This week Sesame Street premieres its 41st Season of great children's television. I feel lucky to have had Sesame Street throughout my entire lifetime, Big Bird and Burt & Ernie are among my earliest television memories.
My favorite memory of Sesame Street involves the Snuffy and Big Bird's friendship and the drama involved with trying to introduce him to everyone else. I could feel Big Bird's frustration when everyone believed Snuffy was imaginary. All those near misses were my first taste of serialized drama. It was such an engaging show to me (and my entire generation) The concept was revolutionary and the producers make sure it remains relevant 40 years later. The songs, games, guest stars, the counting and story lines continue to amaze me as I watch with my children. What's your favorite Sesame Street memory?
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I Highly, Highly recommend.
Its hard for me to sum this up. It is Kathryn Stockett's first Novel. Its written in the first part of the 1960s after the main character Skeeter, a 22ish year old white women, graduates from the University of Mississippi and returns to her hometown. Her best friends have all married and started families and have employed black women much older than themselves as nannies and maids. Skeeter finds this odd.
Skeeter is in an awkward stage of life, not really fitting in and not knowing what she wants to do other than write a book. Pressure is on her from all sides to find a husband and start a family. Even more confusing, her own cherished Nanny (a black women named Constantine) and long time employee of her family is suddenly gone from with out any explanation. In her quest to find out what happened to Constantine, Skeeter begins looking at life in her hometown, the status quo differently. She starts questioning Jim Crow laws and segregation and begins writing a book detailing the working lives of black women. She eventually interviews 40 (I'm not sure about the #) women, even though the danger involved for Skeeter and all these women is huge. If found out, At best, the women would lose their jobs and Skeeter would be run out of town. At worst, lives could be lost and ruined forever. As I read, I would often be ranked with anxiety, praying that each character would make it through unscathed.
As I read the book, Each character became alive to me, and I worried about each one. I admired each character for their ingenuity, their determination and their courage. The story is told in first person by three different women, Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minnie. Through these women we are introduced to many more, including Constantine, Skeeters family and friends and the employers of the other women. I am doing a disservice in not discussing each one individually, because they are all very special. My best advice- is READ this book. Buy it in Bulk and to all the readers in your life.
I had to share these videos. The Help by Kathryn Stockett is my favorite book of the year. I've been twittering about it all summer hoping Demi Moore or Ashton Kushner would pick up on the hype and get a movie made. I'm happy to hear Kathryn already has an arangement and a hopefully a great, Missippi made Independent movie will come out of this.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved The Wednesday Sisters. I identified with Frankie from page one where she "shows" a group photo of the women describing her self as in a chubbier phase back then and admitting that the skinnier self is actually more of a phase the chubby self. I quickly came to love all of the women, seeing a little of myself or a close friends or family member in each of them. I love that although each of the women keep secrets from one another from at one time or another, the when the time comes to be honest the narrator reveals the full story to the reader at once. It ensures us that the friendship continues despite their differences. I love the support group the women give each other through their honest critiques of their writing pieces.
The book has a thread of femininity and feminism unique to the 60s on first glance but many of their struggles with equality are still relevant today. The plot addresses how they are each affected by their choices to stand up for themselves or to be submissive without being overtly political. I was surprised to learn women were originally barred from the Boston Marathon and many Olympic events. As a child in the 80s I took it for granted I could participate in any sport I wanted, ironically I despised sports as a teen and choose not to participate but thankfully I had the choice.
I just finished reading the book and am still thinking it over. I can't help comparing it to Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan in which 4 women build a lifelong friendship a generation after the Wednesday Sisters. Its interesting think about how similar and yet different the women are thrity years later.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars As I began reading I quickly made the connections to the real life story this work of fiction is based on and initially it drew me in. I liked it but the plot got a little dull towards the end. If you are a fan of Rosie, McCall's Magazine, or in the publishing business you'd enjoy this.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars A good book, but one of those frustrating ones where you want the main character to do something different and they just can't make you happy. Its like hind sight being 20/20, in the main character you see yourself floundering through a problem making the 'wrong' choice but you can only see so clearly because you are removed, just reading rather than trying to flounder through yourself. The ending was satisfying, probably the beginning of some changes for the main character.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved Olive Kitteridge, I could see myself in much of her personality and negativity, although I'm much more self aware than she and like to think I learn from my mistakes. Olive is a woman people can love without really liking her. She's difficult, opinionated and impatient, often a tyrant to her husband and child, who remain loyal to her despite misgivings. We grow with Olive through (I believe) linear stories from the time she is a middle age teacher impatient with the life made through her later years when she realizes
"...that love was not to be tossed away carelessly, as if it were a tart on a platter with others that got passed around again. No, if love was available, one chose it or didn't choose it. And if her platter had been full of the goodness of Henry and she had found it burdensome, had flicked it off crumbs at a time, it was because she had not known what one should know: that day after day was unconsciously squandered."
The novel is actually a series of short stories in which Olive is occasionally the main character, often only a minor player and sometimes the reader needs to stretch to figure out her relationship at all. This is an interesting way to tell her story because it also draws you into the minor characters in a deep and connected way that wouldn't happen otherwise. I would have been happy to read a few more chapters, especially one focused on Christopher or his wife.
The town and its environment is an additional character in the story and its vivid description made me glad to have a vacation in Maine in the next couple of weeks.
This week Sesame Street premieres its 41st Season of great children's television. I feel lucky to have had Sesame Street throughout my entire lifetime, Big Bird and Burt & Ernie are among my earliest television memories.
