Author Archives: Victoria Waddle
Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender: How I Became a Punk Rock Lawyer
This little book is full of hope for teens who are not succeeding in high school. It’s a reminder that their futures are not set yet. Continue reading
Girlz ’n the Hood
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
The Groveland Four
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
Acts of Contrition Book Discussion Tonight
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
Sidelined: Sports Culture and Women
Working in sports talk radio is “like working in a frat house” Continue reading
A Rescue Plan Containing Multitudes
“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
Meraki by Tobi-Hope Jieun Park
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
Great Storytelling: The Perfectly Constructed YA Novel
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