Happy Book Birthday to Kathleen West, whose debut, Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes, hits shelves today!Drama doesn't begin to describe the happenings at Liston Heights High! With overly involved parents at every turn, teachers, students, and parents all find themselves in the line of fire in this debut.
Isobel Johnson has received a disturbing voice mail from a "concerned" parent. On her personal phone number, no less. In the message, the parent accuses Isobel of anti-American teachings. And all of that because of an attempt to teach her students to see multiple perspectives and consider what's between the lines in classics such as The Great Gatsby. But opening the eyes of privileged students is a bit too far for the parents of Liston High!
Julia Abbott is just one of those parents. In fact, she herself made a passive-aggressive remark about Isobel's teachings at the recent Sadie Hawkins dance. But Julia doesn't have time to worry about Isobel, not now that she herself is the talk of the school. And all because she got a little too excited about her son's part in the school play.
Both Isobel and Julia find themselves at the center of some very unwanted attention and the outcome for each of them is seemingly out of their hands!
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes was a bit of a nail-biter and anxiety producer for me, if I'm honest! I was actually seething at Isobel's treatment, something I think a lot of folks in the publishing world can sympathize with as classics new and old come under fire by "concerned" parents!
Julia was a bit harder to sympathize with. She's, at first for sure, the absolute antithesis of Isobel! In fact, Julia comes across not only as an overly involved helicopter parent, but someone who lives their life in hopes that they'll earn endorsements or brand sponsorship for no reason other than that she feels worthy of it!
Julia's behavior is cringeworthy. But by the time it becomes clear that her family has been increasingly trying to deal with mess and fall out as a result of her actions, I found myself warming to her somewhat.
An interesting thing to note, and something that definitely helped in maybe not liking Julia but certainly being more sympathetic to her situation, is the fact that Kathleen West offers up a ton of different perspectives in throughout the story. Isobel and Julia are certainly the main characters, but we get chapters from the principal, Julia's kids, Julia's husband, fellow teachers, and others as the story progresses. Which means that we, the readers, know what's going on behind both Isobel's and Julia's backs!
Whether you're a parent in the thick of school drama or simply a bystander looking for a fun read, Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes is sure to please!
1 comment:
This book sounds emotional and I wonder if I will feel the same as you after reading it. Thanks for the review!
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