The Road to After, by Rebekah Lowell, is a middle grade fiction book about breaking free from abuse as seen through the eyes of a little girl.
As someone who has experienced emotional abuse, I found the book very poignant and stirring. I was also very surprised to discover some places inside that have not fully healed. Lacey is a lovable little girl who doesn't know what to think about leaving her abusive father in the middle of the night. She both wants to be free from him and misses him. She both wants to break his rules and keep them. She is both excited and angry. And that is the truth for anyone leaving such a relationship. Seeing this separation from a child's point of view has kept me thinking and evaluating for days. I highly recommend this book for both children and adults who have been able to break free from a bad situation but still struggle with the emotions of doing so. A big thank you to Stephanie Affinito, a master bookologist, for suggesting this book. If you have a topic you'd like to explore, I highly recommend that you take a look at her book list pages! Click here.
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As an author, I am many things: wordsmith, editor, storyteller, and marketer. But two of my favorite are:
#researchjunkie #wordlover So, nothing makes me happier than having to research a 'new to me' word. Last week, I was chatting with Stephanie Affinito (author, bookologist, podcaster at A Lit Life), and she told me about her Patreon community's word for July. CONJUBILANT Conjubilant: Adjective Shouting together with joy I had never heard of this word, but I don't feel too badly. My spellcheck right now is insistent that conjubilant is not a word and keeps suggesting consultant, connubiality (another word I had to look up!), and convulsant. The etymology of conjubilant is con + jubilant. Con = together. Jubilant = make a joyful noise. It is listed as archaic, which would also explain why I hadn't heard of the word before - but it's a great word, so maybe Stephanie and I can bring it back! Just imagine all the uses:
Because of this word, Stephanie's group will be doing more as a group during the month of July so they can celebrate one another. What can you do to put the word conjubilant into action in the coming weeks? Be sure to let me know what you decide. And do you have a word to share? Add it in the link below. Reversed by Lois Letchford is a fabulous memoir about a mother who watched her son struggling in school and took the bull by the horns to learn to help him - despite having learning disabilities of her own.
I had the amazing opportunity to chat with Lois yesterday (for an Online for Authors podcast airing on July 5th) about her work and her belief that all children can be taught to read if we can make the learning concrete, relatable, and fun. When these things are present, learning is nearly automatic, even for learners who struggle. I loved the stories found within these pages. I laughed. I cried. I shook with rage. There were some educators I honestly wanted to strangle! And after talking with Lois, I'm glad I don't have the opportunity to meet any of them in person because I might not be able to contain myself. What I love is Lois' outlook. Her mindset is that every child can learn - it's just a matter of providing the right tools in the right order in the right way. I highly recommend Reversed for anyone wanting a "feel good in the end" memoir. And if you have or had struggling learners, then you'll want to read it that much more. |
AuthorTeri M Brown, author of An Enemy Like Me and Sunflowers Beneath the Snow connects readers with characters they'd love to invite to lunch. Follow the Blog Using the RSS Feed link below:
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