Tag: books

reading with mamawolfe: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe

http://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-diary-mad-fat-girl

I actually didn’t think I would like this book. It was the title. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl. Fat just isn’t a politically correct word, and I wondered how the author could get me past the initial stereotyped image she was presenting.

Honestly, it didn’t take long. Once I got into the first few chapters I was hooked, and I didn’t care who saw the cover! Stephanie McAfee’s skillful characterizations of protagonist Graciela “Ace” Jones, her best friend Lilly, mutual friend Chloe, their boyfriends, lovers, spouses and an adorable Chiweeenie dog named Buster Loo brought me right into their lives in current day Mississippi and I never wanted to leave.

Daphnee, a 3 ½ year old Miniature Dachshund / Chihuahua mix (Chiweenie)

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/chiweenie.htm

Ace Jones, the mad fat girl of the title, and her tall, willowy and beautiful BFF Lilly reminded me of girls I used to teach with when I was young, single and figuring out the world. Ace and Lilly teach, live and love with passion. Ace leads with her heart and not her head, a strategy which lends itself to poignant humor and situations the reader can imagine herself alongside the characters – well, maybe not the hilarious drag bar scene!

As if Ace and her pals weren’t enough, Stephanie McAfee’s addition of the fabulous Gloria Peacock and her friends Daisy, Birdie and Temple absolutely sealed the deal for me. The addition of these mature, wise matriarchs provides grounding and depth for the story and characters.

I could just picture Ace and her girlfriends, desperate for advice on their love lives, grasping for advice from the more ‘experienced’ ladies: “I look at Gloria Peacock, who smiles at me. ‘Follow your heart. It won’t lead you wrong.’ ‘Mind did,’ Daisy says. ‘More than once.’ ‘I think you were following something besides your heart, Daisy,’ Birdie says.

Gloria and her cohort represent female strength at a mature age, and highlight McAfee’s ability to create complex female characters. Add in a bit of tragedy and a whole bunch of humor, and you’ve got a book to lose yourself in for an afternoon.

But Diary of a Mad Fat Girl isn’t a typical single-girl-finds-the-right-guy predictable type of love story. Ace and her pals sample life with enviable gusto, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, I didn’t. Kind of like life.

I’m still not crazy about the title, but Diary of a Mad Fat Girl has the ability to move the reader out of their own reality and into the lives of these strong women living in Bugtussle, Mississippi, and to let us know that stereotypes are meant to be broken.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

Friday Photo: Falling

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe

Sometimes as I’m moving around in my day, an image gets stuck in my head that I can’t shake. Sometimes it conjures up a memory, a feeling, or provides an impulse to do something. Often, though, I just see something that I want to capture in my mind for no particular reason-it just speaks to me. I’d like to offer these images up for ‘thought contributions’-as a way to generate a community of ideas together.

This week’s Friday Photo was taken on our local university in front of one of my favorite places: the library. These sculptures, The Eggheads, are sprinkled around campus, each symbolizing a particular aspect of college life. The artist, Robert Arneson, believed that his art should embody economic, social and political commentary-and this Egghead does just that for me. My brain is so full these days, nearly every night I fall asleep in this Bookhead position!

What would a sculpture look like of you these days ?

Jennifer Wolfe

The House of Learning

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe

When I was younger, I spent heaps of time at the Yolo CountyLibrary on 14th Street.

I wasn’t an overly outgoing child, and frequently found a refuge in the children’s room. Walking in felt like entering a beige space of tranquility and organization. Built in 1969, it had a feel of neutrality, newness and comfort to my elementary sensibilities. I remember during the summer months the librarian- Mrs. Sekerak, the lovely white haired figurehead- used to prepare a reading challenge. There weren’t any fancy awards, or large cash prizes-what I remember is it was a place to record what you read, and challenge yourself to push ahead. And she was always there, ready to lead us in the right direction.

Naively, one summer I believed that I could start at “A” and read all the books in the children’s section. How many of us have done this? Systematically I would pull the books, write my name on the card and hand it to the librarian for check out. Nothing to scan, beep or navigate under a laser-just a simple index card that promised I would return.

Needless to say, I never made it all the way around to “Z”. I don’t recall quite where I got sidetracked, but I’m sure it was along the lines of ‘Betsy-Tacy”, “Misty of Chincoteague”, or “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” (yes, it was a book before a movie).

As a young adult, my trips to the library mostly involved sequestering in the carrels of Cal at Moffitt Library, deep into my required readings. Emerson, Byron, Bronte, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Morrison, Walker filled my days and nights. Occasionally I would venture towards Hargrove Music Library for a change of pace-the thumping of African drum beats and strains of choral music added to the aggregation of themes running through my brain.

As a parent, I’m back in Davis, although not much about the library is as it was in the 1970s. The architecture of functionality of 2011 involves the sophistication of the times. Patrons are delighted with cool color tones, textured surfaces, and sparkling digital stations. Divisions are established for children, teens and adults, each space catering to delight the occupants with comfy chairs, computers, performance stages, and study areas to match any style. Rowling, Riordan, Westerfield, and Meyers have arrived, supplementing the classics I loved so well. Long gone are the index cards, returns run by automation before one even walks through the doors. Librarians-yes, they’re still there-now more as ‘troubleshooters to technology’. Sadly, I don’t think my kids nor I even know their names.

Circulating through this space, I think about how much libraries have meant to me. I think of the stories, the comfort, the learning I have received and still rely on as a highlight to my day. I watch the children balancing stacks of picture books, smiles on their faces. I watch the teens on their laptops, reading and studying. I watch the grownups searching for the latest DVD or CD to take home on a Friday night. I watch the newcomers to Davis searching for the best learning tools. I watch the homeless looking for a cool place to bide their time or browse the internet. I watch myself as a young girl, believing that if I just started at the beginning I could automatically make my way to ‘z’, with nothing to stop her.

What I’ve learned is that life doesn’t operate on a Dewey Decimal system. Beautiful, frustrating, and magical things disrupt us over and over again. And that’s OK. What I’m still learning is that the learning happens, no matter what system it’s assembled in.

Would we want it any other way?