors, Scott Westerfeld (Scholastic US; Scholastic UK)

Mapping the Bones, Jane Yolen (Philomel)

FIRST NOVEL

Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt; Macmillan)

Semiosis, Sue Burke (Tor)

Armed in Her Fashion, Kate Heartfield (ChiZine)

The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)

The Quantum Magician, Derek Künsken (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Annex, Rich Larson (Orbit US)

Severance, Ling Ma (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)

Witchmark, C.L. Polk (Tor.com Publishing)

Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)

Empire of Sand, Tasha Suri (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

NOVELLA

The Black God’s Drums, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)

The Tea Master and the Detective, Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean)

“Umbernight“, Carolyn Ives Gilman (Clarkesworld 2/18)

Black Helicopters, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Tor.com Publishing)

Time Was, Ian McDonald (Tor.com Publishing)

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, Kelly Robson (Tor.com Publishing)

The Freeze-Frame Revolution, Peter Watts (Tachyon)

Artificial Condition, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)

Rogue Protocol, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)

The Descent of Monsters, JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)

NOVELETTE

“The Donner Party”, Dale Bailey (F&SF 1–2/18)

“Okay, Glory”, Elizabeth Bear (Twelve Tomorrows)

“No Flight Without the Shatter“, Brooke Bolander (Tor.com 8/15/18)

The Only Harmless Great Thing, Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing)

“The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections“, Tina Connolly (Tor.com 7/11/18)

“An Agent of Utopia”, Andy Duncan (An Agent of Utopia)

“Queen Lily“, Theodora Goss (Lightspeed 11/18)

“Nine Last Days on Planet Earth“, Daryl Gregory (Tor.com 9/19/18)

“Quality Time”, Ken Liu (Robots vs Fairies)

“How to Swallow the Moon“, Isabel Yap (Uncanny 11–12/18)

SHORT STORY

“The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington“, Phenderson Djèlí Clark (Fireside 2/18)

“The Bookcase Expedition”, Jeffrey Ford (Robots vs Fairies)

“STET“, Sarah Gailey (Fireside 10/18)

“A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies“, Alix E. Harrow (Apex 2/6/18)

“Cuisine des Mémoires”, N.K. Jemisin (How Long ’til Black Future Month?)

“The Storyteller’s Replacement”, N.K. Jemisin (How Long ’til Black Future Month?)

“Firelight“, Ursula K. Le Guin (Paris Review Summer ’18)

“The Starship and the Temple Cat“, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 2/1/18)

“Mother of Invention“, Nnedi Okorafor (Future Tense)

“The Court Magician“, Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed 1/18)

ANTHOLOGY

The Best Horror of the Year Volume Ten, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Night Shade)

The Book of Magic, Gardner Dozois, ed. (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-fifth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Worlds Seen in Passing, Irene Gallo, ed. (Tor.com Publishing)

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, N.K. Jemisin & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner)

Robots vs Fairies, Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe, eds. (Saga)

The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year, Volume Twelve, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Infinity’s End, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

The Underwater Ballroom Society, Tiffany Trent & Stephanie Burgis, eds. (Five Fathoms)

The Future Is Female!, Lisa Yaszek, ed. (Library of America)

COLLECTION

The Tangled Lands, Paolo Bacigalupi & Tobias S. Buckell (Saga)

Brief Cases, Jim Butcher (Ace; Orbit UK)

An Agent of Utopia, Andy Duncan (Small Beer)

How Long ’til Black Future Month?, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

The Dinosaur Tourist, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)

Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)

All the Fabulous Beasts, Priya Sharma (Undertow)

The Future Is Blue, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Starlings, Jo Walton (Tachyon)

How to Fracture a Fairy Tale, Jane Yolen (Tachyon)

MAGAZINE

Analog

Asimov’s

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Clarkesworld

F&SF

Fireside

Lightspeed

Strange Horizons

Tor.com

Uncanny

PUBLISHER

Angry Robot

Baen

DAW

Gollancz

Orbit

Saga

Small Beer

Subterranean

Tachyon

Tor

EDITOR

John Joseph Adams

Neil Clarke

Ellen Datlow

Gardner Dozois

C.C. Finlay

Jonathan Strahan

Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas

Ann & Jeff VanderMeer

Sheila Williams

Navah Wolfe

ARTIST

Kinuko Y. Craft

Galen Dara

Julie Dillon

Leo & Diane Dillon

Bob Eggleton

Victo Ngai

John Picacio

Shaun Tan

Charles Vess

Michael Whelan

NON-FICTION

Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece, Michael Benson (Simon & Schuster)

Sense of Wonder: Short Fiction Reviews (2009-2017), Gardner Dozois (ReAnimus)

Strange Stars, Jason Heller (Melville House)

Dreams Must Explain Themselves: The Selected Non-Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin (Gollancz)

Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing, Ursula K. Le Guin & David Naimon (Tin House)

Old Futures: Speculative Fiction and Queer Possibility, Alexis Lothian (NYU Press)

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, Catherine McIlwaine, ed. (Bodleian Library)

Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Alec Nevala-Lee (Dey Street)

None of This Is Normal: The Fiction of Jeff VanderMeer, Benjamin J. Robertson (University of Minnesota Press)

An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953-2000, Jo Walton (Tor)

ART BOOK

Yoshitaka Amano, Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography – Beyond the Fantasy, Florent Gorges (Les Éditions Pix’n Love 2015; Dark Horse)

Spectrum 25: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, John Fleskes, ed. (Flesk)

John Howe, A Middle-earth Traveler: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; HarperCollins UK)

Jeffrey Alan Love, The Thousand Demon Tree (Flesk)

Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State (Fria Ligan ’17; Skybound)

Shaun Tan, Cicada (Lothian; Levine ’19)

Charles Vess, The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition, Ursula K. Le Guin (Saga)

Michael Whelan, Beyond Science Fiction: The Alternative Realism of Michael Whelan (Baby Tattoo)

Dungeons & Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, & Sam Witwer (Ten Speed)

Lisbeth Zwerger, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling (Levine)

https://boingboing.net/2019/05/07/futures-of-the-past-year.html

[mediadiscord]

New Comic Book Releases - 4/06/22

Hey it's Wednesday and you know what that means, new comic books are out and ready for you to enjoy. If you're not familiar with where to go to find comics you can use this locator. Let's go ahead and take a look at what's out this week. A WAVE BLUE WORLD Poser TP, $16.99 ABLAZE Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover A Werther Dell’Edera), $3.99 Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover B Valentin Secher), $3.99 Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover C Kyle Hotz), $3.99 Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover D Carlos Nieto Wonder Woman #152 Homage Variant), $3.99 Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover E Werther Dell’Edera Virgin Variant), $3.99 Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover F Valentin Secher Virgin Variant, $3.99 Cimmerian Hour Of The Dragon #2 (Cover G Werther Dell’Edera Black & White Variant), AR Crueler Than Dead Volume 2 GN, $12.99 Diary Of A Nerd Volume 2 HC, $12.99 Idhun Chronicles Volume 1 The Resistance Search GN, $12.99 Jurrasik Diaries Volume 1 A New World HC, $12.99 Space Pirate Captain Harlock Volume 1 HC, $24.99 Versus Fighting Story Volume 2 Round 2 GN, $12.99 ABRAMS COMICARTS – MEGASCOPE Eightfold Path GN, $24.99 ACME INK Rock And Roll Biographies #19 Lemmy, $3.50 ACTION LAB – DANGER ZONE Zombie Tramp Volume 23 TP, $14.99 ADVENT COMICS Black Star Line #1, $3.99 Fist Of The Dragon #1 (Of 2), $2.99 Miskatonic High #1, $3.99 Sunshine #1 (One Shot), $3.99 AFTERSHOCK COMICS Ocean Will Take Us #1 (Cover A Carlos Olivares), $4.99 Ocean Will Take Us #1 (Cover B Hayden Sherman), AR AHOY COMICS G.I.L.T. #1 (Of 5)(Cover A Mauricet), $4.99 G.I.L.T. #1 (Of 5)(Cover B Jill Thompson), AR ALADDIN BOOKS Sort Of Super GN, $12.99 Sort Of Super HC, $20.99 AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY PRODUCTIONS American Mythology Mature Starter Pack, $19.99 Eternal Thirst Of Dracula Reader Pack, $24.99 AMULET BOOKS Extincts Volume 1 Quest For The Unicorn Horn GN, $14.99 Extincts Volume 1 Quest For The Unicorn Horn HC, $24.99 ANDREWS MCMEEL A Breaking Cat News Adventure Volume 4 Behind The Scenes With Burt TP, $11.99 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie Milestones Jumbo Digest #14 Best Of The 1990s, $8.99 Archies Anniversary Spectacular #1, $2.99 AWA STUDIOS Joneses #1 (Of 5)(Cover A John Gallagher), $3.99 Joneses #1 (Of 5)(Cover B Mike Deodato Jr.), $3.99 BALZER + BRAY Sir Ladybug Volume 1 GN (not verified by Diamond Distribution), $7.99 BEHEMOTH COMICS Cinnamon Volume 1 TP, $14.99 Follow Me Into The Darkness #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Damian Connelly), $3.99 Follow Me Into The Darkness #2 (Of 4)(Cover B Damian Connelly), $3.99 Follow Me Into The Darkness #2 (Of 4)(Cover C Damian Connelly), $3.99 Heavy Metal Drummer #3 (Of 6)(Cover A Luca Vassallo), $3.99 Heavy Metal Drummer #3 (Of 6)(Cover B Luca Vassallo), $3.99 Heavy Metal Drummer #3 (Of 6)(Cover C Luca Vassallo), $3.99 MFKZ Volume 1 TP, $14.99 No Holds Bard #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Gabrielle Kari), $3.99 No Holds Bard #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Gabrielle Kari), $3.99 STRGRL #1 (Cover A Lucas Mendonca), $7.99 STRGRL #1 (Cover B Lucas Mendonca), $7.99 STRGRL #1 (Cover C Lucas Mendonca), $7.99 STRGRL #1 (Cover D Lucas Mendonca), AR STRGRL #1 (Cover E Lucas Mendonca), AR STRGRL #1 (Cover F Lucas Mendonca), AR BLACK MASK STUDIOS Destiny NY #10, $3.99 Hecate’s Will #3, $3.99 BLOOD MOON COMICS Usher Of The Dead #2 (Cover A Mary Land), $3.99 Usher Of The Dead #2 (Cover B Desi Clearly), $3.99 BOOM! STUDIOS Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover A Dan Panosian), $3.99 Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover B Jenny Frison), $3.99 Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover C Jenny Frison Virgin Variant), AR Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover D J. Scott Campbell Reveal Black & White Variant), AR Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover E J. Scott Campbell Reveal Variant), AR Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover F J. Scott Campbell Reveal Virgin Variant), AR Alice Ever After #1 (Of 5)(Cover G Dan Panosian Virgin Variant), AR Buckhead #5 (Of 5)(Cover A George Kambadais), $3.99 Buckhead #5 (Of 5)(Cover B Simangaliso Sibaya Video Game Box Art Homage Variant), AR Buckhead #5 (Of 5)(Cover C Michael Okoro Reveal Variant), AR Buckhead #5 (Of 5)(Cover D Michael Okoro Reveal Virgin Variant), AR Jim Henson’s The Storyteller Shapeshifters #2 (Cover A Qistina Khalidah), $4.99 Jim Henson’s The Storyteller Shapeshifters #2 (Cover B Mateus Manhanni), $4.99 Jim Henson’s The Storyteller Shapeshifters #2 (Cover C Qistina Khalidah Virgin Variant), AR Magic #13 (Cover A Miguel Mercado), $4.99 Magic #13 (Cover B1 Frany Hidden Spark Planeswalker Ajani Virgin Variant), $4.99 Magic #13 (Cover B2 Frany Hidden Spark Planeswalker Ajani Black & White Variant), $4.99 Magic #13 (Cover C Nick Robles), AR Magic #13 (Cover D Nick Robles Virgin Variant), AR BROADSWORD COMICS Tarot Witch Of The Black Rose #132 (Cover D Cosplay Photo Variant), $19.99 CANTERBURY CLASSICS Disney Scripted Classics Disney’s The Little Mermaid HC (not verified by Diamond Distribution), $19.99 Disney Scripted Classics Disney’s The Lion King HC (not verified by Diamond Distribution), $19.99 CLOVER PRESS Diablo House Volume 1 HC, $24.99 COFFIN COMICS Hellwitch The Forsaken #1 (Premiere Edition), $20.00 Lady Death Cataclysmic Majesty #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Richard Ortiz), $4.99 Lady Death Cataclysmic Majesty #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Jose Varese Enticer Variant), $4.99 Lady Death Cataclysmic Majesty #2 (Of 2)(Cover C David Finch Foil Variant), $25.00 Lady Death Cataclysmic Majesty #2 (Of 2)(Cover D Collette Turner Naughty Variant), $40.00 Lady Death Cataclysmic Majesty #2 (Of 2)(Cover E Sorah Suhng), AR Lady Death Malevolent Decimation #1 (Of 2)(Raw Edition), $25.00 Lady Death Merciless Onslaught #1 (Premiere Edition), $20.00 COMIC SHOP NEWS Comic Shop News #1807, AR COSMIC TIMES From Blood #3 (Of 3), $3.99 DARK HORSE COMICS Apache Delivery Service #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Tyler Jenkins), $3.99 Apache Delivery Service #4 (Of 4)(Cover B Jill Thompson), $3.99 EC Archives Gunfighter Volume 1 HC, $49.99 DC COMICS Annotated Sandman Volume 1 HC (2022 Edition), $49.99 Batman #122 (Cover A Howard Porter)(Shadow War), $4.99 Batman #122 (Cover B Gabriele Dell Otto Card Stock Variant)(Shadow War), $5.99 Batman #122 (Cover C Roger Cruz & Victor Olazaba Connecting Card Stock Variant)(Shadow War), AR Batman #122 (Cover D Jock Card Stock Variant)(Shadow War), AR Batman Beyond Neo-Year #1 (Of 6)(Cover A Max Dunbar), $3.99 Batman Beyond Neo-Year #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Christian Ward Card Stock Variant), $4.99 Batman Beyond Neo-Year #1 (Of 6)(Cover C Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), AR Batman Beyond Neo-Year #1 (Of 6)(Cover D Jim Cheung Card Stock Variant), AR Batman Killing Time #2 (Of 6)(Cover A David Marquez), $4.99 Batman Killing Time #2 (Of 6)(Cover B Kael Ngu Card Stock Variant), $5.99 Batman Killing Time #2 (Of 6)(Cover C Ben Oliver Card Stock Variant), AR Dark Nights Death Metal #1 (Of 7)(Soundtrack Special Edition Rise Against With Flexi Single Broken Dreams Inc.)(2nd Printing), $24.99 Dark Nights Death Metal #2 (Of 7)(Soundtrack Special Edition Grey Daze With Flexi Single Featuring Anything Anything)(2nd Printing), $24.99 Dark Nights Death Metal #3 (Of 7)(Soundtrack Special Edition Denzel Curry With Flexi Single Featuring Bad Luck)(2nd Printing), $24.99 Dark Nights Death Metal #4 (Of 7)(Soundtrack Special Edition Manchester Orchestra With Flexi Single Featuring Never Ending), $24.99 Death The Deluxe Edition HC (2022 Edition), $29.99 Earth-Prime #1 (Of 6) Batwoman (Cover A Kim Jacinto), $5.99 Earth-Prime #1 (Of 6) Batwoman (Cover B Photo Card Stock Variant), $6.99 Flashpoint Batman Knight Of Vengeance #1 (Cover A Dave Johnson), $6.99 Mister Miracle The Source Of Freedom HC, $24.99 Monkey Prince #3 (Of 12)(Cover A Bernard Chang), $3.99 Monkey Prince #3 (Of 12)(Cover B InHyuk Lee Card Stock Variant), $4.99 Monkey Prince #3 (Of 12)(Cover C Kim Jacinto Card Stock Variant), AR One-Star Squadron #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Steve Lieber), $3.99 Robin Volume 1 The Lazarus Tournament TP, $19.99 Shazam To Hell And Back TP, $14.99 Suicide Squad #14 (Cover A Eduardo Pansica/Julio Ferreira/Dexter Soy), $3.99 Suicide Squad #14 (Cover B Dexter Soy Card Stock Variant), $4.99 Suicide Squad Bad Blood TP, $19.99 Wonder Woman Historia The Amazons #2 (Of 3)(Cover A Gene Ha), $7.99 Wonder Woman Historia The Amazons #2 (Of 3)(Cover B Becky Cloonan), $7.99 Wonder Woman Historia The Amazons #2 (Of 3)(Cover C Library Faux Leather Design Variant), AR World Of Krypton #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Mico Suayan), $3.99 World Of Krypton #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Marguerite Sauvage Card Stock Variant), $4.99 DEL REY Star Wars Darth Bane Prose Novel Volume 3 Dynasty Of Evil SC, $16.00 Star Wars Darth Plagueis Prose Novel SC, $16.00 Star Wars Kenobi Prose Novel SC, $16.00 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT Barbarella Volume 2 #8 (Cover J Derrick Chew Virgin Variant), AR Barbarella 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[oldshowbiz]

a long interview with one of Jack Benny’s longtime writers - this is comedy history gold

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY, THE CONCLUSION JUMPER

S1;E5 ~ October 21, 1968

Directed by Jack Donohue ~ Written by George Balzer and Phil Leslie

Synopsis

When Kim and her classmate Don are talking about a household budget and visiting a city hall judge for a school project, Lucy jumps to the conclusion they are going to get married.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Don Crichton (Don) makes the second of his three appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  He was an Emmy nominated choreographer who worked on “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Love Boat,” among others.

Sid Gould (Marriage License Office Clerk) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. This is the second of his 40 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.

Ben Stone (Clerk #2) was primarily a voice actor who worked on “Underdog” (1960-1964). He acted in the musical The Zula and The Zayda at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.  This is his final screen appearance.  

Booker Bradshaw (First Groom in Line) was a voice actor and writer making his only appearance opposite Lucille Ball. He played Dr. M'Benga on the original “Star Trek,” a Desilu series.  

Bruce Mars (Fourth Groom in Line) makes his only appearance on the series but had previously played boxer Sonny Shaw in “Lucy the Fight Manager” (TLS S5;E20) on “The Lucy Show.”  

Laurie Mock (Fourth Bride) makes her only appearance with Lucille Ball.  As of 2006, she and her husband were running an urban real estate development company in Culver City, California.

Jack Donohue (Nasty Groom in Line, above left) was the director of this episode and 34 others. He also directed 107 episodes of “The Lucy Show” where he was seen on screen as Man in the Bank in “Lucy and the Bank Scandal” (TLS S2;E7) and “Lucy Conducts the Symphony” (TLS S2;E13).  He will be seen on camera in two future episodes, both of which he also directed.

Jack Bannon (Last Groom in Line, above center) was the son of Bea Benadaret, who had played Iris Atterbury on Lucy's radio show “My Favorite Husband” and elderly neighbor Miss Lewis on “I Love Lucy.”  Bannon was also a dialogue coach on his mother's series “Petticoat Junction” in which he also appeared, as well as on “The Beverly Hillbillies.”  This is his only appearance opposite Lucille Ball.  

Kevin Edwards (Draftee who cuts the Line) was an uncredited ballet dancer in Streisand's Funny Girl (1968) and will return for a 1970 episode of “Here's Lucy.” These are his only screen credits.

Joan Carey (Woman in Line, above left, uncredited) was a background performer on “I Love Lucy,” “The Lucy Show” (where she also was stand-in for Lucy), and “Here’s Lucy.”  

Other prospective brides and grooms are played by uncredited extras.  

Kim wants to budget $25 to $30 a month for a one bedroom apartment, which gets a laugh from the 1968 studio audience. In the mid-1950's Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were paying $200 a month for their apartment.

Lucy tells her daughter the real household budget includes $30 a month for the telephone bill and $29.40 for 3 bags of groceries. In 1968 these were comically supposed to be high prices, but today seem ridiculously cheap.

For the second week in a row, Lucy uses a catch-phrase from “Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In”: "Here comes the judge! Here comes the judge!"  The lines were first spoken on “Laugh-In” by Pigmeat Markham and later by Sammy Davis Jr. The show's second half hour aired opposite “Here's Lucy” on NBC.

Don gets a job as a supermarket box boy.  This is a job that does not exist in today's world. A box boy stood at the end of the supermarket check-out line and put the groceries in bags (or boxes, originally).  Today this position has been relegated to the cashier or (in self check-out) the shoppers themselves.

Kim has a friend named Susie Meyers who just married the Clayton boy.  

The magazine rack behind Craig's drum set holds the November 3, 1967 issue of Time, which was almost a year old by the time this episode aired.  A cartoon drawing of conservative journalist William Buckley is on the cover.  There is also a copy of The New Yorker next to Time.

When a phone call tells Harry that he deals in antique carriages, Harry says “You mean surreys with the fringe on top”? This is a reference to a song from the 1943 musical (and 1955 film) Oklahoma! “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top.” The caller is looking for a dozen authentic buggy whips. Why an employment agency would deal in antiques – let alone carriages and buggy whips – is unclear.

Harry gets some distressing personal news during a phone call from someone named Bill. His distraction gives Lucy time to do comic business of getting the cup of coffee (made with carpet sweeping compound kept in a coffee can) away from him without him noticing.

The Nasty Man (Jack Donohue) calls Lucy a “kooky redhead” and Harry “fatso”. After some name calling, Harry and the Nasty Man have a show down in the style Laurel and Hardy, alternately ripping each other's clothes to shreds, all underscored with the Laurel and Hardy Theme “Dance of the Cuckoos” by Marvin Hatley. Not to be upstaged, Lucy also gets in on the action. The showdown soon erupts into a full-scale brawl at the marriage bureau.  

On a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show” Lucy also mistakenly thought her teenage daughter was going to get married - to Mr. Mooney’s son!  Both go out of their way to assure they don’t elope!

Wet suits are inherently funny!  Jack Benny wore one in the second episode of “Here's Lucy.”  Before that Lucy wore one on a trip to the beach with her daughter Chris on “The Lucy Show” and on “I Love Lucy” when meeting Orson Welles in Macy's.  

Product Displacement! The brand name on Craig's drums is taped over to avoid open promotion of the maker's product without financial compensation.

Say What? A phone caller tells Harry that he deals in antique carriages and he is looking for a dozen authentic buggy whips. Why an employment agency would deal in antiques – let alone carriages and buggy whips in 1968 – is unclear.

“Lucy, the Conclusion Jumper” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5 

The episode is sometimes as awkward as its title, although the scene at the license bureau is very funny physical comedy.  

[luv-2-read]

The Hate You Give

By: Angie Thomas

 There are many important points to this story but let’s start off with the title and what It means, or rather how I interpret it. The Hate You Give, you, meaning the audience, what do we teach our kids or society, what did we learn growing up? Anytime that we have to adjust our perception of an environment I believe we are instilling a disapproval of something or someone. Our children can feed off the energy. They can sense our feeling or judgment, the look in our face, the tone of the voice gives off the feeling whether it be comfortable or unconvertable. In the first chapter, she makes a very powerful statement, “its dope to be black until it’s hard to be black.” Wow, isn’t that the truth. “Pac said, THUG LIFE, stands for “The Hate You Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody”. It’s instilled when children are young.  When Khalil get shot it sends a flash through my brain of recent events with George Floyd and how he was treated and how such a simple and routine stop turned into someone’s death. Just because you decided that. Not God, YOU! The story turns into lessons, precautions, acceptance and a whole bunch of awareness. The plot arises when Starr needs to decide whether or not to speak up to be the voice for her friend Khalil. In Spite of threats from drug lords and police, what is the right thing to do? Very powerful even in this day and age that these issues rae still very much in existence. It’s not very common where I live but it happens. My niece would come home from daycare obsessed with insisting that she is white not brown. We are Mexican, so we are a little naturally tanned, but she wasn’t having it. She was obsessed. Apparently the girls in school would make fun of the only little African American student in the classroom. She was so petrified of being made fun of that she didn’t want to be the same skin color. The thing is that at home we don’t encourage ignorance or any type of biases much less racism. Her mother set her straight fast, with the importance of self-love and reassurance. At home, my father was inprisoned when I was nineteen for a charge on possession with intent to distribute. Although in comparison to the book I never had to be raised to be careful with the police, to be safe out on the street, to have to attend a different school to avoid certain groups. It wasn’t like that. You grew up where you grew up and went to school where it was designated for you to go. Everyone was your friend regardless of the background. I can relate in many ways to an inch of the experience.

 I think everyone needs to read this book, I think everyone who teaches can use it as teaching experience. The story is powerful and maybe some of the topics are a bit too much for some people but not most people.

Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York: Balzer + Bray.