by Barbara Poelle
My colleague here, Jon Sternfeld, has an awesome book out today by author David Chura. Here is a brief quote from one of the blurbs:
"In thick and unvarnished descriptions, David Chura takes us into the growing gulag of American youth prisons and shows us the fractured faces and bruised spirits of children who seem almost condemned to destruction by the structural ecology of class and race and ancestry…”
Um, okay, first of all, this book clearly is as socially relevant as it is evocative and startling. And it makes people use the word “gulag”, which is also awesome. Jon is way into the socially conscious non-fiction, and when he discusses his books in our meetings I can pretty much count on hearing phrases like “sheds light on an ugly societal truth” and “staggering power of the human spirit”.
On the opposite side of the table, most of my conduct during our meetings consists of swallowing belches into my fist and trying to see if I can keep a pencil notched in the nook between my brow line and the bridge of my nose. Regardless, we both have some quality stank on our lists. (Although I think Jon doesn’t use the word “stank” to describe his. I’m not sure why.)
See, I know I always say it, but it truly struck me again today: subjectivity IS the name of this game. This ponderence (um, why doesn’t spell check like ponderence? I say it alllll the time, so it MUST be a word) led me, working in conjunction with a think tank from NASA, to create the following these comprehensive and scientifically based ten questions that will help you if you are torn between querying Jon or me.
You’re welcome.
Okay:
1.) Generally speaking, at 1pm on any given day you can find me
a.) Reading a hilarious and socially relevant blog that my thesis adviser mentioned
b.) Handing out fliers regarding the public forum on crosswalk safety
c.) Saying something wildly inappropriate and then glancing towards the drawer where I keep my flask.
2.) If there was a fire in my home and all of my loved ones and pets made it out safe and sound and I could rescue one thing it would be:
a.)My first edition of Call of the Wild
b.) My grandmother’s handwritten recipes
c.) The irrefutable proof that I indeed caused said fire
3.) When involved in a confrontation I generally:
a.) Really try to put myself in the other person’s place and come to an informed compromise
b.) Stay firm, yet malleable enough to resolve the issue
c.) Attack verbally with the kind of catastrophic vitriol that leaves someone in tears and someone in jail
4.) When I need to find a moment of calm for myself in an otherwise hectic day, I:
a.) Find a quiet corner and meditate
b.) Enjoy a cup of green tea
c.) Prank call Janet Reid
5.) My spouse is employed. Their job consists mostly of:
a.) Customer Service
b.) Sea Mammal Care and grooming
c.) I am not sure but that check still cashes
Whoops, it looks like we are all out of time. I will have to continue the quiz and the final tally of points next week. (That's called suspense. Or so the NASA folks tell me.) Tune in next Tuesday to finally discover (say it with me like a big game show crowd) WHOM...TO...QUERY!
