We are rocking out this month!
Books
Stephen Crane’s Maggie, A Girl of the Streets, is a collection of short stories that jumped right off the page. I love the way Crane captured characters through dialect/accent. Not all authors are able to pull this off so crisply (Twain does it well, and that’s certainly good company to keep!).
The story The Monster was the final piece in the book; it evoked the troubling 1932 movie Freaks and the ease with which we dehumanize others. The most poignant and condemning line comes when a committee of neighbors confronts the protagonist, a doctor Trescott, who insists on caring for his servant, Henry Johnson, after the latter saves Trescott’s son from the menacing grips of a raging house fire. Johnson himself is badly burned – his face is essentially burned off, leading the townspeople to label him a monster and dispossess him. The committee, speaking on behalf of the town, wants Dr. Trescott to send Henry Johnson away so his appearance will no longer offend those upstanding citizens of the town. “Even if there are a lot of fools in the world, we can’t see any reason why you should ruin yourself by opposing them. You can’t teach them anything, you know,” they claim (184).
As a public school teacher, I felt that.
Beats
Keeping up with the beat, this Ethiopian track by Taminike Tamu, Wedjatalehu put a smile on my face. Super smooth
Barbells
I am completing another Kettlebell challenge. So far, I’m 5,000 swings in. It takes me 30 minutes with 20 pounds.
This month’s BBB is dedicated to the memory of friend Tom Woodward. Please consider doing a good deed in his honor.
Peace and love,
Kit
Find the balance. 