The Good News Club: The Religious Right Stealth Assault on American Children

Today’s review is on The Good News Club: The Religious Right   Stealth Assault on American Children by Katherine Stewart. It is 287 pages long including notes and an index. Cover is a picture of a playground with a cross done in a hopscotch style. The reader is someone who is interested in nonfiction, the religious right, and the continued separation of church and state. There is no foul language, no sexuality and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of book- 2009, The Good News Club came to the public elementary school where journalist Katherine Stewart sent her children. The Club bills itself as an after-school Bible study, but Stewart soon discovered its real mission is to convert children to fundamentalist Christianity.  Astonished to discover that the Supreme Court had deemed this religious activity legal in public schools, Stuart began an investigative journey to dozens of cities across the nation to document the impact.

As Stewart makes chillingly clear, the rapidly expanding network of the Good News Clubs represents just one of the range of initiatives intended to insert religious values into public schools. Although they appear to be spontaneous, local events, they are in fact organized and funded at a national level. Taken together, they represent a new strategy of the Religious Right in its long-running aim to ”take back America,” undermining our public education system and secular democracy itself. 

Review-  An eye opening and disturbing expose of the religious right's newest way to take away our freedoms. Stewart was sending her children to her local public school when a new club started in the area. Interested in this after school Bible club and what it was really she came to discover that it was teaching exactly what you would expect. Disturbed by the discovery of fundamentalist Christianity in her secular public school Stuart began to investigate the Good News Club, and the people who were running it. In the book that follows her investigation, is an expansive book but terrifying to see how far the religious right will go to get their way. Across the country, Stewart interviews different people both involved with the club and others were are not, and comes to a not surprising conclusion. The conclusion is that the Good News Club is a serious threat to public education and the separation of church and state. I personally did not find that shocking at all but seeing it in black-and-white laid out so clearly and where all the money being funded into the Good News Club is coming from was quite disturbing. If you are at all interested in the continued separation of church and state I highly recommend that you read this book. 

I give this book Five out of Five Stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my library.

Gunparade March, volume 2

Today's review is on Gunparade March, volume 2 by Hiroyuki Sanadura. It is 190 pages long and it was published by ADV manga. The cover has three of the characters on it in an action scene. The intended reader is someone who has read the first volume likes of Mecca manga in war storm . There is very mild foul language, mild sexuality, and warlike violence in this volume. The story is told from third-person close of the main character Hayami. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Full Phantom Force!

 50 years since the Invasion, the Phantom Beast devastating extermination of the human race continues. With its body count Rising, Japan was forced teenagers into the battle. Army unit 5121 is no exception. Victory is that is fine, but when the realities of War feel the pangs of hunger and the desire to live another day, will these battle-hardened teams have the strength to face failure and tragedy? survival and Triumph or Not Guaranteed, but count on the brave teens of the world to fight courageously in Gunparade March!

Review-  We pick up right after the ending of the first volume with unit 5121 going back into the battlefield after their Beach vacation. Akira has been given AMAC to fight in and the first half of the manga is dealing with that battle and the biggest loss being losing Akira to the Phantom Beast in spite of everyone's best efforts. Shibamura has to face herself and deal with feeling like she let her honor and her friends down. But the most interesting thing that happens in this manga has to do with how Hayami really joined unit 5121.  We find out more about his past, that he was some kind of test subject. What we see of the lab that he was in, there were Phantom beasts and other children in there. I hope in the last volume it explains what's going on; are the children Phantom beasts, are the Phantom Beast human, or some or is some other kind of strange experiment going on to try and stop the Phantom Beast? With a lot of threads to clear up with only one volume left I'm curious to see how Sanadura can do it. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this mango with my own money.

One Fine Duke

Today's post on One Fine Duke by Lenora Bell. It is 377 pages long and is published by Avon. The cover has to two main characters on it about to kiss in a field of daises. The intended reader is someone who likes historical romance. There is some mild foul language, sex and sexuality, and mild violence in this novel. It is the third in the School for Dukes series but you do not have to have read the first tow to understand the plot. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Ready.
Raised in the countryside by her overprotective uncle, Miss Mina Penny's dream of a triumphant London season is finally here. She determined her perfect match long ago: Rafe Bentley, the wickedest rake of them all. There's only one very large, very unyielding obstacle: Rafe's brother Andrew, the reclusive Duke of Thorndon.
Aim.
This was supposed to be simple. Duke goes to London. Duke selects suitable bride. Love match? Not a chance. But when Drew meets Mina, she complicates everything. How can a lady armed with such beauty and brains fall for his irresponsible degenerate of a brother? Drew vows to save her from heartbreak and ruin, no matter the cost.
Desire!
But Mina is no damsel in distress. She's daring, intuitive, passionate...and halfway to melting Drew's cold heart. And although Mina thought she knew exactly what she wanted, one breathtakingly seductive kiss from Drew changes everything. Now Mina must decide between long-held dreams and dangerous new desires. Could her true destiny lie in the arms of a duke?

Review- A cute love story about two likable characters. Mina wants to do something important in life, to be more than just a protected woman, someone like her mother. Drew wants tomorrow to be just like yesterday and wants a quiet wife like that too. Of course when they meet they clash. Mina tries to make herself look bad to Drew but instead just makes herself more interesting to him by genuinely not wanting his attentions. As they get to know each other, they see that they are perfect for each other. There is some good character growth over the course of this novel with Drew learning to real deal with his trauma and Mina learning about what she is really wants out of life. The sex scenes are not too long and are natural but you can skip them without losing plot points. If you want a fun historical romance with interesting and likable character then you should give this one a look.

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

Sex, Teens, and and Everything In Between

Today's review is on Sex, Teens, and  and Everything In Between by Shafia Zaloom. It is 313 pages long including and notes a bibliography and other resources. It is published by Source books. The cover is white with the title in red, orange and yellow. The intended reader is parents, educators, teens and anyone who deals with teenagers and sexuality. There is no foul language,there is discussion of sex and sexuality and discussions of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-  The Only book you need to start a conversation with your kids about sexual harassment, consent, #metoo, and more.

Many American teens are steeped in a culture that sends unsettling messages about sex, through everything from politics to music to the normalization of p***. In today's environment it's critical that teens be able to ask hard questions about how to take care of themselves, make decisions that reflect their values, and stay safe. Insects teens and everything in between, veteran teen sex educator and mother of three Shafia Zaloom  helps you discuss a wife or I variety of sex related topic with your teams, including;

• How to get and give consent

•  What it means to have “good" sex

•  How to help prevent sexual harassment and assault

•  How to stay safe in difficult situations

•  The legal consequences of sexual harassment and assault, and what to do if a teen experience is assault or is accused of it

•  Stories from survivors of sexual assault

Approachable, engaging, and was real life scenarios and discussion questions in each chapter, Sex,Tteens, and Eeverything in between is a must-have resource that gives parents and educators the tools they need to have meaningful conversations with teens about what sex can and should be.

Review- This is an interesting and engaging nonfiction book about a difficult topic to talk about but a very needed one. Zaloom has been working with teens for decades and pours all of her years of work and research into this book. The writing style is engaging, the stories from the teens are very clear, easy to understand what the teens are struggling with, and helps parents / educators to have these conversations with the teenagers in their lives. At times this book can be difficult to read, as there is discussion of rape, dating violence, and sexual assault but these are important discussions to have with teenagers so that if it happens to them they can understand what's happening. This may be a difficult book to read as it deals with hard topics but if you work with teenagers or if you just want to understand teen sexuality more then you should give this book a look. 

I give this nonfiction  book a five out of five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift. 

Midnight Secretary, volume 3

Today's review is on Midnight Secretary, volume 3 by Tomu Ohmi.  It is 190 pages long and is published by Shojo beat. The cover is a beautiful Orange with Kaya and Kyohei on it. as it is the third volume in the series you need to have read the first two to understand the story. There is no foul language, sexuality, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from first-person close of Kaya. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kaia has been temporarily reassigned to another company, but she won't let that keep her from her lover,Kyohei.  she's appointed herself as a special secretary, and she spends each night at his condo helping him work and quenching his thirst for her delicious blood. Love suits Kaya, the trouble looms now that she's caught the eye of her other boss!

Review-  Not a lot happens in this volume other than we see Kyohei finally come to terms with the fact that he is in love with Kaia and that he's going to have to deal with that. We do get to see exactly how competent Kaya is and running both the secretarial group for her new company and still managing all of Kyohei affairs at night. At the end of the volume it is revealed that Kyohei  has left his father's company to create one of his own. He feels that it is time for him to move on and that he has repaid the debt he owes his family. Of course he wants Kaya to come and be his secretary there but as she has contracted to work at the new company for a year she is currently refusing. It will be interesting to see where the story goes in the next four volumes. 

 I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this mango with my own money.

Piecing Me Together

Today's post is on Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson. It is 277 pages long and is published by Bloomsbury. The cover is very colorful with the main character in the center. The story is told from first person close of the main character Jade. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and discussions of violence in this book.

From the back of the book- Jade believes she must get out of her neighborhood if she’s ever going to succeed. Her mother says she has to take every opportunity. She has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for “at-risk” girls. Except really, it’s for black girls. From “bad” neighborhoods.
But Jade doesn’t need support. And just because her mentor is black doesn’t mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.
Friendships, race, privilege, identity— this compelling and thoughtful story explores the issues young women face.

Review- An interesting book about race, friendship and where the two collide. Jade is just trying to get through her high school without attracting any unnecessary attention and get onto college so that she can start her life. She has friend at home but none at school and she does not want any. When she is given the opportunity to be part of a mentor program, she reluctantly agrees. Jade is a great main character, she has flaws, she has goals and dreams, and she grows over course of the novel. Her mentor Maxine and her one school friend Samantha make her look and think about her actions and she does the same for them. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it.

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for this book and I was given this book by a friend.

Murder in McComb: The Tina Andrews Case

Today’s Nonfiction book review is on Murder in McComb: The Tina Andrews Case by Trent Brown. It is 305 pages long and is published by LSU press. The cover is a green sepia picture of where Tina Andrews was found with her fourth grade school picture in it.  The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime, race and societal politics in the Deep South, and in-depth investigative journalism. There is mild foul language, no sex, and description of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket-  What remained of the badly decomposed body of 12 year old Tina Marie Andrews was discovered underneath a discarded sofa in the woods outside of McComb, Mississippi, on August 23rd, 1969. Ten days earlier, Andrews and a friend had accepted a ride home after leaving the Tiger’s Den, a local teenage hangout, but they were driven instead to the remote area where Andrews’ was eventually murdered. Although eyewitness testimony pointed to local police officers, no one was ever convicted of this brutal crime, and to this day the case remains officially unsolved. Contemporary local newspaper coverage notwithstanding, the story of Andrews murder has not been told. Indeed, many people in the Macomb Community, more than 50 years later, hesitate to speak of the tragedy.

Trent Brown’s  Murder in McComb is the first comprehensive examination of this case, the extended trials that followed.  Brown also explores the public shaming of the state's main witness, a fifteen-year-old unwed mother, and the subsequent desecration of Andrews' grave. Set against the uneasy backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, Brown’s study deftly reconstructs various accounts with the murder, explains why the jury's reached the verdict that they did, and explores the broader forces that shape the community Andrews live and died.

Review-  This is an in-depth journalistic investigation into not only the officially unsolved murder of Tina Andrews, but also the society that she was born into that made her murder unsolved.  Tina Andrews was 12 years old when she was out late and accepted a ride with her friend, by two men one of whom was believed to be a police officer. Instead of taking the two girls home the two men took them to the oilfield a bare patch in the woods, in order to have sex with them. Which the two girls were not interested in and tried to get away, the only witness surviving was Tina's friend and the two men who killed her.  Brown is coming some fifty years after the murder and the trials to try and reconstruct what exactly happened that night in August 1969. Of course local gossips thinks that the two men,  one of whom was tried twice and found innocent once, were the ones who did it. But because Tina Andrews came from a very poor family, her friend identified them was also seen is not a very good person, and the accused men were both out upstanding police officers, they got away with murder; at least everyone in the city of McComb thinks that. Brown doesn't try to say who did what but instead tries to reconstruct what happened. What made the community turn against two young girls in such a way. This was at times a difficult book to read, not because of the writing style but because we're talking about two children, one of them was murdered and the other was slandered in her community because she didn't live up to some standards. If you're looking for a true crime book that examines more than just the crime scene but the community that enabled crime and the murderer to get away with it I highly recommend this book. 

I get this book a Four out of Five Stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrow this book from my local library.