Poets Society - Seattle Style

Poets Society – Seattle Style

A review of Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott

Number 7 is the tricky one. A lot of slackers totally screw up number 7.

7. Listen.

That’s right. Listen to everything.

Sam is never late to class. He never looks the teacher in the eye. He develops a blank stare and never raises his hand. In short, he has the rules to slackerhood down. Until a new kid with a scary scar on his neck arrives in his English class and the teacher decides to hold a poetry slam. Reluctantly Sam begins to work on a poem with Luis and in doing so, his world opens up.

Does this sound a bit like Dead Poets Society? Sure. Replace New England in the fall with Seattle in the rain. Switch the uniform of gray flannel jackets and striped ties to hoodies and jeans. Change the sound track from Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” to Nirvana’s “Scoff”. Translate “carpe diem” to “YOLO”. Mix in Hispanic characters. Keep the inspiring English teacher, determined to do what he or she can to insure that the boys succeed. Jumped In might echo the movie, but it is also rooted in experiences that the author had as a public school reading specialist.  Themes of finding a voice, coming into your own, friendship and loss are staples in young adult fiction and Patrick Flores-Scott has found a fresh way to tell such a story.  

As they work on the project together, Sam slowly gets to know more about Luis.

“Who’s the real Luis?” I ask him. “This tough guy I see at school? Or the royal dork scheduling my poetry practice on a dirty napkin?”

They work together making sure their poem is perfect and practiced. Sam is nervous about speaking out loud but draws inspiration from a video image of Kurt Cobain singing to a wall. Singing to a wall to focus on the words. So he is not distracted by anyone. Because he wants to get it right. Sam tries the same technique and finds it helps. Around the same time, his grandfather tells him the story of his friend, Tex Johnson, and how Tex barrel rolled a 707 Boeing jet. Grandfather Bill passes on to Sam a prize possession, the control knob off that very 707, given to him by Tex himself. Slowly Sam finds the inspiration and the courage to perform the poem he wrote. He is ready for the slam. He nails his performance in class. He has his own nirvana moment. The only trouble is, Luis has disappeared.

The chapters in this book are short and designed to pull even reluctant readers along. After every few chapters are samples of Luis’s poetry – raw and designed to be read out loud. Swear words are used liberally but honestly. Readers will relate to the setting and feel propelled forward by the story. Perhaps they will even be moved by the ending. Let’s just say that John Green is not the only writer who can construct a teenage tear jerker.

Jumped In is on the long list for the 2014 Washington State Book Awards in the Young Adult category. Check back October 10^th to see if it won. Meanwhile, let us know of other books which have inspired you to read or even write your own poetry. 

Love letter to Melina Marchetta

Dear Melina Marchetta

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Your girls and women: Francesca, Justine, Taylor, Hannah, Evanjalin, Phaedra, Lirah, Quintana. Your boys and men: Will, Thomas, Jimmy, Lucian, Gargarin, Froi.

They are flawed, but they persevere. They hope and dream despite horrendous challenges, and they grow. They develop backbones, morality, depth, and compassion . . . authentically. I remember reading The Piper's Son and feeling so proud of Frankie that she never gave up on Tom. Where did that feeling of pride come from? I had no hand in Frankie's creation. It's a novel, for goodness sake! And yet, there it was: because she feels so real, my heart was filled to bursting with affection and gratification that Frankie grew into such a loyal, loving and wise young woman.

Your novels stand testament to the ability of people to grow, heal and improve themselves, and make a difference in their worlds. Frankie finds her peeps and figures out that you save yourself. Those peeps? A necessary part of it; she couldn't have done it without Justine, Tara, Will, Thomas and Jimmy, but neither her mom nor her friends could do it for her. Your characters move beyond their tragic pasts to meet the future head-on.

Isaboe and Quintana do what must be done to save their people, despite pain, heartache and love. They do not give up; they do not accommodate; they act. Despite his curmudgeonly demeanor, Gargarin is never able to let go of hope. He designs irrigation canals for a king he despises and a people who have turned their backs on him. He despairs, but makes himself "lean to the side of wonder," day in day out.

I love your worlds: from contemporary Australia, both urban and rural, to fantasy island. I see the outback, the mountains, the gravina. I love that we can't lump the bad guys together. Yes, there are truly heinous individuals, but no nationality or ethnic group is all good or bad. In Finnikin of the Rock, we are shown the horrors of war, and we accept that Charynites are the enemy. But then in Froi of the Exiles, we meet some of the good people of Charyn and suddenly good and evil are not so simple. We are set up to hate the Townies and the Cadets in Jellicoe Road and slowly realize, with Taylor, that the whole war is a game, and that Chaz and Jonah are really great guys.

I love that you write realistic fiction based on what you know, whether your characters live with cellphones and Facebook or in some fantasy world. In the Lumetare Chronicles, I was reminded of the Khmer Rouge, Darfur, and Syria in 2013. I love that you remind us that "we have met the enemy and he is us": flawed, complex, amazing human beings worthy of love and compassion, in spite of everything.

The statistical improbability of young love lasting

Having just read two well-written YA romances, I am thinking about what it is about young love that transports saps romantics like me. Almost certainly, the strength of the attraction is heightened by its novelty, and I think adults like to be reminded of how that first experience with love felt. Look at Romeo and Juliet. He's someone who wants to be in love, right? When we first meet him he's pining over some other girl and only goes to the party to catch a glimpse of her. Romeo's infatuation with Rosaline pales to what he feels for Juliet. Yes, the language is poetic, there's humor and drama, unforgettable characters -- all the things that make Shakespeare great. And added to that is the amazing rush of young love which we have experienced and crave.

So I get why grown-ups love these books, but why do we write them for teens? It's not like we want to encourage them to settle down with the first person they love. I would never dismiss those intense feelings as puppy love, and I'm not the most experienced 58-year-old, but I do know that a deep and abiding attachment is not always enough for a lifetime of living together. In If You Come Softly by Jacquelyn Woodson, Ellie says, "I think only once in your life do you find someone that you say, 'Hey, this is the person I want to spend the rest of my time on this earth with.' And if you miss it, or walk away from it, or even maybe, blink -- it's gone." She's 18; she gets to think that, but I hope the reader can understand it's coming from a very limited perspective.

The first novel I remember reading about teenagers falling in love and trying to make that love last was Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones. I know -- excellent title. It's by Ann Head and was written in the late 60s, pre-Roe vs. Wade. July and Bo Jo are high school sweethearts who become pregnant and decide to raise their baby together. Bo Jo gives up his college scholarship; July drops out of school. They are still, intentionally, together at the end of the book, but they are also still teenagers, so who can say what the next 5-10 years will bring?

Well, whatever, I still love these stories. I love being swept away by the rush of emotion. It should have more than just that going on, of course -- Shakespeare's language, Woodson's characters -- but I love being reminded how I felt that first time. That people are nicer, that colors are brighter, that everything will work out fine.

Here's my top please-let-them-make-it list in YA:

If You Come Softly, by Jacquelyn Woodson
Impossible, by Nancy Werlin
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, by Jennifer E. Smith
Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell

What would you add?

Imaginary Friends

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A few plot holes mar this otherwise excellent kick-ass girl mystery. Kami is a great main character -- fearless, smart, funny AND she has had an imaginary friend all her life! (I wish I could have held on to mine. I miss you, Suzanne Davis!) She and Jared talk to each in their minds all the time and it's great. Okay, so they don't think too much about it, because doing that makes them wonder about their sanity . . . as in "really? I have apparently made up a whole life for my imaginary friend?" As long as they don't think to closely about it, it's cool -- there's always someone to talk to, to comfort and commiserate with.

And then they meet IRL. Oh dear.

Isn't that a terrific set up? I'm in awe -- what an absolutely brilliant concept for a paranormal novel!

But honestly, if you were told about some sinister happening in an abandoned mansion out in the boonies which no adults will tell you about, would your first step be to go there? Or might you check the local archives in the library or the newspaper office? Especially considering you do know that you can check local history in the library and the newspaper office? Hmmm? Aside from the creep factor, this is why I have trouble with reading scary books -- the characters do such stupid things.

I'll take off my grinchy hat now and admit that I have already looked up when book 2 is scheduled for publication -- next October! Woo-hoo!!


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