Placebo Junkies by J.C. Carleson

Whoa.  Just whoa.

I did NOT see THAT coming.

Audie is a mentally ill teenager about to age out of the foster care system.  She lies about her age, moves in with a male and female friend, and becomes a professional paid medical study volunteer.

Now, I bet you've seen those billboards on 95 or maybe in the Register looking for medical study volunteers.  I have some VERY mixed feelings.  When traditional treatment did not help my mother, she volunteered to be part of a drug study.  This miracle drug was seriously going to kill cancer.  It could wipe out leukemia.  Unfortunately, it killed my mother in the process, along with another study participant.  I'm happy to say that drug will never see the light of day.  In addition to those patients who are terminal and looking for a miracle, are healthy every day people volunteering to take part in studies and be compensated for their time.  Some are pretty mundane.  I did one in college where I had to answer questions on body image (please see my review of Dumplin').  Others not so much.  Without human trials, we would not have some of the drugs that save lives today.  However, there are most definitely cases where "healthy" volunteers are recruited from homeless shelters and outpatient mental health clinics.  Desperate for money, many of these people will do whatever study is asked of them, even if they do not understand what they are consenting to.

As for Audie, we learn she was a foster child, her biological mother was a drunk/drug addict who died.  Now, at 17, she is close to no longer being a ward of the court.  One of her child psychologists suggests she try a new medication as part of a study.  And thus, her career as a guinea pig begins.

I could not stop turning the pages on this one.  And I was shocked, floored, speechless as we near the end.

Be advised, there is a LOT, and I mean A LOT, of profanity and some sexual content.

On the wish list now!

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Happy Thanksgiving!  I'll be with friends and family over the next few days, so look for book reviews to start up again in early December!

The Witches, Salem 1692 by Stacy Schiff

When I had a classroom of sophomores in English II, we began the year with Miller's The Crucible.  I always opened with the statement that the play was historically inaccurate.  I'd say something to the effect of "do not think you are going to read this play and call yourself an expert on the Salem Witch Trials; you will make a fool of yourself".  The reality though is that Miller's play has taken the place of true history, in part because just about every teenager in America reads his version, whether in American Literature or U.S. History.  Even if they don't read it, they've likely seen the Winona Ryder/Daniel Day-Lewis movie version, since it's on all the time.

To combat this syndrome, I'd try to sneak in some accurate history Reading for Information stuff along with my curriculum requirements.  I'd try to get in the Carrier trial piece in our anthology or something of Mather's.  I'd also try to point out spots that aren't plausible in true history.  Abigail was a child, she was not an overly sensual 17 year old out for Proctor's hand in marriage.

Reading Schiff's book, I found myself learning new things just a few pages in.  I've been to Salem half a dozen times, both as a chaperone and with family.  I've read a lot of background material (for anything I taught, not just Salem).  I've watched the Ghost Adventures episode on Bridget Bishop (and yes, I snuck in a clip from that too!).  I still learned a TON of new information.

When I review a book, you know I've either really liked it or see its value in adding it to our collection by telling you I'm buying it.  Unfortunately, we are frozen budget wise at WHHS right now.  We were able to get a small book order in (still waiting on the actual check to clear though...) just days before the freeze took effect, with some significant tantrum throwing by yours truly.  As such, I am ordering it via Amazon using our bottle drive funds!  Look for it after Thanksgiving!

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The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

In my experience, kids and adults alike either love or hate steampunk as a literary genre.  That of course refers to those who know what steampunk even is.

So a little lesson here.  Steampunk is rooted in science fiction/fantasy.  Stories feature inventions and technology as envisioned by those in the 1800s might have.  The primary means of power is steam and dress resembles that of the Victorian era when pictured graphically.  My husband, son, and I dressed as a steampunk family for an "old-time photo".  It's old meets newly imagined.  Giant flying airships powered by steam.

Why is it a love or hate thing?  I'm not entirely sure.  I am not a huge fan, but I'll read it.  My first steampunk experience was a free Nook Book a few years ago, Viridis by Calista Taylor, which was a hybrid romance-steampunk novel.  Butcher comes from the fantasy genre (based on reviews I read prior, he's not an author I know well).  Many reviewers suggest they came to this novel by way of his prior series.  Let's also get out of the way, for my student readers in particular, this is a long book.  About 650 pages.  It's not a one-day read.  As it is a first serial, there is a lot of setup and background information that needs to be conveyed to get you to read book 2 when it arrives.  I myself was not engrossed enough to get myself on the waiting list for book 2, but if a student suggests it, as they did with this one, I certainly will read it.

Yes, that's correct.  This is a student suggested read.  I take these suggestions most seriously of any.  Students trump family, friends, colleagues, book reviews, movie previews, prior experience, basically anything else.  If one of my kids is reading it, and says I should, that's going to be my next read!   

You also know I love animals.  Some of the best characters are not human.  There's a literal cat fight.  It was awesome.

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Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

I am fairly certain this was recommended based on my high reviews of The Martian or perhaps one of the other sciencey books I've read and reviewed.  It was a long read (470+ pages) and yes, there is a ton of physics stuff.  But, overall, enjoyable.

It's 2066.  A hippie surfer working at Caltech (Daddy got him the job) assigned menial tasks notices something very strange happening in the rings of Saturn.  Very quickly, the people of Earth have the answer to whether we are alone in the universe or not. 

Sandy turns out to be way more than a stoned dropout.  He's former military, suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Between discovering the alien activity, a knack for cinematography, and his resume as an officer, he's added to the mission.  Clover, an anthropologist (also a stoner), and Cassie, a reporter, join the scientists on the journey.

The Americans are in a space race with the Chinese.  The original intent was colonization of Mars.  Now all attention is turned to Saturn, to make contact with the visitors and perhaps get hands on their technology.  What happens when two warring nations show up at the same time?

Trust me, if you're an American, you will hate the Chinese characters.  I'm guessing someone who is a loyal Chinese will hate the American characters.  It's part of how well developed they are.  No matter who you are, you will love Clover's cat Mr. Snuffles.  You'll also love the alien communicator, who the landing party  name Wurly because it looks like an old jukebox.  Google it if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

All of the science fiction is backed up with science fact (as much as we know in 2015 that is) in the epilogue. 

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Fortunate Son by John Fogerty

I really, really, really wanted to like this memoir.  I have been a Creedence Clearwater Revival/Fogerty fan for, well, as long as I can remember.  Their/his music was some of the earliest I can remember coming out of my Dad's speakers.  I went to his most recent concert at the Oakdale.  I wanted this to be another great music memoir we could add to our collection.

Unfortunately, I found the narrative too choppy to follow.  Fogerty bounces around the memories of his childhood so much, it's tough to keep the timeline straight.  This continues into the Creedence days.  There are also interwoven commentaries from his wife Julie.  The only bit that is crystal clear is the vignette regarding the copyright trials, when Fogerty fought for the rights to the music he wrote.

Much of what appears in the memoir is played in the opening video to Fogerty's current concerts, just in a much more succinct manner.

Disappointed to say the least.  

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Deep South by Paul Theroux

Many people want to travel the world.  And Paul Theroux did, going to Africa and Asia.  What he realized though, was that he had never traveled to the South.  The real "deep south".  How can one travel the world and not have traveled within our own country?

The fact is, our country is ginormous.  It's huge.  And each region has its own isms reflected in its food, customs, religions, cultures, music, holidays, celebrations, every aspect of daily life.

Here in New England, summer means carnivals and Six Flags.  Hot dogs and the beach.  Fall means a rainbow of colored leaves, pumpkin everything, and Halloween.  The whole family together on Thanksgiving, with traditional food.  None of this new fangled recipe nonsense in magazines.  Winter is skiing and snowboarding.  Hockey.  Christmas lights and honoring holiday traditions of a plethora of different religions.  Spring time brings baseball and allergies.  Daffodils.  We speak faster than other regions.  We are addicted to Dunkin Donuts.  We mix New York and Boston.  The Cape.  Vermont and New Hampshire.  Yankee Candle.  Long Island Sound.  Clam chowdah and lobstah rolls.  The T and Fenway.  Hunting, boating, fishing.  The 4th of July.

You can see how devoted we are to our homes.  About 5 years ago, my sister decided to move to California.  Then when her fiance, an officer in the Air Force, was transferred to the D.C. area, they settled in Charlottseville, Virginia.  Going to visit her was like visiting a different world.  We stayed overnight in Manassas, visiting the historic Civil War battlefield and watching a re-enactment.  We met an actor playing a New Hampshire doctor.  He told us his character was a very smart man, then whispered "for a Northerner of course", not knowing we were "Yanks".  People open carry and fly the Confederate flag.  We were only a few hours from home, but it was like being transported to a different country.  Driving North, from Charlottesville to Hershey, we went on back roads.  Churches and crosses every where.  The sky was bluer.  The grass was a different shade of green.

Theroux is from Cape Cod and decides to head to the South, somewhat of a midlife crisis.  He's a white, privileged, middle-aged Northerner in a foreign land.

Life moves much slower in the South.  I have a friend living in Georgia for the past twenty years.  I can't talk to her on the phone because. she. talks. so. darn. slow.  People are identified by race and respective church.  Both define one's "people".  Here in the North, we'd think a stranger asking questions was suspicious and would likely ignore them.  Theroux finds people are eager to offer him a meal or drink and talk about the past and present.

Race dominates many of the stories he hears.  Segregation and the Voter ID law come up frequently.  Food is a major thematic topic.

The book is organized into vignettes, which can be read independently of the whole.  This would make a great text in modern regionalism and the study of the disparities between the American people, often o generalized by media outside our nation.  Americans are X and Y, but in reality we run the gamut A to Z.

There is nothing new about the travel story or the journey to find oneself story, which Theroux admits early on.  What makes this different is that is really about the people he meets and what life is like for them, when viewed by an outsider welcomed in without reserve.

I plan to recommend some of the stories to my colleagues for use in English II (American Lit), U.S. History, Issues in Government, Philosophy, and Psychology.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Early last week I noticed quite a few of the LMC regulars reading a bright orange book.  When I asked, they told me it was for English.  Now, I've only been gone from the department a year, so I was really, ahem, curious about the book.  I ended up in Mrs. Mattson's room at the conclusion of parent visiting to try to fix an attachment she had been emailed.  There happened to be one on a cart she said I could borrow.

I've been laid up at home recovering from minor surgery.  I started reading this shortly after my son got on the bus and was done by noon.  It is a quick read and quite enjoyable.

I can't spill too much here, because like I said, it's in the curriculum, meaning there are going to be assessments and I don't want to be the SparkNotes du Jour.  The main character is either an aspie or an autistic savant.  He's a lot like Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory and Colin in An Abundance of Katherines (see my previous review).  In fact, I was going to suggest Haddon had maybe riffed off John Green's Colin, but this novel was actually published 3 years earlier.

I was Googling for some background info when I found the novel was adapted into a play.  It's currently on Broadway.  Field trip anyone?

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