Category Archives: The Houseful Reads

Augusta & Noble – A Study In Immigration & Deeper Conversations

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Last weekend the cellist and I had a mom and me outing (he’s going on thirteen next month, so I’m not sure that I can have him using mommy on the blog,) and we headed to Adventure Stage Chicago, located at 1012 N. Noble St,  to see Augusta & Noble. Being no stranger to ASC, I was prepared for a great production, but not one that would leave me thinking as much as this one did.

Gabi is a resident of a West Town neighborhood in the city of Chicago which happens to be full of Latino culture. She is worried about her first day of school at a high school across town by the name of Northside College Prep. Among her typical first day of school jitters, Gabi is also worried about her father, who has to take an unexpected trip, her mother who is working too hard, and her little brother who she used to have loads of time for, but given her new academic schedule, she finds that she’s even struggling in that area.

What I did not expect from this production was a story that hit so close to the Great Migration of my grandparents from southern states to the city of Chicago. A great mecca to so many. I also saw correlations to the Underground railroad as well, but I will stop there.

Just know that there happens to be a coyote, a rabbit, a great blue spirit and lots of fence straddling between dreams and reality; Northside Prep and the desert; school and home. Gabi must learn to trust those around her and speak up for what she believes in – which is kind of hard when you’re only fourteen.

The play is recommended for children 9 and older, and provides great conversation starters all around.

The schedule has been listed below for your convenience, and I suggest that if you are in the Chicagoland area you should really catch a showing! All weekend showings are offered in English/Spanish subtitles on a screen above the stage.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Previews: 10:30am
Thu, Apr. 11 | Fri, Apr. 12
Weekday Education Matinees: 10:30am (also open to general public)
Tue, Apr. 16 | Thu, Apr. 18 | Tue, Apr. 23 | Thu, Apr. 25 | Tue, Apr. 30 | Thu, May 2 | Tue, May 7 | Thu, May 9 | Tue,
May 14 | Thu, May 16
Weekend Evenings: 7:30pm
Fri, Apr. 19 | Fri, Apr. 26 | Sat, Apr. 27 | Fri, May 3 | Sat, May 4 | Fri, May 10 | Sat, May 11
Weekend Matinees: 4:00pm
Sat, Apr. 13 | Sat, Apr. 20 | Sat, Apr. 27 | Sat, May 4 | Sat, May 11

*I was provided media tickets for a special viewing. All reviews are my own. Photos by Johnny Knight. 

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National Library Week: April 14-20

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There seem to be a lot of days of observance floating around lately, such as, but not limited to, National Grilled Cheese Day, National Siblings Day, National Pancake Day, and Velociraptor Day. However, this WEEK we get to observe one of my favorite pastimes. Reading. This week is National Library Week, and we ALL know how much my houseful loves the library. We love it so much that we’ve had a library themed birthday party for the ladybug, complete with a visit to the library for storytime. We’ve protested on behalf of the library, we’ve contacted our legislation about cutting funds to the library and we make it a weekly stop for homeschool support and monthly book clubs.

That’s why I love that there is a full week (which I hope turns into a month) dedicated to the love of all things library.

My love of the library started in school. During our library period, which was once a week, I could not WAIT to be allowed to scour the shelves to see what new adventure I could get into. Our school also did an annual book sale to get rid of old copies of books and make way for newer fresher copies, and novels. That is where I bought my beloved copy of Wilson Rawls’s Where The Red Fern Grows and forever sealed my love for anything dealing with bloodhounds, the Ozarks and even raccoons.

I have to admit something. I’m kind of forcing the cellist to read this book next month. Mostly because I want him to love it as much as I do, and partially because we have to get his reading comprehension up. He can explain books in GREAT detail – but can’t get to the point quickly. I feel that this book has so many great passages, that it will be full of vivid imagery for him.

That’s why I love that he is active at our neighborhood library. He’s joined the You Media group through the Chicago Public Library, and he’s learning Photoshop, and how to do podcasts and videography. Our libraries depend on the funding of the city to operate, and that’s why I’m so passionate about them. Yeah, it’s easier to download a book on a eReader, but  the feeling of being able to browse the stacks and find a gem of a book is priceless.

Seeing the ladybug run to her “side” of our library makes me smile. Seeing the twizzlers squeal in glee over a new video, or CD that I borrow is awesome. Knowing that as long as I have my library card, I’ll be able to take them on daily adventures makes my heart swell. I know you may think that I’m being a bit melodramatic, but honestly, reading is one of the best pastimes anyone can have. I also firmly believe that well read people, are some of the funniest on the planet. We “get” things, because our imaginations have been stretched. Things don’t seem so impossible to us.

Even if you take an audiobook out and listen to it while you’re driving, you’re still activating parts of your imagination. Check out a YA (young adult) book if you haven’t. Some of the authors are AMAZING AND, you’ll be able to discuss things from a standpoint that your child may be more comfortable with.

In the end, reading saves lives and families. Too dramatic? What can I say? I’m a reader.

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For National Poetry Month, I’m A Phenomenal Woman

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Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

 

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The Houseful Reads: Nurturing the Soul of Your Family

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NurtureSoulFamily_cvr3.indd

Earlier this year, I received Nurturing the Soul of Your Family by Renee Peterson Trudeau to review, and like most things, I fell behind. However, once I cracked it open and begin to read, I couldn’t stop, and my reaction surprised me. As  some of you may know, this year is SO emotional for me in regard to my sister, the fact that I’m getting older (and am closing in on having to decide whether or not to add more to our Houseful) and I’m starting to reflect a LOT on choices that I have made to get me to the exact place that I am in now. Continue reading →

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Black History Month Author Series: Sharon Flake

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I came across one of Sharon Flake‘s book The Skin I’m In (written when I was a senior in high school) while working the Scholastic Book Fair several years ago, and I’ve been enthralled with her since. What made this book even more special is the fact that Mr. Houseful read it years ago while tutoring at a local school and shared with me his love for the characters and the ability to relate to what was going on within the story.

The Skin I’m In

She writes about the gritty reality of being a young person in current times, and yes, her characters are usually strong black young people trying to find their purpose in the world just like we all did at some point of time in our lives.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a new book of hers that debuted at our fair. The title is Pinned, and it follows two young children with handicaps of their own. One is visible, the other is not since it’s a learning disability.

Featured

Since I love this author so much, I’ve purchased the book above to give away to one of my readers. It’s stated to be best for children aged 10-14, but I do believe that any adult could learn a thing or two from it, and strong 9 year old readers could grasp some concepts as well. Enter only the mandatory portion, or enter all for an even better chance at getting this book in your mailbox!

Enter below and Happy Reading!

(for a complete list of her books and info on how to contact Ms. Flake, click her name above)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Houseful Reads: A Good American

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A Good American

Look at this! Two books in one month. I have personal reasons for staying so busy, but I’m not quite ready to speak on them, so what better way to throw the scent then to talk literature?

A Good American is a novel by Alex George, about the Meisenheimer family set in Beatrice, Missouri. It is told from the point of view of the grandson James. He gives insight about his grandparents coming to America from Germany and how they literally strive to be Good Americans.

This novel has a bit of everything, food, music, and history lessons all balled up into one emotional dip after another. I found that I got a little misty eyed because of thinking about how I remember my sister in the wake of her death, and how I literally can place music and food with memories of her.

Who knew that reading this novel would allow me to for once to grieve in a way that left me with more smiles than tears, and a desire to really get her small history written down in a more collective way.

This read took me a little over two full days to finish because of little ones wanting to be paid attention to (the best thing) and dinners that needed to be fixed. I did realize though, in the midst of being interrupted, I was in fact creating the same types of memories that James rehashed for us about his grandparents, Jette and Frederick. I sure hope that my grandchildren will be amazed by stories of me and their grandfather Shomari long from now, and will continue to pass those stories on to the following generations.

For once, I’ve found a book that’s so deeply rooted in family and the regular ups and downs of being in one that hits close to home.

You can join me in discussion on BlogHer and tell us how the book made you feel too!

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

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Black History Month Author Series: Faith Ringgold

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Faith Ringgold

Born: October 8, 1930 (age 82), New York City
Awards: Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators, Jane Addams Chldren’s Book Awards for Picture Book
Nominations: Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators, Jane Addams Chldren’s Book Awards for Picture Book
One of my favorite books to read to the cellist when he was younger was Tar Beach by Ms. Ringgold. The colorful illustrations as Cassie flies over her city of Harlem in the late 1930′s really captivated ME. Every now and again, I’ll catch the cellist reading the book to the ladybug and the twizzlers, and it makes me smile.
Tar Beach
You can almost automatically tell a book illustrated by Ringgold, which are often based on quilts of her grandmother.
Have you read any of Ms. Ringgold’s books? I think you should! Here is a complete list of those she’s penned and illustrated with others.
Tar Beach,
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
We Flew Over The Bridge: Memoirs of Faith Ringgold
Talking To Faith Ringgold, by Faith Ringgold, Linda Freeman and Nancy Roucher
7 Passages To A Flight, an artist’s book
Bonjour Lonnie
My Dream of Martin Luther King
The Invisible Princess
If a Bus Could Talk
Counting to Tar Beach
Cassie’s Colorful Day
Cassie’s Word Quilt
O Holy Night: Christmas with the Boys Choir of Harlem
The Three Witches by Zora Neale Hurston illustrated by Faith Ringgold
Bronzeville Boys and Girls (poetry) by Gwendolyn Brooks illustrated by Faith Ringgold
What Will You Do for Peace? Impact of 9/11 on New York City Youth, InterRelations Collaborative

.

 

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The Houseful Reads: Touch & Go

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Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner 

I will be the first to admit that I was glad to be back on fiction with the Blog Her book club since the last couple of books, I’ve had to reflect on myself, and well, yeah. LOL!

Touch & Go book starts off with showing us how sometimes the perfect family isn’t all that perfect.  You’re automatically swept into a story of secrets and trying to figure out why anyone would want to kidnap a family of three and hold them in an abandoned prison, built by the father’s firm.

With the secondary story taunting you of the investigator assigned to the case also causing a roller coaster of emotions, this book is sure to hold you captive until the very, exhilarating, if I may add, end.

I like the character development here, and the fact that I didn’t see every twist and turn coming. Books that are predictable are not always great fun to read, and I’m happy that I wasn’t able to see everything coming.

As a fan of crime fiction, I can appreciate when an author knows what they are doing and Lisa Gardner, in fact, knows what she is doing.

Learning about the Denbe family is almost a novel within a novel. Justin, Libby and Ashlyn all have secrets of their own, and they must confront them while kidnapped in order to try to make sense of it all.

I recommend this book for a weekend read, and assure you, that you will indeed feel as if you just worked the case with Tessa Leone, who is going through her own issues with dealing with things that happen among family.

You can come and join the discussion over at the BlogHer Book Club, and chime in with any things that you have found interesting, or your thoughts on the book in general!

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own

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Black History Month Author Series: Walter Mosley

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Walter Mosley

If you have never heard of this gentleman, but have viewed the movie Devil In A Blue Dress and enjoyed it, then he should be one of your favorites. Easy Rawlins worked his way into the libraries of many through a page turning series by this author.

Born January 12, 1952, Mosley has been weaving great crime fiction for nearly thirty years.

While you may ONLY be familiar with Devil In a Blue Dress, you should start at the beginning of the series and work your way through. Especially since this author began writing at the age of 34 (two years older than I am now!) and has written every single day since then. The passion and commitment that goes into being a GREAT author is one not appreciated by too many.

While I still take a stance against eReaders of sorts, check out, download, or buy one of his books, and I am sure you’ll be hooked.

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Black History Month Author Series: Sherri Smith

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Sherri Smith

Born in Chicago, IL (HOLLA) but raised all over the nation, Sherri is best known in MY life as the author of Fly Girl my son’s generations version of Imitation of Life.

Ida Mae is a young lady wanting to enter the WASP program during WWII. However,being a black woman doesn’t open many doors for her and she is forced to “pass” for a white woman. The book deals with so many aspects of being black, that you’re left an emotional ball at the end.

I can also attest that this book flies (see what I did there?) off the shelves during our book fairs each time we have had one.

Pick it up. Start a conversation with your tween. It may open some HUGE conversational doors for you all.

Promise.

Other books that Ms. Smith has written are:

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet

Sparrow

Lucy the Giant

and

Orleans
(due for release 3/7/13)

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