January & February 2010 Media Selections
Picture Books
Snow Bear - Jean Craighead George, Wendell Minor (Illustrator) (2003)
From the author of the Newberry Award winning novel My Side of the Mountain comes this perfectly lovely book about a young girl's adventure in the Arctic, which she shares with a young polar bear cub. The twosome is watched by her older brother and the mother polar bear, who keep a lookout for their safety. Again and again it is stressed that man and bear have much in common, and that the two creatures are connected. This provides a very simple, direct way that a Pagan child can begin to see that humans and animals are really not so different after all, and we share the same world. The illustrations are also bright and joyous, painting the Arctic landscape as vibrant instead of monotonous. And indeed, there are hints about the philosophy of the Arctic that are dropped throughout the story, exposing children to the culture without the lessons being overbearing. This book would be perfectly suited for a read-aloud.
Possible Drawbacks: Sometimes the alternating text lines describing the bear and the human seem a little forced and inconsistent. We also have to remember that this was a story written about an aspect of Native culture, but was not actually written by a Native author.
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Novels for Children & Young Adults
Hatching Magic - Ann Downer (2003)
Wycca, a medieval wyvern (dragon) accidentally slips through time to the present day. Her master, a royal wizard, follows her - but so does a rival wizard and his impish apprentice. The two wizards race to find the wyvern first - but she escapes their grasp. Meanwhile, a young girl, Theodora, who is a wyvern fanatic becomes involved in the story as she finds a tarot card dropped by one of the wizards. It seems to hold special powers - but what? The story is surprisingly charming and engaging, but its main strength lies in its memorable and colorful characters, such as Mikko - Theodora's blonde, pajama wearing, sophisticated nanny - and the unexpected little scenarios and side plots that crop up in the course of the tale - such as when the wizards accidentally conjure a Chinese water dragon who lives in a bathtub, content to eat popcorn and tea. The story isn't especially original, but the author's presentation of it is what makes this worth a read.
Possible Drawbacks: Children who are not well-versed in "real" magick might get confusing ideas about how magic is actually performed and for what purposes. Most of the spells are obviously, purely fun - such as conjuring clothing out of a magazine or flying through time. There are also "demons" mentioned in the story, although they are not particularly frightening or evil.
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The Possibilities of Sainthood - Donna Freitas (2008)
At first glance, it might seem odd to find a review of a story narrated by a Catholic teenager on a site with a Pagan audience, but it is oddly suitable as well. The main character, Antonia, is a teenage girl who is an expert on various saints and their various areas of expertise. She stresses that she is not overly involved with God or even caring whether the saints she prays to even really existed in real life - she is more interested in the effects of her prayers. Antonia also seems to be a magnet for magick; she makes "miracles" happen on a regular basis, and is even intent on being made the first living saint in history. With a Pagan eye, it is quite easy to see beyond her cultural trappings and realize that Antonia is adept at tapping the spiritual forces, archetypes, what-have-you, for whatever she might need, and any witch would be impressed that she knows so many correspondences, whatever the situation might require. Antonia even has a Catholic version of a Book of Shadows - a notebook she keeps a record of the saints she knows, the prayers she uses, whether they come true, etc. Not to mention that her family's apartment is absolutely covered in saint statuary. Reading this with an open mind can actually provide quite a good lesson on how similar different faiths can be once you get to their core. And besides, the book is a quick, pleasant read, entertaining and fresh. The characters are actually really likable, the cultural milieu of an immigrant Italian neighborhood is colorful and believable, and several subplots (family drama, boy issues, mother-daughter issues, the death of her father, etc) are woven together to add interest.
Possible Drawbacks: This may not be as enjoyable for the adult or older children as some other fantasy books are. The story is rather simplistic and there is an overall feeling that the story could have been developed in much more detail.
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So You Want to be a Wizard - Diane Duane (2003)
Young Adults. Two children, picked on by their peers, stumble upon manuals to become wizards. Eager to escape their tormentors, they say the wizard's oath and start performing ceremonial magickal spells which turn out to be variously amusing in effect and deadly dangerous. They summon forces they cannot control and call on the aid of an energy field they name Fred who becomes their sidekick. Nita and Kit have various adventures and discover that everything has a spirit - trees, rocks, cars, and trains - and also come to realize that there is a magickal life just barely hiding underneath the mundane world. This is the first of a popular series of books.
Possible Drawbacks: There is quite a bit of peer-to-peer violence and bullying that goes on in the book that the adults just ignore. The children sneak away to New York City without permission, aided by other adults they barely know. The story is inconsistent, sometimes very fast-paced and other times seeming to drag. The author scatters a good amount of obscure words around and describes thoughts and silently said words in parentheses, which is at times awkward and confusing. The children make a binding oath to become wizards without actually doing any significant study or research, and then have to practice elaborate ceremonial techniques that have dire consequences if they are not done perfectly, landing them in a shadowy sub-world where they become prey to various evil forms of magick.
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Novels for Parents and Adults
Pushed - Jennifer Block (2007)
This isn't the first book written that serves as an expose of the birth industry as it stands in the present-day United States, but it is one of the best to date. The book is well-written and presents a good balance of anecdotes, history, and statistics. It contains quotes from within the birth industry as well as perspectives outside it, exploring topics such as the management of a typical birth scenario that most American women are subjected to currently, as well as contrasting it with other options such as midwife-attended births and even unassisted births. Block spends quite a bit of time highlighting the case of "renegade midwives" - midwives who practice under the radar to attend homebirths and provide prenatal care, often against the local laws. While Block does seem to have a desire to educate America about what its birth culture has become and show other options that it could be, at the same time she is not sentimental with an ever-rosy view of non-medicalized births - she presents criticism where it is called for and presents one of the best books to date about this topic.
Possible Drawbacks: This is for the serious birth junkie - the book might be a little too heavy-handed for the casual reader. It also has several triggers for those who have lived through their own birth traumas or are currently pregnant. While the information is invaluable, it also does not shy away from the more gruesome aspects of birth - which sometimes, inevitably, goes wrong.
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Witch Way to the Mall - Esther Friesner (2009)
The premise, at first glance, is quite promising - a collection of supernatural tales about witches who blend into the suburban landscape, the perennial "witches next door". The execution falls slightly short of Pagan expectations; while the stories contained in this anthology are no doubt amusing, there is scant connection to Pagan witches. While the starring characters are not typically frightening, wart-nosed hags, they are also creatures of fantasy - dragons turned into suburban moms, teens accidentally summoning demons at the local mall's coffee shop, competing bird-watchers summoning extinct species for a contest. The stories are cute and are ideal for those who only have short chunks of time to read, but there is little inspiration for today's true suburban witches.
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Farm City - Novella Carpenter (2009)
This is the story of a woman who decides that despite the fact she has no plans to move into the country, she wants to leave a more primal sort of life, raising her own food and learning to live more in tune with nature. She and her partner move to a rundown ghetto where shootings and robberies are frequent, take over an abandoned lot next door to their apartment, and start farming. They garden and raise geese, ducks, rabbits, chickens, bees, rabbits, pigs, turkeys... and not infrequently with less-than-stellar effects. She reminisces about her hippie parents and relates the adventures she has meeting and interacting with her neighbors, from homeless bums to Buddhist monks, and shares the pluses and minuses of living in a slightly anarchic Oakland neighborhood. The reviews on the book jacket praise the fact that unlike other "sustainable living" authors in vogue today, this lady tells it like it is and avoids becoming "too precious" - which is very accurate. This story is not at all prettied up - there are hangovers, drugs, attempted muggings, and gory details of turkey slaughter. Nonetheless, the lady does make a powerful case that anyone, anywhere, can take steps towards connecting with the land they live on and taking a more active part in producing their own food.
Possible Drawbacks: The author is a strong character who doesn't shy away from earthy descriptions of her life - even when she's not actually talking about gardening. While no doubt appealing to many, her personality might be too strong for some.
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Websites
Pooka Pages for Pagan Kids
Any Pagan parent who has not yet stumbled upon Lora Craig-Gaddis's popular website is missing out. The site is geared towards younger school-aged children, featuring spells, stories, recipes, lore, activity pages, coloring sections, and much more - and there is a new newsletter for every major Sabbat. While this may not have much in store for the older child, it is a delightful site for the younger set.
Path to Freedom
From their website: "Path to Freedom is a grassroots, family operated, original urban homestead located in the midst of Pasadena. Surrounded by urban sprawl and just a short distance from a freeway, the Dervaes Family have steadily worked at transforming this ordinary city lot into an organic and sustainable micro-farm. This website documents the many steps the Dervaeses have taken and hopes to inspire fellow travelers on their own life-changing journey." The slight downside is that the founders of the site have grown beyond their original project and have become mini-celebrities of their own right, traveling and giving presentations on their lifestyle. Nonetheless, their years of hard work with stunning results is an inspiration to "bloom where one is planted" - a favorite saying of the group.
The Wild Hunt
From their website: "Since launching “The Wild Hunt” in 2004, Jason Pitzl-Waters has become one of the leading voices for analysis and insight into how modern Pagan faiths are represented within the mainstream media. In addition, “The Wild Hunt” has also conducted in-depth interviews with prominent figures within modern Paganism, academia, and religion journalism. Jason wants to raise the level of discourse and journalism on important issues within the modern Pagan and Heathen communities, while advocating a broader commitment to encouraging religious multiplicity and solidarity (where appropriate) with surviving indigenous and non-monotheistic faith groups." In short, this is a well-written site with a wealth of information - a must for anyone who hopes to be up to date with what's being written in the media for and about Pagans.
