BOOK REVIEW: Fun Home

A while back I reviewed a book titled FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel in a newspaper column (and, unfortunately, not on my blog). I had originally picked it up because I knew Alison’s mother, a talented and fascinating woman. To put it mildly,the book was not at all what I expected.

Sub-titled A Family Tragicomic, FUN HOME is a graphic novel (hence the “comic” in “tragicomic”) that tells the coming of age story of Alison and her rather unorthodox family. The father was an English teacher who was also the  town’s funeral director; the mother also taught English and was active in local theater.

Alison knew from an early age that she was gay but did not find out that she had this in common with her father until she was in college, shortly before his questionable death.

The book is is brilliantly done. It is hard not to get caught up in the family dynamics and the artwork is especially well done. Although the story is told in cartoon fashion drawings, one portrait of the mother is beautifully executed. I was really impressed when I read FUN HOME.

Now to the present: No matter what is on my schedule, life gets put on hold the night of the Tony Awards. I knew that FUN HOME had been made into a musical and had been nominated for an award. It was almost with personal pride that I watched the show win five awards including Best Actor in a Musical (Michael Cerveris) and, in my opinion the top prize, Best Original Musical.

FUN HOME is also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. (We could have titled this post “Local Girl Does Extremely Well”. ) Alison’s most recent book is Are You My Mother; A Comic Drama. Also a  collection of her comic strips has been published, The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, taken from twenty five years of the popular strip.

PS. You young women may be familiar with the Bechdel Test, a test to determine how women relate through conversation in movies. Check this year’s winners and losers.

EVENT: 30th Annual Young Author/Illustrator Contest

The highlight of my reading this week came from a group of fifth graders and what fun that was! I was asked to be a judge for the 30th Annual Young Author/Illustrator Contest by the Centre County Library this year and gladly said yes.

The competition is for Centre County students in 1st through 6th grade. This year the stack of offerings from 5th grade was at least 12 inches high. It seemed a good way to spend an afternoon.

If you have any concerns about the abilities of our young people, believe me, this group of students would put your mind at ease. The stories were consistently entertaining and well written. I was impressed by the basic use of good grammar, spelling,etc. I am realistic enough to know that the students would be blessed with good editors in the shape of parents and teachers for these details, but the creativity had to have come from the young minds.

I read about magical wolf packs. I read about bad guys capturing clever young hostages and Santa getting stuck and rescued by a young girl and chocolate chip cookies... even pigs that could fly.

One of the things that stands out with me is how well an author handles dialogue. I was very impressed by one student who had his villains’ speech down so well. Their “tough language” was contrasted neatly with the rest of the story.

The young illustrators also proved to be very clever. Most were illustrated by the author, but several were collaborations. They ranged from simple line drawings to paintings of beautiful princess gowns. Part of the judging was on how appropriate the illustrations were to the story.  Graphic novels are permitted but I am still waiting to see one submitted.

The judges shared with the group when something really caught their attention. We all liked the story that had been taken from “South Park”, character names and all. ( That story did not make the cut.)

Each grade had to have a First Place, a Second Place, A Third Place and two Honorable Mentions. Our table had some very hard decisions to make.  There were so many really good ones, but several did stand out. It is a shame that we could only select five and the public will miss out on some that were equally entertaining.

The awards ceremony will be held on May 6, 2015 at the Bellefonte High School Auditorium from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. There the winners will receive their awards plus have selections read from their story. It is open to the public and the excitement rivals any Oscar or Tony presentation.

The first place winners will be hardbound and kept in the Centre County Library’s  permanent collection. Some day when you are in the library, you might want to take a look at what our Centre County students are doing. You will be impressed.

BOOK REVIEW: Hay Locos

(Note From Wendy: Hope was born in Wilmington, DE, so has a local connection to that area, as well!)

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania resident Hope Boylston’s book HAY LOCOS is a personal and honest story of living in Chile and dealing with dictators, revolutionaries, important political people, and peasants.

Always told with humor and a sense of caring for the people that she met, the book gives the reader a closer glimpse of our South American neighbors. It reminds us of how little we know of the countries to our south.

Right after graduating from college in 1969, Hope and her friend Toody left Ft. Lauderdale in a four-wheeler to attend a New Year’s Eve party in Santiago, Chile. They were three months late for the party.

Settling in Santiago, Hope always seemed to find work. One of her early jobs was adapting Our Bodies, Ourselves, a book on women’s health. She was also able to find jobs both as a translator and as a teacher. She returned to Washington, D.C. for a period of time after the military coup that upset Salvador Allende’s government. In 1977, she returned to Chile. Through friends, she became involved with the Resistance movement and was forced to leave in 1981, right before the secret police came for her.

Hope describes the people that she meets along the way with affection, so that we feel that we also know them. The friends who were in the Resistance movement with her are treated with special respect. It was easy to see why this group who faced real danger together would become close.

At her recent book signing, I asked who are the crazies mentioned in the title (Hay Locos roughly translates “there are crazies here")--Are they you and Toody? The friends that you made? It seems that locos are a fish that are tenderized by beating them on a cement wall. In other words, they have their brains knocked out of them.

The book captures Hope’s love for a country where goodness and beauty do exist, even under a cruel government. She quotes the poet Mario Benedetti: “In my country, the people live happily even when they’re not given permission.”

HAY LOCOS is an adventure story up there with any novel; the difference is that this one is true. If you get a chance, go to Hope’s next book signing. She will share her love for this beautiful country and, if you are lucky, she might share some of its excellent wine with you.

BOOK REVIEW: Redeeming the Rogue

Local authors are always of interest, so I was happy to meet C. J. Chase at her book signing at Way’s Fruit Farm.  REDEEMING THE ROGUE is her debut novel and shows great promise.

The year is 1815; Mattie Fraser has arrived in London from America to find her brother. The British had burned her home city of Washington and pressed her brother into their navy. Now alone in the world, Mattie has to know if her brother is alive or dead.

Kit DeChambelle is a military officer who becomes involved in her search for reasons of his own. Kit has been working as an undercover agent for the British and it was his brother who was the captain of the ship that had taken her brother…. A ship that may have a dangerous secret of its own.

Although REDEEMING THE ROGUE is published under the banner of LoveInspired, a series known for its Christian romance novels, this book is more adventure than anything else. C.J. said that she had to be reminded to add the romantic elements.

This is an impressive first novel. The time and location have been captured well, conversation is believable, and side characters have dimension. There are enough bad guys to keep you guessing who is trying to kill Mattie and enough good guys to know that she will probably be victorious.

C. J. Chase is a graduate of Bald Eagle High School; in fact the book is dedicated to Betty Kantner, her ninth grade English teacher. After reading C. J.’s first novel, I would not be surprised to find her break into main stream literature.

BOOK REVIEW: Going Local, Volume 2

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a book signing by Ken Hull, go! Ken is the author of the Going Local books and his enthusiasm is contagious. His informative books list the locally owned eating places with a critique and a bit of history on each place. GOING LOCAL, VOLUME 2 has just been released and therefore Ken is doing the book signing circuit.

Ken is very vocal about the importance of supporting our local establishments; or, as Ken puts it, “Un-chain yourself.” To help us to do just that, Ken has drawn a 75 mile circle in the center of Pennsylvania, using Boalsburg as the center. Within this 360 degree area he has highlighted some of the most interesting places to eat.

For example: People who call Bellefonte home have been familiar with Bonfatto’s. Those of us who have been here for some time remember when it was a small grocery store; after they started to sell a sandwich that was trademarked as the “Bonanza”, we watched Bonfatto’s grow to become a full restaurant. The family’s interesting history is included in the book as well as comments on the food.

Opening GOING LOCAL to any page and you find an eating place that needs to be checked. The best use of this publication may be that of a guide book. If you want to take a day trip to Renovo, you will know that Darlene’s Country Cottage is waiting for you. Just reading about Darlene’s Campfire Breakfast made me consider this a destination stop.

The book includes a map that makes finding these places easy and also includes the important information on each: owner’s name, type of cuisine, price range, hours, location, contact numbers, as well as nearby attractions and accommodations. Ken has given us all of the material we would need to make a trip for a good meal, an adventure.

The book is also fun to read. If you do get a chance to meet Ken, you will quickly see how he gets so much information from the people at each restaurant. His love of what he does, as well as his pure joy of doing all of this on his trusty motorcycle, is catching. Reading the book is like sitting down with a friend while he shares these passions with you. Open GOING LOCAL, pick a location, take a day, and enjoy.