Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished Zoraida Cordova's LABYRINTH LOST. I was on a panel with Zoraida, and I am always committed to read books by my peers, particularly those people I am on a panel with. This is not my genre, in that I love fairy tales, but magic/fantasy is really something I would not select to read. At first, I was reluctant-all the predictable signs that Alex (a bruja) has a deeply held magic which can be exciting, but could result in something terrifying. Will not share the terror of what happens as a consequence of this magic, since I do not want to provide a spoiler alert, but suffice it to say, once she embarks on this journey, I am totally there as a reader. She discovers Los Lagos as a way to recover what she lost-and it is here-in the land of "limbo" (Dante's Inferno) she must battle the forces that have taken away what is precious to her. The book is beautifully written, and ultimately, enchanting. A must read!

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The Lost Language of Crazy

I am writing a new book, THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRAZY. I am loving writing this book, and it is an easy story to write, in many ways, since it is a story I know-it is mine. While I am writing this, I am aware the country feels "crazy" now. The weather is "crazy" (global warming) and the office of the presidency is "crazy" (and who will be fired today? What "crazy" tweet will emerge?). What I have discovered in the process of writing this is that it is joyful (the engagement), but also painful, since when I grew up with mental illness in my home, revisiting it in such a primal way brings me back to those basic fears, anxieties and depressions I can pretty much keep under lock and key. As I write this book I am back in that world, and it is not an easy one; in fact, it is painful. It is part of the reason when people joke that the president is "mentally ill" I think, he probably is; he displays all the signs of someone who is, and this is terrifying to a person who grew up in this world. The upshot? Every day I write ad I write passionately, though sometimes I am fatigued at the end of the day, since I am now back in that deeply traumatic time-never easy!

Policy vs. Principle

Daily I am appalled by the lack of morality displayed in the office of the presidency. Certainly Donald Trump does not follow any norms; in fact, that is why many people voted him. I have to wonder, though, why some of his base continues to support him. I try to understand why people voted for him, and I know there were causes a certain population believed in, and the Democratic party did not represent these particular causes. I can even understand how people in the middle of the country did not feel their voices were heard. But now that he continues to dismantle the office of the presidency-daily-I cannot understand how these same people can be on board. We are not talking about POLICY, but instead principle. What are the principles of a man who seeks to pardon HIMSELF and his family from an investigation where he says he is innocent? How can people with no money find it fine that he refuses to release his taxes, and is "terrified" of an investigation into his finances? Clearly he has committed crimes; is probably in office because of Russian interference (which he says is fake news)-then why speak about pardon? Every day someone else quits, is fired (he thinks he is on "The Apprentice") and he talks about a health policy that strips millions of their insurance as "beautiful." Senators, doctors, the AARP and so many other lobbying groups have said the policy lacks decency, humanity and-in truth-his economically disadvantaged fan base will absolutely have NO insurance. Where is his moral compass? Where is his intellect? And more worrisome, in truth, is where is the morality of the people who continue to look the other way and say this is okay? Would these same people care if their children displayed this level of moral indecency? I think not!

History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Adam Silvera has written an unconventional love story in his book HISTORY IS ALL YOU LEFT ME. In some ways, it is about learning to love yourself, but not before the main protagonist, Griffin, learns to cope with the death of his boyfriend,Theo, his guilt and the fact that Griffin was in love with someone else before he left to go to the other side of the country, California. I am currently writing a book which concerns itself with mental illness, and what I love about this book is the fact that Griffin has some symptoms that make him a challenge to himself and others, though he is a wonderfully vibrant and interesting character. The language and plot are terrific and engaging; a must read for teens!

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The Secret Language of Sisters by Luanne Rice
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You may know Luanne Rice as an author for adults. In the book THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF SISTERS, she has used her enormous skills of story-telling and language to create a poignant and sometimes sad story about two sisters, one of whom is in a terrible auto accident, caused by texting her sister. The accident results in "locked in syndrome." The marvel of this book is that you do not feel sorry for Ruth Ann (Roo) McCabe, but instead you learn to understand how live and vibrant a disabled person can be. A must read, beautifully written!

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Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am working on a middle grade novel, so I have been reading lots of books for teens this summer. In this mode, I just finished BECAUSE OF THE SUN by Jenny Torres Sanchez, and all I can say is wow! Interestingly, my latest novel is about a girl's conflicted relationship with her mother, so this book became like a mentor for me. The mom in my book is mentally ill, but the mom is Sanchez's book is damaged, and the damage causes her daughter's loneliness and psychological trauma-its own kind of damage. How can a daughter reconcile with an "absent" mother? Perhaps knowing the history of that mother can help, though-before that point-the rage, the fear, the despair become "touchably alive." And for Dani Falls-she has no idea who her mother is or was, and has learned to be on her own, like an orphan before she actually becomes one. Until....not about to provide a spoiler alert for this, but trust me, you MUST read this beautifully written and landscaped book. You might cry, but the tears will be good ones!

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Mental Illness

Writing about mental illness for my newest book, THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRAZY, has awakened me to the the possibility that we all have that "crazy" part inside us. There is a question the dad in the book constantly asks: What came first, the chicken or the egg? The implication is people are born mentally ill-or did a precipitating event in their lives make them that way? This makes me regard our president differently: with a little more compassion. The signs of his mental illness are evident: the endless tweets, the rants against anyone who he perceives has insulted him, the idea that on any given day, he can switch his point of view dozens of times. He has no sense of audience, no self-control. I had heard his dad mercilessly made fun of him when he was little; perhaps this provides insight into why his sense of self-worth is so diminished that he must lash out constantly. And he perpetually lies.

People make fun of him, myself included, but being so intimate with mental illness, maybe it is SAD that today, as we speak, he wants to launch an investigation into PROOF that he won the popular vote. This is called delusional, and this is serious, not comical. Why isn't he getting help?  And what about his tweet showing him punching a man with a CNN face; he is actually on the floor fighting. This is total insanity, and everyone has to know this.There is good therapy, medication, so many ways of being treated. Not getting treated, however, put our lives as Americans at risk. That is what is scary. He is BAD to himself, and-as a consequence-he is bad to the world!

Charles Blow

Charles Blow is probably my favorite editorialist writing today. In the July 3rd NYT he has written the most brilliant editorial "The Hijacked Presidency." The conclusion of the piece says is all, so this is my blog for today: "He is counting on his capacity to wear down the resistance by sheer force. We must be adamant that this will never come to pass. Trump is an abomination, and a cancer on our country, and none of us can resist until he is no longer holding power."