“Transcend political correctness and strive for human righteousness.”
—-Anthony J. D’Angelo


I dislike the terminology “politically correct.” In fact, I dislike the whole concept of political correctness for several reasons. First of all, correctness should not be dictated by our political climate. Correct is correct! We should do what we know to be correct because our inner self tells us it is the right thing to do. More importantly though, political correctness seems to be overshadowing our constitutional rights, and that is something of concern to me.

In 1977, the National Socialist Party of America (derived from the American Nazi Party) chose to march down the streets of Skokie, Illinois (a neighborhood heavily populated with Jewish families) waving Swastikas. Although the community tried to stop them, eventually they were given permission to march but not carry a swastika, because the march was protected under freedom of speech, but the swastika wasn’t. As much as I abhorred the very thought of these men using their constitutional rights to torture others, a part of me was relieved to see our constitution still working.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same protections are evident now. We are so worried about protecting everybody’s sensibilities that we seem to be trampling on the rights that our forefathers gave us and our ancestors fought to keep. Let me start by saying I have no understanding why some people derive pleasure from the suffering of others. If I know something I want to say or do will hurt another person, I just don’t say or do it. I should not be forbidden to say it though or forced to apologize if I am caught saying it.

Many comedians seem to find humor in ridiculing people of varied races, religions, sexual orientations, etc. I find that type of humor weak and offensive. I handle my distaste by avoiding the comedian, not by insisting he doesn’t have the right to speak. If enough people avoided a comedian because his performance was distasteful than I assume he would change his act. If a majority of people appreciate humor that demeans their neighbors, than perhaps the problem is more with society than the comedian.

Years ago comedians like Don Rickles and Joan Rivers made their fortunes by making fun of everyone around them. I didn’t particularly like their humor either, but people seemed to accept that it was meant as a joke and turned the other cheek. Now-a-days if a comedian alludes to the fact that a Jewish person likes bagels, a Mexican person likes tacos or a black person likes chicken, he is censored and his job is in danger. Although it might be somewhat insensitive, it is not something that should put his freedom of speech at risk.

I believe our sense of humor is being crushed along with our freedom of speech. Last week Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola were criticized and felt the need to apologize because of in-flight napkins they handed out. What horror did these napkins present, one might ask. Was there nudity, vulgarity or insensitive material displayed? Nope! It seems that they encouraged passengers to share their phone numbers with their “plane crush.”  “Because you’re on a plane full of interesting people and hey...you never know... ,” the napkin apparently read. Someone found this offensive, and Coca-Cola apologized and worked with Delta to remove the napkins. Really? Our country is running so smoothly that a napkin is what we need to worry about?

I think we all need to take a step back, reacquaint ourselves with our sense of humor, do what our inner selves tell us is correct and vote for representatives who truly represent the best in all of us.

On a different note, Harlan Coben did it again. His stand alone thriller, Run Away kept me reading way into the night, and I envy everyone who still has it to look forward to on March 19.

As always a complete review if this book follows my blog.

Happy Reading,

- Beverly

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​Genre: Thriller

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There is something very comfortable about reading a Harlan Coben novel. His characters are eccentric yet somewhat relatable, and his style is uniquely his own.  It began in 1990, when he wrote his first romantic suspense novel, Play Dead. He followed it the next year with Miracle Cure, and both books were well written and well received. Then in 1995 he wrote the first in his very successful Myron Bolitar series. Myron was a promising basketball player who became a sports agent when an injury sidelined him. The secondary characters in the series have been my favorite part, and I love the fact that he introduces snippets of them in his equally successful stand alone books.

Run Away is his latest stand alone, and it grabbed me and kept me coming back until I regretfully reached the last page. It begins with Simon sitting on a bench in a park in Manhattan. Simon is a successful businessman with a beautiful wife, Ingrid, and three children whom he adores. Their life was perfect. Why then do we come to find out that the drug addled panhandler with sunken cheeks and matted hair is Paige, his eldest daughter. How could she have gotten involved with an older druggie, left college and the life she had to end up here?

We watch as Simon tries to bring her home and watches as she runs away. We see his altercation with the abusive man who is destroying his daughter's life, and we know this will lead to no good. How far will a father go to save his child, and at what expense? Soon his life and his family are on the line, and Simon is navigating a world that he never knew existed.

Coben’s descriptive writing makes the reader see, feel, smell, and taste the scenes that he portrays in this thriller. No parent can read this without feeling the pain that Simon and Ingrid are feeling. I anxiously await this author’s books each year and savor them until the last page.

- Beverly

Publisher - Grand Central Publishing
Date of Publication - March 19, 2019

“To abandon Affirmative Action is to say there is is nothing more to be done about discrimination.”
—Coretta Scott King

I had an epiphany during one of my insomnia bouts last night, and it changed my way of thinking about affirmative action. I realized that I was looking at it from the wrong side, and this last year has given me a fresh perspective. I was questioning the necessity of a supposedly temporary measure that was introduced nearly sixty years ago, in 1961, by President John Kennedy. He believed that something needed to be done to atone for the discrimination that continued in our country. Upon Kennedy’s death, President Lyndon Johnson continued to support and enforce Affirmative Action in our country.

I never doubted, for a minute, that this measure was needed in the sixties. Something had to be done to level the playing field for minorities who were finding difficulty being accepted into colleges and being hired for jobs they were well qualified for during that  tumultuous time. Scholarships, financial aid, and salary increases seemed to be handed out to white people almost exclusively, and without something to force the issue the minority population would never have been able to attain equal footing.

In the beginning of the 21st century though, I began to wonder if it was still necessary. Hadn’t we become much more accepting of each other? After sixty some years of minorities using Affirmative Action, had it become more of a hindrance than a needed help? My African-American students were every bit as intelligent and determined as their White counterparts, but whenever they proudly showed their college acceptances eyebrows raised as if the only way they could have been accepted was through Affirmative Action. They began to resent the idea of such a measure, and I began to see their point. Surely our society had passed the point where minorities could only find success when others were forced to accept them.

In a way the 2016 election helped shine a light on the amount of bigotry that still remains in America. While I have to believe that President Trump did not have bigotry in mind when he used the phrase “make America great again,” many of those who don those red MAGA hats do so with a hatred that I had hoped was long gone. They have used it as a rallying point, much like other frightening symbols of the past, and gather like-minded individuals to spread bigotry through violent acts and attempted artistic renditions of swastikas painted on houses of worship and governmental buildings.

These red hats help them find each other, and in the process it helps me see how wrong I have been. Things have definitely improved through the years. Schools are integrated, for the most part, and we don’t have separate water fountains and rest-rooms. The majority of us see everyone as equal, and would never consider anything less than equal education and equal pay for all races, religions, gender and sexual orientation.

Unfortunately, most is not all though, and some college admission officers and heads of Human Resources still believe that the way to make America great again is through oppression of minorities and elevation of white American men to a status that stands just a little higher than everyone else. For those people, Affirmative Action is the only thing that keeps them from accepting students and hiring employees by the color of their skin.

My epiphany was that Affirmative Action was not about making it easier for minorities but about the oversight of those who make it more difficult for minorities to be treated equally, and unfortunately our country is no where near ready to lose that oversight. I wanted to believe that bigotry was close to being wiped out, but I was proved wrong. Although it is unfair that minorities who attain their goals through hard work and intelligence are made to feel as though they were given a “gift,” it is a small price to pay for the ability to advance in a world where those who make decisions over our future do so with the knowledge that there will be over-sight and their personal agenda will never hold minorities back. I will continue to support Affirmative Action until all Americans see their fellow Americans as equals. That is what will make us great.

Our country is filled with people who spent their lifetime working towards a great America. Author Brad Meltzer, has spent the last few years writing a series that beautifully illustrates what a caring heart and much determination can accomplish. In the latest book in this children’s series, I am Billie Jean King (Ordinary People Change the World), Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos (illustrator) share their findings on the life of Billie Jean King. This is another winner in a series that just keeps getting better.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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Genre: Children/Biography

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Through the years I have enjoyed reviewing Brad Meltzer’s adult novels. He weaves intrigue into history and keeps the readers on the edge of their seats. I must admit, I am equally enthralled with his children’s series, Ordinary People Change the World.  We have reviewed several books in this series, each one informative and charmingly illustrated.

I am Billie Jean King (Ordinary People Change the World) is the latest in his series, and tells the story of the tennis champion’s introduction and further adventures in the sport she excelled in. The first pages introduce us to a very young Billie Jean who is mesmerized by all kinds of sports. Unfortunately, growing up in the forties and fifties made it difficult for her, as a female, to be accepted into the world of sports.

Meltzer shows us how, with the support of her family, she discovered her talent in tennis and never looked back. There are so many lessons in this well done children’s book, that I think it should be required reading for young children facing a world that isn’t always accepting of them. The author seems to have a talent for picking out “heroes” that ultimately change our world for the better.

I enjoy the combination of narration and dialogue that should definitely keep children interested as they learn more about working hard and achieving their goals.

- Beverly

​Publisher - Dial Books
Date of Publication - February 5, 2019

“I touch the future. I teach.”
—-Christa McAuliffe


We have spent the last few weeks continuing to watch the new group of television shows that always come in January, and are disappointed in most of them. Tonight we watched the third episode of "Schooled", a spin-off of "The Goldbergs", a sit-com that features a Jewish family growing up in the 80’s in suburban Philadelphia. "Schooled" takes place in the 90’s and is populated with several familiar faces from its parent show. It is so busy trying to incorporate messages throughout that it sometimes misses the opportunity to be funny.

The messages are relevant though, and unlike many of the current school based shows, the teachers are portrayed as caring for their students. Throughout my years of teaching it was rare to find a teacher who didn’t care deeply for the welfare of his/her students, and it annoys me to watch shows like A.P. Bio that highlight teachers whose self-interest takes center stage.

Although "Schooled" is somewhat corny in its portrayal of the teacher-student relationship, it hits the mark displaying the concern educators feel and the time they spend worrying about those who are their daily responsibility. It is true that a teacher wears more hats than any other professional, having to act as a nurse, a counselor, a mediator, a parent and a friend in between spurts of teaching, but I can’t imagine any other profession that would have given me anywhere near the satisfaction I got each time I watched the light of understanding flicker in a student’s eyes.

Meanwhile, I have tried to steer clear of politics these last few weeks, and I am not going to go too far down that rabbit hole today, but somebody posted something on Facebook  that made me remember the pride I always felt in being an American. If you have the opportunity, and haven’t seen it yet, google the last speech Ronald Reagan gave as President. I didn’t believe in everything he stood for, but there is no doubt that he believed in his country.

As every President before him, and every president through Barack Obama who followed him, Ronald Reagan understood exactly how important immigrants were to our country. Without them we would not have attained leadership in science, the arts or business. It is with the collaboration of fine brains that came to our shores from countries throughout the world that we have become the leader of the free world. Reagan believed that if we ever closed our doors to immigration, we would quickly lose our status in the world. I fear he was right and worry for our tomorrow.

Quite a few books that I have read this year touched on our immigration problems. This week I read/reviewed The Rule of Law: A Dismas Hardy Novel by John Lescroart, and he touched upon this subject that seems to be tearing our country apart.

As always, a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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​Genre: Legal Thriller

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John Lescroart’s characters have varied jobs in the legal field, and through the years each of the main ones have been protagonists in his legal series. Dismas Hardy, my personal favorite, is front and center in  The Rule of Law: A Dismas Hardy Novel. 

Hardy's secretary, Phyllis, begins acting strangely, and he becomes concerned when she seems to disappear. Through the series Phyllis has been one of the most reliable characters, so the reader knows that something must be amiss. When Dismas finds out that her brother, a man who served twenty-five years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder, has recently been released, his anxiety levels up a few notches.

Phyllis returns to work reluctant to explain her absences and is suddenly arrested as an accessory in the murder of a man who had been smuggling women into the country from Mexico and El Salvador. Dismas is sure Phyllis is innocent, but as he looks into her recent activities he realizes he might have a difficult time proving it.

As in most of Lescroart’s novels, San Francisco politics plays a large part, and some cold cases shed light on problems in the D.A.’s Office. San Francisco is a character unto herself as we get a glimpse into the restaurants, clubs and streets of this amazing city.

This seems to be the season that authors are highlighting the immigration issues, and Lescroart is no exception, but this one didn’t capture me as completely as others I have read. I loved revisiting the characters, and there were many exciting moments to keep me turning pages, but I wasn’t as invested in the outcome as completely as I have been in others I have read. I do recommend the book though, particularly if you are a fan of his previous works. 

- Beverly

​Publisher - Atria Books
Date of Publication - January 22, 2019

  “Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

There is no manual that helps us to raise children, and I find that those without children seem sure that they have all of the answers. They don’t, because there are no answers. Arthur and I flew by the seat of our pants, and sometimes we felt like we were on a course to crash and burn. The basic things that guided us through the tough road of parenthood though, was complete love and respect for these two people who depended on us.

We were far from perfect, but I believe we were good parents. Despite a few little  hiccups (Michael’s goal was to drive his father just a little insane, and Beth went through a period when she had a sketchy relationship with the truth) our kids made parenting easy. Our happiest moments always did, and always will, center around them.

My greatest fears and practically every grey hair on my head center around them, however, and that caused me to be an overprotective parent. This was my greatest parenting weakness, and it helps me understand what is motivating the helicopter parents of today. I know where you are coming from, but I believe the hovering causes more harm than good.

My two were lucky, because Arthur and I did a good job balancing each other in that area. I grew up with a father whose worrying was evident and stifled me in many ways. I never rode a bike, sat on a sled or drove a car until I was married. I was never allowed to go exploring past my neighbor’s house, and when I started dating I wasn’t allowed out in inclement weather. Arthur, on the other hand, took buses and hikes to “fishing holes” when he was eight. He learned to navigate himself at an early age, and that served him well.

Life was different when our kids were growing up (the kidnapping and murder of Adam Walsh in South Florida acted as a wake up call for many) and eight year olds didn’t generally ride buses alone, but Arthur helped me see that bicycles weren’t weapons and some freedom was important to a child’s well-being. The one thing we did agree on completely was that we were determined not to challenge their educators unless we felt Mike and Beth were unable to stand up for themselves. It wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do.

Mike, a Psychologist, and my nephew Jonathan, a former Dean of Student Affairs, tell me stories that are impossible to comprehend, about parents who challenge college professors over the grades their sons/daughters received. Parents, if your children can’t figure out how to stand up for themselves by the time they are in college (and grad school) then you really dropped the ball during their formative years. As a high school teacher, I was much more likely to change a grade for a student who presented a succinct case explaining their reasoning then for a pushy parent who thought his/her child deserved special treatment.

Rather than trying to solve all of your children’s problems, supply them with the tools to solve their own. Show them by example how calm and rational behavior will get them much farther than rude and disrespectful behavior. My debate team quickly learned the benefit of organized thoughts and a calm presentation. Those are the things you must teach to build character in your sons and daughters. Don’t make life too easy for them, because there will come a day when you won’t be there to pick up the pieces, and no book will be able to teach them what a loving parent can in those early years.

Speaking of books, I enjoyed one from one of my favorite authors this week. The Girl in the Glass Box: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando will be published in a few weeks, and it was definitely a worthwhile read. It had a timely theme and tightly written story that will have you thinking long after the last page is turned.

As always, a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

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Genre: Legal Thriller

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James Grippando’s books are always relevant, and The Girl in the Glass Box: A Jack Swyteck Novel is certainly no exception. Grippando tackles the problems surrounding the illegal immigrant population, and he does an excellent job making his readers see the dilemma facing this community.

Julia Rodriguez fled from the violence of El Salvador with her teenage daughter, Beatriz. She escaped from an abusive husband as well as violent gangs and tried to make a life for herself in Miami. When Julia’s boss in her new hometown makes sexual advances, she turns him down immediately. Not used to being rejected, he seeks revenge by tipping immigration about her illegal status. She is arrested and waiting for deportation. Beatriz escaped capture and is living with Julia’s sister who is here legally. Enter Jack Swyteck, who agrees to represent Julia as a favor to his beloved grandmother.

One of the things that I love about Grippando’s books is his detailed description of Miami, a place I know so well. He mentions restaurants that I am familiar with and streets that I have driven down many times.

His characters are well defined too and add a depth to his stories. Jack's Abuela (Spanish grandmother on his mother’s side) is an interesting character who is present throughout the series. Since Jack’s mother died when he was very young, she plays an important role in his life. His good friend Theo is a strong sidekick with an interesting backstory that has the reader rooting for him. Of course we met Jack's wife Andie quite a few books back when she became his girlfriend. Watching their relationship grow has added dimension to the Swyteck series.

If I have any complaint about this book, it would be the ending. I tend to like things wrapped up in a tidy package, and Grippando disappointed me with this one. I can get past that though and hope that the next book finishes the job.

It is not necessary to read the previous books in the series to appreciate this one, but if you haven’t read them yet, there is no time like the present.

- Beverly

​Publisher - HarperCollins Publishers
Date of Publication - February 5, 2019

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
—-Martin Luther King, Jr.

I often watch silly sitcoms when I am in the mood to escape from reality, but lately these comedies add a dose of reality to their offerings. This week’s episode of "Blackish" took me back to an incident that happened when I was four. I overheard adults speaking derogatorily about a man’s color, and couldn’t understand what they meant. Was one color better than the other? I thought about the dresses in my closet. The black one with the pink flowers was my favorite. Was my mother going to make me wear the white one? They were both pretty dresses. How can color change value.

Many years have passed, and I have, unfortunately, been witness to countless incidences of prejudice against people of color. I am still that four year old girl though, asking how color can change value. Where did that idea ever originate?

Rogers and Hammerstein gave us their beliefs in a song from South Pacific:

“ You've got to be taught
To hate and fear, you've got to be taught from year to year
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught
To be afraid of people
Whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught.”

When did this lesson begin to formulate? Where, when and why did people begin to see color as a determination of value? Is it something as basic as the fear of something different or something as complicated as finding one’s own self-worth climbing on the shoulders of another?

We learn these lessons in so many ways through the years. The “good guys” wear the white hat while the “bad guys” don black. The color “nude” is the color of the Caucasian’s skin, and bandaids are the nude color found in crayon boxes. The black cat is the one we fear, and the white dove represents love. Imagine being a child of color and being surrounded by all of these symbols.

This week "Blackish" showed us that bias doesn’t limit itself to crossing races. Unfortunately, the home of African-Americans can be as uncomfortable as the streets, with lighter skinned people feeling just a little loftier than darker skinned people in the same household or neighborhoods. There is even a term for it in the Urban Dictionary. Colorism is the discrimination of African-Americans by skin tone in their own community.  

It is not only the Caucasian who carries these prejudices. Teaching in an inner city school gave me a front row seat to the prejudices that are prevalent in many different cultures. I have spent a lifetime trying to understand why some people can only accept mirror images of themselves as being equal or “good.” Different religions, races or sexual preference is seen as a threat, and somehow we need to stop that rhetoric.

If I understood the relation of color to value than some of this might make sense to me...but I don’t. If I knew how, I would devote the rest of my years to changing the subconscious messages that invade our minds from the earliest of years...but I don’t.
All I can do is hope that someday soon we will all judge and be judged by the content of our character.

I really enjoyed the book that I read/reviewed this week. Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl is a terrific book for anyone who loves to cook, learn about food or simply loves to eat.

As always, a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Memoir/Food & Wine

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I have been a fan of Gourmet Magazine for many years, and Ruth Reichl’s name has been a familiar one for many years. In her book, Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, Reichl did a masterful job showing us how an eight year old little girl grew up to change the world of food.

Ruth read her first Gourmet while on a business trip with her dad when she was eight. She was hooked, but a great deal happened in her life between then and when she was offered the position as Editor in Chief of the very magazine that changed her life.

Before she took that position, she spent years as a restaurant critic, coloring her writing with a touch of her Berkeley hippie past. She had become a bit disenchanted with the stodginess of Gourmet and felt the magazine was not keeping up with the times.

When she was offered the top position at Gourmet, her first inclination was to turn it down. She felt as though they would hold her back in their desire to maintain the status quo. They convinced her that they wanted to modernize the magazine, and so began her reign as queen of all that is delicious.

This is a comfortably written book that introduces us to great chefs, great writers, and great food. I loved reading about her life before and her tenure at the magazine that helped me through many a cooking crisis. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to cook, read about chefs or simply loves to eat.

- Beverly

​Publisher - Random House
Date of Publication - April 2, 2019