I’m a writer and editor and specialize in reviewing books written for adults and writing educational standards-based books and articles for kids and teens. My work has been published in The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, The Oregonian, Publishers Weekly, and other publications.

Two Books by Bay Area Authors Present Women with Chutzpah in Spades

We’re living in a moment in which women are beginning to be taken seriously. Finally. When we’re not treated fairly — at work, at home, in the bedroom, at a bar — more and more of us are finding the courage to speak out and demand the consideration and respect we deserve. But, as the protagonists in two upcoming books by Bay Area authors discover, the journey toward recognition and self-actualization is anything but easy. Though ultimately rewarding in the end, big gains nearly always come at a cost for many women. In Carolina … [Read More...]

Featured Reviews: Nonfiction

Insightful, Personal Books Explore the Ongoing Fight for Gay Rights

Fifty years ago, on June 28, 1969, New York City police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. The violent clash between the cops and patrons incited fierce protests around the country. It was an explosive turning point in the gay rights movement. A lot has changed since then. In September 2011, “don’t ask, don’t tell” was repealed, allowing gay people to serve openly in the military. Four years later, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, making it legal in all 50 states. But, according to the authors of three insightful and necessary books coming out during Pride Month, these hard-earned wins are nowhere near enough. The … [Read More...]

Featured Reviews: Fiction

The Teenagers of ‘gods with a little g’ are Characters with Big Hearts

If you ask young people in America about what it’s like to be a teenager, many will say some form of, “It’s pretty lame.” There are restrictions on what you can do. School is often boring. Adults just don’t understand. But if you live in Rosary, Calif., an oil refinery town so isolated and overrun with Bible-thumpers that even internet access is restricted, being on the cusp of adulthood can get exponentially more angsty. At least that’s how it goes down in Tupelo Hassman’s second book (after Girlchild), gods with a little g. Right from the start of this balls-to-the-wall YA crossover novel, it’s clear its scrappy, no-nonsense 16-year-old narrator, Helen Dedleder, feels she has … [Read More...]