North Carolina

This past Monday, the City Council in North Carolina voted to rescind parts of an anti-discrimination ordinance, and now transgender people, in particular, will have to endure discrimination with little legal recourse. I am baffled.  The world is supposed to make progress, not go backwards. It is unconscionable that these terrible lawmakers are going out of their way to stigmatize and injure such a vulnerable population. I said it once, and I will say it again: NOT MY COUNTRY. NOT MY PRESIDENT!  I am prepared to march for so many causes, until the blisters on my feet are bleeding. If you stand for nothing, you fall for everything. Politics has reared its ugly face, and the fangs are just beginning to abundantly dig in their ugly claws.

Two State Solution

Israel is now facing a horrible boycott by the U.N., one which Obama could have vetoed-but did not. Why? Obama does not want to shelter Israel from this criticism by the international community because Israel is wrong. Believe me, it pains me to say this, but Netanyahu demonstrates over and over he DOES NOT WANT A TWO STATE SOLUTION; he wants to appeal to his far right contingency. John Kerry recently returned from Israel in his last-ditch effort to broker a deal for peace in the Middle East. What he said is the two state solution is in jeopardy, and if Israel continues to act the way they are acting, so much damage will be done to Israel and the region. In fact, here will be a real possibility for WAR. Ask any level-headed Israeli who does not support Bibi; his behavior is jeopardizing Israel's chances for survival.

 Under president Obama, the U.S. continues to subscribe to the position in the 1933 Oslo accords that the future of Jerusalem, like that of the West Bank, should be decided by negotiation, not be diktat on either side. Settlements are exactly that-diktat.

 Bibi is so excited for President Trump, since David Friedman, the U.S. special envoy to Israel who he has appointed, plans on giving Israel a carte blanche. This is not how negotiation begins; this is how war begins. And Thomas Friedman in today's NYT editorial, indicates that under Trump, by siding with Bibi on this, is being manipulated into helping Iran and Isis, perpetuating an eternal conflict with Palestinians and the Muslim world. Israel will either no longer be a Jewish state or will be anti-Democratic. Either way, it is lose/lose and dangerous. It is so against the spirit of my book, whose plea is for peace and negotiation and a two state solution. It is actually criminal and so very deeply sad. I grieve not just for America, but I grieve for Israel, too, and for the people who want Israel to succeed, but in a just and humane way! RONIT AND JAMIL--I pray for peace. But how?

Bionic by Suzanne Weyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yet another spectacular book from Suzanne Weyn, my friend and celebrated author of terrific young adult literature. Yet again, she has outdone herself in BIONIC, the story about a star athlete and teen, bound for success, who gets into an auto accident, and some of her bodily parts are replaced by prosthetics. What happens to young Mira when this technology has her feeling (and others) that it is now a robot performing-not her, as she starts to perform the way she never has before? Is this a positive? Will she ever regain her old life, the sense of self she had before? And what about the people around her? Using the dazzling and wonderful diction that only Suzanne has, enter the pages of this poignant and terrific pager turner-and discover the answers to this brave new world!

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House of Lords and Commons: Poems by Ishion Hutchinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just finished reading wonderful poetry book, HOUSE OF LORDS AND COMMONS by Ishion Hutchinson, born in Jamaica, and an assistant professor at Cornell University. Talk about language that slices through the skin; his diction is stark, challenging, dark, haunting, lyrical, and lovely. I love his rage against politics, his poignant understanding of tenderness and fatherhood. There is wonderful irony and edgy violence, but his authenticity makes this an amazingly beautiful book. A must read!

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The Holidays

The holidays are always a mixed blessing. It is a time of celebration, to count your blessings, but this year, in particular, there is a general sense of mourning, since the new president-elect does not offer hope; he diminishes it. In the last week, I saw two shows, both of which brought me into a state of sorrow. The first was the final interview on the Oprah show where she interviewed Michelle Obama. She is the epitome of brilliance, beauty and grace, and she is being replaced by a first lady whose campaign is cyber-bullying, a woman married to a president whose middle name is BULLY. It is sick and scary. Today I saw the movie "Barry" on Netflix, and all I could think about was how much I will miss having a smart, thoughtful intelligent president. President Obama did not have D.T's silver spoon feeding him; he rose in the ranks because he was smart, thoughtful, well-read, graceful and serious about the world and his place it it.

I will never, ever watch another State of the Union or news conference (even if D.T. ever gives one). Holiday cheer? I celebrate my own good fortune and my personal good deeds. I mourn a real president's exit from the world arena, a world which will one day realize what being presidential is all about.

RONIT AND JAMIL Event

I will be reading from RONIT AND JAMIL on Wednesday, February 1 from 6-7:30 at Jefferson Library. YA authors include Yvonne Ventresca, Mary Thompson, Shani Petroff, Matthue Roth, Crissa-Jean Chappell, Carey Ann Aaydu and Tiffany Jackson. And, of course, me--RONIT AND JAMIL, one of its first public appearances!

Review of RONIT AND JAMIL by School Library Journal

Ronit & Jamil

Poet Laskin’s short, lyrical novel in verse is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in present-day Jerusalem. Ronit is an Israeli girl whose father, Chaim, is a pharmacist, and Jamil is a Palestinian boy whose father, Mohammed, is a physician. Chaim supplies prescription medications to Mohammed’s patients. The two teens first meet at the clinic where both their fathers work, and, as in Shakespeare’s original, the young lovers fall for each other after meeting only briefly. Through secret texts and clandestine meetings, they desperately try to be with each other while facing opposition from their parents and the very real physical barrier between Israel and the West Bank. The story departs from the original, though, with the implication that Ronit and Jamil will escape the conflict and find a way to be together—an underlying message of hope for the larger Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Laskin frequently quotes Shakespeare’s play as well as Arab poets, including Rumi and Mahmoud Darwish, and makes skillful use of Middle Eastern poetic forms, such as the ghazal. It may occasionally be difficult for readers to tell which character is speaking, but the accessible verse and universal questions about crossing cultural lines make for a quick and powerful read. VERDICT An obvious choice to pair with Romeo and Juliet in a literature class, this can also open discussion about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and about bridging cultural boundaries.–Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ