Age of Consent by Howard Mittelmark

Plot summary:
Philip and his children, Peter and Ginny, move from the city to Oneida House on the outskirts of the university in Seneca, N.Y. His wife remains in the city and sometimes comes out on weekends. One of Peter's stoner buddies claims the house is haunted, and Peter gradually comes to believe him. He's been having weird (if fun) dreams, and his family is starting to act very strange. (Except for Mom, who barely appears in the story.)

The story jumps back and forth between Peter in the present, and Ellen in the early 70s. Back then, Ellen was a hanger-on of her girlfriend Alex's radical group. (She was really only there because of Alex.) Alex brought in uber-radical "Micrograham" to do something big. After a great deal of drug use and some self-mutilation, this turned out to be bombing the stage at graduation. Ellen told campus security and the plot was foiled. Micrograham then took the other kids out to the middle of the lake and told them to get out and wait for him. Which all except Alex did. Alex, perhaps slightly less stoned than the others, had to be thrown out of the boat. When Peter sees a picture of the group, he realizes that one of the guys looks just like...

This dude Mike that Peter saw in the woods (along with the chicks he had those fun dreams about)! And just like John Humprhey Noyes (real guy -- founder of the Oneida Community). And just like Joseph Smith (also a real guy -- founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Plus, one of the girls in the picture looks just like the history teacher at the high school, Ellen Bourne, only younger. While Peter and his buddies are talking to Ms. Bourne, Ginny is gathering explosives from Micrograham's hiding place and Dad is getting ready to turn Ginny into a virgin sacrifice. Dad takes Ginny out in the boat, Peter takes his buds and Ellen to the clearing he saw Mike in, and Ellen stays there while Peter and his buds head back to the house, where they see Dad and Ginny out on the water. Peter swims out to save Ginny, Ellen convinces her late friends that they don't have to stay with Mike, the dead kids drag Peter and Ginny underwater, Dad blows up, Peter and Ginny get back to shore and argue about whether to ask Mom to move to Seneca or to go back to the city. The end.

The drug use is heavy in the 70s sections, and Peter and his friends spend a lot of time drinking and occasionally smoking pot. The sex is never graphically described, though it is described and is a major part of the story. Phil with his bathrobe open when Ginny's friends come over also merits description. (Why get dressed for murder?) The references to Joseph Smith were what I personally found most offensive. (I'd not heard of Noyes or the Oneida Community before picking this book up.) Implying that the founder of a major religious movement was essentially a drugged out nut, manipulated by a being whose stated purpose is to cause destruction in the world, ticks me off. It especially ticks me off when it is used as nothing more than a plot device.

For family psychological horror with ghosts, I didn't think it was as good as Stephen King's The Shining (the Smith references really put me off), but it works and it's a lot shorter. Unlike many horror stories featuring children and teens, it doesn't try to be "kid's save the town from unspeakable horror." Peter's not trying to save the world or the town. Just his family.

If you liked this, try:

Bradbury, Ray. Something Wicked This Way Comes. Townspeople start acting all weird when evil circus comes to town. Boy has to save best friend from charismatic ringmaster, saving town just a bonus.

King, Stephen. The Shining. Psychic boy has to save family from haunted hotel, meets with limited success. (Don't judge the book by the Stanley Kubrick film.)

To see Novelist recommendations on spiritual possession, click here.

Latin America - current conditions

I know very little about Latin American history, economics and politics. That is exactly why I wanted to read this book. It seems that this may be the only book we have that discusses the topic since my search of the catalog didn't yield anything else. Unfortunately, it was over my head for the most part. It's too bad because I think that this region is quite important to "Americans" (misnomer translation - those from the United States). Anyway, what wasn't over my head was fascinating.

Read my review here.

Other books on the topic:
Saving the Americas: The Dangerous Decline of Latin America and What The U.S. Must Do by Andres Oppenheimer
Democratic Governance in Latin America
Latin America (Opposing Viewpoints)
Latin America After the Neoliberal Debacle: Emerging Paths to Peace and Equality by Ximena De La Barra

There are many more books that treat this topic but they tend to be rather academic.

Four Picture Books

It’s been a long time since I felt the urge to go out and buy a picture book, but in the last month, no less than four titles have come across my bookshelf, that I MUST own. So far, I’m holding off, with the books checked out to me, I have temporary ownership. Knowing they eventually need to be returned, and then hopefully get shabby with many checkouts, at some point, I will have to visit Aunties, and make some purchases!

When I first picked up No! by David McPhail, I was expecting a book like David Shannon’s No David series. As I turned the pages, I discovered a nearly wordless story about a child who learns that his own simple act of resistance to violence causes changes from war to peace, enmity to friendship, and weapons to toys.

A small boy sets off to mail a letter. As he walks to the mailbox, jets with bombs visible fly over, dropping their deadly loads over an adjoining neighborhood, destroying it completely. A tank rolls by, and takes out a house on his street; soldiers march by with their bayonets, and hidden faces, beating down the door of a family with terrified young children. A little further on, an old man in an act of resistance defaces the poster of a president, while a policeman and his fierce dog prepare to arrest him. When the boy finally arrives at the mailbox, a bigger boy is waiting to pick a fight with him. When the smaller boy says “No!” the bully is very surprised and begins to follow him. As they walk back down the street, they see the policeman smiling, and the dog licking the old man’s face in friendship. The soldiers have traded their guns for gifts, and with faces now visible are helping the young family they terrorized before. The tank has turned into a tractor, and can be seen plowing a field behind the space where the house’s rubble still lays, and the fighter jets fly over once again, but instead of dropping bombs, drop a parachute with a bicycle big enough for the two boys to ride off on together.

In Patricia Polacco’s In Our Mothers’ House, Marmee, Meema and their three adopted children, are like any other family; they live in a big old house in Berkeley, California. They love to spend time telling stories in front of the fireplace, they build a treehouse in the backyard, and have conversations around their dinner table. They also instigate the biggest block party ever, involving all the neighbors, but one. There is one family who does not approve of the family with two mothers and no fathers. As the children grow up, marry and start their own families, they always return to their mothers’ home, until finally one of the children takes it over when their mothers die. Patricia Polacco’s artwork is vibrant with color, action and joy, showing that all families, no matter what their make-up are filled with love and joy, and although they may have different ways of doing things, if they love each other, they really are the same as any other family. My favorite line, from near the end of the story is “From the day we entered out mothers’ house, they prepared us for the day that we would leave it.” If all parents would remember this task, what a better world our children would grow up in!

Neil Gaiman’s new book, Blueberry Girl, illustrated by Charles Vess is a new-age blessing for a baby girl. Three fairies, ladies of light, darkness and never-you-mind, are asked for kindness, safety, joy, cleverness, wisdom, and truth. Rich greens and golds, sunset blues and pinks surround a little girl dancing through illustrations filled with animals and flowers and trees. If you know of a family with a baby girl, or even an almost grown daughter, consider this lovely book as a gift.

Mama Says: A Book of Love for Mothers and Sons is a series of poems by Rob D. Walker, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. Each poem imparts a bit of wisdom from a mother to her young son. Each poem is presented in English and in the language and alphabet of the culture portrayed in the accompanying illustration, including Cherokee, Russian, Ethiopian, English, Korean, Danish and Hindi among many others. The illustrations are luminous, full page bordered paintings facing the poems, with a smaller circular painting above the poem. The repetition in the words and illustrations enhance the universality of the wisdom of the mothers. The final, double-paged spread and simple words will bring a tear to your eye and a lump to your throat, whether you are a mother, a son, a father or a daughter!

All four of these books are so positive, so joyous, that they beg to be shared, and not just with children. One of my favorite school librarian colleagues from many years ago, was always careful to call books in the E collection "Everybody Books" rather than "Easy Books." These beautiful and thoughtful picture books are truly for Everybody!