Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Abike Iyimide

 

  

   If you are going to read only one mystery book this year, make sure you pick Where Sleeping Girls Lie. Don’t be deterred by the fact that it is in the Young Adult fiction book category. I could not put this outstanding novel down. It is the kind of masterpiece that leaves me speechless, and there are many reasons why I recommend it strongly.

 

 Why I loved Where Sleeping Girls Lie

   Where Sleeping Girls Lie is a refreshing read because the author does not taint the novel with clumsy gender stereotypes that suit the wishes of the patriarchy. The story has strong female characters who defy the patriarchy in several ways. Characters don’t need to be perfect, but I appreciate that they are relatable and interesting, and it is easy to feel a strong sense of connection with them. Unlike Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates, where the so-called “smart girl” turns out to be an insane product of the patriarchy, the smart girls in Where the Sleeping Girls Lie challenge the system through their wits, humor and determination. They are smart because they can see what is wrong and they act accordingly. The female teenagers somehow band together and confront injustice.  

 

   It is liberating to read Faridah Abike-Iyimide after putting up with novels that claim to be different while falling flat into a stream of prejudices and stereotypes. For example, in The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak the female characters (Ella and Rose) cannot be brave without the feedback of men. (Rose is a sex slave but the author does not even seem to acknowledge that Rose is a slave). Ella is constantly patronized by a stranger. In The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak, the eccentric ladies she presents turn out to be unreliable and cruel by the end of the novel and the author makes sure that the reader feels more empathy for the rapist than for the female characters she portrays. I find it disappointing and disturbing. On the other hand, in Where Sleeping Girls Lie Faridah breaks new ground. She sets the reader free from the trend of throwing the “smart” women under the bus. Faridah shows how women can  band together to protect themselves. After I finished reading it, I continued thinking about the outcome of the story and about how all the pieces fit together.

    Faridah is a new kind of writer, free from the prejudices that influence other writers. How liberating! How refreshing it is to meet this author!

   

     Characters and Plot

     Like in Carthage, a female character disappears, so the puzzle revolves around her disappearance and the chain of events that ensue; there are many secrets to be discovered throughout the story…

     Sade is a sixteen-year-old new student in a boarding school in England: Alfred Nobel Academy (ANA). Before joining ANA, she had been homeschooled. It is fascinating to read about her new life in the school and how she connects with the other students. The main characters have unique personalities, and Faridah makes them jump out of the page, offering vivid settings and concise descriptions.

     The mystery starts with the sudden disappearance of a female high school student of Asian ethnicity. Her name is Elizabeth Wang; she was Sade Hussein’s room-mate. The teenager vanishes on Sade’s first night at ANA.

   The gothic buildings of the school create a dark, intriguing atmosphere. Each building has the name of a historical figure from the past… Sade and her new friends navigate an oppressive system of racism, misogyny, greed and corruption, but they challenge it in multiple ways.

  Getting to know the characters well was a riveting adventure. I appreciate how the author makes the suspense grow. She keeps the reader actively engaged through the planting of enigmatic clues. Some of the characters are teenagers I would be happy to befriend, like Basil, Persephone, Elizabeth and Sade. Unlike Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, a novel in which all the teenagers portrayed are shallow, uninspiring and boring, Faridah offers characters that you are willing to meet in-person. (Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed reading Nineteen Minutes, but I did not like the characters in that story).

      As you read Where Sleeping Girls lie, you may consider asking questions about the study of history:

         Who do we celebrate when we study history? Who do we honor?

         Who do we ignore and why? How does a biased selection shape our present? How does this impact our future?

         How can we improve the study of history to make it inclusive and relevant to our times? How do we learn new perspectives to comprehend the past?

           I do not want to reveal too much because this book is amazing, thought-provoking and incredibly relevant. I also appreciate that the ending offers hope, and we need hope more than ever.

          I dare say this is my favorite mystery of the year and my favorite Young Adult fiction of the year. I am thankful that the universe made me cross paths with this masterpiece. Encounters with books are like little miracles that make us fall in love with the magic of reading.

       I came across this book at my local library and I look forward to reading more works by this author.

 

           A brief note about the author

         Faridah Abike-Iyimide is the award-winning, instant New York Times—and internationally bestselling author of Ace of Spades. She is a graduate from a university in the Scottish Highlands, where she received a bachelor of arts in English Literature. She also has an MA in Shakespeare studies from Kings College London. You can learn more about Faridah by checking her website:

Faridahabikeiyimide.com

 

  

 

Comparative analysis between Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates and Where Sleeping Girls Lie (along with some commentary on other recent reads).

   

    If you have already read Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates, feel free to read this analysis.

    It was fascinating to realize that these two books landed on my desk at the same time. When I had to choose which one to read first, I selected Carthage, but I did not know that Where Sleeping Girls Lie would be more satisfying and even more insightful. Unlike Carthage, it is also free of prejudices.

   In both mystery novels a woman disappears. In the case of Where Sleeping Girls Lie the female character who disappears is a teenager. Both stories expose the normalization of male violence and how the forces of the patriarchy shape the way people judge women and men differently.  In both stories there is a conflict between two sisters…

    Where Sleeping Girls Lie highlights how patriarchal forces enable the abuse of women while Carthage suggests that women are in part responsible for these abusive behaviors by doing nothing to set themselves free from the abuser or by supporting and admiring violent males. I think Carthage could have been instead an opportunity to expose how the system does not believe women and how it puts them in danger, but Joyce Carol Oates did something similar in We Were the Mulvaneys. In this novel, Oates shows that Corinne Mulvaney condoned her husband’s abusive behavior. I think there is a clear bias against the female gender in these two novels. Why is the author so persistent when it comes to placing the onus on women? The author is clearly interested in revealing the internalized misogyny of her female characters. To make matters even worse, Corinne Mulvaney did not provide support to her daughter after she was raped and even drove her away from her home because she could not deal with the reality of the rape.  I know I am digressing here, but it is hard not to see the analogies.

   Writing about this brings to mind the tragic experience of Gabby Petito who reported the physical abuse of his boyfriend to the police officers in Utah. She was clearly asking for help. No support or help were provided. The abuser was in control. She was considered the “crazy” one, even though she was the victim. Soon after she asked for help, she was strangled by her boyfriend.

   The most important differences between Carthage and Where Sleeping Girls Lie manifest in the ways in which the female characters respond to the demands and injustice of the patriarchy. In Where Sleeping Girls Lie the female characters can see the problems and advocate for change. In Carthage, women adopt a more submissive attitude, even when they can see some of the problems.

    Religion appears to appease and comfort Arlette. It helps her accept her reality and to forgive and be kind. The Catholic Religion in Carthage is something that guides people to be kind to others, to be more tolerant. The context triggers a compelling question: Can people be kind without religion? Joyce Carol Oates shows that Cressida is non-religious and inconsiderate, so the author here seems to associate religion with being kind to others, which can be misleading. Women are expected to be charitable, and religion appears to be the medium that facilitates this. Is the situation suggesting that religion is essential to count on a moral backbone? This suggestion has the potential to implant a form of bigotry.  Arlette’s husband, on the other hand, is the one involved in politics. He is not religious, but he tries to hide his lack of faith, and Arlette cannot fully trust her husband, which reinforces the bigoted idea that without religion a person cannot be trusted. Yet he is the one Cressida puts on a pedestal.

   Cressida is labeled as a “smart” girl, but she treats her mother in condescending ways and admires her father. Cressida’s attitude is a product of the patriarchy despite her rebellious nature.  Cressida also suffers because she does not meet the beauty standards demanded by the patriarchy. Unfortunately, the author does not care too much about sowing empathy for Cressida either. Take a moment to read the reviews to confirm this. You will read that some reviewers state that they would like to “throw Cressida into the river.” Yet they express that they do feel sympathy for Brett Kincaid. They are not bothered by the fact that he had physically attacked his girlfriend, Juliet, and had hung out with rapists… What does this tell you about the society we live in? Joyce Carol Oates paints “smart Cressida” as mischievous and unreliable. Yet Cressida volunteered to help boys by tutoring them in math. Then the boys labeled her as the “homely” one, which means “ugly” in American English. From that point on, she refused to volunteer, which means that being smart did not protect her from being overly concerned about the opinions of others. Being smart as a woman did not protect her from being objectified either. Her sister, Juliet, was considered “the beautiful” one, so Cressida was jealous.

    To make matters even more distressing, Cressida was considered “too smart.” Think about that for a moment. I’ve never heard of a man being accused of being too smart. Intelligence is celebrated, irrespective of the man’s looks. Cressida’s father even warned her about the possibility of being attacked because of her blunt remarks, hinting at the idea that being smart was considered dangerous. I have already explained the stereotyping of the “smart woman” here, so I will not delve into this again. Feel free to read my post on this here.

     Carthage is a very depressing novel in which women adapt to their situations without really changing anything. They do what women are expected to do: they are charitable, but Zeno is the politician. He is the leader, the one with power, and the ending does not seem to muffle the sharpness of the contrast between Arlette, the submissive wife, and Zeno, the politician. There is some growth in most of the characters in Carthage, but it does not make up for the stereotyping and prejudices that pervade the novel. By the end of the novel Arlette may not be the subservient wife she was at the beginning, but she is still docile in many ways. She is wise, but she is not vocal. She acts in accordance with the words from the New Testament: “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.”

     Faridah does not let us lose hope for her female characters in Where Sleeping girls Lie.  She gives them agency to have their own thoughts from the beginning of the novel. The author trusts the smart girls. I do not see any signs of internalized misogyny here. Faridah is a new kind of writer who believes in the power of her female characters to understand and be vocal; they summon up courage amid adverse circumstances and set creative solutions in motion. The author has genuine faith in women and refuses to succumb to any type of prejudice. The women and teenagers in this novel will surprise you... They are alert; they know that things can change, and they work to make change happen…

The Ocean's Menagerie by Drew Harvell

  

     Immerse yourself in the mysterious beauty of the ocean. You will discover an enchanting world of diversity and partnerships that are essential to sustain life. Drew Harvell’s book explores the ocean and shares the  adventures she experienced as a marine ecologist.

     What is it like to embark on such an adventure?

     Dr. Drew Harvell introduces the readers to an incredible variety of spineless sea creatures and their hidden powers. She takes us to various places: Hawaii, the Salis Sea, Saint Croix, Indonesia and other spots... 

 The exuberance of colors and shapes strikes a sense of wonder. Sponges, coral reefs, jellyfish, anemones, clams, fans, octopi, sea stars, and many others are included in this book.

 

    Dr. Drew Harvell is a world-renowned marine ecologist, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell University, affiliate faculty at University of Washington and a science envoy to the US State Department.

 Marine biology and medical research

   I was stunned to learn how marine biology overlaps with medical research. You may be surprised to read that discoveries about the chemistry and biology of sea creatures are used in immunology, neurobiology and cancer research and therapy.

 

  Hidden powers in sponges

Have you ever heard about Mitomycin? Mitomycin is used to treat some types of cancer (bladder cancer, for example). I did not know that mitomycin is a synthetic derivative of a compound with anticancer activity called mayamycin, which was obtained from a specific type of sea sponge (Halicondria panicea); this is a bright green intertidal sponge found at low tide in the shoreline of the Pacific Northwest.  Researchers found the natural compound and then scientists developed the synthetic chemical by tinkering with the structure of the natural compound in various ways.

  You will be even more surprised to learn that the chemical found in the sponge is not really produced by the sponge; it is made by specific bacteria in the sponge. There is a kind of symbiosis between the bacteria and the sponge to make this happen. Researchers do not know much about the complexity of this symbiosis.

 

  The coral’s castles

   Corals are part of the animal group called cnidarians; anemones and jellyfish are also considered cnidarians.

   All cnidarians have harpoon-like, venom-filled stinging cells called nematocysts, soft bodies and free-swimming larvae.

    As adults, some (like coral and anemones) exist as sessile polyps, while others (like most jellies) remain free swimming. Adults with free-swimming form are called medusae.

  The common ancestor of all living cnidarians was a solitary anemone that lived in ancient seas 800 million years ago.

     Some of the richest habitats on earth are the coral reefs. They house a quarter of all marine animal species. There is an ancient partnership between coral polyps and microscopic algae. These microscopic algae are photosynthetic single-celled organisms called zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae are packed in lines studding the skin of the corals. The zooxanthellae use chlorophyll to absorb sunlight, which is necessary to photosynthesize and produce glucose.   

  The sunlight penetrates the shallow water in which corals live and the food the zooxanthellae produce sustains the corals, because they use the food produced by the zooxanthellae to grow and reproduce. The corals, on the other hand, provide shelter to the zooxanthellae. This symbiosis or partnership between corals and zooxanthellae started over 400 million years ago. It is an adaptation that helped corals survive, because corals live in waters with low nutrition, so the algae zooxanthellae provided the extra nutrition they needed. This precious partnership is disrupted by climate change.

 Coral reefs and the economy

    Coral reefs support artisanal fisheries and protect coastal communities from damaging waves and subsequent erosion. Also, hundreds of millions of peoples’ livelihoods depend on coral reefs. What happens if we do not work to address climate change? How vulnerable are coral reefs to climate change? I invite you to research this.

 

 Coral reefs under attack by climate change and pollution caused by humans

 Higher temperatures make them vulnerable to infection; it causes “bleaching” of the coral reefs because it disrupts the partnership that has evolved over millions of years. The word “bleaching” alludes to the fact that they lose their colors because the microscopic algae (the zooxanthellae) are expelled. They lose their pigmentation and become vulnerable to diseases. 

  “Even in the heart of coral biodiversity, corals face the existential threat of climate warming. Warming events had broken apart the delicate symbiosis with the zooxanthellae and activated infections that stripped the live tissue from the skeleton and killed the entire colony."

  In addition to climate change, Dr. Harvell provides shocking descriptions of the ways in which coral reefs suffer under the effects of pollution:

 “Local factors like plastic, dynamite fishing, and sewage pollution were breaking and stressing corals, so infections could easily start.”
   It was shocking to read what she had seen as she swam from Bali to Raja Ampat: “we found a lot of plastic entwined in the branches of living coral. On reef after reef, we noticed plastic trash. Old fishing lines, chip bags, diapers, and single -use plastic bags were surging into the ocean from coastal shores and rivers.” They ended up tangled on corals.

 The author researched the effects of climate change in the year 1998...

   In June 1998 the effects of climate change on coral reefs were evident to scientists who explored life in the oceans. Dr. Drew Harvell was one of them. 

  The effects of higher temperatures were exacerbated by El Nino phenomenon that same year. The ocean absorbs the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As the carbon dioxide dissolves in ocean waters it turns into carbonic acid. The ocean acidification that results from this process has several deleterious effects on ocean life. For example, it affects the building of shells and skeletons. Ocean acidification affects the architecture of coral reefs.

   Coral reefs are important for the economy, so when you encounter a climate denier, you can educate them on the need to preserve and protect coral reefs from the massive amounts of arbon dioxide produced by human activities. This is why we need to act. We have options. We can make choices that support their health. 

    Dr. Harvell describes what happened, “We received reports from around Indonesia that corals were bleaching and that small outbreaks of disease were appearing on the reefs. While the bleaching was bad news, it was expected.” Back then the evidence of climate change caused by humans was already clear. 

   With global warming the growth of pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses increases. Back then they developed a sustainability program led by scientists from the World Bank; it also included seventy scientists from around the world. Climate change caused by the excess of carbon dioxide that results from human activities was well documented and they invested in resources to learn more about it. However, they did not do enough to address the issue and to educate the population. Why?

   Despite the fact that the science of anthropogenic climate change was clear in the 1990s, the mainstream media presented it as a controversial issue, confusing the masses. For example, the administration of George Bush suppressed and distorted the scientific findings to satisfy the interests of the fossil fuel industry; the Trump administration is following the same path. The Bush administration exaggerated uncertainty regarding climate change and did everything it could to avoid the policies required to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

   The scientific consensus on climate change dates back to the 1990s. Reading this information motivated me to do more research on this. As I looked into the matter further, it became clear to me that the evidence was ignored and suppressed for decades, and that universities and institutions were complicit in this process, because they were also influenced by fossil fuel interests. 

 Learning from the past will guide us to act in the present

   A serious issue emerges when we refuse to learn from history. We run the risk of repeating the same mistakes, which is what we are doing right now. An example of this is the use and abuse of artificial intelligence and the unregulated spread of data centers that lead to massive consumption of water and energy. These data centers worsen the climate crisis. With a few exceptions, political leadership on both sides of the spectrum chooses to ignore the consequences of the unrestrained spread of data centers. Several political leaders have failed to address the problem and have sold out our communities. In fact, they facilitated the spread of these data centers. 

     I invite you to do what you can as a citizen by not only contacting your representatives but also by minimizing the use of AI. For example, when you do a search you can type -AI to avoid the intrusion of AI.

Here’s an article on this that was published by AP news. It highlights the importance of doing this. It is a way of making your voice heard and it has some practical ideas:

https://apnews.com/article/ai-energy-water-climate-change-pollution-environment-77c9de6f9c6326c12d8d18e20dc99c44

 

  Artificial Intelligence is also taking away jobs, and it will continue to do so, harming our mental health and livelihoods. The propaganda about its benefits fails to address all the problems it is causing. 

 

Climate change decreases the levels of oxygen in the oceans

 

This is not something she writes much about, so I would like to highlight it. Warm temperatures in the water hold less Oxygen, so the levels of Oxygen have been decreasing. You can read more on this here.

However, climate change is not the only cause. The decrease in the levels of Oxygen is also a result of pollution. For example, pollution by fertilizers from factory farms is a topic she  does not address in her book. She only mentions fish farms, but not other factory farms.  I also notice that universities avoid paying attention to this topic. Why is this not addressed? In the same way that universities ignored climate change for decades they now seem to neglect topics that pertain to factory farming and the consequences of overuse of fertilizersand pesticides. The lack of transparency and neglect from institutions is another betrayal; these institutions should be prioritizing the environment and public health—not the interests of the agricultural and fossil fuel corporations that provide donations…

    What kind of objectivity can we expect when we learn that fossil fuel corporations funneled 700 million dollars in research funding to US universities over the course of ten years?

 

Big agricultural corporations also provide funding to these institutions:

It would be interesting to have the latest figures available, but, unfortunately, I don’t expect much transparency. Here’s a paper on this kind of influence.

 

 

 

Climate change continues to get worse

 

In the meantime, climate change and pollution continue to get worse, and planting trees, albeit important, is not enough to address this.

 

 Bioluminescence

  Imagine yourself going down into the sea at night. Without the pull of gravity, you may not know whether you are going down or up. I found that fascinating. You will learn about bioluminescence and the chemistry of light…

  The chemistry of light production in marine living beings such as jellyfish was spellbinding. Several species of sea creatures produce light for different purposes. It may be to attract mates, deter predators or to attract prey. The process requires certain conditions and the presence of calcium. Understanding the chemistry of this process also helps to fathom how living beings are interconnected and interdependent. Furthermore, you will be impressed to learn how this knowledge is applied to medical diagnosis and treatment. 

 

 

    Sea Stars

 The author describes the anatomy of these delicate creatures in simple terms; she reveals how they feed themselves. We also learn about the epidemic that caused massive die-offs of sea stars. Warming temperatures made them vulnerable to a serious epidemic…

   For example, ninety percent of the sunflower sea stars along the entirety of North America’s West coast died.  This had serious repercussions because sunflower sea stars normally feed on sea urchins, so the lack of sunflower sea stars caused an overpopulation of sea urchins. These organisms then devoured the kelp forests. The devastation of kelp forests damaged an entire ecosystem, and this degradation had serious impacts on the local economies. Restoration work is ongoing to protect sea stars.

 

      

      Conclusion

    The author’s adventures in and by the sea inspire us to appreciate the ocean and motivate us to protect it from the abuse of human activities. Her book provides revelations on how everything is intimately interconnected. The diversity of connections and partnerships presented here is essential to sustain life.

     As we attempt to awaken to the complex web of life, we get to understand that climate change is not an isolated issue. It is interconnected with and related to pollution. Therefore, addressing both should be part of a comprehensive plan of actions to support human health and all forms of life in our planet. Making the right choices is of paramount importance at every level.

 

What can we do?

Avoid single use plastic bags; avoid or minimize the use of plastic. Avoid releasing helium balloons. They can end up in the ocean; wildlife gets killed by ingesting them. Support clean forms of energy like wind, solar and geothermal. If you grow a garden, do so without the use of pesticides and herbicides. Vote for politicians who genuinely care about doing something to address pollution and climate change and make choices that align with your ethical purpose. Remember that your voice can help to make a difference.

 

Find out how you can protect marine animals from illegal fishing:

 

https://awionline.org/wycd/what-you-can-do-for-marine-wildlife/

 

 

 

  Take action to protect coastal communities and the ocean:

https://earthjustice.org/action/our-coastal-communities-need-protections-from-the-dangers-of-offshore-drilling

 

Research has shown that there are links between oil and gas production and earthquakes. Why is this not addressed? Here’s an article from Scientific American on this topic:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drilling-for-earthquakes/

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to read my post on the following book:

 

 Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of cooperation in the natural world.

 

 Birding to Change the World

 

Carthage by Joyce Carol Oates

 

     I wanted to read a thought-provoking mystery during my summer break, so I considered one of Joyce Carol Oates’s books. 

  Carthage is an entertaining, provocative novel filled with suspense. It is engrossing; Joyce Carol Oates always creates characters that make you think long after you finish the book.

    The novel reminds readers of the war in Iraq. It exposes the trauma, suffering and pain it caused and the circumstances that led to it.

     I do recommend Carthage but I am not blind to the fact that this novel perpetuates a number of stereotypes and prejudices that float consistently in the traits of unconscious biases.

     The heart of the mystery sets off with the disappearance of Cressida Mayfield, a nineteen-year-old woman from Carthage, New York. What happened to Cressida?

    The mystery revolves around her disappearance; the novel is an unpredictable adventure with several twists and turns. It keeps the readers on tenterhooks till the end.  There is no way you can guess what happened to Cressida, and I love that about the novel.

     Joyce Carol Oates is a brilliant novelist. I appreciate the way she makes the reader believe something about a character, only to later lead the way to the reevaluation of the original views she offers. This may be a strategy to expose the complexity of reality. One has to be careful before judging others. Still, the trap of stereotypes and biases in this novel makes my head spin like a carousel.

    First of all, I found it unsettling that she portrayed an absurd dichotomy between Cressida and her older sister, Juliet. Cressida is labeled as the “smart girl” and Juliet is the “beautiful” one. 

 

  Cressida Mayfield and Juliet Mayfield,

the two icons of the relentless stereotyping of women

 

 “Cressida was invariably judged too smart.” I was intrigued to learn about her. We read about Cressida being “smart” ad nauseum. However, the concept of “smart” is warped to satisfy a kind of stereotype that fits the unconscious biases of society. I find this character shallow, self-centered and somewhat boring. Cressida was tactless, selfish and blunt in a way that did not make her smart. I expected witty remarks or actions that would shape funny, thought-provoking situations, but nothing happened to convince me that Cressida was indeed smart other than the mind-boggling work she did on Frankenstein for a college assignment.

  The author associates the idea of a so-called “smart” girl with being rude and reckless. It was very disappointing because I do believe that some modern societies still have problems with what they consider “smart women”. Smart women are viewed with distrust, so this story helps to enhance the problem and fortify the idea that smart women can be dangerous and unpredictable. Now think about how this translates into politics…

   This is a social feature that dates back to the Middle Ages, when women who expressed disagreement or opposition were persecuted as witches, so the “smart girl” stereotype depicted here may be an expression of the misogynistic trend that continues to exist, and it is used effectively to silence and disempower women across the world. The “smart woman” who appears “different” is a red flag to be avoided at all costs. 

   Women are expected to be docile and follow the rules consistently to be liked. Blunders are not to be forgiven, so the “smart” one in this novel meets the “need” of the collective consciousness of American society to project distrust on “smart women”. Cressida is not to be trusted. She is unpredictable. On the other hand, Juliet is the “beautiful” one, and even though Juliet was sometimes physically attacked by her fiancé she covered it up for him because she was “in love with him”. She would never acknowledge that there was something terribly wrong in that relationship, and this satisfies a kind of prejudice here about what to expect from the so-called “beautiful women”: that beautiful women can tolerate violence because they are dumb enough to do so. The so-called beautiful woman never seems to understand that the relationship is unhealthy. In this novel the women are classified and put into these senseless boxes that perpetuate injustice and unfair judgments about women.

 

 

 Cressida and her intellectual conversations… with her father

Cressida enjoyed discussions about Greek philosophers with Zeno, her dad. However, Joyce Carol Oates makes clear that Juliet and Arlette avoided getting engaged in such discussions because they did not like to disagree.

   "The animated conversations excluded Arlette and Juliet who claimed not to enjoy arguing." I have lost count of the times in which intellectual discussions take place between the teenaged daughter and her father in novels. Fathers are portrayed with fun intellectual interests at the dinner table whereas mothers are boring. I never understood this dynamic, but the bias exists in literature and it makes no sense to me. It is interesting to see how the patriarchy is at work in subtle ways.

   

 

     What does “being beautiful” mean?

   Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so the whole obsession with beauty here is hard to comprehend. Why did Cressida care about it so much? Cressida is jealous because Juliet is considered beautiful. She bullies Juliet. Cressida thinks her parents don’t love her. Even the author suggests that their parents, Zeno and Arlette, do not love Cressida as much as they love Juliet. How can a parent’s love be influenced by the kid’s physical beauty? The  situation is preposterous and ridiculous, but don’t be so quick to judge them. Her parents do suffer after her disappearance;  Joyce Carol Oates wants to make sure you understand that they do love Cressida. Ambiguity is the queen of the game.  They love her, but they had trouble parenting her. Why is it so hard for Cressida to connect with her parents?After a careful analysis I realised that her father is prone to spoil her, so Cressida has low tolerance for frustration. 

     The dichotomy between Arlette and Zeno

     Zeno appreciates Cressida’s artistic skills. He is impressed by her artworks, but I noticed that Arlette only appreciated her art when Cressida was a child and also once she lost her daughter. Again, we see an unsettling dichotomy here: the man values the complexity of Cressida's art; his wife only does so under special circumstances. The man shares intellectual conversations with Cressida. His wife is unwilling to do so. 

  Due to Cressida’s talent for drawing, Arlette did consider the possibility of putting something together to publish a children’s book, but Zeno dismissed the idea. He considered that Cressida was far too complex for that. Zeno thought that doing so was not at Cressida’s intellectual level, so her father is put on a pedestal here as if he were the one who knows what is best for Cressida.

 

 

 Brett Kincaid

   Juliet’s boyfriend, Brett Kincaid, is the brave hero who served in Iraq. The trauma of war left physical and mental scars that will eventually ruin his life. Even before going to war Brett Kincaid had been carried away by violent impulses. Violence is totally acceptable in males, anyway. Joyce Carol Oates shows that women fall in love with him because he is so “brave and kind.” His violent impulses can be safely ignored because his kindness and empathy overshadow those flaws according to the cultural mindset of the novel. I am not making anything up. This is what happens in the story.

    It is confusing to me, because Brett used to hang out with psychopaths who treat women like garbage, but, strangely enough, Brett has been immune to the influence of his peers who sexually assault women and get away with it. I think this aspect of the novel is baffling. Joyce Carol Oates clearly wants the readers to feel compassion for Brett, so she shows that he can be very empathetic and kind despite his background of hanging out with psychopaths. Joyce Carol Oates shows that Brett is ready to defend the vulnerable at all costs, but why was he a friend of the psychopaths who referred to women in the most disgusting ways? I have trouble handling this ambiguity. Is it realistic? What do you think? 

 

     PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)

 The stream of flashbacks and disruptive thoughts exposes the atrocities of war and the effects of trauma. I appreciate how the author evokes deep emotions and feelings. She captures the emotional impact of war and the helplessness that results from it. 

  Juliet and Brett’s dream of getting married never materialized. Their dream is completely shattered for different reasons, and there is something about this that remains unclear at the end...

 

 

     Unfair prejudices

 

  I loved it when Cressida volunteered to teach math to students in middle school. She was in her element when she did that. I loved how she poured her creativity into the fascinating task of teaching mathematics.  That was smart of her, but it did not last long. At some point somebody made a comment that was offensive to Cressida. The situation highlights Cressida’s deep sensitivity, but I did not really understand why it affected her so much. This could have been fleshed out more perhaps. It was disappointing that she stopped volunteering because of that. Why did it offend her so much? What does this tell us about Cressida?

   I was also struck by the fact that all the middle school students who needed assistance in math had “brown skin”. Why is Joyce Carol Oates pointing this out? Does she think that only students with brown skin need assistance with math?   This was not only inappropriate; it was also unnecessary to point out the skin color of the students.

 

  

    The intriguing nature of “The Investigator”

 

 “The investigator” is a unique, intriguing character. He investigates and works to address injustice and change things in unconventional, peaceful ways. Yet he is rather authoritarian and cold in his own private realm. I wanted to learn more about this strange man. What happened to him?  

 

    What I truly liked about the novel

   The novel offers the opportunity to get to know a great variety of characters in various settings and situations. At times it dares to invite us to contemplate different perspectives on the same situation.

    The death penalty is explored with heartbreaking details. The novel exposes the darkest, most brutal aspects of society.  Yet amid the violence and disrespect for human dignity there are rays of hope...

    I cherished the unique instants of contemplation, shared silence and human connection. I appreciate the peaceful moments of inner redemption: the empathetic understanding that forms unlikely friendships…

 

 Similarities with We Were the Mulvaneys

 

 Arlette finds comfort and solace in the Catholic religion just like the mother in We Were the Mulvaneys. Again, Catholicism offers them the relief and comfort they seek.

Men use alcohol to deal with their outrage and hopelessness.

Male violence is acceptable and tolerated in several ways.

Both novels deal with the effects of trauma and violence.

Both novels expose the consequences and features of the lynch mob mentality. Interestingly, Joyce Carol Oates mentions the so-called lynch mob mentality at this interview here. I want to highlight it because the lynch mob mentality is a tool of authoritarian regimes.

 https://www.salon.com/2014/02/20/joyce_carol_oates_on_twitter_i_dont_really_say_anything_that_i_dont_mean/

 

 

 

 

                    Conclusion

 This is a thought-provoking, engaging novel that reveals the darkest brutal aspects of society. It reveals the effects of trauma and violence and the persistent nature of gender double standards. It exposes the ways in which women are oppressed and classified by labels with an utter disregard of their talents and potential. Unfortunately, it reinforces stereotypes and prejudices that are part of unconscious social biases.

 

Feel free to read my writing on the following books by Joyce Carol Oates:

We Were the Mulvaneys

Fox

Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them by James Garbarino, Ph.D.

 

    I do not have sons, but the title of this book hooked me as soon as I stepped into a library last year. I will explain why.

    Let's start by saying that when I was a child my parents discouraged me from watching violent cartoons and movies. In fact, I abhorred those myself. I found violent movies and cartoons revolting. My parents fostered my curiosity about the world around me and motivated me to read and watch programs that inspired me to reflect and think critically. They also taught me to respect animals and the natural world. While they did consider it important to be able to defend myself and be physically strong, they did not celebrate violence or promote it in any way, so it was strange for me to see that some of my classmates admired the violent American cartoons and movies.

   Today I continue to feel confused and puzzled when I see how fascinated with violence so many children, teenagers and adults are.

    Violence is a useful tool of fascist regimes. It is used to generate profits while people lose their lives as a result of it. Why? Because violence is at odds with empathy. Violence drives people to shoot without respect and consideration for the lives of others, whether they are human or non-human.

      There are many forms of violence. Gun violence is one of them, but it is not the only one. Yet gun violence is a big piece of the enormous puzzle of violence that society tends to conveniently ignore, because different forms of violence get normalized on a regular basis. This is something that Garbarino analyses carefully in his book, so I will let you discover his introspective examination of the problem.

      I’ve always been aware of the fact that the most vulnerable children, teenagers and adults can be heavily influenced by the violence they grow up watching. For this reason, I’ve never understood why psychologists and sociologists don’t do enough to raise awareness on the impact of these influences.

     Don’t they have a responsibility as professionals to do so? Are they so used to the violence they grew up with that they have acquiesced to it and do nothing about it?

 

      When I visited this library and came across this title, I opened the book at once… I was astonished to discover that Dr. Garbarino expressed some of the thoughts and concerns I had been harboring in my mind for decades. I needed a resource like this one as an outlet to express myself; I needed answers to my questions. Furthermore, the book also offers a thorough approach to the problem with practical steps, ideas and recommendations as well as comprehensive plans of action to tackle the issue at every level. The content of Lost Boys is of value to parents, educators, social workers, political leaders and any member of society who cares deeply about this issue.

  The last part of the book offers a vast array of resources with contact details of organizations and associations that provide guidance, support and training for families and their children.

  I am dividing this post into several parts to present the topic with clarity.

   It is my hope that this post will inspire people to raise awareness, spark reflections and effect change.

 

 

 Facts and statistics 

 

   It is well known that young men are about ten times as likely as young women to commit murder.

    Homicide rates in general and our juvenile homicide rate remain higher in the United States than they are in other industrialized societies, such as the countries of Europe. In America death due to gun violence is 26 times more common than in European countries. Canada has a youth homicide rate that is at least three times lower than the one in the United States of America. When this book was first published, however, in the 1990s, Canada youth homicide was ten times lower than in America.

     In the mid-1990s Boston was able to cut its youth homicide rate to zero for a period of two years due to a number of city programs designed to address these issues. Chapter seven of the book focuses on such programs.

 

Cultural roots and how they relate to violence

  The patterns of violence associated with slavery left their impact in the Southern states of the United State of America. Dr. Garbarino highlights the work of social analysts who explain that the highest homicide rates are in the states that constituted the Confederacy during the Civil War. These are the states with the highest homicide rates. On the other hand, the states with the lowest rates are in New England and the northern Midwest. For example, in 1996 Louisiana’s homicide rate was twelve times that of South Dakota. This pattern was as true in the nineteenth century as it is today.

 

 

The effects of exposing kids to violent screen content

   Dr. Garbarino puts into words the concerns that I harbored in my mind for so long. The book was published in the 1990s and nothing has been done to address the roots of it. It is important to emphasize that guns are the first cause of death of children in the United States of America. In fact, the situation has become much worse since he wrote the book. My first goal here is to highlight the roots of the issue because they have been consistently ignored and even denied. Dr. Garbarino validated my concerns by exposing the research on this, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post:

 “Many American kids watch hours and hours of atrocities, day after day, week after week. While some may label it entertainment, it is—from the point of view of a child’s development—a documentary of atrocities with the potential to traumatize and corrupt.” He also analyses the effects of violent video games carefully, but I will let you dig into that yourself.

  Aside from this book, I share recent research done on almost two thousand children which clearly shows the influence of television on violent behaviors. I share a link at the bottom of this post. Dr. Garbarino’s book looks into the research that was already available when he published the book back in the 1990s, and one cannot help but wonder why nothing has been done over this…

 “Analyses of television content reveal that a typical American child can witness more images of death and destruction from the comfort of his living room than any cop or soldier witnesses in actuality in the line of duty in a lifetime. An analysis for the American Psychological Association highlights some important elements of this exposure: ‘good’ characters or heroes commit 40 percent of the violent acts, more than a third of the bad characters are not punished, and more than 70 percent of the aggressors show no remorse and experience no criticism or penalty for their violent actions.”

  Psychologist Leonard Eron and his colleagues researched the effects of the negative influences of violent images by following a group of kids from childhood into adulthood. “Just as some people are more vulnerable to developing cancer from smoking than others, so too are some children more affected by television violence than others.” If you take a moment to reflect on this, you may be inclined to compare the situation to other problems that were ignored at the expense of human health. For example, the effects of exposure of children to violence has been treated like the effects of cigarette smoke on human health. Deniers have tried to deny the effects until they cannot hide the evidence anymore. For at least three or four decades, physicians and medical institutions ignored and downplayed the effects of cigarette smoke on human health. Tobacco companies took advantage of this by promoting cigarettes as “healthful” and “safe”. I am sure the readers of this blog will think of other similar analogies.

   Recent research supports the claim that  boys exposed to violent screen content in the preschool years are more likely to become antisocial and violent themselves a decade later (check the link at the bottom for details).

   I  appreciate how Dr. Garbarino raises awareness on another critical aspect of the issue: the way shallow materialism dominates some of their violent behaviors. He makes it clear and easy to understand.   

 

A comprehensive approach to the problem

 

   The author says he could have ended up like one of the violent kids himself, but he had a strong social network of support: his family and his teachers provided that.

  Dr. Garbarino offers various suggestions on how to address the violence of the entertainment industry. This is something that is often neglected and ignored. I added a link to an article by Brad Bushman on this specific issue at the bottom of this blog post. Feel free to read it and share it. 

    One important aspect to pay attention to is the need to have a person in their lives that they can fully trust. Also, having a life purpose has been shown to help these boys turn away from violent crimes and behaviors.

   The need for social programs that should start working even before the kids are born is paramount. The author provides examples of mothers who get guidance on how to deal with their children even before their babies are born.

  There are also specific programs to teach children and teenagers how to develop skills to manage their anger and interact in meaningful respectful ways:

  “The skills include nonaggressive tactics for expressing a complaint, responding to the feelings of others, recovering from a stressful conversation, responding to anger, keeping out of fights, helping others, dealing with an accusation, dealing with group pressure, expressing affection, and responding to failure.”

 Furthermore, Dr. Garbarino describes the positive impact of spirituality, and he details how to do it.  Many lives will be saved by taking the recommendations in this book seriously.

  Access to guns is also part of the problem, and he delves into this issue by sharing interesting anecdotes and experiences in addition to statistics that compell the reader to understand the need for adequate regulations and policies. 

 I strongly encourage you to read Lost Boys. Share it. There is a long list of resources at the end that I hope will be helpful.

 The book, however, does have some flaws and weaknesses.

       

 

 

Flaws and weaknesses

1) One aspect he glosses over is the role of sexism in some of these dysfunctional social situations. He does acknowledge how the boys consider girls weaker and that behaviors of girls are viewed as less than those of boys. He points out the problem but he does not offer a plan to address this distorted view the boys have. Likewise, he conveniently ignores sexual violence. Why?

 2)  Dr. Garbarino shares details about their lives to explain their dangerous behaviors. He inveigles the reader into believing that the reason for their violent behaviors has to do with their survival, for example, or with a sense of impending danger that is a threat to them, but his argument does not hold water when he refers to how some boys torture or kill animals who are in no way a threat to them. Animals are the most vulnerable beings and they are not a threat to the boys’ safety, so in these specific cases we may be dealing with a psychopath instead.

3) Dr. Garbarino should have devoted an entire chapter to psychopaths to help people identify them. He only wrote two lines about psychopaths. I find this deeply disturbing.

 4) Another aspect of the book that I found troubling is the fact that he is so obsessed about the lack of compassion toward violent boys. Really? Strangely enough, I perceive lack of compassion toward victims instead. He is so invested in giving the violent boys second chances that he forgets the potential victims of the boys “who fall through the cracks.” As far as I know, violent boys can grow into men who are allowed to become presidents, members of the Supreme Court and Congressmen. The violent boys can be easily forgiven and empowered while the victims continue to be bullied, retraumatized and easily forgotten by society.

 

 

Conclusion

 

  I recommend Lost Boys, but I do acknowledge that it has some serious flaws and weaknesses that should be addressed with an expanded version of the book.

   I read an old edition because my local library system does not have this specific book. I decided to purchase a second-hand book. I will pass it on to share it with others and raise awareness. 

 

 

 

Relevant links:

Recent research shows clear link between early exposure to violence and violent behavior:

https://research.chusj.org/en/Media/News/2025/Violence-on-TV-what-happens-to-children-who-watch

A case of severe bullying and the trauma that results from it

   https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/24/violently-bullied-age-five-school-punched-teachers-ignored

 

The Trump administration is cutting funds to programs that help to reduce violence

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/31/trump-federal-funding-cuts-crime

 

Why is the scientific evidence ignored? An article by Brad Bushman, Ph.D.:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/get-psyched/201302/why-do-people-deny-violent-media-effects