Jim Demonakos

Another solid anthology product from Stoneskin Press. If you haven't been reading of their collections, I strongly recommend you do so.
This particular collection consists of modern retellings of a variety of myth/folk/fairy tales and fables. I admit, I was not as engaged as I expected to be, in part because I expected something maybe a little more along the lines that Yolen, McKinley, and others have done in retelling fairy tales as short stories or even novellas/novels. This is not that. These are much more in the vein of fables, being only one to five pages in length each, often with explicitly stated morals. It is very clear which fables or stories some of these are drawn from, some are more mysterious in their origins. We also get a nice mixture of retellings of non-european fables, with some Native American, African, Asian, and Pacific Islander fables getting equal treatment here.
As in any collection, I felt some entries were stronger than others. Particular personal favourites were: The Wolf and Death, The Very Rude Salmon, The Loquacious Cadaver, The Fox & the Quantum Physicist, The Scientist and the Zen Master, Three Zombies & the Crypt Keeper, The Squirrel and the Pigeons, The Muskrat & the Deadline, The Clan of the Crzy Babies, and The Coyote & the High Density Feed Lot.
While some of these may be a little 'mature' in theme, I think their overall morals and length make them, like their forebears, well suited to be read and discussed with children. I would consider reading a lot of these to my own god-children who are quite young, but can also see using these with my high school English classes as well.… (more)

"The Civil Rights Struggle Was Never Black and White"

Houston, Texas 1968

This is an important story, and a very personal story of the author's. In part, it is the story of the "TSU Five" and how a peaceful student protest erupted into unprovoked violence. It is beautifully drawn. But it isn't always clearly told. For example, I didn't know that one of the characters was blind for quite a while! And for me, the lack of clarity of the narrative took away from the importance of it. But it is important, and as a part of the history of the civil rights movement, it should be read - by all!

It also contains one of my all-time favorite quotes:

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Amen, Dr. King.… (more)