Exile by Shannon Messenger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am always on the hunt for good Middle-Grade books. I've been disappointed with some of the recent ones in the market, but so far, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the series so far. Getting into it late in the game, I get to read the books in sequence thereby eliminating the need to try to recall what happened in the last book.

Exile is noted for its quick action (shorter chapters), mystery, and suspense, complete with all the middle-age drama of innocent puppy love and peer rivalry. I love the wholesome-ness of the book so far and I am hoping it stays this way till the more recent releases.

As a testament to the series, the first book in this series was published in 2012, and when I requested it from the local library, there was still a queue for it. Same thing for this book. I had to wait for my turn before it became available. Looking forward to Book #3.

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Lest We Forget: Corazon Aquino

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Growing up during the time of President Marcos's regime and witnessing the overthrow of the same in a trend-setting non-violent way which seemed to be the precursor to the fall of the Eastern European bloc in the same relatively peaceful manner, it is pertinent that the younger generation remember and know the facts of history lest we make the mistake of allowing history to repeat itself.

I was pleasantly surprised to find this Little People, Big Dreams book by UK publishers Frances Lincoln Children's Books featuring Corazon Aquino, first female Philippine president, who was thrown into the spotlight after her husband, Benigno Aquino was murdered on the tarmac on his way from the States. The story, geared towards younger audiences, follows the style and trend of other Little People, Big Dreams books in the series. If you are unfamiliar, here's a short video introducing the series.

Watch out for the Little People, Big Dreams's feature on Corazon Aquino. Release date is August 4, 2020. Come back to this page to get a copy of your book or any of the other books in the series. Click here for more titles.

All purchases made through this site will help cover the costs of maintaining The Mama Travels website.

A Water Dancer's Worth

I have to admit. Reading and getting through this book was no easy feat. It covers a period of time in American history that one would not take pride nor glory in. Ta-Nehisi Coates’s take of this turbulent time is a wonderful example of story-telling on a topic that is often hard to tell. Rather than it being a despondent tale of slavery (which slavery is), it focuses more on the hope presented by the Underground Railroad and the appreciation and value for human life at a time when one’s worth is measured by how much they can be sold off at the auction block. The main character, Hiram, finds his place in this time of American history and finds himself in a unique circumstance of being a child caught in between.

A (Hard) Tale to Tell

From all accounts, the real Underground Railroad did use actual railroad terms as code words for their freedom movement. “Conductors” were the guides; “station masters” were people who helped hide the slaves in their homes; and “passengers” were the escaped slaves. The word “conduction” itself may not have been actually used (though I cannot know for sure as I am not a scholar on this topic), but Coates used this word to talk about the transport of “passengers” from their “coffins” to the “Promised Land”. This transport, however, is not through the use of vehicles. Rather, it is a power channeled through the use of stories, memories, plus the presence of water to enable the one with the inherited ability to “conduct” his fellow travelers to their destination in a whirl of mist and fog. The deeper the memory, the farther the conduction can travel. The inclusion of this supernatural element makes the story-telling less tedious without belittling the hardship and suffering of slaves. For the conduction to take place, sometimes, the painful memories have to be dug up—the memories evoked are oftentimes just as, if not more, agonizing than physical pain.

Life Has Worth

Perhaps what struck me the most in the reading of this tale is the affirmation that every life, born or unborn, has worth. That worth is not measured in dollars and cents when a slave is sold; it is not measured by how much Ryland’s jail gets for every slave they catch and return to their masters. Granted that there were plenty of musings on whether a child would be a “joyful thing” especially when,

“…[the] women would not wish a child upon themselves...forming their whole life around it."

Despite the circumstances surrounding the conception of life in which they refer to as the “coffin”, the hope of “a small thing blooming” in Sophia, Hiram’s love, has helped her carry on and to withstand her despairing situation.

"And I see you have formed your life around this young’un, formed your life around her before she even came.”

Beyond unborn babies, the story recounts how each person who was torn from the arms of their parents, families, and loved ones, is not mere chattel. They have a name, a family that they are forbidden to have as they are treated as objects for sale. The strength of conduction depends on the strength of the memories of people who have come and gone. Beyond saying that conduction is powered by memories, I say that conduction is powered by these lives for as long you have that memory, that person is still alive and well in your minds. Harriet Tubman declares in the book, 

“We forgot nothing, you and I…. To forget is to truly slave. To forget is to die.”

This book serves to be a part of the anthology of books that reminds us to not forget, to keep the memory of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, the Hirams, the Sophias, the Whites, the Micajah Blands, and even the Corinne Quinns of those times alive.

By purchasing a copy of the book here, you can help me keep up the costs of maintaining The Mama Travels website. Thank you!

"The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" and a Mama Loving this Book

Just like any real mom with a full-time job (and a second part-time job), I get in line at the public library to get ahold of the latest, touted bestsellers. I think this is a smart way to test-drive a book before investing in "keepers". I haven't purchased a book in a while, but this book, I believe, is something I am willing to buy for myself and for someone whom I think will greatly benefit from the simple wisdom found in its pages.

Personal Connection
Any book where you can make a personal connection is always going to be memorable and special.

Growing up in an age when we passed around a slam book in class asking the usual informational questions and, sometimes, the more personal questions, I was reminded of this one question I often had to answer and the standard response I gave:

                                        What is your motto?

                                                           ---"To love and be loved."

To see these exact same words jump out at me in Charlie Mackesy's bestseller "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" led to a rush of mixed feelings as I am reminded of a time in my life when I was insecure and felt alone, and the slambook was one way to affirm who my "friends" were and to cull people's opinions about me. 

Who is your best friend?

We hid behind these slambooks to get a sense of how other people felt about us. And those times are not too different from what we have now. These days we check our Facebook page to see how many "likes" our pictures and posts have received.

Simple Messaging
The book also had the appeal of innocence and simplicity that many people nowadays have lost or forgotten. It reminded me of Benjamin Hoff's "The Tao of Pooh" in its use of lovable characters both innocent and childlike, showing wisdom that many adults may have forgotten or lost. I love the simplicity of the words used in Mackesy's book, and yet, each scribbled word carried a lot of weight.

Nonlinear Reading
In the author's introduction (which I read!), the author expressed that he liked to "start in the middle of a book". His book allows you to do just that without losing the essence of the story. For every page can be a standalone or it can be read in a linear fashion, depending on your reading style. Just like in real life, we are all at different stages of our lives. We don't always start off on the same page. The book allows us to find where we are in our lives and start from there.

What's in a Picture?
Despite the author's lack of formal art training, I absolutely loved the artwork. Again, like his choice of words and messaging, the author used simple lines and pops of color reminding us to focus on the things that really matter--kindness, friendship, and acceptance which all lead to love.

Perhaps, the appeal of this book is because we've complicated these basic ideals and values to a point that they've become unrecognizable. Perhaps, we've heard and seen so much hatred and negativity that we've forgotten what love is all about. Perhaps, we've added so many layers and attributes that the very basic definition of these concepts has become distorted and hidden. It's a timely book that reminds us of our base needs for acceptance and affection and a reminder that deep inside of us is a child who can react to the world at large with kindness...and a craving for cake!

For a copy of the book, which I highly recommend, click here. Any purchases help defray costs of the-mama-travels website.

The Marvelously-Anticipated Mrs. Maisel is Back!

People who have followed Mrs. Maisel’s career on the hit series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, are happy to get a new season this month on Amazon Prime. Is it because the idea of women empowerment and breaking the mold in the 1950s resonates with many independent-minded young ladies of the 21st century? Is it because people are drawn to the colorful period of 50s style and fashion? Is it because it is actually funny? Here are my reasons why I absolutely waited with bated breath for Season 3 to start this month:

1. Nostalgia for a different decade

No, I wasn't born in the 50s but I liked the fashion: the flouncy skirts that whirl around as you twirl on the dance floor, women using night-before curlers to give them the perfect wavy mid-length bobs the next morning, and greased side-parted hair for a clean-cut look for the men. I also liked the do-wops and the choreographed snapping up and down of the back-up singers. The decade also evokes images of pastel-colored kitchen appliances which make for great eye-candy as well as alleviated the load of housework for the many housewives engaged in the menial tasks of it. And, despite the seedy underbelly of the cold war during that time, it is a picture-perfect decade that is captured in the Polaroid in my head.

2. Spunky (and Funny!) Heroine

Midge, for all her faults, is quite loveable. She had tried to be the perfect daughter for her father, but she didn't marry the right guy. She tried to please her mother but her career as a stand-up comic got compared to prostitution instead. And, she tried to be the best wife she could be, until she upstaged her husband in something HE wanted desperately to be good at. As a mom, well, she had her mother and a babysitter to watch her kids so I guess, they're never really neglected. Point is, she is a flawed character who did what she could to find her own way in a world where women traditionally didn't get into. And she did it! Being funny helped, of course, since you need THAT to be a comic. But perhaps, many young people relate to the struggle of finding their niche, to break away from their parent’s resources, and actually be good at something to be able to make a living off of it.

3. Interesting Plot (and subplots)

As a whole, we know about Midge trying to make it in the big leagues in show business, but we also see her soon-to-be-ex-husband trying to find his groove as he tries to find something he can make a living out of without relying on his father's business and his father's money to pay for a roof above his children's heads. He seemed to have good management skills when he tried to "clean up" his dad's business. However, extricating himself from the apron strings of Daddy's garment factory remains a problem. Another subplot introduced in Season 3 is Midge's dad, Abe, who quit his tenured position with Columbia University. With it, he loses the 5-bedroom apartment his wife and daughter were quite comfortable to stay in and mingles with a young group of "radicals" instead. And perhaps the most "important" conundrum Midge may face this season is, with all the colorful outfits that Midge must change into and out of each episode, where are her racks of clothes supposed to go now? 

4. Great Laughs

After Seinfeld and Friends, there aren't a lot of great sitcoms with funny punchlines or memorable characters anymore (at least, in my humble opinion). Though The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel does not fit the sitcom genre, her acts actually do put the "comedy" back on the small screen. Yes, it may be a little crass as may be typical of many stand-up comics, but at least you don’t feel like you have to "force" out a laugh just so you won't feel bad for coughing up $120 for front-row seats at the Gaslight.

All in all, the series has a wonderful (sentimental) setting, a strong heroine, and all the elements of humor and drama, as well as cultural, political, and societal issues all rolled neatly into a marvelously magnificent package that is the world of Mrs. Maisel.

An Ode to October's Filipino-American History Month

With October more popularly known as the month for Halloween, Oktoberfest, and celebrating the Hispanic heritage, it might be worth noting that Filipino-American History Month is also celebrated in October. What better way to celebrate than with a feast full of Filipino food. Check out my article published in the Beltsville News featuring a local favorite of my family for all things Filipino.

Where the Crawdads Sing: A Review + Spoilers

Where the Crawdads Sing

Though I am no Reese Witherspoon nor am I a member of her book club, I did pick up this book because of all the hype it was getting for being on the bestseller's lists. What made this book such a hit? These, I think, are the top reasons why it is a great read:

Vividly-described Setting
Admittedly, I am a city girl and would never for the life of me want to live in marshy, mosquito-infested land. But the visually-descriptive writing of the author, Delia Owens, made the marsh less of a dump but a picturesque haven for many creatures and for our protagonist, Kya Clark. The author's nature writing prowess shone through and played a big part in creating the setting for the story and helped us understand how much Kya relied on her unique environment in order to survive after being abandoned by her family. She sought solace and company with the herons and she dug up mussels in order to earn what little cash she can in order to purchase gas for her little boat. Her knowledge and keen observation skills became her ticket later to financial independence which allowed her to be free to pay off the back taxes and legally declare her little shack as her own. This also provided the backdrop for the greatest murder mystery to ever take place in Barkley Cove. The natural rhythms and patterns of the marsh ecosystem helped add to the unsolved murder of Chase Andrews. With that, you might say this natural setting became a key factor in Marsh Girl's story.


Learning from Nature

"Female insects, Kya thought, know how to deal with their lovers." 

Though hurt by the people whom she thought loved her, she learns to take charge of herself by looking at the examples set by the insects she is surrounded with. The imagery of the firefly light patterns was used to compare to her own personal experience of love--one that is seemingly pure, but also ultimately destroyed her--just as fireflies light up for a mate but would also use the same light to kill a potential mate. Female praying mantises deviously use the male ego to trick him into thinking he is getting what he wants but she then flips the script and she chomps of his head to get what she wanted.

Using her knowledge of the animal kingdom gleaned through the books and articles she finally learned to read, Kya uses what she knows in order to decipher humans outside her tiny circumference. She described the courtroom scene by comparing the clothing of the key players to similar alpha-beta roles that are present in animal relationships. The prosecutor, for lack of real content and substance, had to detract from that by wearing bold and eye-catching colors to augment for other things he lacked.

"... [S]ome stunted males, not strong, adorned, or smart enough to hold good territories, possess bags of tricks to fool the females. They parade their smaller forms around in pumped-up postures or shout frequently--even if in shrill voices....[r]elying on pretense and false signals..."

Though she may not have much knowledge of the men outside her world, she learned to make these connections to make sense of them.

No Man is an Island
Kya was fortunate to also have a friend who cared about her--a boy who grew up with her and had witnessed her father's abusive behavior. This also leads to another point that no matter how isolated one may be, we still need the help of other people in order to make it in this world.

"Kya knew it wasn't so much that the herd would be incomplete without one of its deer, but that each deer would be incomplete without her herd." 

Dealing with Discrimination
Aside from Tate who patiently taught her to read, introduced her to poems, and gave her the tools she could use to become a self-actualized woman, the author introduces two characters who became surrogate parents for the young Kya. Jumpin' and Mabel, both colored, were still experiencing the segregative laws of the South yet they did not hesitate to take in the Marsh Girl, who herself was scorned and looked down upon by the white townsfolk of Barkley Cove. I am glad that the book presents the scenario that discrimination is not limited to race and that it covers anyone who is different from the mainstream culture. Kya certainly did not fit that mold and yet her editor stood by her during the murder trials because she was respected by those who appreciated her work. Tom Milton comes out of retirement to be her pro bono defense lawyer and takes the extra step to give her a book on shells to try to crack her stoic facade. Minor characters include the checkout lady at Piggly Wiggly and the truant officer who in one way or another helped her as she tried to maneuver the strange world outside her beloved lagoon. In life, we are not judged by our looks but by our actions.

All in all, this book was entertaining and captivating with Kya and her natural habitat as the main characters of this story. It is as much a story of triumph and transcendence as one uses and works with nature in order to better understand one's place in it.

To purchase a copy of this highly recommended book, please click here. All proceeds go towards maintaining The Mama Travels website.