The Hour Between, by Sebastian Stuart

Arthur MacDougal is shipped off to the Christian Science boarding school Spooner School for his senior year after being kicked out of Manhattan's most fashionable boys' school. At the boarding school - known for its liberal homework policy and experimental classes - he befriends Katrina Felt, the daughter of a famous actress, and throughout their last year of school they bond over drugs, alcohol, and family problems. But by the end of the year, Katrina is in a treatment center, Arthur doesn't seem to have actually changed much, and their friendship is over.

And I realize that's a very short summary, but I think I've pretty much relayed everything that happened in the book. It also takes place in the 1960's, so they are all hippies. There are brief mentions of the war in Vietnam, whenever one of the characters is rebelling against their self-interested parents.

I don't think I like how this book was handled. It seemed like there was a lot of potential in how the characters related to each other and their revolt against classism and capitalism, but in the end this became a book about children taking drugs, or at least that's all I got out of it. It was quite sad to see Katrina's life fall apart, and to see how futile Arthur's struggle to save her was. But ultimately, Arthur's personality was just too passive for me. He orbits Katrina and the only thing he really does by himself is try to talk to her and to get with Lenny, another student at the school who came off as a very slimy weasel to me and I have no idea what Arthur saw in him.

Maybe someone else would have loved this book, but I think I'm just so different from the characters that I had trouble understanding any of their actions or motivations.  

Some other reviews you might like:
http://queerreader.com/?p=90
https://outinprintblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/the-hour-between-by-sebastian-stuart-alyson-books/

Saying Thank You and Good-Bye

As you guys know, this week was my last at One N Ten, which is very sad.

I couldn't go on Thursday because I was en route to a Las Vegas karate tournament,

but I made up the time by attending One N Ten's Second Chance Dance

at ASU's Secret Garden on Saturday. The theme was thrift shop, so 

the youth could dress up as much or as little as they wanted. It was a really nice

event; there was a brief dance-off, a 'know the lyrics' competition, and raffles.

And lots of food. I of course sat in the corner but everyone else seemed to

enjoy themselves!   

Posted with permission of the people pictured. Mike Schneider is on the left.

Prepare yourself. I bring the most unpleasant news. 

Guys, we lost a volleyball game to a team of two people. 

That's right. 

At least we're getting better?

The next day a veterinarian (and alumn of One N Ten) came to show off her 

mobile clinic and to talk to us about responsible pet care. I was really excited,

but some of the youth were more interested in hearing about her experiences with

exotic animals, which she wasn't prepared to talk about, than learning 

what cats should and shouldn't eat. Still, we did learn that Fancy Feast is

like McDonald's; it has a lot of carbs and fats. Also cats should not eat dog food. 

On Wednesday we ate fried chicken in honor of one of the youth leader's birthday

and spent the night playing games. It was a complete but marvelous coincidence that

my first and last days were both game days. We played Monopoly and feasted and welcomed

a new youth to the center. It was a good last day.

However, the upcoming presentation is starting to worry me. I've gotten in 

my interviews and am working on my paper (agh writing and writer's block and 

the surge of motivation that only ever comes at midnight), but now I've got to 

memorize a speech and practice clicking the clicker. Which comes easily to some 

people (I'm looking at you, Nicole Dominiak, who can memorize a speech and 

deliver it perfectly after like a day). Unfortunately, my brain likes to edit 

what I say as I say it, so while I generally write pretty well, my speech can end

up like this: "This is a picture of the Group area of the Youth Center except

this nice clean place over here usually has piles of donated food at least it did the

first couple of weeks I was there anyways but that food was in cans there wasn't just

like a rotisserie chicken hanging out there but it is a nice clean splace [space+place because should I reuse that word?] I swear also Group is the thing-meeting where all the youth 

gather for the day's activities (I might have said that already)" 

because there is no backspace button for verbal communication and I can't review an outline.

Oh well. It'll happen. I'll get through it. 

I want to thank everyone who has helped me with this project. I have absolutely loved it. 

One N Ten is fantastic - thank you to Rachel Sherman and Mike Schneider

and Gina Read and all the volunteers at the Youth Center for supporting and 

encouraging my research! You are doing amazing things.

Thank you also to Ms. Mitrovich for being a wonderful human being and 

college counselor. BASIS wouldn't be the same without you. I have no 

idea where I'd be (physically, mentally, emotionally, all the works) without your

help with the college process. 

And Mr. Wells! You know how great you are. All your students know how great you are. 

I've told you this like fifty times. Thank you so much for everything.

And thank you, dear readers! I know you just read and comment

because it's your homework, but I hope you've enjoyed it (or at least not hated it). 

Have a fantastic rest of the year!

A Single Man, by Christopher Isherwood

George is a middle-aged professor in California during the early 1960s. He has just lost his long-time partner, Jim, and the book follows a day in the grief-stricken man's life. The book begins with George's body waking up, going through all the mechanical and chemical motions before George's consciousness reconnects with his body. Throughout the book there is the motif of disconnect; between George and George's body, George and his students, George and the people around him, George and emotions. It seems like he struggles to care about his surroundings until talking about literature with his students - and even after that he once again quickly turns inward. The book's climax is George's rant and subsequent hook-up with one of his students.

To be honest, this book didn't do anything for me. It's supposed to be "devastating, unnerving" (Stephen Spender), a "sad, sly report on the predicament of the human animal" (David Daiches, New York Times), with "a biological melancholy running through it, a sense of relentless reduction, daily diminishment" (Elizabeth Hardwick, The New York Review of Books) and yet I just didn't feel any of that. And I know before I've knocked books that promise an emotional roller-coaster and don't deliver, but in this case I actually think it was me. I got the feeling that this book will have the most impact if you've suffered loss like George has, and I just haven't. I liked the writing and I felt that the characters were interesting and complex and real, but I wasn't affected by the devastation or the biological melancholy like so many others were. I do respect the book, and I think it was a very interesting concept, but for me it didn't do anything.

The one issue I had was the misogyny. George put down women, women put down women, and I couldn't tell if this was Isherwood's views or the characters' in the book but it made me uncomfortable. I found it harder to sympathize with George the more he dismissed women's emotions. But again, maybe this was just a facet of his character or a result of his grief. It was something I didn't like, but I won't knock the book for it just yet.

Some other reviews you might like:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/20/100-best-novels-a-single-man-christopher-isherwood
https://angelmatos.net/2014/01/22/connection-failed-an-analysis-of-christopher-isherwoods-a-single-man/
https://theasylum.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/christopher-isherwood-a-single-man/

It's Almost Over!

I cannot believe that this is Week 9. It feels like I just started my project a week ago.

This has been an amazing experience. I've met great people and had a great time and 

learned a great deal about LGBTQ youth organizations. So yeah, pretty great. 

I've been thinking about continuing to attend the Youth Center every day, 

but unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to. It's an hour away, plus I don't

have a car of my own; I think my parents are tired of being forced to change up 

their schedules so I can use one of their cars. I am going to try to make

the April drag show though (April 21st, open to the public, come one come all).

But I do have some exciting news! As you know, dear readers of the blog, 

I am interviewing some youth and staff/volunteers from One N Ten to

supplement my paper. Because the interviews are just a supplement (and also because 

I know people don't necessarily like being interviewed), my goal 

was to get responses from three people. But guess what! Four people volunteered!

FOUR!

Huzzah!

Pride was fun! Although I was surprised that most of the booths at the festival 

were offering or selling services, not little souvenirs. There were booths

advertising housing and HIV/AIDS testing and even animal shelters.
I didn't see a lot of shops selling shirts or other items; if they sold anything
it was generally flags. I was sort of disappointed; I really wanted an ace
shirt, but they didn't sell those. Instead I got a shirt at the Human Rights Campaign
booth, which is super comfortable. Unfortunately, I also got sunburned. But not all over.
No, just on the left side of my upper lip, the area directly below the space between my
eyebrows, the left side of the tip of my nose, and around the perimeter of my forehead.

I know. It's weird. 

There was also less partying than I expected. Granted, we were there right in the 

middle of the day and too young to get into Erotic World (thank goodness)

and avoided the dance floors (because introverts). When we left at four there

were more people streaming into the festival in more of

a party mood. But overall, it was pretty fun.

I know I'm squinting. It was bright and I am a creature of the darkness.

The Youth Center was closed this Monday (Pride takes a lot out of you).
On Tuesday we played Would You Rather and had a good time. Some of the youth
got really into it and argued over the consequences of the options. Sadly,
Tuesday will be my only day at One N Ten this week. As I write this post
I am sitting in an airport waiting to board a plane and head out for
Denver, Colorado. I am attending Colorado College's Admitted Student Open House
and will be out of town until Friday night.
In addition to not attending One N Ten this week, this also means that
I have had to conduct my interviews over email, since I want the responses in by Friday.
I actually think this might be a better way of doing it, since the
youth and staff/volunteers will have more time to mull over the questions
and won't feel awkward talking face-to-face about their experiences being homeless
(for example). Plus this way I won't the interview awkward by being my awkward self.

And finally, to finish out this post, my book reviews. I know I'm behind a little,
but Week 8's book review should be going up soon. For Week 8 I read/am reading
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. It follows George, a gay Englishman
in middle age who has just lost his partner. It is set in Southern California in
the early 1960's. A film adaptation was released in 2009, and
I actually found this book through the movie (but I didn't watch it - no spoilers).
Colin Firth stars as George.
Isherwood was an English-American novelist who is known for his
semi-autobiographical novellas, The Berlin Stories, which were inspired by his time
in Weimar Republic Germany.

Week 9's book is a novel by Sebastian Stuart, The Hour Between. In it, Arthur
McDougal and Katrina Felt, fellow students at Spooner School. They forge a
tender friendship, which is put to the test by Katrina's secrets and Arthur's
struggle with his sexuality. Stuart is the author of numerous plays,
screenplays, political satire, and critically-acclaimed novels.

I'll see you guys next week!
 

The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of The Iliad, but that does not do the book justice. Achilles' story is told from the perspective of his closest friend and companion, Patroclus, the prince of Opus. Patroclus is exiled when he is only nine, and is sent to Phthia to be raised by Achilles' father, King Peleus. Although Patroclus is one of many young exiles fostered by Peleus, Achilles forms a special friendship with him, and their bond grows stronger with time, and eventually they become lovers. I do not want to spoil more, but I will say that if you know of The Iliad or really anything about Achilles' life, then you more or less know the plot of the book.

I absolutely loved this book. I am writing this review immediately after finishing it, and I am speechless. I don't know what to say except that this book is phenomenal and it is one of (or possibly the only) book I have ever cried over. I am so glad that I decided to take on this book review project simply because it pushed me to finally read this book.

It was fantastic. I know I'm repeating myself, but I spent a good five minutes sitting numb after finishing this novel, so really it's a miracle I can even form coherent sentences. The writing was amazing. Miller clearly knows so, so much about Greek myths and culture (which she should, since she studied it) but she avoids the pitfall that so may authors fall into: going into excessive detail to flaunt their knowledge. She doesn't add unnecessary explanations (except for one point where Patroclus mentions how in the Greek words have different genders - I think anyone who has studied any language other than English  knows that). I can easily see how someone without any real knowledge of Greek mythology would understand what's going on and enjoy the story. Having studied Latin for the past eight years and been fascinated with Greek mythology for 15 years, I really appreciated how smoothly the explanations and terms flowed with the story. Patroclus frequently comments on Greek culture, which may sound irritatingly like SparkNotes to some, but he seemed like such an observer (an exile, no longer a prince, a shadow to Achilles' flame, the quiet soldier who dislikes fighting and prefers medicine) that it felt appropriate.

And the story was amazing. The characters were people with flaws and you loved them all the more for it (except for Agamemnon). Miller gave such life to the people who were so pale in Homer's works. She spent ten years writing The Song of Achilles. Ten. The care and detail that went into writing this book is truly mind-blowing.

And it's so cool because there have always debates over whether or not Patroclus and Achilles' relationship was romantic or strictly platonic. The ancient Greeks fought over it. It's wonderful. I love it. I love this book. I don't know what else to say. Read it.

Some other reviews you might like:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/books/review/the-song-of-achilles-by-madeline-miller.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-shelf-/the-song-of-achilles-a-fo_b_11184848.html
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/22/the-song-of-achilles-madeline-miller


(And this is her first book???? That's crazy! It's so good!)

EDIT: There was a weird random scene with Deidamea that I didn't understand the purpose of, but otherwise I loved the book.

Getting Ready for Pride

As you might know, Pride is this weekend! Everyone is very excited 

at the Youth Center, from people who have gone twelve times to people

(like me) for whom this will be their first Pride. If you want to go, tickets are

on sale on the Phoenix Pride website. I'll be going with a couple friends and family members.

It'll be the first time for all of us. I'll keep you guys updated!

(also if you are going or wondering if you can go remember that LGBTQ culture 

is often sexualized and you might see a little more skin than you are used to, 

but hey, body empowerment)

 If you don't really know what I'm talking about, you can find more information on the 

Phoenix Pride website, or you can read on for a cursory explanation. The Ten Days of Pride

(events that celebrate being LGBTQ over a span of ten nonconsecutive days) lead up to the Pride Festival and Parade, which interestingly are not part of the ten days. 

The festival goes all weekend, open from 12-9 PM, at Steele Indian School Park.

There will be booths and food and entertainment and probably lots of trinkets to buy. 

The parade, on the other hand, is free and beings at 10 AM on Sunday, April 2nd.

It will begin at 3rd St. and Thomas and will end at 3rd St. and Indian School (aka Steele Indian School Park). If you know Belinda Carlisle, Stacy T. Louis, or the

Grand Canyon Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, you can see them there!

(Also One N Ten will have a booth so you should come to see them)  

In other news, we won a volleyball game! YAY!!! (actually maybe we only won
a set of a game, which I don't really understand) (also we only won because
the other team didn't show up) (shhhhh)

On Tuesday we had ice cream sundaes and played games; I, again, tried my hand
at Monopoly and might have done well. On Wednesday a speaker came in to talk
to us about job readiness and how to apply/get a job, which was very helpful for
me since I am currently entering the workforce. We shared stories of bad jobs
or good interviews. I was surprised by how much of the speaker's advice
I'd heard already from my college counselor and faculty adviser
regarding resumes and applications and interviews and dress and basically everything.
So listen to your advisers and counselor; what they are telling you is
really really helpful and true.

On Thursday came the solemn discussion of the Stonewall Riots.
I had never heard the full story of the riots, especially not from someone who
had experienced the dingy clubs and fear of police raids. Gina Read, who runs the Youth
Center along with Mike Schneider and has served on the One N Ten board for over 15 years,
told us about what it was like to be gay in the 1960s - when being gay was illegal and being charged with homosexuality would ruin your life.

The Mafia ran the gay bars, called "clubs," which were really dirty. No
running water, little space. Although the Mafia paid off the police, brutal raids were still frequent. Women had to wear three articles of clothing (such as a bra, panties, hosiery) that only women could wear to show that they were not male crossdressers, or they would be sent to prison. If you stood or danced too close to someone of your sex, you could be sent to prison for sexual deviancy.
Police would threaten club-goers with prison to get money if they felt like it.
On June 28th, 1969, police raided Stonewall Inn, one of the smallest and cheapest clubs; but this time, the people fought back. This was huge. Never before had the gay community taken such a stand, and suddenly across the country riots popped up, inspired by the riot at the Stonewall Inn.
LGBTQ organizations were formed all over the nation.
I highly suggest you read more about the riots, as it was such a turning point.

Well, that was heavy. Let's end with a light note: here is a much-requested picture of my dog, Kayla!

 I'll see you guys next week, hopefully with some lighter topics!