The ambiguous hero of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People is a man of science who insists on the primacy of truth and evidence. But he’s also, possibly, a bit of a fascist.
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/05/23/the-whistleblower-we-deserve-an-enemy-of-the-people-ibsen/
I was given an idea of the good and I was taken quickly from the same idea, though at first it was as simple as a tree I saw the ground, conserving summer, populate with geese, some deer, the pachysandra. The good was what I had without myself. When I describe it now, the whole […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/05/23/translation-without-angels-walt-hunter/
It began as a small group: a few dozen travelers drifting towards the border, full of fear and hope, united in the belief that they could change their fates. Well-wishers along the route gathered to bid them good luck, to pray for them, to remind them that they were on a righteous path. The group’s […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/05/05/death-and-detention-on-the-texas-border/
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme
And just like that, it’s the first weekend in May. The kids get out of school in three weeks and we’ve got company visiting at the end of the month. I am adjusting to my glasses, but will probably get readers just for when I am on my laptop. Giving it another week before I decide. During the month of April, I read/listened to 14 books. I am six books behind on my Goodreads challenge 60/200. For the Audiobook Challenge, I have listened to 46/150 and Library Love 6/12. Stay Caffeinated.
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A special thanks to Penguin Audio & Erica Damon & Montlake
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2024/05/sunday-post-626-may-weather.html
Addison’s Canadian Caper follows a young girl during a family trip across Canada for a writing contest, who must find her cousin’s lost cat amidst the excitement and mystery of their adventure. What was one thing that got you excited to write this book?
First, I had to decide on a location for the “c” book, and then research information about that location. Reading about Canada was interesting, exciting, and informative, and I was eager to share Canada’s culture in an amusing children’s tale. The icing on the cake was to create an entire story using as many words as possible that start with the letter “c.”
How did you develop the character of Addison, and what qualities did you want to highlight through her journey?
Addison’s character has the “typical” traits of a big sister, but she excels in problem-solving, and her responsible attitude helps her keep a close eye on Albert, her little brother. Albert’s character matches his age and curiosity and leads to many of their adventures. During her journey, Addison works to achieve her goals, helps her cousin gain self-confidence, learns valuable lessons, and encounters situations that young readers easily relate to.
Can you share more about your decision to weave educational elements, like vocabulary definitions, directly into the story?
Including unfamiliar vocabulary words came about when I created a unique way of storytelling that focuses on one letter of the alphabet from beginning to end. I included some unfamiliar vocabulary words and wanted to make it easy for them to learn the definitions without struggling to search at the back of the book. To make it easy for young readers, I included brief definitions on the bottom of each page. This new format delights and empowers young readers and allows them to continue reading without timely disruption.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Addison’s Delaware Discovery is my next book in the Addison series. It is nearly ready to get reviewed, then it goes on to the illustrator. When she has finished, it will be published and become available. Working with other people and their availability makes an exact time difficult to state, but I’m hoping by the end of the year.
In Addison’s Delaware Discovery, Addison meets a young girl named Daisy, who wears dandelion-colored shoes, loves dreamsicles, and has a disability.
This story is an interesting learning experience as Addison has never met anyone with a disability and is not sure what to say or do. Addison becomes determined to help Daisy make friends, and when she discovers that Delaware was once famous for having a swamp monster, she devises a plan!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon
During their visit with the Clemens’ clan, Corby’s cat disappeared with clues pointing to a Cat Burglar! Corby grew concerned, and called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which created a big commotion. The children remained confident that with the Mounties on the job the Cat Burglar would soon be caught, or would he?
Addison books marry entertainment with education, using a unique format that both delights and empowers young readers.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/05/05/an-interesting-learning-experience/
Torrent Tragedy follows a prodigious teenager whose involvement in e-book piracy leads to a chilling curse as he seeks to uncover the truth behind a mysterious author and navigate supernatural consequences. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration for writing Torrent Tragedy was being a victim of piracy, not just once. Back in the late 80’s, I had a cosmetics company named, Colecciones de Raquel. In search of investors, I had written a business plan. In that plan were photos of me as a model. One person somehow took my plan and put it into action without me. Except, they named their line Raquelle. Unfortunately for them, they also used one of my photos.
In 2016, I learned that all of my books had been pirated and placed on different sites around the internet. Needless to say, I was furious. After reporting them and taking their pages down, I started writing Torrent Tragedy. When you want to punish someone and you’re not a violent person, it’s much better to have a supernatural entity do your dirty work. That’s when I created Alexa and her Bloody Urn Curse. Yes, this story is bloody; and that’s what I wanted to do: send these pirates to bloody hell.
How did you approach writing the character of Serge Michaels to reflect both his youthful missteps and his growth throughout the story?
How did Serge become a monstrous cyber pirate? I had to paint a picture of his walk onto the dark side. When you see a child abusing an animal, that is significant. This child has lost its innocence. Thus, the description about his abuse of animals. Whether it’s nature or nurture, it is there; the bad seed. He was talented and intelligent, but lazy. Just like any bad seed, Serge continued on his path toward criminality. Like any clever criminal, he morphs into a new identity: Frederick Woodley. Now I had a profile of the villain in Torrent Tragedy. People around Freddie (Serge) suffered because he had Anti Social Personality Disorder. Now, it was time for Freddie to suffer.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
When I added the vampire character to the story, I started to think, why not create a good vampire? A vampire is someone who is forced to commit crimes in order to survive. Then of course, there’s the obstacle of “the blood thing.” That lead me to create the Nocturnals, vampires who no longer drink blood. This is the contrast of someone who is forced to do bad things to survive versus someone who chooses to do so.
The theme of Torrent Tragedy is the never-ending battle between good and evil in this 21st century. Some people are under the mistaken impression that if a crime does not involve violence, it is not a crime. Stealing is a crime no matter the means.
I am a strong believer in karma. In my work as a paralegal, I learned just how hard it is to get justice in this world. My stories are about people who do get justice, even if it is only fictional, poetic justice. I find it very satisfying to create an entertaining tale that amuses and revives a touch of hope into someone’s mind.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
Torrent Tragedy was the first in the Nocturnals series. Bloody Urn is the second installment. New characters enter the story in this sequel: A group of people who work at The Underground Telegraph, a news magazine that delves into the supernatural. Then there’s Lieutenant Loya who is investigating the strange “vampire murders” in Los Angeles. Benedictus, the founder of Nocturnals also enters the picture. Then, Freddie Woodley re- emerges (Serge Michaels).
The third sequel is Nocturnals. In this installment, wealthy individuals are being murdered by vampires then disappearing from the morgue. Some of these victims are later captured on surveillance cameras leaving the country – alive and well. There is a war brewing among the vampires: Bloodsuckers v. Herbivores. (Dark Dynasty v. Nocturnals). The spree of sensational and ghastly vampire murders ontinue, as the Lieutenant and members of the Underground Telegraph try to solve them.
I am now working on the final sequel, Moon Garden. In this final chapter of the series, much will be resolved. Such as:
a. Is Alexa the reincarnated soul of Calista?
b. When will Benedictus tell Alexa that he is a Nocturnal Vampire?
c. Can you incarcerate a blood sucking vampire?
d. Will the Nocturnals make it to Primavera Island in time?
Moon Garden will be available sometime before summer. That is, prior to the end of spring or “primavera.”
Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/05/05/fictional-poetic-justice/
Revolt Against the K-12 Status Quo is a potent and meticulously researched critique of the systemic inequities in the U.S. public school system, particularly regarding the stark discrepancies in educational funding across different states. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Forgive me, but I have a long-winded answer. There are several reasons why it was important for me to write the Revolt Against the K-12 Status Quo.
I am, by disposition, repelled by injustice and have sworn hostility against injustice –especially government-sponsored injustice exemplified by the decades-long vast disparities in K-12 education funding & spending among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
How can it be constitutionally acceptable in these ‘United’ States of America for Idaho, the lowest among the states, to have a per-pupil funding of $9,802, a measly 31.41%, not even a third, of the $31,205 per-pupil funding for the District of Columbia? Where in the US Constitution does it say that your youngster attending a public K-12 school would have to suffer—by accident of geography—from the deleterious impact of less-than-equal funding per pupil?
The idealist in me has long wondered why this all-important, consequential issue has slipped under the radar screens of education advocacy groups and/or civil rights organization; not one of them has raised a fuss and railed against the inequity, the injustice of unequal K-12 funding/spending per pupil.
As a super fan of American democracy, I am a true believer in America’s abiding promise of equal rights and opportunities for all. That said, and the staggering disparities that have bedeviled the current K-12 funding system, in my view, violate the letter and spirit of the EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE of the Fourteenth Amendment;
I wrote this book to serve as a wake-up call for the relevant policy-makers, elected and appointed, to engage in a national discourse that might lead to a re-examination of the sustainability of the long-standing policy that says K-12 education is merely a federal interest.
If the resulting conversations triggered by this book effectively helped to launch bona fide efforts to begin to mitigate–if not entirely eradicate–the unequal educational opportunities for young boys and girls across the nation…such a scenario could spell the start of inexorable progress toward equality for all in the educational arena. If, as a grateful immigrant, you have always wanted to make a difference–no matter how modest that difference might be–could you imagine a more consequential, a more satisfying, offering at the altar of American democracy?
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
A local responsibility, a state function, and merely a federal interest: this three-legged structure of the K-12 education system has produced vast disparities which are unjust as they are inequitable, by way of funding and spending disparities–appalling disparities with serious constitutional implications, chief among them the EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Where does the blame lie? The American people’s inattentive embrace of the problematic policy–which says K-12 education is merely a federal interest–and the deafening silence on the part of education advocacy groups and civil rights organizations have allowed the vast disparities among the 50 states to fester for far too long.
The questions are: In a country which proclaims equal rights and equal opportunities for all, why have the educational opportunities of young boys and girls in the bottom low-funded states, been effectively snubbed, demeaned, and degraded – by the affliction of an unequal K-12 funding system? When will America’s young boys and girls in the low-funded states stop getting the short end of the stick, time and time again?
The American people’s inattentive embrace of the problematic policy which says education is merely a federal interest, must end. It’s time for a ‘revolt against the patently inequitable K-12 funding/spending status quo.
How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
The basic research for the statistical and historical data contained in this book took me four months, with help from a Manila-based virtual assistant who worked with me a full three months. Looking back, I think I went overboard and put on my CPA-auditor hat by vetting and cross-checking the validity/accuracy of the statistical data by consulting other sources. But a big chunk of the research data –data related to student outcomes/standardized test scores–ended up in the waste basket. Although test scores were arguably somehow germane to the book’s thesis, I decided to keep the book’s focus on purely funding & spending levels.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Revolt Against the K-12 Status Quo?
It’s long past time for a ‘revolt’ against the inequitable K-12 funding status quo via a federal EQUALITY IN EDUCATION ACT. The sooner it happens, the better it will be for American democracy.
Author Links: Website | Amazon
In this book, you will find the gap between the top-funding/spending states and the low-funding/spending states to be as wide as the Grand Canyon. This book describes the inequity as appalling, astonishing, incomprehensible, mystifying, outrageous, and unbelievable. The book’s thesis: Society’s inattentive embrace of the problematic policy which says education is merely a federal interest must end. It’s time for a ‘revolt against the K-12 status quo. It’s time for a federal EQUALITY IN EDUCATION ACT to codify the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The sooner it happens, the better it will be for American democracy. EQUALITY IN EDUCATION can get America on the road to a more perfect union.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/05/05/abiding-promise-of-equal-rights/
Love and Nature/Amor y Naturaleza, authored by Abraham Garcia, is an eloquent compilation of bilingual poetry, seamlessly blending themes of love, nature, humanity, and fantasy in both Spanish and English. Garcia commences his collection with “Forever,” a heartfelt ode that reveals his profound appreciation and adoration for his partner. Through his vivid depiction of eternal love, Garcia not only celebrates the joy and serenity this bond brings into his life but also sets the tone for the collection.
As the book progresses, Garcia explores the intricate and inseparable relationship between love and nature, portraying them as fundamental and authentic aspects of life. His writing delves into the subtle, often unnoticed beauties of the natural world – the serenity of rainfall, the majesty of trees, the freedom of birds, and the warmth of sunshine. In doing so, he invites the reader to pause and relish the omnipresent yet frequently overlooked marvels of the natural environment. As a reader who has experienced love, the authenticity and relatability of Garcia’s love poems evoke a sense of nostalgia and reflection.
His keen attention to detail and ability to capture the essence of moments speak to his profound observational skills and deep emotional connection with his subjects. The poem “Essence” particularly stands out, showcasing Garcia’s dedication and enchantment with his muse, evoking a desire in the reader for such personalized, heartfelt verses. “The Train,” my personal favorite from this collection, resonates on a different level. It vividly captures the tranquil pleasure of train journeys, echoing the simple joys of watching the landscape pass by and the inherent peace in such moments. Garcia’s skillful use of language and imagery in this piece mirrors these sentiments, connecting profoundly with anyone who cherishes similar experiences.
The bilingual presentation of this anthology is a commendable feature, making it accessible and appealing to a diverse readership. Compact yet impactful, Love and Nature/Amor y Naturaleza is a delightful read, especially for enthusiasts of romantic poetry. It’s an invitation to explore the depth of love and the beauty of the natural world through the eyes of a poet who skillfully intertwines these themes.
Pages: 70 | ASIN : B0CX47R7GQ
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/05/05/love-and-nature-amor-y-naturaleza/
The Reentrant, by Terrence Hart, is an engaging sci-fi novel that delves into futuristic themes such as biological evolution, the origin of life, and the future of technology and space travel. The novel’s central character, Aurelia, undergoes a transformative journey starting on contemporary Earth. She becomes the first to test Reentrancy technology, which allows her consciousness to be uploaded to the digital realm. This groundbreaking event enables her to transcend biological death. After a lengthy period of stasis, Aurelia awakens in a distant future as a digital entity, capable of transferring her consciousness into bio-shells, specialized biological organisms designed for foreign planets. The novel follows her as she navigates this new future, where time is perceived differently and interstellar travel is possible thanks to Reentrancy technology.
The novel is exceptionally well-written, with compelling characters and convincing premises. Hart effectively grounds the reader in Aurelia’s familiar world before launching her into a vast journey through the cosmos. The descriptions of space travel and the technology that enables it are detailed and immersive, creating a richly imagined future. The plot is strong and captivating, filled with vivid imagery of a galaxy brimming with life, new technology, and the potential for indefinite survival in digital form. The characters are engaging, particularly Aurelia, whose survival journey is easy to root for. Her bond with her new space companion, Nimishi, adds depth to the story as he helps her adjust to her new life among the stars. The book offers an enjoyable and intriguing read, with Hart’s writing style effectively addressing relevant themes.
The Reentrant, by Terrence Hart, stands out as a compelling exploration of futuristic themes, blending intriguing characters, imaginative technology, and a captivating plot. Terrance Hart’s storytelling weaves an immersive journey through time and space, leaving readers with much to ponder about humanity’s future.
Pages: 330 | ASIN : B0CW1GM2K5
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/05/05/the-reentrant/