"The deeper sorrow cuts into your soul, the more joy you can contain" -- Kahlil Gibran

Kasey Cox

When I was in third grade, I was the budding author of a novel. The main character was a teen girl who had been in a car accident, and had to learn to walk again. I had six handwritten notebook pages, front and back sides, as my first chapter. I showed these to my favorite cousin: he was several years older than I, regarded in our family as extremely smart, and I’d always shared a special bond with him. I felt like he took me seriously when other family members dismissed my ideas as childish. Imagine my disappointment with his response to my chapter: “This is well-written, Kasey, but books like this just don’t sell. There’s not much interest in tragic stories where the characters are having a difficult time recovering.”

Looking back now, I have to laugh ruefully. He was probably about twelve or thirteen when we had that conversation. How did he know what kinds of books were marketable? And to whom? I’m sure my story wasn’t of interest to him. He liked books about dragons, and spies, and also nonfiction books that told him how to use computers – like many boys do, and not a few girls. Actually, I liked those books, too; I still do. Nevertheless, there’s something about those tragedy-and-recovery stories that draws me.

Evidently, I’m not alone in my attraction to books that detail a person’s hardships with illness or tragedy. What’s the interest? For some, those who have been through a serious illness, or who have supported a loved one in this struggle, it’s a relief to have characters with whom they identify. The validation of reading your own thoughts and feelings on the page of someone else’s book can make a survivor feel less isolated and alone. For others, who have not personally experienced life-threatening health issues, maybe it’s inspirational, and a reminder of the blessings in their lives.

The first summer we opened our bookstore, I learned about author Lurlene McDaniel. I had a seventh-grade English teacher come in and snatch up every single used copy I had of McDaniel’s books (I didn’t have any new copies; I didn’t know enough about her to order any.) The teacher’s comment: “I don’t know what it is, but my girls adore these, even if they’re not generally enthusiastic readers.” Since then, I’ve seen the same response from dozens of other middle school and high school teachers, librarians, and reading specialists.

McDaniel is the author of more than 50 novels for young adults. Her characters are usually teens struggling to deal with their own or a loved one’s chronic illness or mortality. The books cover a wide variety of issues, including organ transplant, AIDS, diabetes, severe depression, eating disorders, suicide, cancer, car accidents, hemophilia, and cystic fibrosis. Before you groan and start making comparisons to the Lifetime Channel, it’s important to note that McDaniel’s books do not always have happy endings, but neither are they designed to see how many tissues a reader can use per page. There are not overly-detailed descriptions of medical procedures, but McDaniel obviously knows her way around hospitals and doctors’ offices. She obviously understands the sorrow, worry, loneliness, and frustrations of lives impacted by these struggles, as well as the joy, love, and support provided by friends, family, communities, and medical staff.

This understanding is the reason Lurlene McDaniel began writing her books in the first place. When her son was three, he was diagnosed with diabetes. In the beginning, writing realistic stories about teens and their families facing life-threatening illness was cathartic, but the fan letters soon made clear the need for affirming books for this audience. Most of her novels are grounded, with a genuine tone borne of months of research as well as her personal experiences. McDaniel doesn’t usually rely on complicated machinations of plot to keep her stories interesting. (One exception to this was a novel of hers I read this weekend, I’ll Be Seeing You, where girl whose face is deformed from cancer meets boy whose eyes are severely damaged in an explosion, but I liked it anyway.)

If you’ve enjoyed your Nicholas Sparks, or your Jodi Picoult, or if you’ve read A Child Called It too many times, I recommend letting Lurlene McDaniel inform, inspire, validate, and entertain you and your teen this summer. With so many books to choose from, I’m certain you’ll find at least one that touches your life and opens your heart without breaking it.

Hobo knows heartache: he was blind, but now he sees. He wants to be a therapy cat and work with kids at hospitals, but he may have to settle for visiting sick kids in his hairless, literary form. To read more about Hobo’s cures for what ails you, visit his blog at frommyshelf.blogspot.com.

Texting Pomp and Circumstance

Kasey Cox

Ah, it’s that time of year again: lawnmowers roaring up and down at every hour of the day and night; flowers in profusion from every tree, bush, prom-goer’s wrist, and grocery store display; and “Pomp and Circumstance” being practiced in band rooms and on high school football fields in anticipation of the big day. And, while most new graduates like to see the gift of green bills in “Congratulations” cards, most givers also like to give something a little more concrete, something that lasts a little longer than a gallon of gas to drive to one day’s work at the summer job. Books are often the next choice, since we are hoping that the graduate learned to read and perhaps may use this skill again in the near future.

Books from the “inspirational” section are, of course, an excellent choice for a graduation gift that hopefully keeps on giving. Words of comfort and wisdom to reflect on, at this major crossroad and milestone, and for all those in the future. Timeless titles, often passed on with words like “my mother gave this to me when I graduated”, include Anne Morrow Lindberg’s “Gifts from the Sea”, Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet”, Antoine St-Exupery’s “The Little Prince”, and more recently, Mitch Albom’s books like “Tuesdays with Morrie” or “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” When I graduated, the newest book on this scene was Robert Fulghum’s “All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, still a favorite of mine. Certainly, I’ve also mentioned several times now how much I love Ruth Gendler’s lovely and transcendent descriptions in “The Book of Qualities.” I’m also very partial to the gift of a highlighter and Barbara Ann Kipfer’s “14,000 Things to Be Happy About”. All of these books serve readers well to remind them what’s important in life, to lift them up a little, to help them refocus when the way seems cloudy and the path steep. My review and my words about these books are trite, but the books themselves and the words they share breathe life and beauty across the years.

There’s usually some good advice in graduation speeches, but who remembers what was said at their graduation? Luckily, some of the best of that advice has been captured. Choose one of your favorite writers, like the inimitable Dr. Seuss, whose “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” was penned as a graduation speech; or Ann Patchett’s “What Now?” Or, avoid choosing one favorite and embrace parts of many with Sandra Bark’s collection: “Take This Advice: The Best Graduation Speeches Ever Given.”

If you’re looking for something a little more practical for your graduate, think cookbooks. Once given only to women about to be wed, families who are afraid their young loved ones may only ever eat fast food or Ramen noodles have many gift options. For some college-bound folks, the Better Homes & Gardens or Fanny Farmer Cookbook your family always relied on may need to wait a few years when an apartment replaces a dorm room, but there are things that can be cooked in a dorm kitchen, and ways to eat healthy from the college cafeteria, as attested to in books such as: “The Smart Student’s Guide to Healthy Dorm Living” and “College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Your Friends.” Although I have not yet had a chance to read this book, I’m betting the advice-and-inspiration guide “No More Ramen: The 20-Something's Real World Survival Guide: Straight Talk on Jobs, Money, Balance, Life, and More” to be a pretty solid choice. (Even though my last 20-something birthday is a few years behind me, I might just have to buy a copy of this book for myself). For the truly desperate, or for those with a weird sense of humor, perhaps Paladin Press’s tome on “Survival Poaching” is the just the ticket for your graduate.

The last kind of book I usually recommend that people consider gifting to those about to fly the nest is a book about the nest. We have some wonderful local authors, and a lot of special books about the area. What better way to send them on their way then to remind them where they came from?


Hobo remembers his home, his roots and his journey, in his memoir, “Hobo Finds A Home”, soon to be arranged with interpretative dance. Set to “Pomp and Circumstance”. Check out production dates, as well as other arrangements for his Summer 2008 Book Tour, at http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com