Author Archives: Victoria Waddle

About Victoria Waddle

I'm a high school librarian, formerly an English teacher. I love to read and my mission is to connect people with the right books. To that end, I read widely--from the hi-lo for reluctant high school readers to the literary adult novel for the bibliophile.

Girlz ’n the Hood

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Victoria Waddle

Girlz ‘n the Hood: A Memoir of Mama in South Central Los Angeles by Mary Hill-Wagner Hill-Wagner is one of eleven children who grew up with an often single mother in South Central LA. Though her mother worked as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Family Problems, Human Rights Issues, Multicultural, Non-fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Groveland Four

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

An article in yesterday’s LA Times about the ‘Groveland Four’ being exonerated (they are all dead) caught my eye. I happened to have just finished reading a great book about the case: Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland … Continue reading →

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Acts of Contrition Book Discussion Tonight

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

Join Me to Chat about Acts of Contrition Tonight “I couldn’t call my parents. Believe me, I was not alone in my willingness to risk being murdered on the street before admitting to them my shame. A violent death was … Continue reading →

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Sidelined: Sports Culture and Women

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

Working in sports talk radio is “like working in a frat house” Continue reading →

Posted in Biography/Memoir, Human Rights Issues, Sports | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Rescue Plan Containing Multitudes

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

“Gomer knew what coming out was. He had taken the sex-ed classes, and there were gay people in his town, but they tended to come for weekends and the summer, because they had jobs in the city. They were rich … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Acts of Contrition: Short Stories on Pre-Sale Now

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Victoria Waddle

I Have a Book! My book of short fiction Acts of Contrition: Short Stories is now available on pre-sale from Los Nietos Press. The official publication date is March 15, 2021. Yeah, the Ides of March! Thankfully, I’m not superstitious. … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith-Based/Religious Element, Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Short Stories | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Meraki by Tobi-Hope Jieun Park

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

I was delighted in reading Tobi-Hope Jieun Park’s poetry chapbook Meraki. Park defines meraki as meaning “to put a piece of yourself into everything you do.” That she has been able to put herself into so many reflective pieces at … Continue reading →

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Great Storytelling: The Perfectly Constructed YA Novel

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Meg Medina’s Burn, Baby, Burn is an example of great storytelling. This didn’t surprise me as I’d loved Medina’s Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. I’d recommend Burn to any teen looking for a good read. I’d also recommend … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Problems, Fiction, Human Rights Issues, Romance, Young Adult Literature | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Teen Voices and The Poet X: Keep a Journal

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Note: This is a YA book review as well as a comment on teen writing, so I added it here from my personal blog A recent experience with a teen writer had me going back to The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. … Continue reading →

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AudioSync: Are You Getting Your Free YA Books?

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Victoria Waddle

Free YA Audiobooks from AudioFile After tomorrow, the AudioFile Audiobooks for Teens Program will be half way through. There have been some YA great titles, so if you haven’t signed up for the program yet, do so now! The titles … Continue reading →

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