Awesome Young Adult Books/Book reviews/Recommended kid lit

Word Nerd Recommendations for fall 2020

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 5 Comments

Whew! I haven’t posted a book review in ages, and now is exactly the time when we need good entertainment. Today I will recommend not one, but THREE books for you, as well as a thought provoking documentary and a fantastic TV series.

First, the books. I love to write and read YA contemporary, so here are a couple novels in that genre for you to sample.

Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippencott

Five Feet Apart cover

Stella has been living with cystic fibrosis for years now, and she likes to control her world. She knows her parents’ failing marriage cannot take another family crisis, so she does everything she can to stay well, until Will ends up a few doors down from her in the hospital.

Will, another CF patient with a crooked smile and sarcastic charm, has a particularly virulent infection in his lungs. He is the last person Stella should be near, and the very person she can’t stay away from.

Five Feet Apart is a story about accepting loss and discovering what living really means. It has a positive ending, but is sad at times, so if you’re a little down from the pandemic, you might want to wait on this one. However, it strikes an interesting chord in the time of corona, as Will and Stella are constantly reminded to stay six feet apart to avoid sharing Will’s infection. The themes of finding connection while maintaining distance and living with limitations felt particularly relevant at this time. I listened to the audio book, which is well done.

What I Like About You by Marisa Cantor

In real life, Halle Levitt is quiet, anxious, and timid. Online, Halle is Kels, the confident YA book blogger with a huge following. Halle started her blog under a persona so she could establish herself in the book world independent of her grandmother’s publishing legacy, but she learns that maintaining two personalities – one IRL and one online – is exhausting and problematic. Especially when romance is involved.

What I Like About You explores the differences between online and IRL relationships and the disconnect between how we present ourselves online and who we really are. It does a nice job of pointing out the challenges modern teens face balancing virtual and physical interactions without being pedantic. I listened to the audio book which was at times painful; the narrator did a great job, but since the book includes lots of online interactions, it was annoying to listen to the dates and times of Tweets and texts. I would have skimmed over these if I was reading. It was very distracting when listening to the story.

Paradise by Toni Morrison

book cover paradise

Paradise is one of my favorites, worthy of a reread every decade or so. (I just finished my third read.) It compares and contrasts two communities. One, the town of Ruby, was established by the descendants of freed slaves and focuses on tradition, righteousness, and fear. The other, just 17 miles away at The Convent, is a collection of unlikely female housemates, exiled and grappling with their identity and their pain.

Morrison’s writing is powerful, layered, and poetic. She tackles complicated issues: the interactions between black and white, woman and man, outcast and chosen. It’s not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one, especially these days. “So the venom is manageable now. Shooting the first woman (the white one) has clarified it like butter: the pure oil of hatred on top, its hardness stabilized below.” Although it was first published in 1999, its themes and questions remain relevant today.

The Social Dilemma

This documentary, available on Netflix, features several former employees of Big Tech who express their concern for the negative influence of social media. These former employees of companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, call for increased regulation and attention to the hazards of giving so much of our attention to our devices. Although The Social Dilemma has come cheesy scenes of a family “under the influence” of technology, the documentary raises interesting questions about the effect of tech on our attention, our mental health, and our democracy.

Here are some thought provoking quotes that stuck with me:

“The platforms make it possible to spread manipulative narratives with phenomenal ease, and without very much money.” –

Renée Diresta, research manager of Stanford Internet Observatory, former head of policy at Data for Democracy‍

There are only two industries that call their clients “users”: illegal drugs and software.

Edward Tufte

The Gilmore Girls

Bonus recommendation: The T.V. show The Gilmore Girls, which depicts the loving relationship between Lorelai Gilmore, a strong, independent young single mother, and her precocious daughter Rory. While exploring the challenges of family and growing up, The Gilmore Girls is cheesy, often predictable, and makes me, my husband, and my 14 year old son laugh out loud. The characters are interesting and the banter is irresistible. It’s the perfect escape from our current crazy, and yet it still covers timeless topics thoughtfully.

There you go! Hopefully these recommendations will give you some valuable content to consume over the next month or so. Do you have anything to add to this list? Please share in the comments!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Who I Am

What is your voting plan?

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 6 Comments

Election Day is November 3, two weeks away. In this year of crazy, it’s more important than ever to vote and have a plan for your vote. Depending on the state you live in, you can vote early in person, vote by mail, or show up at the polls on Election Day. I’m excited to report that hubby and I voted early in person and it was super easy. Whatever you choose, be safe and be informed.

Each state has its own rules, so be sure you understand the voting process where you live. Search “Vote in (your state)” to find information about voting options and contact numbers for your local elections board, and see my post on voting for more helpful tips. Mail in ballots seem to generate the most confusion; find out what you must do to make your vote count. Do you need a witness? Must you sign the outside of the envelope? Where is the best place to turn in your ballot?

Here is an interesting podcast on voting. It includes interviews with election officials and tips for making sure your vote counts.

As we approach Election Day, beware of misinformation. Before you share posts, double check them against reliable sources. While social media platforms make it easy to access and share information, they do not encourage nuanced discussion of complicated ideas. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram thrive on capturing and keeping our attention by any means necessary. They really don’t care if the posts we see and share are accurate. We have to make that happen.

I voted early!
Voting early was easy!

Word Nerd Note: I watched The Social Dilemma last night, and yes, it did give me a lot to think about re: why our country is so polarized now. More on that later…

Get out there and vote! What is your plan for voting this year? Any tips to share?

Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.

Susan B. Anthony

Thanks for getting civically responsible with me!

Improving vocabulary

What is a himbo?

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 0 Comment

Okay, this week has been an extra crazy experience in a year marked by months of crazy. So we are going to take a break from the serious and contemplative this week to discuss something silly and ridiculous.

Do you know what a himbo is?

I came across this term while doing research for an online writing contest. Several authors and agents involved with the contest were enthusiastically supporting stories with “himbos” in them. I try, very hard, to keep up with the lingo of younger generations, but this was new to me. So of course, The Word Nerd looked it up.

According to this Newsweek article, himbo is a portmanteau (another fabulous Word Nerd word) of “him” and “bimbo”. Think Chris Helmsworth.

Apparently, there is some debate about whether or not “himbo” is an appropriate term to use. Some find “himbos” a welcome change in media – muscled men who are harmless because they will not use their strength to oppress women. One fan compared himbos to golden retrievers.

However, others ridicule those who label stupid but strong men as sexy. Apparently, there’s something predatory about lusting after someone who has less intellectual power.

I don’t know about all that, but now I know what himbo means. And so do you. You’re welcome. 😉

Have you come across any new words in pop culture that have you stumped? The terms are always changing, and we need to keep up!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Improving vocabulary

What’s the difference between isolation and quarantine?

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 8 Comments

Breaking news this morning: President Trump and his wife have tested positive for COVID and are currently in isolation at the White House.

I don’t know about you, but for the past few weeks I’ve been muddling over the terms “quarantine” and “isolation”, which are so often used in the same sentence. This morning’s news prompted me to finally settle the issue.

Both quarantine and isolation are used to describe situations in which people separate themselves from other people to prevent the spread of illness. The difference in the terms has to do with the purpose and length of the situation, not so much with what each situation looks like. They both amount to the same thing: separation from others.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

  • Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick.
  • Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.

People go into isolation when they know for sure they are sick. They must stay away from other people for ten days from the day their symptoms developed OR from the day of their positive test result, AND fever has not occurred for 24 hours, AND other symptoms have resolved.

People go into quarantine after they have close contact with someone who is confirmed sick and are waiting to see if they develop illness. This usually involves waiting for test results and symptoms. It’s very important for people who have had exposure to COVID to quarantine for the full 14 days, even if they feel healthy, because the illness can take up to two weeks to show up, and because they can still spread the virus to other people even if they feel fine.

Read more on when to quarantine here.

So, do you get the difference now? I hope so! What are some other terms floating around in the news these days that confuse you? I’d be happy to try and clarify.

Also, check out my posts on other COVID terms like pandemic.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

Book reviews/Who I Am

Reading about racism

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 7 Comments

The earliest I remember thinking about race was in high school. I had a close friend, who was white, and her parents told her she could never, ever date a black guy. So, she was only interested in dating black guys. I remember feeling that somehow her parents’ blanket disapproval of all black boys was wrong, but I don’t know if I labeled it racist. I should have.

Later, when I started college at UVA in 1989, racism became a more obvious issue. A pair of black girls from Philly lived across the hall from me, and I remember two things vividly: “Pump Up the Jam” blasting in their room, and the fact that one of them refused to speak to any of the white girls on the hall. She announced at a hall meeting early in the year that the white man had planted AIDS in Africa to kill the black man, and she had no desire to get to know any of us.

I was shocked. I never thought of myself as racist, yet this girl was calling me just that. How could she accuse me of racism and refuse to speak to me before knowing me at all? Her words and actions were hard to take, and yet they forced me to think about my race and the implications of racism more than I ever had before.

Her roommate, by contrast, entered into dialogue with all the girls on the hall. She explained how it felt to be the only black person in a room full of white people. She even offered to take us to a black party, so we could experience how it felt to be in the minority, if only briefly. None of us took her up on it. This girl was thoughtful and articulate, and yet I never took the time to get to know her. That was a waste.

Now, in the chaos of 2020, the topic of racism has captured my full attention. In the past thirty years, I’ve been concerned about racism – during the Rodney King trial, during Barack Obama’s campaign and presidency, while reading the novel Small Great Things, while following news about Colin Kapernick’s actions- but I’m embarrassed that I’ve never thought deeply about it and its implications until now.  The Ahmaud Arbery case tipped me over the edge, perhaps because I love to run. I was horrified that an unarmed man out for a neighborhood run could be shot dead. As I watched the video of Arbery grabbing the shotgun pointed at his chest, I wondered what had happened to make him act so boldly. I wanted to learn more. The months that followed have only reaffirmed that reaction.

These days, I struggle with what to do, both as an individual and as a member of society, about racism. I marched for Black Lives Matter in June and personally thanked the 18 year old girl who organized the protest, but that hardly is enough.  How can I meaningfully examine and act on this incredibly complicated issue? I can start by educating myself. That means consuming content from multiple and varied sources that overtly and subtly address the topic of racism.

Here’s what I’ve read/ listened to so far:

  • Becoming, by Michelle Obama. Memoir. Obama describes her rise from humble beginnings to Princeton, a job with a large legal firm, and a “swerve” to public service. Explores family, career, the balance between the two, and the desire to serve and have a positive impact on the world.
  • The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama. Memoir. Written before he was president, the book describes Obama’s experiences as a senator and the challenges of creating meaningful change in a politically polarized environment.
  • White Fragility by Beverly DiAngelo. Adult non-fiction. Explores the social structures and attitudes that contribute to racism in America.  Examines the reasons why white people have a hard time talking about racism.
  • “The Dehumanizing Condescension of White Fragility“, by John McWhorter, The Atlantic, July 2020. A criticism of White Fragility.
  • Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. Adult fiction. Tells the story of a young black woman named Emira and how race complicates her romantic and work relationships.
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds. Middle grade fiction. Castle Crenshaw, AKA Ghost, is excited to be recruited to a city track team, but he must figure out if he’s running for fun, or running from himself.
  • A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Young adult. A novel in verse exploring a neighborhood shooting and how it affects the people involved, especially a young man on a mission to retaliate.
  • Paradise by Toni Morrison.  Adult fiction. Morrison tackles complicated issues: the interactions between black and white, woman and man, outcast and chosen. It’s not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile one, especially these days. “So the venom is manageable now. Shooting the first woman (the white one) has clarified it like butter: the pure oil of hatred on top, its hardness stabilized below.”
  • Code Switch Podcast, NPR. Explores the impact of race on all parts of society: politics, pop culture, sports, health. It’s where I heard about Such a Fun Age and learned what “a Karen” is.

Next up for me:

  • Stamped by Ibram Kendi, and I got the Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You, a Stamped remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram Kendi for my kids
  • Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
  • The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby

How are you responding to the national reckoning on racism? What have you read lately that has informed your opinions and understanding? Please share helpful and relevant titles below.

Thanks for getting thoughtful with me!

Improving vocabulary

What is sedition?

Posted on by Julia Tomiak / 0 Comment
what does sedition mean

Earlier this week, Michael Caputo, a spokesman for the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, accused government scientists of “sedition” in a live video on his personal Facebook page. This Word Nerd has heard of “sedition” before, in history class and historical fiction (think The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798), but sadly, while I knew “sedition” was bad, I couldn’t accurately define it.

Enter Merriam-Webster!

sedition /se·​di·​tion/ comes from the Latin sedition-, seditio, literally, separation, from sed-, se- apart + ition-, itio act of going, from ire to go. It means incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.

So, basicially, Mr. Caputo suggested that scientists, specifically some working at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are actively working against President Trump and undermining his authority. Mr. Caputo has since apologized for the accusations.

Regardless of how you feel about Mr. Caputo’s accusation of sedition, (I happen to think that scientists are being undermined in the current political climate and not the other way around…), at least now you can discuss any possible sedition with a word nerd’s knowledge. 😉

What words from current events have left you feeling confused? Please share… I’m happy to do some Word Nerd research!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!