Ruth Bader Ginsburg: a Life by Jane Sherron De Hart

My Aunt Diane and I have a tradition of exchanging books as holiday gifts. This year I was delighted to receive the new biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Jane Sherron De Hart. When RBG joined the Supreme Court as the second female justice, I was one of few women studying Political Science at M.I.T. In the new Millenium, M.I.T. has worked to correct its gender bias and the Supreme Court has increased female representation, however Roe v. Wade is under direct attack. Why now? The answer can be found in De Hart's biography of the person who has devoted her life to gender equality.

Ruth was born to impoverished Jewish immigrants and needed a scholarship to get to college. Even though Ruth graduated first at Columbia Law School (tying with a man), she faced double discrimination as a Jew and as a working mother. No corporate law firm would offer her a job. A judge only agreed to hire her as his clerk when a Columbia Law professor promised that a male classmate would take Ruth's place if she failed.

Ruth found a more welcoming work environment in academia and at the ACLU. To promote equality as a gender-neutral concept, Ruth often argued cases representing men in traditional female roles such as dependent widowed caregivers in Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld. In winning this Supreme Court case unanimously in 1975, she created legal precedent to protect women from discrimination as well. The goal of feminism is gender equality, which is no more radical than civil rights. Although Ruth was a successful lawyer, she realized that she would be more effective on the other side of the bench. Having a like-minded husband, who was willing to help with childcare and do all the cooking, allowed her to pursue her dream.

Photo via Wikipedia

In 1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg was considered a moderate judge when President Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court, but now she is considered a liberal. De Hart makes a convincing argument that RBG's legal views have remained consistent while the Court has shifted conservative, contrary to the more liberal population. Her biography was published before the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh and the avalanche of state laws banning abortion, but the author predicted this attack on women's rights. As the Court swings, RBG remains the steady voice of reason. Her genius was in building consensus and reframing legal questions to get more progressive rulings. May she keep ruling!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: a Life is not a fast read, unless you are my mother, who devoured my gift in under a week while recovering from back surgery. At 723 pages (150 of those are endnotes) it was too heavy to hold for long or to carry in a handbag. For months, I read a section every night before bed. Although written for the general reader, the style is more academic than commercial, but RBG's personal story humanized the text. I related to her struggles as a working mom and as a Jew, but sometimes De Hart's prose became a bit too flowery when recounting personal details as if the author was more comfortable with summarizing legal briefs. RBG is a few years older than my mother, and reading this biography brought home how much the world has changed in their lifetime and how grateful I am for their generation (my mom was at Smith College with Gloria Steinem) who fought for the rights that are now under threat once again. Read this New York Times bestseller book and be inspired to keep fighting for gender equality.

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The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

Several friends recommended The Hare with the Amber Eyes to me, given my interest in both Japanese art and Jewish history. This nonfiction paperback from 2010 reads like a mystery. When artist Edmund de Waal inherited a collection of 264 Japanese carvings, he decided to trace these netsuke through five generations of his family's tumultuous history.

The Ephrussis were once influential bankers and art patrons, like the Rothchilds, but after two world wars, little remained of their vast collections beyond the netsuke. De Waal travelled from his home in England to Paris, to Vienna, to Japan and to Odessa, collecting photos and documents, and interviewing survivors. Like a detective, he pieced together the clues to learn about his collection, the collectors, and how the Nazis nearly obliterated his Jewish family. Old photos illustrate his narrative, taking us back in history. His book was well written and very original.

While reading The Hare with the Amber Eyes, I had the opportunity to visit the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, which has netsuke on display. The tiny figurines were designed as toggles for purses hanging off traditional Japanese garments since kimonos didn't have pockets. Carved of wood or ivory, the netsuke are small enough to hold in hand but are exquisitely detailed. Their often grotesque humor reminded me of gargoyles. The netsuke were invented in the 17th century and were popular until 1868, when Japan was opened to the West. I loved the story of how the Ephrussi collection returned to Japan, and how these small artifacts survived so much history. I wish the museum would let visitors hold their netsuke in hand.

While in California visiting my son at UC Berkeley, I took the train 15 hours south to meet Barrie Summy in San Diego. Although we've been crit partners for years, this was our first time meeting in real life. We talked enough for all that missed time. It was so much fun! I'm so grateful to Barrie for hosting this wonderful book review club for more than a decade and for connecting all of us through our shared passion for books and blogging. Thanks, Barrie!

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Hunger by Roxane Gay

One of the perks of living in a college town is getting to hear great speakers from away. I was so eager to hear Roxane Gay that I lined up on a snowy path nearly a half hour before her talk in March. Roxane Gay is the Gloria Steinem for the Millennial generation and very popular with college students. Alas, the theater filled with her fans so I was unable to hear her speak in person.

Determined to hear her voice, I listened to Hunger: a Memoir of (My) Body on audiobook. Roxane has a beautiful, warm voice, and it broke my heart to listen to her narration. At age twelve, she was gang-raped by her boyfriend and his friends and told no one out of misplaced shame. To protect her body, she gained hundreds of pounds and built emotional barriers. Her memoir also shows how society punishes "unruly bodies" such as hers. Roxane was further marginalized as a bisexual woman of color living in the midwest, but she found support from friends, family, and lovers.

Roxane Gay (photo from her website)

Although Hunger starts with tragedy, it is also an inspiring tale of resilience that teaches empathy. More than any other book I've ever read, Hunger allowed me to experience life inside someone else's skin. I'd recommend this beautifully written memoir to everyone. On audiobook I missed being able to underline her powerful words, but it was more emotionally resonate to listen. I'm looking forward to discussing her work with a savvy friend, who lined up earlier and said Roxane was a marvelous speaker. Thanks, Chryl Laird, for the nudge to read this book!

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Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt

Jonas & Nicole Maines graduating from Waynflete School

Becoming Nicole is the true story of my daughter's friend Nikki told by a Pulitzer winning journalist. This moving biography of a transgender girl is as much about her dad's psychological evolution toward acceptance as her physical transformation into a woman. A science journalist for The Washington Post, Amy Ellis Nutt does an excellent job of explaining what it means to be transgender biologically and legally, but the personal story of this working class family brings the message home.

Nikki and her identical twin brother, Jonas, grew up in the university town of Orono in Maine. From age two Nikki identified as a girl, preferring traditionally female clothing and toys. Her mother and brother supported her choice, but her conservative Republican father was initially uncomfortable. He feared for the safety of his child and how others would judge them, causing tension at home.

Although Nikki's friends accepted her, a classmate and his grandfather objected to Nikki using the girl's bathroom in their elementary school. Nikki and her family sued the school district, but the legal case took years to resolve. Suffering from bullying and stress, Nikki relocated with her mother and brother to Portland, the biggest city in Maine, but her father had to stay back in Orono (140 miles north) due to work.

Phuc Tran's senior advising group at Waynflete School: Gemma is second from left & Nikki is far right

Unhappy at her new public school, Nikki and her brother transferred to Waynflete, a progressive private school in Portland, Maine. All the bathrooms were switched to gender neutral before Nikki and a transgender boy started freshman year with my daughter; Gemma was in the same advising group with Nikki too. The community welcomed everyone. When Nikki won her court case to use the bathroom of her gender identity, she announced the victory at assembly and the whole school cheered for her. Nikki is now an activist for transgender rights and at college in Maine.

Freshman year pre-prom party at our house. Nikki is second and Gemma is third from the left.

Twins Jonas and Nicole Maines

I met Nikki and Jonas at prom time freshman year. Waynflete is so small that prom includes the entire high school, but like most schools, there are exclusive pre-prom parties. My daughter was upset when not all of her friends were invited to a fancy pre-prom party at a seaside mansion. At my suggestion, Gemma declined the invitation and hosted her own party at our house. Nikki came early with the girls to dress for prom and the boys came later for dinner. Everyone had lots of fun. I also enjoyed meeting Nikki's parents and hearing about their family's hard past and relief to be at Waynflete. Even so, Becoming Nicole taught me stuff I didn't know. I'm grateful for this book and for having Nikki and Jonas in my family's life.

I strongly recommend Becoming Nicole (2015) to everyone. Although the book was written for adults, the focus is on Nikki's childhood so it's a good read for tweens and teens too. Nutt does a fine job of making science, law, and politics easy to understand and fascinating. The writing was excellent and the content is appropriate for classroom use. This gorgeous book will make you cry - especially given Trump's reversal on transgender rights - but it will also leave you with hope.

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Good Summer YA Books for Teens & Tweens

Can you believe that it's almost summer? I went for my first ocean swim of the season on Monday and lasted nearly ten minutes in the frigid Maine water. My husband reassembled our hammock, leaving me to compile my annual summer reading list of recently published books for teenagers. You might be tempted to read along with your kids. I've also included one adult nonfiction book that would crossover well to younger readers. Follow the links to the full reviews previously posted on my blog.

YA Short Stories

Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins. Perkins's last YA short story anthology, My True Love Gave to Me: 12 YA Holiday Stories was one of my favorite books from 2014. Once again, she has pulled together a talented group of authors running the gamut from realistic to fantasy, this time on a summer theme. There is something for everyone. Purchased at Bull Moose.

Contemporary YA Beach Books

Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider Who wouldn't love two months in Hawaii? Unfortunately, it's hard to swim or to surf with a cast. Sloane broke her hand punching her boyfriend after he got her best friend pregnant. Nonetheless, Sloane is determined to leave her angst and her ex behind in rainy Seattle. This is the ultimate beach book with a gorgeously lush setting. Native Hawaiian characters add diversity. The author attended college in Honolulu and this is her debut novel. Kindle ebook.

The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine Although the cover looks like a traditional romance novel, what is missing from the photo is a wheelchair. A former surfer, Bryan now cruises his island home in an adapted car. Working at a summer day camp, Bryan befriends mainland Cassie, who is recovering from a painful breakup and adjusting to her dad's new family. Romance builds slowly on this small island off the Jersey shore. This engaging novel tackles the issues from prejudice toward disability to the challenges of sex as a paraplegic, and yet the tone is light and entertaining like any other YA romance. Purchased at Bull Moose.

This is the Story of You by Beth Kephart This novel is also set on an island off the Jersey Shore, but the writing style is literary and the content is way more innocent. Follow the link to my review of this environmental thriller. Galley from Chronicle Books, publisher.

Historical YA Fiction

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee Released yesterday, this bittersweet novel about the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 features Mercy (Wong Mei-Si), the most delightfully headstrong protagonist since Anne of Green Gables. Although there is death, the content is otherwise tame enough for younger readers. Lee's first book, Under a Painted Sky, is also available in paperback and was my favorite YA book from 2015. Galley from Putnam Books, publisher.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse I read a Buzz Books excerpt and fell in love with the gorgeous writing and the original premise of this World War II novel. A Dutch teenager who supports her family through blackmarket deliveries joins the search for a missing Jewish girl. This book was nearly published as adult historical fiction and would crossover well to older readers. The author is also a Washington Post journalist. Purchased at Barnes & Noble in NYC.

YA Fantasy

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. This historical fantasy is set in Darwin's time on an island off England. After the suspicious death of her father, 16-year-old Faith feeds lies to a magical plant which reveals truths in hallucinogenic dreams. Hardinge was the first YA author to win the Costa Children's Book Award in the UK since Philip Pullman. I purchased the Kindle ebook because I couldn't wait for the April hardcover release in the USA.

The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh is the sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn, one of my favorite YA books from last year. This magical retelling of 1001 Nights is set in ancient Persia. I'm saving it to read on the beach. Purchased at Harvard Book Store.

Lower YA/Upper MG (ages 11-13)

Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend. Although this novel was shelved in the YA section at the Harvard Coop, the naive POV sounds more upper Middle Grade. The narrator is a 13-year-old girl who has moved in with her dad's new family after her bipolar mom tried to commit suicide. This gritty book explores mental illness and doesn't use it as a plot device to allow the protagonist freedom from supervision. It's also rare to find a book that bridges the divide between MG and YA. The protagonist's sassy but sweet voice brightens the narrative. I can see why Judy Blume blurbed this literary novel with feminist themes.

The Disappearance of Emily H by Barrie Summy This magical mystery set in middle school would be a lighter choice for tween readers. Since I reviewed it last year, this upper MG novel is now available in paperback. Galley from Delacorte Press, publisher.

Narrative Nonfiction (paperbacks)

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda with Liz Welch One of my favorite nonfiction books from last year is now available in paperback. Teenage American-Zimbabwean pen-pals form a deep friendship over seven years in this inspiring YA memoir. The accessible style would appeal to younger readers too. Purchased at Longfellow Books.

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery The New England Aquarium was so impressed by this National Book Award finalist for adult nonfiction, they just named their latest Giant Pacific Octopus after the author. Montgomery also shares the story of a teenage girl with autism who volunteers at the aquarium, making this an excellent crossover read for teens and tweens. The only shocking part would be octopus sex. Follow the link to my full review with octopus photos. Purchased at Gulf of Maine Books.

YA Thriller coming in June: 

With Malice by Eileen Cook After reading a Buzz Books excerpt, I requested the galley. This YA suspense thriller is reminiscent of the Amanda Knox scandal in Italy. Galley on the way from HMH for Young Readers, publisher. I will post a review this summer. Update: my review of With Malice.

Reviewer's Disclosure:  I was not compensated for these reviews. I'm blog buddies with Beth Kephart and Barrie Summy and requested their galleys. I've read 6 of the listed book and am currently reading or planning to read the rest.

If you have other suggestions of good summer books, please leave a comment.

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery

I think my spirit animal might be an octopus. While raising two kids, I have been working two careers from home simultaneously. Our family has dual nationality and two religions. To unwind from a life of multitasking, I swim in the ocean or a lap pool. If only I had six more arms!

The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery is more than a natural history book; it's also a philosophical reflection on non-human intelligence, a glimpse behind the scenes at the New England Aquarium and a rally for ocean conservation. The writing is engaging and emotionally moving, narrative nonfiction at its best.

Octopuses (not octopi, because it's a Greek word imported to Latin, explains the author) have three hearts, a complex brain and even more neurons in their arms. They taste, feel and see the world through their suckers and those arms may have distinct temperaments. Their intelligence and self awareness rivals that of advanced vertebrates like primates and dogs. They camouflage by changing skin texture as well as color and have various strategies for different predators and prey. In captivity they continually try to escape, but aquariums keep them as compelling ambassadors for the wild.

Although octopuses are naturally solitary creatures, they recognize and form strong bonds with their caretakers. At the New England Aquarium, a retired scientist makes complex toys for the octopuses to alleviate their boredom. Anna, a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome, finds reprieve from depression among her aquatic friends. The book was dedicated to her. The octopuses profiled in the narrative have individual personalities and moods too. This marvelous memoir would appeal to readers of all ages and species.

Reviewer's Disclosure: In a clickhole quiz "Are You An Introvert, An Extrovert, Or A Sea Monster?" I was revealed to be a sea monster. After reading a glowing review on Beth Kephart's blog, I bought the gorgeous hardcover book at the Gulf of Maine Books. The Soul of an Octopus is the best read-in-the-tub book ever.

My DSLR photographs are of a Giant Pacific Octopus and fish from my visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in January. I was convinced that this GPO was watching me with as much interest as she danced an aquatic ballet for the awed spectators. My daughter had to drag me away at closing time.

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Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Muir Beach before sunset from my mother-daughter vacation to California last month.

Ta-Nahisi Coates won a MacArthur "Genius Grant" last year for his journalism and memoirs on race and politics. Between the World and Me describes what it's like to live in a body that is a black in the USA. Coates recounts the history of slavery, Jim Crow laws, his own perilous childhood in West Baltimore and more recent events like Eric Garner's death to explain systemic racism in America. I read similar books for Literature of Social Reflection back in college, but this 2015 National Book Award winner speaks to our current crisis and makes sense of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Coates's personal approach to the subject teaches empathy and compassion.

Between the World and Me wasn't an easy book to read because it flags the failings in our nation, specifically in our system of justice. Although only 151 pages long, this eloquent memoir took me several days to finish and longer to process. Coates made me live inside a black man's skin and see the world through his eyes. He tells true stories of well-educated and compassionate men who play by the rules and are still crushed. There are incidents of police brutality (officers both black and white) but also the unintentional racism of people who identify as white and benefit from the system oppression. So much needs to change in the way we think, speak and act. Coates does at least leave room for hope.

His writing was beautiful and poignant:

"I remember being amazed that death could so easily rise up from nothing of a boyish afternoon, billow up like fog." 

"'Good intention' is a hall pass through history, a sleeping pill that ensures the Dream." 

"I felt that I had missed part of the experience because of my eyes, because my eyes were made in Baltimore, because my eyes were blindfolded by fear."

Between the World and Me was the most meaningful book I read last year, and I would recommend it to everyone, especially to Americans. Since the book was written as a letter to his 15-year-old son, it would crossover well to a teen audience, although it was marketed as adult nonfiction. My mother read it in two days and was deeply moved by the narrative as well. My husband and son are reading it now. "This is required reading," says Toni Morrison in her blurb. Add it to the top of your list.

Reviewer's Disclosure: I bought this hardcover book without compensation at Longfellow Books and bought two more copies at Gulf of Maine Books as Hanukkah and Christmas gifts for my son and for my writing crit partner, who loved it too. She read it on Martin Luther King Day.

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Good Books About Refugees: Tropical Zion, The Good Braider and Out of Nowhere

Last week's terrorist attacks in Beirut and Paris should raise - not diminish - compassion for refugees. Now is not the time to close our borders against the Syrian refugees who are fleeing these very same terrorists. Most of the global victims of terrorism are Muslims. None of the 750,000 refugees who have resettled in the USA since 9/11 have been arrested on domestic terrorism charges (source: The Economist). The terrorists win twice if they can rob us of compassion along with lives. How can we reverse this rising wave of xenophobia?

Books can help increase empathy. I've chosen one historical book and two young adult novels that could be used in the classroom to help young people understand the plight of refugees. If you have other books to recommend, please leave a comment. I'd especially like one about Syrian refugees.

Some countries have learned from history. Germany is welcoming a million refugees, but the USA is only accepting 10,000. Our low quota reminds me of World War II when many Jews fleeing the Nazis were not allowed into the USA. My great grandfather Arthur Lamport and other American Jews raised funds to help Jewish refugees resettle in the Dominican Republic. That true story is told in Tropical Zion by Allen Wells (2009), a history professor at Bowdoin College.

Nonfiction has the facts, but reading literary fiction has been proven to increase empathy. In a good story, we experience what the characters are feeling. The Good Braider by Terry Farish (2012) is a romance between a South Sudanese refugee and an American boy. I don't usually like novels in verse, but this one spoke to me, especially the parts set in Africa. Farish's novel traces a girl's escape from civil war in Sudan to limbo in Egypt and finally to resettlement in Portland, Maine. My only concern was that the abusive mother might give young readers a warped impression of Sudanese immigrants; most have integrated well in Maine and are dedicated to their families. Understandably, wartime trauma can lead to psychological problems so the mother was a believable character.

Farish's novel touched me on a personal level. My children went to school in Portland with many immigrant children. My son's high school girlfriend was born in a Sudanese refugee camp in Kenya and resettled with her family in Portland. She graduated from Waynflete School with honors and is now attending Wesleyan University through Questbridge. We invited her family to share Thanksgiving in our home; it was their first after many years in the USA. Before you form an opinion on refugees, get to know one. Remember that the USA is a nation founded on immigration.

Another refugee story that is set close my home is Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian. This excellent young adult novel was inspired by true events in Lewiston, Maine. The book was released in 2013 in hardcover and is now available in paperback. Soccer fans will love it. You can read my review here.

There are true stories about refugees with happy endings. The Lewiston Blue Devils have just won the Maine State Championship for soccer. Many of the players are immigrants. The coach shares their inspiring story about multicultural teamwork in a moving video below:




One Team: The Story of the Lewiston High School Blue Devils from LHSOneTeamFilm on Vimeo.

Reviewer's Disclosure: Allen Wells is a colleague of my husband at Bowdoin College and his wife taught our daughter history. My dad sent Tropical Zion to me without realizing that we knew the author. I'm friends with author Maria Padian and borrowed a galley for review purposes. I bought both young adult novels from indie bookstores and was not compensated for my reviews.

How to Speak Brit by Christopher J. Moore

Despite living three years in England and marrying a Brit, I'm not quite bilingual. British has a different "colour" from American English. I tried to capture this amusing linguistic confusion in a young adult novel about an American teenager on sabbatical in England (on submission to publishers). So I was as pleased as punch to find How to Speak Brit by Christopher J. Moore. The author is an Englishman with an MSc in Linguistics; Moore appreciates the history, as well as the humor, inherent in British expressions.

Like the Union Jack, which is an amalgamation of the flags from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the British language is highly regionalized. Word choice and accent tell other Brits the hometown, the education and the class of the speaker. Moore's book highlights the linguistic diversity in Old Blighty, but at 120 pages, it is not an encyclopedia, although there is a helpful index in the back.

How to Speak Brit is the humorous type of book a Brit would expect to find in the loo. Moore claims that the British slang word for bathroom/toilet came from the Battle of Waterloo. The Oxford Dictionary lists several other derivations for loo. My favorite one (not included in Moore's book) dates to medieval times. Servants would shout, "Regardez l'eau!" (French for "Look out for the water!") before dumping a chamber pot out the window into the road. I used this more colorful derivation in my novel and added a warning that a British "bathroom" may not necessarily contain a toilet.

Moore acknowledges that there are multiple origin stories behind British expressions, and How to Speak Brit is not meant to be an academic book. He organizes the phrases loosely around themes such as food (the Ploughman's Lunch) and etiquette (Fair Play). I would recommend the hardcover version over the ebook to appreciate the blue woodblock-print-style illustrations. Since there is no narrative arc, the book is best consumed in small chunks. Personally, I prefer narrative nonfiction, like Bill Bryson's books, which tells a story while delivering facts, but Moore's book succeeds on its own terms.

How to Speak Brit would make a jolly good visiting gift for an Anglophile, with the aim to amuse without risking offense. Moore avoids the more raunchy expressions that pepper the British vocabulary. Most of Cockney rhyming slang was designed to disguise swearwords and was quite useful for me in a novel marketed to a teenaged audience. Moore skips quickly past Cockney rhyming slang to focus more on quaint expressions with historical origins. His book might be helpful to a foreigner moving to a posh neighborhood in the UK but not to a visitor hoping to pick up current street slang. A linguist or a word pundit would enjoy it the more.

I would recommend How to Speak Brit to Downton Abbey and P.G. Wodehouse fans. The American edition uses Yank spelling and explanations. Chin up, chaps; there's no need to be flummoxed any longer. How to Speak Brit will be released on September 11, 2014 in both the USA and the UK.

Reviewer's Disclaimer: Gotham Books, Penguin USA gave me a digital galley and a print advance copy upon my request. I did not receive any other compensation for my review.

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Family Weekend at Middlebury College

Last weekend my husband and I visited our son at Middlebury College in Vermont. The perfect weather and peak foliage called for a hike up nearby Snake Mountain. From the summit, we had a spectacular view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, across the border in New York.

The golden trail was an easy 1,000 feet over two miles ascent. The ski team passed us, running up and down, but we easily overtook the yuppies hiking with an elderly basset hound. A garter snake slithered by on the way down.

Middlebury campus was gorgeous. This is the view from the science building, where my son spends most of his academic hours. In his free time, he plays Chopin on piano, and he's joined the bike club, the nordic club, the film club and Mchaka Mchaka, a group that runs around campus at night, chanting in Swahili. I can understand why he's enjoying freshman year.

The ivy on his dorm was burning bright red, complementing the maples.

My British husband felt at home in the Shoreham Inn, run by a Brit and his American wife. The pub style restaurant served delicious hot cooked breakfasts and locally brewed Switchback Ale with a tasty dinner. Our luxurious loft room was in a converted sheep barn, a twenty minute drive from campus. All of Middlebury and neighboring towns were booked five months in advance of family weekend.

While our son did his homework, we went to a book talk on Wonder Women: Sex, Power and the Quest for Perfection by Debora Spar, a fellow Middlebury parent. Afterwards we settled into Adirondack chairs (scattered throughout campus) to read in the sun.

Back home in Maine, the leaves in our yard aren't too shabby either.