Skip to main content

Out of the Easy


Out of the Easy is set in 1950s French Quarter, New Orleans.  The protagonist, like the city she inhabits, has her own dark specters whose source and spring is her prostitute mother.  Wanting to flee this mire and the stigma it carries, Josie devises a plan to get out.  Unfortunately, the sins of the mother are visited upon the daughter in the form a mob entanglement that threatens all that Josie values.  Yet, with the help of her friends, Josie emerges triumphant and acts upon the wisdom and courage that she’s gleaned from literary classics, taking this new understanding with her as she heads East.  Sepetys’ sophomore novel has not only a compelling plot, but also a narrative voice that rings true as the protagonist is forced to exist in a world that repulses her – code-switching between the seediness of a clandestine economy of favors and a burgeoning self-refinement.  In coming of age, Josie matures morally, psychologically, and socially matures as the result of her extraordinary experience; she must learn to reconcile her desperation to escape with her stalwart loyalty to those who have always sheltered her from her mother’s storm.  This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy realistic fiction’s tendency to recognize and navigate the pluralities of life as well as those language lovers who revel in the colorful musicality of southernisms à la Eudora Welty, Truman Capote, and Tennessee Williams.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Decloaking Wakanda: Creating Space for BIPOC Nerds

On February 9, 2023, at the fourth Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC), I had the exhilarating experience of guiding a discussion that focused on the need to connect with nerd culture and create a welcoming environment for the BIPOC fandom. The soul of this session had been several years in the making and built on countless heart-to-heart moments. So, I couldn’t imagine a better venue for seeing it actualized than my first JCLC. Furthermore, for this session, I had the honor of being in conversation with fellow nerds and comics librarians Jean Darnell and Deimosa Webber-Bey . To my eternal amazement, our talk was met with a standing room only reception, and afterward we were repeatedly regaled with tales of being turned away at the door. In hopes of capturing a small portion of that day's magic, this post grew out of that discussion. *** For the past 30 years, BIPOC nerds have existed in the cringe-worthy shadow of Urkel. What if, instead, they’d had portrayals such as
1 comment
Read more

Standing TALL: Choosing to Apply to the Texas Library Association's TALL Texan Leadership Institute

 After having attended the Texas Library Association's TALL Texan Leadership Institute, another library worker reached out to me with questions about my experience. Below are the answers that I provided in response to her questions. *** Why did you apply to Tall Texans?  Originally, I heard about TALL Texans as a new school librarian - within my first five years - and at the time it was described to me as an opportunity to gain meaningful leadership training in the field of librarianship that was specific to the Texas Library ecosystem. Thus, it was something that I'd aspired to for quite awhile. However, as time went on I made my way toward leadership without having attended the institute and began to second guess the value of the investment. However, when I mentioned to my supervisor that I was mildly interested in attending, she strongly encouraged me to apply - stating that not only would the library pay for my tuition but that she believed I would particularly benefit from
Post a Comment
Read more

This Barbie is a Comics Librarian: My 2023 Comic-Con International Recap

Although we did NOT pull up in a pink convertible, Russell and I DID arrive in sunny San Diego mid-morning on Wednesday, Preview Night. After leaving the airport, we quickly dropped off our bags at the hotel and took the ferry over to Coronado Island for lunch and a cycling adventure. Since my fellow panelist—Jana Tropper—and I had coordinated Barbie lewks for a grand first time in-person meeting, Russell and I entertained the locals looking like real life Barbie and Ken on our day of leisure before launching into the heart of the fandom. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to connect with Jana until the following day. The next two days were a whirlwind of learning from and networking with my fellow comics educators and information professionals at the lovely San Diego Central Library. Thursday was full of library panels that ran the gamut from discussing libraries and the challenges they currently face to comics pedagogy; whereas, Friday was a parade of publisher panels showcasing a pleasa
Post a Comment
Read more