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A Review of BLOOD WOUNDS by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Having written a YA series I have now begun to read a number of books in the genre. I will occasionally review YA books that come to my attention.

In Blood Wounds, by prolific author Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt), Willa Coffey is leading a seemingly happy life with her mother, stepfather and two stepsisters when she learns that her biological father, whom she hardly remembers, has gone on a murderous rampage. He had remarried and kills his new wife and three young children and may be on his way to kill Willa and her mother. The book revolves around Willa’s coming to grips with her past which also impacts on her new family.

The difficulty with Blood Wounds is it’s difficult to feel compassion for the great majority of the novel’s characters. Jack, Willa’s stepfather, is intent on recreating a Stepford Wives family. Regardless of their busy schedules the family must get together each Wednesday for dinner. He wants to avoid discord at all costs. But beneath his cool exterior he seems to seethe with hidden rage. The more we learn about him the more we dislike him.

His two biological daughters are both spoiled rotten as well as being extraordinarily talented (is this a real family?). Brooke is gifted in dressage while Alyssa is a tennis prodigy. They’ve both traveled around the world and are beloved by their family. Yet, they are both jealous of Willa for petty reasons.

The cause of much of the discord is Val, Broke and Alyssa’s biological mother. Sadly, we see her solely through the eyes of other characters. Lacking in empathy she uses money to get what she wants. She’s paid the mortgage on Jack’s house as well as the many travels of her daughters. Where is the love? One asks. Since she is the sole character whose point of view we are denied we have no idea why she has such an odd relationship with her children.

Then there is Terri, Willa’s mother who has allowed Jack to rule the roost with Val making all decisions based on the money she brings to the family. She is weak-willed, at best, and not terribly fleshed out.

Willa is the most interesting member of the family and a good deal of the book revolves around her point of view. She shares in the wealth of the family but is denied many of the privileges her sisters enjoy because Val has no use for her (or her mother, Terri). And, yes, she too is gifted, a member of the choir. For some reason she has resorted to cutting (well before the murders take place) to deal with her anger, jealousy and feeling of helplessness. At one point she even considers suicide. Until the murders she’s not terribly troubled so one wonders why she has resorted to cutting.

There is a decent amount of tension as the book unfolds but the novel ends with a thud. In the midst of financial turmoil that could wreak havoc on Willa’s life she inherits money from her father’s second wife. She, too, can live her dreams. It’s a sad lesson for readers that money can seemingly solve all problems. A too-pat ending where Willa’s family all get what they desire.

(2 stars out of 5)


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Santorum: Foot in Mouth

In a February 9th interview with CNN’s John King, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum firmly inserted his foot in his mouth when he spoke of his opposition to women fighting in combat in the armed forces. Women are currently in harm’s way as medics and communications soldiers (140 have lost their lives and 800 have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan). Santorum said he had grave “concerns” with women in combat, “placing them in compromising situations where people may naturally not do things in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions involved.”

Translation: Male soldiers would sacrifice the mission to protect female soldiers if they came under attack.

Santorum then admitted that the same emotion takes hold with the “camaraderie of men in combat.”

This is the same patronizing argument that kept women out of the armed forces for most of our history. Now, in a more enlightened age the armed forces are allowing women to fight for freedom just as men have since the Revolutionary War.

Santorum further muddied the waters when he tried to clarify the controversy he stirred up in an interview the next day with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Here he said the problem was “emotions of men dealing with women in combat and not focus on the mission.” And he added that women were not as physically capable as men in certain situations.

So, women, back to your homes to raise the kids, clean the house and prepare dinner for your man.

Fortunately the Secretary of the Navy, among many others, disputes Santorum claims. He stated on CNN that women have been serving for a decade now “with great distinction and at great risk.” He scoffed at the notion women can’t fight on the front lines by noting that in Afghanistan there are no front lines. Women currently serving are daily under the same risk as their male counterparts. And, CNN further reported that the Pentagon is considering allowing women to serve in elite units such as special operations, sniper teams and scout teams, positions that many male soldiers are incapable of meeting the required standards.

As a country we have come a long way from our “middle ages” where it was a common perception women needed the protection of men. Television, movies and literature today are filled with strong, heroic females who are the equal of any man in combat. In my own YA series, The Shamra Chronicles, a woman becomes the leader of her country’s resistance after it is attacked and enslaved. Other women emulated her and threw off the chains of subservience that had forced them to be second class citizens. Katniss in The Hunger Games is the equal of any of her male challengers. And Bella in The Twilight Saga . . . well, she’s more of the Santorum model (when in danger turn to your man for help). I guess you can’t win them all.

It’s up to those men in our armed forces who support Santorum’s position to get with the program. If that means retraining them, so be it. Soldiers look out for one another regardless of their gender. The days of men taking a bullet for a women are long gone. Women in the military know the dangers they signed up for. They are looking to be respected as soldiers, not as female soldiers. They don’t want special treatment. They don’t want their male counterparts to sacrifice themselves or the mission to protect them. They wouldn’t want Rick Santorum beside them in combat.

It’s time for Santorum for step into the 21st century where women in the United States are willing to put their lives at risk to protect our freedoms.

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It’s Time to Revisit Certain “Zero Tolerance” Policies at Schools

Schools are supposed to act in the best interest of the student. However, in the case of two girls suspended at Lewis Palmer Middle School in Monument, Colorado the school grossly overreacted to one girl attempting to help her friend. The girls were in gym class when one girl had trouble breathing and began to panic. Her friend gave her an asthma inhaler she used for her own asthma attacks. The school’s nurse found out and the principal suspended the two girls for ten days, with the strong possibility they will be expelled from school permanently.

Yes, technically, what the girls did violates the school’s drug policy. But what was the intent? Did the two girls want to get high? Were the two girls experimenting with drugs? Did the girls attempt to intentionally rebel against school rules? Of course not. This is the case of one student helping another when she thought her friend was in danger. The suspension (and possible expulsion) is a gross overreaction that has nothing to do with the spirit of the school’s policy. It would have been far more appropriate for the parents of both students to be called into school so the principal could explain why allowing another girl to use an inhaler was dangerous. It would also have been acceptable to demand the girls perform a certain number of hours of community service. A note could have been put in their records with the provision that if there were no other violations of school policy they would be removed upon graduation from middle school. There were any number of other constructive “punishments” that could have been meted out other than a suspension. But the petty officials (with the backing of the district’s superintendent) took the easy way out. They followed the letter of the school’s policy and suspended two girls, who were not repeat offenders or troublemakers. The lesson learned: Don’t help another student who is in trouble.

Sadly, this is just one case of the overreaction of school officials who should know better. I recall how after the shootings at Columbine, schools adopted a zero tolerance policy as regards to weapons. Students were suspended left and right in the years following Columbine. One would have thought there would be a relaxation of the zero tolerance policy over the years. But, that hasn’t been the case. In 2010 year a 13-year old middle school student in Houston was suspended for three days for pointing her finger like a gun. She and some friends were pretending to be police officers and shooting markers off the board in her classroom. She was suspended for making a “terrorist threat.” Her suspension and the school’s reasoning behind it (making a “terrorist threat”) becomes part of her permanent record. In another even more appalling case in 2010 a six-year old Michigan boy was suspended for a week for pointing his finger as a gun at another child. A Google search finds numerous other such cases of six and seven years olds being suspended for similar infractions.

I taught at a school that had a zero tolerance policy regarding fighting. If one student was bullied (hit by a fellow student) and that student defended himself both were automatically suspended, no questions asked. School officials didn’t want to hear what caused the fight. Defend yourself against an attack and you’re suspended along with your assailant.

Zero tolerance policies must be altered so schools can investigate what triggered the offense that caused the violation of school rules. A student who is bullied who protects himself should not be punished for an act of self-defense. Common sense must also guide schools on all violations of school policy. Common sense dictates that a girl who gives another an inhaler to prevent an asthma attack should not be suspended and face possible expulsion for an act of kindness.

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Congratulations to the Giveaway Winners!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In mid-January I conducted a giveaway of all three books that make up The Shamra Chronicles in Shelf Awareness (Pro and Readers), and DearReader.com (Librarian and Readers Newsletter). We had well over 100 entries. Below are the winners of the giveaway. Congratulations to those who won and thank you to all who submitted entries for the giveaway.

Bree Ervin
Doylestown PA 

Shannon O’Donnell
Kalispell, MT  

Emily Scherrer
Yuma, AZ 

Kitty Bullard
Fayetteville, NC 

Kara Garland
Portland, OR 

Mary Mahaney
Summerfield, FL

Gina Reba
Panama City, FL

Dee Laswell
Petersburg, IN

Jennifer Martin
St Peters, MO

Regina
North Wales, PA

Ginny Hoehlein
Framingham,MA 

Valerie Giambona
Secaucus, New Jersey

Patty Dunn
Columbus, OH

Julia Pitau
Denair, CA 

Yvonne Powderly
Parkersburg WV

Stephanie Angelette
Sugar Land, TX

Jayne Blackledge
North Wales, PA 

Joyce Westenberg
Hampshire, IL

Alison Witiak
Austin, MN

Judi Holst
Littleton, CO  

Marsha Duffy
Chatfield, MN

Cindy Raible
DeLand, FL

Susan Lowther
Dinwiddle, VA

Patricia Gordon
Paterson, NJ

Gayle Gray
Frankfort, KY

Lisa Lockmiller
Orangevale, CA

Helen Tomlinson
Jamaica, NY

Adam DeClercq
Buena Park, CA

Bree Ervin
Longmont, CO

Catherine Goodbody Levesque
Doylestown, PA

Glenda Jenkins
Boise, ID

Laura Scarcello
Concord,N.H.

Nancy McCarthy
Goshen, OH

Judy Phillips
Patoka, IN 

Kristen Bentley
Holland, MI

Kelly Farrow
Downers Grove, IL

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The Truth About Tebow?

I’m no fan of Tim Tebow but I’m even less of a fan of shoddy journalism.

I planned on writing a blog about the oversaturation of Tebow-mania on ESPN, USA Today and even cable news outlets like CNN. He’s been on 24/7 as if he’s the only noteworthy personality in the NFL. If you viewed just ESPN you’d think there is no better, no more humble over-achiever than Tim Tebow.  The incredible exploits of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Eli Manning are ignored to short sound bites or become stories in passing. No, it’s almost Tebow all the time on ESPN.

So, I was surprised to read an article by Robert Sobel of the Orlando Liberal Examiner in which Sobel accused Tebow of homophobia. A highlight of the story was this unattributed quote: “[Tebow] has even stated on the record that there is ‘no evidence’ that gays and lesbians are discriminated against in society.” If accurate it would shed a new less-positive-light on America’s new golden boy. If correct why would ESPN’s Skip Bayless (who worships at the altar of Tebow), CNN’s John King and USA Today (three cover stories on Tebow in the past two weeks) fail to comment on Tebow’s homophobia?

As editor/publisher of Gauntlet Magazine (a publication focusing on censorship) I wasn’t about to crucify Tebow and his many acolytes until I found proof of Sobel’s claim. I emailed Sobel several times (even Tweeted him). He didn’t respond. I called the Examiner a number of times and was sent to a general voicemail where I left a message for Sobel. He failed to contact me.

Journalists have a duty to attribute their statements. They also have a responsibility to respond to those who query them for sources of statements they report as facts in their articles. Sobel failed on both counts. I can only assume Sobel made up the accusations of Tebow’s homophobia. The fact that Tebow was in an anti-abortion commercial sponsored by Focus on the Family (who also oppose gay rights) doesn’t, in itself, mean Tebow himself is a homophobe.

While I abhor the excessive coverage given to, at best, a mediocre quarterback, slandering the man without sourcing his anti-gay rights position is even more reprehensible.

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Interactive Q&A with Shamra Chronicles Author Barry Hoffman!

KidsBuzz and KidsBookClubbing will be running a contest shortly. Below are some discussion questions for those who have read the three books of The Shamra Chronicles. Even if you are not participating in the contest feel free to answer the questions (whether you have read one, two or all three books). I’ll respond to all comments.

Curse of the Shamra Questions:

What made Dara a good leader?

Do you feel Pilla’s death was required or unnecessary?

Why did Dara give up power and leave her country at the end?

Shamra Divided Questions:

Who do you think is most heroic, Drea or Atyra?

Why didn’t the Stone Mountain Shamra accompany the other Shamra to a new homeland?

Why was Anis bitter at her mother Drea?

Chaos Unleashed Questions:

What made Chaos such a powerful enemy?

Why did Briana constantly lie to Dara?

What did Drea do to redeem herself?

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What Would Dara Do?: Part 6

This is the sixth in a series discussing how characters in The Shamra Chronicles would deal with current hot-button issues and pressures that confront today’s teens. Would a teenage Dara be into tattoos and piercings?

Dara was always a rebel. Shamra females didn’t wear jewelry, kept their hair short and wore loose-fitting beige dresses to hide their curves. Non-conformity was frowned upon. Dara, nevertheless, wore a necklace with a piece of red wood that had been passed down by her family for generations. She wore a red and black bandana, also passed down by her ancestors. She let her hair grow long though she wore it in a bun when in public. She knew when to choose her battles and when defiance was pointless. But, when she was in the fields with Pilla or in the forbidden swamps she let her hair down . . . literally. And, once she was forced to flee her country, when it was enslaved, she kept her hair long. She also smeared her hair with the blood of slain enemies. It made her look more fearsome to her foes.

So, what would contemporary Dara do? She would be intrigued with tattoos but wouldn’t desecrate her entire body with them. A discrete tattoo on her ankle, another on her wrist and another one or two would be all she required. Each would have significance to her. Dara wouldn’t plaster her body with body art just for the sake of showing off something that “looked good.”

She’d also be intrigued by piercings; earrings, a ring through one eyebrow, and a nose ring would have their allure. She might consider a ring in her lower lip if it didn’t interfere with eating. She would have no use for a tongue piercing, though, as it would make eating difficult. She would also have no interest in piercings that would be covered by her clothes. Why have rings that couldn’t be seen? she would think.

Dara would also subtlety streak her hair (though not with blood) and change the color of the streaks often to mirror her emotions. She wouldn’t completely change the color of her hair on a whim. If she were a brunette she wouldn’t want to completely alter herself by dying her hair blond. She might add a bit of red to her hair but only a smidge – a tint, not a complete makeover. And she would wonder why those who dyed their hair purple, pink, blue or green went to such extremes. While contemporary Dara wouldn’t be shy she wouldn’t want to call undue attention to herself with such drastic changes. At the same time she wouldn’t condemn those who so drastically changed their appearance—to each her own was her mantra.

Now Pilla would be a different story. More lady-like than Dara she might opt for a single tattoo, probably on her ankle where it wouldn’t scream out for attention. And Pilla would have no regard for piercings other than earrings. There’s all manner of jewelry she would gladly wear that wouldn’t leave permanent marks on her body. Pilla would keep her hair its natural color, though she’d be tempted (and probably give into the impulse) to streak her hair discretely when Dara did. After all Dara and Pilla were soulmates; closer than sisters.

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The “Dark Side” of Black Friday

Several incidents occurred on Black Friday this year that makes one wonder what’s wrong with our society. In one case CNN showed a video of a woman spraying fellow customers with pepper spray at a Walmart near Los Angeles as she attempted to get a discounted X-Box console. Not only did she apparently get away with the stunt but, as of last Friday, police had not yet apprehended the suspect. Then came an equally disturbing report from a Target store in West Virginia of a 61-year old man who collapsed and was ignored by numerous customers. According to an AOL report “some shoppers ignored and even walked over the man’s body as they continued to shop.” He later died as a result of his heart attack.

Jeff Gardere, a clinical psychologist who appeared on CNN, discussed the pepper spray incident. He said the hordes of customers who flock to the Door Buster Black Friday sales are taking the opportunity to “be children again” and it’s a “high for them.” He called Black Friday “like going to an amusement park.” Really???

Ironically, it’s not like these were necessarily the “best” sales of the year. The sale prices were in place well past Black Friday. On Cyber Monday many large retail chains honored the sale prices of Black Friday (Best Buy, for example, said 95% of the Black Friday merchandise was on sale for the same price by ordering on-line). And just after the weekend Toys R Us ran a TV commercial bellowing how their prices this coming Friday (one week after Black Friday) was the “best sale ever.”

I don’t give retailers a pass on this either. Walmart (open all day Thanksgiving, I imagine to avoid the floodgate of customers who crushed one another last year giving the chain bad press) began their Black Friday sale at 10PM. Target opened its doors at midnight. In another few years Black Friday sales will begin the day after Halloween if the trend continues. Anything to make a buck.

I’m no psychologist but I can’t attribute this sick mentality by some people as adults wanting to be children again or their waiting on line for hours (or in some cases days) being a high for those who cause mayhem. There is something seriously wrong with anyone who would pepper spray others to get a game. And, there’s something just as reprehensible about customers who would walk over the prone body of a man who collapsed from a heart attack (what is a 61-year old man doing at a Black Friday sale anyway?).

And isn’t it odd that there were no reports of such incidents by those who waited in line for days on end to see the newest installment of the Twilight series, “Breaking Dawn, Part 1”? I don’t give them a pass either. It seems that all a good portion of America is about these days is instant gratification. “Breaking Dawn” must be seen on the first day it opens. Items on sale must be purchased on Black Friday, not three or four days later. Psychologists can have a field day with trying to explain away rude and dangerous behavior (Gardere blamed it, in part, on the economy) but this need for instant gratification cannot be excused. To me such behavior is just sickening and cannot in any way be justified.

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What Would Dara Do: Part 5

This is the fifth in a series discussing how characters in The Shamra Chronicles would deal with current hot-button issues and pressures that confront today’s teens. How would Dara feel about today’s social media – namely Facebook, Twitter and texting?

In The Shamra Chronicles Dara has always dealt with others face-to-face. In school she questioned her teachers who told her all Shamra heroes were male. Dara didn’t believe this for a second, made her opinion known and was put in her place by her teacher. Still, her beliefs were unshakeable. Dara also valued her privacy. She continually disobeyed rules. Rather than join in with other females her age she would go alone into the forbidden swamps to explore the many dangers and surprises that awaited her. Only her best friend, Pilla, was aware of Dara’s journeys into the swamps. And, once her country was invaded and enslaved and she became the leader of the resistance Dara learned the value of keeping thoughts and plans close to the vest. Betrayal, once foreign to the Shamra, while not commonplace was something to be feared once the Shamra were enslaved.

So, how does this relate to today’s social media? Dara might have a Facebook page but she would never spill her most private thoughts in so public a forum – one in which it’s difficult if not impossible to remove what’s been said. Her profile would be terse; not allowing a window into her soul. If a friend asked Dara a personal question (“What do you think of so and so?” for instance) there’s no way Dara would use social media to respond. She might not even use email to respond to something so personal, as emails can be forwarded to third parties. She wouldn’t be afraid to give her opinion, but she might tell her friend to call her or, if in close proximity, talk to her in school the next day.

Dara would find texting a waste of time for the most part. Being athletic Dara would take part in a number of extracurricular activities and wouldn’t have the time to text back and forth to those who have their Smartphone attached to their hand 24/7. A text to confirm what time to meet to go somewhere would be acceptable, but gossiping – no, Dara wouldn’t engage it gossiping in any form so she certainly wouldn’t want to give her opinion about someone via texting.

And she would probably have a good laugh regarding Twitter. There would be those Dara would have great respect for (Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama to name two). She might want to hear them speak on issues of the day. But she wouldn’t care what a celebrity had for lunch or what a celebrity was reading in the bathroom. And, while impatient and impetuous Dara would never Tweet her opinion. First, as mentioned above, she would never want the universe to know her opinion. And, she would be aware of the damage that could follow her by tossing out a first impression without allowing time to decide if what is on her mind what she really wants to share with others. Too many jot down their thoughts then hit “send” without considering the consequences. Apologies often follow, but the original Tweet is still out there.

So, if you want to deal with Dara pick up the phone or better yet chat with her the next day at school. Send a text and you might be waiting until hell freezes over for a response.

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Lindsay Lohan: Those Terrible 5 Hours

Actress Lindsay Lohan was jailed once again for violating conditions of two 2007 DUI convictions. She was to serve 30-days in prison after getting booted out of a community service assignment at a women’s shelter. Instead she was released in less than five hours due to jail overcrowding. Lohan has been jailed five different times since her conviction and each time has been freed within a ridiculously short period of time. She probably spent more time putting on her makeup and choosing an appropriate outfit to wear than she actually spent in prison (in 2007 she spent all of 84-minutes in jail as a result of her conviction).

The no-nonsense judge had threatened to throw the book at Lohan. If she doesn’t complete her community service at a morgue she risks serving an additional 270 days in jail. Or does she? While the judge is well-intentioned his threats are toothless. With overcrowding a chronic problem he can send her to jail until hell freezes over and she’ll still be released within hours.

Now, I’m not a celebrity-basher. There are other non-violent offenders who are escaping imprisonment due to overcrowding. But because Lohan is a public figure we hear about her release. The overcrowding situation is one that allows Lohan to continue with her risky and contemptuous behavior without any real threat of punishment. She knows she can violate the conditions of her sentence time and again with no real consequences. It empowers Lohan to do as she pleases.  Lohan obviously has problems and needs help. The fact that whatever help she might be getting isn’t working (as judged by her flaunting of her community service obligations) makes a sad situation even worse. With no threat of punishment Lohan might one day be behind the wheel of car drunk once again and end up killing herself or someone else.

It’s time that this (or another) judge truly lays down the law, telling the corrections facility that Lohan might be sent to that she is not to be released under any circumstances until she completes her sentence. It’s one thing to show contempt of court once, even twice. But when she shows contempt on five separate occasions then regardless of her being a non-violent offender she (and anyone in similar circumstances) should have to face the music. It may be the only way Lohan can save herself from herself.

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